I always enjoy finding fresh tracks in the field. The sense that only minutes earlier a critter was moving through this spot where I’m standing, gives me a thrill. Such was the case when I happened upon these Sharp-tailed grouse marks in the snow.
These markings were left by a sharp-tailed grouse whose home stomping grounds are a stone’s throw away from my own. No doubt it was enjoying the strong afternoon sun, as I was on my walk this particular day. What if I had been here that moment earlier? Would I have seen it? Perhaps it is still nearby, watching, perhaps it is long gone, or perhaps it was snatched by a snowy owl moments after fleeing its bed…Only my imagination can tell the tale.
Interesting Reading
Cornell Lab of Ornithology – Sharp-tailed Grouse
Curated by Caroline Jezierski for collection “Prairie Grouse”