Winter greetings as we experience the darkest time of year. During this season of cold, I invite you to explore both indoor and outdoor options for experiencing all that the Wenatchee Watershed has to offer. I’ve prepared a Solstice edition of the Wenatchee Naturalist eNews with enticing ways to enlighten and deepen your personal connection with our winter wonderland.
Winter is a good time to puzzle over animal tracks seen in snow. A friend and I hiked a favorite trail, Devil’s Spur, the morning after our very first snowfall in November. The dry air and thin coating of fluffy snowflakes made every animal track clear and sharp. We followed these prints for 1/4-mile, wondering if this cat found a meal after diverting off of the old road bed we all were following.
Cougar tracks
It helps to carry a camera and a small ruler or tape measurer so you can document the width and length of each track. WIth a measuring device, I used a glove as a proxy, and then came home to measure my glove and deduce the track dimensions that fit “cougar.” Beginning tracking resources include my trio of blog posts about tracking dogs and cats, rabbits and squirrels, and a finale one-act tracking tale.
The Timber Press field guide pictured is my go-to choice for learning our region’s wildlife tracks. Author David Moskowitz works in the fields of photography, wildlife biology and education. We are fortunately that he lives in the Methow Valley, and offers tracking field workshops a few times each year. One is scheduled for April in Leavenworth and for June in the Methow Valley. Learn more on his website here. David’s classes fill quickly, so register now!
Wenatchee Naturalist website learning aids include The Methow Naturalist printable mammal tracks guide and a host of other resources. Check out the bibliography if you are seeking a good field guide or reference to carry in the field.
And, this is the season to curl up on the couch and watch wildlife from the comfort of your home. Here’s a selection of short regional wildlife films the entire family will enjoy.
Movie Night Recommendations
YouTube video series Wildlife Wednesdays– over 50 short (3-8 minutes) and lively films– bats, to weasels, to nature journaling to serotinous cones. Applies to Pacific Northwest; produced by Montana Dept. of Wildlife and Parks. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0wlcm9ZecPJkU7KXimfbsdyRDHPi3ifk
This Land is Part of Us: Washington’s Shrub-steppe Ecosystem (11 minutes) https://youtu.be/NfhM9vLQD-0
Sagebrush County: Backbone of the West by Vimeo for Audubon Rockies (3 minute) https://vimeo.com/audubonrockies
Sage-Grouse Explained by Vox for Audubon Rockies (6.5 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6BzZcKyJiI
Why Bears? Features all worldwide bear species in a short video by ecologist and conservationist, Chris Morgan. http://whybears.org/film
‘Tis the season to lean on poetry to help get us through the darkest days. The Poetry Foundation’s Winter Poems Collection offers light to guide our way. Recently, this Robert Frost poem offered me the “umpt” I needed to get out side and shovel the driveway!
Dust of Snow
BY ROBERT FROST
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Thank you so much for your newsletter Susan.
From the charming pictures of the lit up Christmas trees in the snow to the Cougar tracks you put me into the spirit of the season.
Petra Swidler
Thanks Susan, For a real trea take David Moskowitz’s wi ter tracking class or tracking certification classes..
David is a remarkable,enthusiastic instructor much as yourself!