How to ID Those Animal Tracks in Your Yard

April 4, 2013 12:50 PM Text Size: A . A . A Thanks to expanded housing developments and, in some areas, recovering wildlife populations, animals and people are seeing more of each other these days. Coyotes, deer, and raccoons now live in honest-to-goodness cities. Bears have been found hibernating in New Jersey basements. Mountain lions are prowling Western jogging paths?sometimes with horrific results. David Moskowitz, an instructor at the Wilderness Awareness School in Washington state, helps amateurs learn to ID local wildlife. "Animals work hard to live in our blind spots," Moskowitz says, and reading their tracks is a good way to uncover their identities and habits.

To learn what's living near your home, build a simple tracking box?essentially a very shallow sandbox. Place it in an area where animals are likely to show up (beneath a bird feeder, for instance). Then decipher the prints left behind with a field guide such as Mark Elbroch's Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species. An even simpler method is to spread a light layer of baking soda on the ground, your porch, or the sidewalk. The beasts of the suburban wild may try to go unnoticed, but they always leave their mark.

Building a Tracking Box

Nail together two 2 x 4 and two 2 x 8 boards to form a rectangular box. Place the box in a level area where you suspect animals trek. Line the box with plastic, and fill with sand. Smooth the surface. Move the box after a few days to protect your grass.

Common Animal Tracks

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/recreation/how-to-id-those-animal-tracks-in-your-yard-15306252?src=rss

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