wildlife wednesday — spring snow

If you love viewing wildlife (and if you are reading this, I assume you do) spring snows like we had last night can be your best friend. Not only do animals leave tracks in the snow and mud, but the contrast of their body against the snowy background makes them easier to spot.

With our warming soils, small animals like ground squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots are emerging from their winter burrows. With those small animals come the predators like raptors, badgers, bobcats, and coyotes. Vegetation is also emerging and greening up, bring the deer and elk down from the south facing slopes to the valley bottoms. So, while some may say “enough already with the snow,” for the wildlife of the Estes Valley it can have its advantages, too.

Early on my outing this morning I crossed paths with a bobcat. Maybe more appropriately, I crossed its path. Without last night’s snow I would have never known it had been there. In a normal stride, a bobcat will place its rear foot exactly in the spot vacated by its front foot. In this photo the rear paw landed slightly behind the front due to the steep terrain.
Later I spotted tracks of deer, elk, coyote, and even a mountain lion, each track giving an indication of where it was going and where it had been. Tracks not only give you an indication of what had been there, but also a heads up on what may still be in the area.

With the vegetation just starting to green up, deer and elk are concentrated in the valley bottoms.

Deer and elk aren’t the only ones occupying the lower elevations of the Estes Valley. Wyoming ground squirrels (seen here), chipmunks, and marmots are now emerging from their winter burrows.

With the emergence of the small animals, coyotes are finding more opportunities for meals. Pups will be arriving soon.

Against the contrast of the snow, wildlife is much easier to spot. That can have advantages and disadvantages. Here Mule deer have spotted a coyote roaming below and will soon take off for a safer distance.