Floodplain Animals: Animal Signs
Plants sit politely for you to take in their beauty, but
the amateur naturalist is often sorely disappointed by the lack of
animals along his path. To most wildlife, we bumbling humans are
potential predators, to be avoided at all costs. Since wild
animals are faster, quieter, and more alert than we are, we're often
lucky to see as much as a chickadee and squirrel on our walk along the
trail.
Think like a
wild animal, though, and signs of life quickly become apparent.
The River Trail
is the best place on Sugar Hill for wildlife watching since nearly
every animal needs to stop by the river for a drink now and then.
The extreme
fertility of floodplain plant life makes it a great place for
animals to stop for a nibble too.
Patches of mud are often indented with the hand-like
prints of a raccoon or the divided heart of a deer hoof. On a
little rise, an elongated scat (that's naturalist-speak for pile of
poop) marks the boundary of a fox's territory. And don't miss the
beaver stumps, gnawed to a point where these river-dwellers chopped
down saplings and trees to strip the tasty inner bark and then tote the
remains away to build their lodges and dams.
Birds are even
more apparent --- with their wings to carry them to safety, many are
willing to let you catch a glimpse of their brilliant plumage.
The Great Blue Heron can often be found wading in shallow water at the
river's edge, waiting for a passing fish to be speared by its elongated
bill. While the heron wades, the Belted Kingfisher waits
patiently on a perch overhanging the water, ready to swoop down on the
unwary fish. Open your ears and you'll likely hear the
kingfisher's rattling call as it flies along the shore to a new branch.
Dragonflies are
hunting here too, but they are in search of much smaller prey.
They dip and soar over the water, scooping up minuscule insects to fill
their bellies. Below the water's surface, the larval forms of the
dragonflies feed the fish that feed the birds, and the circle of river
life continues.
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