Sunday, December 05, 2010

Tracks in the snow

After a snowfall is when I realize just how much wildlife there is out in the vineyard. While I might be making the first boot prints in the freshly fallen snow, mine are by no means the first foot prints. Of all the tracks I see, I'd have to say that the lièvre (wild hare) tracks are the most plentiful. Their unmistakable pattern of prints criss-crosses the vineyard road pretty much everywhere.

The passage of a wild hare is marked by these footprints.

There are many chevreuil (roe deer) tracks as well, but they normally are fewer and farther between, usually going in one direction without much diversion. And now I know renard (fox) tracks are among those I see, since on Friday morning a fox crossed our path during the walk. Callie chased it into the woods.

These could be pheasant tracks. Or, they could be much less glamorous pigeon tracks.

There are also bird tracks. I suspect these above belong to un faisan (a pheasant), but I'm not certain. Callie will flush pairs of pheasants from their hiding places under the vines every once in a while. The male will take off in one direction with dog following it. Then the female will fly off in the opposite direction. Pretty clever, those pheasants.

11 comments:

  1. Love those bunny tracks! I don't think I've ever seen such.

    Just a little rain here-we're waiting for our first hard freeze. BTW Auburn is number one this year and will play for its first championship on Jan. 10th- War Eagle!

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  2. No Walt.... definately Pheasant, you can see the tail drag.
    And nice to see a hare leaving its mark... all ours seem to have vanished in the last three years.... probababably 'chasse'd off. I got a couple of nice field mouse tracks... here on flickr [http://www.flickr.com/photos/le-moulin-de-la-forge/5232329185/]

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  3. Okay, you guys have entirely too much fun throwing around the word tit :)) Doesn't that bird have a second part to its name, that you could use instead? :))

    Oh, and here's the next part of my experience while looking at the photo of the bird feeder: I exclaimed (actually out loud), "Oh, WOW, what is that GREEN bird! Cool!" uuuhhh...and then I leaned in a little closer :)) Okay. Stop laughing :))

    Judy

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  4. Judith, I was thinking the same thing. How clever to put frozen suet balls into those plastic net.

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  5. Seine Judeet.... the bird pictures is a GREAT Tit... and a male at that!
    There are also Blue Tits around, Long-tailed Tits, Crested Tits, Coal Tits, Willow and Marsh Tits. Ther is also a Bearded Tit which isn't a tit at all. In America I think they are called Tit-mice... and having spent many a morning, recently, watching the Great and Blues hurtling around in the tree outside the bedroom window, barging each other off the feeders I must admit they do seem to behave like mice!
    But they just seem to like having fun! They tease our cats, on the other side of the window, terribly... coming and perching on the cross-rails until one of the cats jumps up and bounces at the glass.

    If you look at http://le-moulin-de-la-forge.blogspot.com/2010/11/house-of-flying-baggers.html , you will see some pictures of them.

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  6. Can we expect to see any under glass?

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  7. Okay, I'd like some snow now. You got me excited! There was a time that I got excited about other things. God, I'm boring.
    Your Friend, m.

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  8. They remind me of the Devon footprints of 1855.

    No signs of demons there is there?

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  9. leon, not that I've seen. The next time I go out I'll wear my tinfoil hat. Then I'm sure to see one!

    evelyn, I don't follow college ball much...

    tim, our local hunters take hares from time to time, but they still seem to be plentiful. Callie and I actually see them in the vineyard every now and then.

    judy, a friend of ours who occasionally comments here once said, upon seeing a single great tit on the feeder, "And I thought they always traveled in pairs..."

    nadege, clever that is, until you have to retrieve them from the yard after they fall.

    starman, are you talking about pheasant? ;)

    mark, you'll get yours, I'm sure.

    michael, only in politics.

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  10. This is for Evelyn: Auburn came in #l but my Oregon DUCKS (I am an alumni AND Eugene is my hometown and current residence!) will WIN in Glendale!!! GO DUCKS!!!

    Thanks Walt for giving us the photos of tracks in the snow! There are some beautiful shots during winter that we often miss; unless we can see yours on your blog (hehehe).

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