Animal Tracks

I have a book about animal tracks of all sorts from foot prints to nests & dens, to poo; but I’ve never really used it so I was delighted to be able to look up these excellent prints in the snow.

The top set are obviously belonging to quite a large land bird, probably a pheasant, possibly a grouse. My book says the dragging lines are made not by the tail, which was my first guess, but by the claws.

The lower set are made by a domestic dog. The pads would be further apart if they were from a fox and the prints would be in line, one paw behind the other, rather than staggered.

After a few errands in Windermere it was time for the long drive home.