“Who’s been here?”
“What were they doing and why were they doing it?”
“When did it happen?”
Nature Detectives try to answer questions like these by looking for clues and evidence of the activities of creates in the outdoors.
Have you ever wondered about teeth marks on the trunk of a tree, or strange footprints in the snow or mud? If you have, then you are already a nature detective.
Theme: Animal Homes
Animal homes are everywhere around us. Look for holes and burrows in open meadows, under tree roots or in river and pond banks. Watch for heaps of earth that say “someone has been digging here”, or see if you can spot cracks and crannies in rocks or holes underneath boulders that could be somebody’s shelter.
And those big trees? Do they have nests in the angles of their branches or even suspended from frail looking twigs high up? Or are the trees hollow? Perhaps woodpeckers or chickadees live in small holes or even a family of raccoons if the hollow center of the tree is more spacious! Flattened areas of long grass under shrubbery could be a deer’s “yarding ground” (the place where the deer rests). Mounds of vegetation, cattails or large branches, out in the middle of the pond, are likely home to muskrats and beavers.
Whenever you see animal homes, keep an eye open for signs of recent animal activity – fresh tracks, droppings, remains of food, clipped grass or bushes, or runways. And if you are very lucky, quiet, and observant in those kinds of places, you have a good chance of seeing the private lives of many animals.
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