Tracks in the snow
January 6, 2010 by Bird
Filed under Blog, Fauna, Good Stuff, In The Garden, Wild London, Winter
Yesterday we were told to expect two feet of snow to fall overnight, and sure enough, around about midnight it began. A fine, crisp powdery snow falling thickly – as I watched from the top of the fire escape it obliterated the grass below. I went to bed thrilled skinny that even in London you get the good snow sometimes!
The morning dawned quiet and still, a strange thing in the city. But the snow was not the thick blanket I had hoped for and the flakes that were still tumbling out of the sky were wet and melting as they fell. I trudged down the slush covered fire escape with the new bird feeder in one hand and a stepladder in the the other, trying to figure out where the most squirrel proofed place in the garden might be. That’s when I spotted the dainty tracks criss crossing the snow. There were two sets of tracks, one old and hard to read and filling up rapidly with falling snow. The tracks you see to the left however were crisp and fresh as a daisy. A fox! Looks like foxy was running to leap the fence when she heard me open the door – I just missed seeing her. I know that foxes hunt the mice and other rodents that hang around the compost bins and nearby garden sheds and wonder if this weather makes hunting easier or harder. I realised that my delight in the wintry weather largely comes from having plenty to eat and not having to hunt for my food under a freezing blanket of snow. This is harsh weather for wildlife and set to stay for a week at the very least, which is why I’m breaking my rule about never feeding the birds.
Feeding the birds in my neighbourhood is a bad idea; it’s pretty much inviting them to commit suicide. Our eccentric cat loving neighbour feeds all the local cats which means that his – and our – garden is constantly full of them. Come the snow, the cats go home and I feel a little better about doing it, but there are still the squirrels to contend with – I doubt they’d actually kill a bird, but they can certainly drive them all away and eat their food. I like squirrels, but in the garden they are cunning gluttons. And then of course there is fantastic Ms fox. But I wouldn’t mind a bit if I saw a fox take a bird from our garden - it’s what they do, it’s what they’ve always done, just making a living after all. If I feed the birds and a fox benefits from that one day… well, good luck to it.
So I hung up the feeder and retreated indoors, assuming that the big snow we were promised was all just talk. A couple of hours later the sky was dizzy with whirling snowflakes, the clouds an eerie ultraviolet. Let’s see how it looks tomorrow.
Beautiful snow pictures! I don’t think I could go outside in weather like that. You want to be careful of those squirrels, they will steal the whole feeder if they can, I just have the squirrel proof kind now.
Hi Mel, I think snow’s fun to go out in though I guess I might feel differently when I’m a little older! I attached the feeder to a washing pole which stands away from pretty much anything and used very thick wire to do it, so it would have to be a VERY determined squirrel because I’m not sure even I could get it off now
There’s been talk of sn*w in our forecast, here in the subtropical US South. Ugh. <:( Lovely pictures, however. It's cold here, but at least it isn't white…yet.
I take it you are not a fan of sn*w then Lana
Seems like the whole world has it right now though, so there’s no-where to hide!
Hey, good to see you back
I am glad you posted the footprints cos I have been taking a few photo’s of foxes as you know and saw footprints but they are so odd. they almost walk one foot in front of the other, not like dogs at all!
Hehe, it looks very snowy, you might make Primrose Hill yet !
I get too many cats but I feed anyway and just try and make sure they are as far away from a pouncing cat as possible.
In this weather the birds are constantly back and forth but quite wise methinks…
Hi Chrissy! It’s a really interesting gait they have isn’t it, and the way the tracks go in a perfect straight line is amazing! I’d have thought that it would be hard to tell cat tracks from fox tracks but the way they move is very different and it shows in that straight line. I never have a camera when I see one – oh, there was one time, as it disappeared over into the next garden. A very shaky pic I do recall, unlike your absolute corkers
Great boots! I wish I experienced snow where I live in Winter. To get it, I have to go to the snowfields, up in the ski areas. Happy New Year to you!
Hi Svasti, and a Happy New Year to you too! I’m glad you noticed my beloved wellies. What you can’t see in the pic is the multi colour glitter effect – more really is more, as I like to think
It’s been really exciting in London these past two years because of the snow – we barely even get frost here normally. I grew up in the north where people are more used to it and it was something I really missed when I came south. I can’t imagine a childhood without snow.
So glad to see you back at your blog! And to learn you have foxes running through your garden, too. I was taught that all canines and felines leave straight line tracks, unlike weasel family critters, who waddle along with feet side by side, or bound along with bunched-up tracks. And domestic dog tracks don’t make a beeline but are usually all over the place, since they’re not seriously hunting but out for a romp. And cats have rounder toe pads than canines, with no claws showing. It’s fun to try to ID the critters that pass unseen. Who would have known they were all around us, if not for the snow?
Hi Jackie, it’s good to be back! I’ve since seen cat tracks in the garden and the paw print they leave really is very different, as you say the toes are round and placed differently – also the pad looks bigger in the cat print. But the track wasn’t straight like the fox – I guess because foxy was looking for dinner and tiddles was just out for a stroll! There was a beautiful fox trail in the garden this morning where you could see that the fox had walked along the top of a low brick wall then jumped – you could see the imprint of it’s body in the snow where it landed.
It’s useful information about the weasel tracks – I doubt we’d find any in our neighbourhood but perhaps on the nearby marshes there would be some. Next trip into the snowy countryside I am going to try and get there early and keep my eyes peeled for tracks!
Glad you are enjoying the snow! Nice fox prints you captured. I am just learning about bird feeding – the birds seem to like my backyard when the cold turns a bit warmer for a day. We have cats, too, but the birds are quicker.
Hi Leora, lovely to see you again! I’m starting to think from what you and some other people are saying that it might be worth feeding them even though there is a risk – but only in winter here I think, because seriously you wouldn’t believe how many cats there can be in summer, five or six at a time in such a tiny space. In the cold weather you don’t get so many hanging around. I’ve been putting the food where the birds can see if any cats are coming, and most of it goes as high up as possible. They’re still not used to the new feeder, so we’ll see how it goes – fingers crossed
Bird Happy New Year 2010.
BTW nice pics.
So you got snow, so far we got some too bad this year the weather been only cold, and not much of shoveling. Anna
Hi Anna, Happy new year – and decade – to you too! Hope your snowy ambitions will be rewarded soon, feels like almost everywhere is covered right now so it’s not fair that you are missing out!
Hey Bird! First off, I love those snazzy snow boots—I wanna pair! How thoughtful of you to take care of the feathered ones during your harsh weather…I’m sure you’re their favorite human in the neighborhood. We also have a fox around here. A good-sized one and he’s so fast I can never get a pic. Lucy usually alarms us when he’s close by. Those are nice fox prints…maybe I can track ours down! Stay warm!
)
There have been a lot more birds coming into the gardens around here now the temperature had dropped so low, but they are still a little afraid to make the most of the bird feeder. There has only been one bird tried it (well at least, there was one peanut that had obviously been pecked) but I’ve been putting oatmeal, dried fruits and applecores where I see the birds foraging and that food goes pretty quick. You know, I think I’m the only human around here that even notices that there are birds,so you could be right…
Hey I bet you could get some fantastic animal tracks where you are, you have the most beautiful snow! And I know what you mean about how fast a fox can be. They aren’t really scared of people round here but they hate sudden noise so the sound of the door opening means I often get to see a foxy tail… and that’s all.
Liz has a neighbour (Dave) who has cats. Sadly Liz’s garden is home to generations of birds. The young blackbirds of a year ago, return to their first home and it’s dangerous for them. I shoo them away whenever I can (the cats) but they are stealthy and cunning…
Great Wellies!
love
henry
ps: The shot of the snow falling is great….I remember making casts of foxprints in mud with plaster of paris as a schoolboy.
It’s particularly hard on ground foragers like blackbirds, isn’t it? After precisely one week of feeding the birds I can hardly bear to feed the ground foragers, they are in far too much danger from cats, but I will continue using seed and nut feeders which give other birds more safety. Cats are a real problem for wildlife on our street. There are unusually large numbers here (many are probably kept as mousers, we have an exploding rodent population too) and even though I am a cat person myself it exasperates me. Shooing them off in our garden would require being out there 24 / 7!