Startling Death

Making my way south across the West Dune trail I was startled to come upon a white-tailed yearling, newly dead, lying along the trail. Some light snow had drifted upon the muzzle, upper legs and parts of the back. Its black eyes were open. The right flank had a 5 inch diameter circular patch of skin exposed - no protecting hair; but the skin was not broken. Night & early morning Dec 26 the temperature fell to 13 F.. a young animal, perhaps not in good enough condition to survive the cold night. It did not seem malnourished. It is still early winter.

A quarter hour earlier I was startled by the near barking of a dog in the Woods. I saw a German shepherd mix dog (no collar) and ran after it shouting. It ran to just southeast of the Grandfather cottonwood then ducked away on a low game trail under briars southward where I could not follow.

The snow began Christmas morning before dawn.. freezing rain at first at 3 am, changing to snow by mid morning..  2-3 inches.

I came out today, the 27th to see what I would find in the Woods. I began at the NW entrance at 4:15.
Snow is like the dust detectives use to find fingerprints. It produces a visual record of all the use of every trail. Inhabited burrows of small animals, mice, cotton rats, squirrels and rabbits are revealed. Tracks of raccoon and skunk and opossum and/ or armadillo were common along the northwest trails. East of the NW pond, the tracks of dogs were common and dominant using the trails. Must have been a pack of them.

I trekked along most of the trails of the Woods. Some sections were heavily trafficked and others were untouched. It would be interesting to sample the Woods at 15 or 25 m intervals with a camera, including the marked posts for reference locations, to record sections that were heavily used. The West Dune trail seemed like the heaviest use. Most wildlife crossing the dense thicket of greenbriar used the narrow cleared path there.

Returning to the NW via the West Trail I was startled again to flush a barred owl from its perch above the trail just south of the junction of Andrea Drive with Chautauqua. The Woods are still wild.