Tracking Trails

Arbiter and I went on a fun adventure with our Mammology class last week. We spent a portion of the morning reviewing Habitats of local ground squirrels and chipmunks, then went out to look for some after lunch break. Here we have found some evidence of a California ground squirrel burrowing in the thatch searching for food.


Arbiter found this pine cone club that he carried around with him. I told him if we found any squirrels, he absolutely could not use it to subdue them!

These are a few of the many nests that we saw in the trees. Without closer observation, we couldn't really determine who the residents were. We suspected that they were squirrel nests.

This one could be a rat, but probably a squirrel
Who says you have to graduate High school before you can go to college?? Oh, and by the way, he (we) got a 94 on his quiz!

Some tracks of some sort in the soft sand. They may be fox tracks.

We are required to keep a field journal that contains narrative, photos, drawings and specimens all of our experiences and our findings. We have learned how to identify skulls and pelts of all different types of NorthCoast Mammals. Knowing all this information makes taking a walk in the forest a whole new experience. I go a lot slower than I used to!