ERS 346 Field Outing #3 November 17th, 2019
Time and Date: 19/11/17
Duration: 30 Minutes (30 including travel time)
Location: Laurel Creek Conservation Area, Waterloo, ON
Weather: Cold, around 2 Degrees Celsius, overcast, slightly windy
Habitat: Brush, open field
Species ID'd:
-Grey Squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis)
-Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus florianus)
-Domestic Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
-Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus)
-Winterberry Tree (Ilex verticillata)
-Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
-Canadian Goose (Branta canadensis)
For my final outing, I went to a local park in a neighbourhood off of Westmount. By now most of the non-coniferous trees have lost all of their leaves, with the leaves forming into beautiful piles mixed in with the crispy white snow on the ground.
In some of the more dense foliage consisting of Eastern white pine, I noticed a single grey squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis) climbing on top of a discarded deck chair.
My goal for this excursion was to take advantage of the fresh snow on the ground, in order to more accurately identify tracks and footprints left by wildlife. I was able to identify 3 different species that were scattered evenly across the field.
The first set of tracks consisted of individual pairs of long narrow feet, with an immediately adjacent set of small four-toed paws. I identified this to be set of cottontail prints; most likely grey or red, as they seemed to be the most frequently spotted in the area.
The second set of prints were easily identifiable as a breed of canine, as many of the neighbours surrounding this area. I confirmed this entry when I noticed the tracks led to a pile of stool. This struck a curiosity chord inside me, and when I got home I researched into the environmental impact of domestic canine stool that owners don't pick up. A brief research period discussed how around 20% of bacteria in Seattle watersheds can be traced back to the stomachs of canines due to storm drain runoff, indicating it as a large contaminant.
The final set of prints was somewhat perplexing, as they were much smaller and found on the side of rock. The tiny paws with claws scattered around, possibly indicating a species of vermin. I compared the sizes of the prints with squirrels and chipmunks, to see if could get a better understanding to identify the species. Upon examination it was obvious that the prints I found were too large to be ground squirrels, thus it was plausible to deem them to be Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus).
I concluded my field outing by exiting south of the park, noticing a beautiful winter berry tree (Ilex verticillata) coming into full bloom, being beautifully complimented with the snow and setting sun, with a flock of geese passing overhead.
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