Festive track and sign quiz - Part one

[nigelp]

Festive Track and sign quiz - part one

The answers will be posted on 28th December - please do not post the answers until then.

I am very confident I know the answer to each but after the quiz it will be fun to discuss them and see if everyone agrees (or I am actually correct). They are all my own photos and observations. When I am out I like to look at the track or sign in context (which you don't have here) and make a guess before getting the tape measure out, making notes and measurements.

Look at each question and write down the answers, including bonus point questions. Keep the answers to yourselves until the quiz ends.
You can click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images.

Please only post the answers once the quiz has ended on 28th December. You could take a photo of your answers and post it here at the end, your score, or just play along for fun once the answers have been posted.

33 points available for part one (If I can count).

Question 1 - 3 points

Who's track?

DUCK - Bird tracks are quite hard when they are single tracks and there is no context to them. ​

Question 2 - 2 points available

Who's skull?

Bonus point - Would the age of this animal be...?

Badger (1 point) & b (1 point) - the sagittal crest is well developed on most adult badgers over 9/12 months old​

a) Less than 9 months old

b) More than 9 months old



Question 3 - 1 point available

Who made this?

Dung beetle - You can just see some of the poo in the photo. The beetles dig a hole and drag the poo down for the hatching larvae too feast on. They are very common across the New Forest and in areas with grazing animals and deer.​

Question 4 - 2 points

Who's track/s? - for scale see pen and all same size or smaller than a 5p piece

Wood mouse - The size is too small for a rat. Also they are probably not a bank or field vole because toes 3-4 on the rear feet of 'voles' hug or are closer together than toes 2-3. Where as the rear toes in the photo show them being equally spaced between toes 2-3 and toes 3-4 - all three of the toes. That said if you said small rodent then you are doing OK. I spent quite a lot of time peering at the tracks and got very muddy knees!​

Question 5 - 3 points available

Who did this? and what did they do it for?

Squirrel, shredded it for bedding. They do like a lot of bedding because they had taken half the tree bark off! ​

Question 6 - Who's remains? - 2 points

Fox remains - The lower jaw is indicative of foxes (and dogs). I saw these remains on a map reading course and went back afterwards in the evening to to bag them up. I need to sort them out and learn the names of all the bones.​

Question 7 - 2 points

Who's Foot?

Roe deer - This one had been shot in a wood and left - what a pointless waste! In the left hand photo you can see toes 2 and 5 which are the dew claws and usually only show in a track if the ground of very soft.​

Question 8 - 2 points available

Who's meal?

Woodmouse - I guessed wood mouse (but i guess small rodent would be a good guess also) because the shell was just randomly nibbled open. Bank or field voles are a bit neater and tend to 'nibble' the shell around the concentric circles. ​

Question 9 - 2 points

The photos were taken in the New Forest!

What animal did this? What did they do it for?

New Forest ponies, feeding . They eat the bark especially in the winter, they take it form living trees and freshly felled ones on the ground. They eat yew also as do the fallow deer both of whom don't seem bothered by it. The size of the teeth marks indicates a pony and also because the bark has been eaten on each side more or less equally.​

Question 10 - 2 points

Who's track and which foot

Rabbit front left - you can see toes 2, 3, 4 & 5 with toe 3 leading. Toes 1 not so obvious but is somewhere near the 3.5/4 cm mark but very faint.



Question 11 - 3 point

Who's track/s

Gull - Quite large so possibly a Black Header Gull. I know it is a gull because it was identified as such on an evaluation. If got that correct then you did well because I dint know if I would have from one photo - except you can see the differences to the duck when you look at them side by side.​

Question 12 - 1 point

Who's track

Roe deer - these are classic roe deer tracks left in soft mud/clay​

Question 13 - 1 point

Who's poo?

Badger - This is classic badger latrine!​

Question 14 - 2 points

Who's foot?

Front or Hind?

Squirrel Hind foot - classic rodent rear with three toes in a line (as shown in the track)​

Question 15 - 1 Point

Who's track? (same animal, different location photos)

Fallow deer - The tips of the walking pole give some indication of size but the shape is a classic fallow deer one.​

Question 16 - 3 points

Who's track? - 1 point
How is it moving? - 2 points

Badger - the tracks are quite well registered (the hind foot is placed almost on top of the fore foot) so the badger was likely walking, or more likely trotting because the track is not completely registered. Purposeful trotting with the body shining side to side, seems to be the preferred way badgers like to move!​

​

This is one of my favourite 'silt/mud' puddles! The track and path is next to a cow field and a lot of fine silt gets washed out and settles after the heavy rain. I often go here to see who has visited. This was a same location I saw the wood mouse tracks and some good bird ones!​

Question 17 - 1 point

Who did this?

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - I was doing a woodland sit spot last year and I heard a rhythmic thrumming, very close, and not far behind me. I slowly moved around and watched the woodpecker for about 10 minutes make a series of holes in the tree trunk. ​

End of part one....

Do you want some more? I may post some up through the winter and have found some interesting bones and a new skull to add to the collection!

 

[nigelp]

Just a post bump... Is anyone having a go at this. or interested in more questions....

 

[TeeDee]

Will be having a go later. After busy rush around stage , but before the 'just going to have a small rum ' stage kicks in

Thank you for being creative and thoughtful enough to produce and share this -I'm sure many will take part - well done!

 

[nigelp]

I did wonder about putting answers up a bit later than 27th because folk would be busy.

 

[James Popham]

Just seen this - great idea

 

[birchwood]

Yes, got quite a few of them.

 

[nigelp]

Yes, got quite a few of them.

If you need more clues to some, shout out. It’s quite hard to work some of them out when you don’t see them in context.

 

[birchwood]

If you need more clues to some, shout out. It’s quite hard to work some of them out when you don’t see them in context.

Cheers, I will let you know when I get stuck.

 

[nigelp]

Been busy with the festive thing. Will put some answers up tomorrow.

 

[nigelp]

Afternoon. I am putting the answers up....

I will edit, and add them to each question. If you disagree then don't be shy and I will try and justify my answers; always open to alternatives and some debate because I may well have got them wrong myself.

 

[nigelp]

Up.....

 

[TeeDee]

Thank you - I enjoyed that. Good stuff!!

 

[birchwood]

Thank you.
I got 24 points.

 

[grainweevil]

That was really interesting, Nigel. Thank you. Pleasantly surprised how many I guessed correctly given my total lack of study of such things, so maybe this is something I will make more of an effort with in future.

 

[nigelp]

Thank you.
I got 24 points.

Good score.

 

[nigelp]

That was really interesting, Nigel. Thank you. Pleasantly surprised how many I guessed correctly given my total lack of study of such things, so maybe this is something I will make more of an effort with in future.

It’s an addictive ‘subject’! I’m very lucky to live in the New Forest where all the species of deer are present and also close to a variety of habitats .