Tracking in the Snow - picture heavy

[Broch]

I love going out after the snow the night before and seeing what's been around. We'd had a few inches last Sunday night and Monday morning turned out glorious so I headed off to the wood to see what I could find. The snow was nice and crunchy, not ideal but not too powdery or wet either.



First up were plenty of squirrel tracks:




The hares; a lot more than I was expecting




Plenty of fox and, for comparison below it the track of my famer neighbour's jack russel





A brown rat - the tail gives it away but I've also caught one on the trail camera here (which is at a fox den and a mile from the nearest house)




All the badger tracks were very trampled and there wasn't a decent one to photograph - here's one from a previous year and some evidence of recent passing through

 

[Erbswurst]

Did the rat sit there while it was snowing?
Did it melt the snow?

In my Garden I always had rats, even domesticated ones (Rattus Norwegicus Domesticus) and never have seen such a print!

We have here surely 30 rats now. No print like this!

 

[Broch]

I am pretty confident that's what it is. A lot of tracking is about putting a whole picture together to improve confidence of identification. This was one of a lot of exactly the same tracks forming a long curving path through the trees and ending at the fox hole. It's not quite as clear on this photo that the tail was definitely hairless; it was a clean round depression sometimes off slightly to one side. As I said, I've caught a brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) on the trail cam at this site before so I'm 99%+ certain that's what it is. I hadn't realised until I looked into it when I got the trail cam footage that rats live in fields and woods as well as in urban areas.

 

[John Fenna]

On my walks around the village during the recent snow I have seen loads of fox, badger, rabbit, squirrel and pheasant tracks - as well as cat and dog tracks - and I love seeing just what the beasties have been up to
It is a good thing that I am an early riser as my normal circuits are popular with the local joggers and dog walkers - but I normally get to see new tracks before anyone else obliterates them

 

[Erbswurst]

That is a rat print without any doubt.
I just wonder how such a print did happen.

In Germany we call Rattus Norwegicus "Wanderratte" obviously they enjoy outdoor life. There is even a huge market for insulated hammocks in rat sizes.

 

[Broch]

Out again today. This time some really nice badger prints. The near perfect registration between the rear paw (the lower one but on top of the front paw print) and the front paw sometimes makes it look like the animal is walking on its hind legs

 

[Broch]

That is a rat print without any doubt.
I just wonder how such a print did happen.

I think it looks a little strange because the snow had started melting a little but it was definitely bounding along as opposed to walking.

 

[JonathanD]

100% rat. As you say it’s bounding.

 

[massa]

I love going out after the snow the night before and seeing what's been around. We'd had a few inches last Sunday night and Monday morning turned out glorious so I headed off to the wood to see what I could find. The snow was nice and crunchy, not ideal but not too powdery or wet either.

View attachment 63941

First up were plenty of squirrel tracks:

View attachment 63942View attachment 63943


The hares; a lot more than I was expecting

View attachment 63944View attachment 63945


Plenty of fox and, for comparison below it the track of my famer neighbour's jack russel

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A brown rat - the tail gives it away but I've also caught one on the trail camera here (which is at a fox den and a mile from the nearest house)

View attachment 63948


All the badger tracks were very trampled and there wasn't a decent one to photograph - here's one from a previous year and some evidence of recent passing through

View attachment 63949

View attachment 63950

That really awesome photos mate well done .