Laughing Coyote: Wildlife Tracking

Tracking with Casey

Last weekend we had a mind-blowing tracking workshop with Casey McFarland of Wildlife Tracking Southwest. We spent two days exploring Boulder County's wildlife, frequently in overlooked and abandoned places. On Saturday, we spent most of the day in an underpass under Valmont Road. There, with cars rushing overhead, minutes from downtown, we entered a world of wilderness. We found tracks of raccoons, squirrels, skunks, geese and deer. We watched swallows fly around their nests. We looked at tracks and learned to tell right from left, and front from hind. We learned the difference between a walk, trot, lope and gallop. Later in the afternoon we went to Sawhill Ponds, and on a muddy edge of a pond found tracks of killdeer, snipe, geese and ducks. We learned about birds probing with their beaks. The day was finished in an empty lot on the south edge of Longmont. We saw prairie dog and cottontail tracks, and learned the difference between the tracks of doves, red-winged blackbirds, and robins.

On Sunday we went out to the Primitive Camp, and spent most of the day with elk. Scat was analyzed, tracks aged, behavior discussed. We saw the difference between adult and juvenile tracks, and in a bedding area saw sign of elk elbows! Bear claw marks were spotted in a tree, and wolf spider holes in the earth. Later in the day at Heil Ranch, we looked at turkey tracks, and learned the difference between scats from both genders. Crow tracks appeared in every muddy puddle, and deer and elk tracks littered the ground. At the end of the day, in a last mud puddle, we discovered the dainty and distinct tracks of a deer mouse!

This weekend opened my eyes to the world of nature. moving across the landscape with Casey fuels curiosity and excitement. He moves from one piece of sign to the next, describing the lives of animals everywhere, and by the end of a couple of days we could see the complex communities moving around us.

Casey is the real deal when it comes to tracking. He is honest, enthusiastic, and teaches in a dynamic way. His expertise is obvious, yet he has no trouble admitting the edge of his knowledge. He would jump into bushes or climb trees to find evidence of animal sign, or see it up close. Everyone who participated in the workshop had their eyes opened out in the field. We look forward to having him back soon, his tracking workshops are not to be missed, whether you are interested in simply learning more about the inner workings of nature, or a scientist or biologist looking to improve your skills in the field. Keep an eye out for the next visit. Thanks Casey for a great weekend!

~Neal