Barely a minute had passed since pulling our canoe ashore, and the girls were already racking up new finds. “Dad, look! Another one!” called our youngest daughter, Lenora, age nine. The toes of a mysterious bird, the paw prints of a coyote track—or was it a dog?—and then the squiggly marks of what appeared to be a worm.
“Cool! Do you think the coyote is still here?” At this point, probably not, but the wonder and curiosity sparked within the kids made us all feel as though we were among more than just tracks. We brainstormed what the animals might have been up to along this tucked away river bank. Were they simply here for a drink of water, or in search of food—or was it something else?
Perhaps we were the ones being followed!
Maiana, age 12, followed the canine tracks across the muddy shoreline and up the river bank, where she spotted some scat (droppings) before losing sight of the pawprints. If it was a coyote, she wondered if it might be a mom or dad. Perhaps there were coyote pups around, too. Where we lost the coyote trail, we spotted the clear markings of a woodpecker: mounds of wood chips at the base of a few trees, left behind by its noisy search for bugs within a few aging tree trunks. Lenora then came running over with a small
feather in her hand.
Especially with kids on the scene, searching for signs of wildlife is like an extra adventurous treasure hunt. Dangle a fun reward—like berry picking or stopping for a celebratory ice
cream at the Stowe farmer’s market to follow—and you might just track down enough evidence to fill an entire guidebook River and stream corridors, like the West Branch of the Little River, which flows alongside Mountain Road above Stowe Village, are ideal hunting grounds. Even the fields and wooded areas flanking the Stowe Recreation Path can be riddled with clues: hoof prints and bird tracks in the mud, mysterious markings on trees (“buck rub” from deer antlers? grooves caused by beaver teeth?), stray feathers on the forest floor, spiderwebs, and more.
The shoreline of the Waterbury Reservoir, easily accessed by foot, bike, car, paddle board, or boat, is another good place to search for animal signs. The northern reaches of the Reservoir, where the Little River or Cotton Brook feed in, can make for a multi-hour family adventure. Go prepared to wade in shallow water and even stumble through some mud if you’d like to unleash your explorer instincts. You can bring a bathing suit and take a dip to rinse off later.
In the hills and mountains around Stowe, most any hiking trail or walking path offers tracking fun. Claw marks across the trunk of a beech tree are the likely signs of black bear climbing for the beech nuts above. Piles of pine-cone flakes might tell of some busy squirrels nearby. Large holes in trees above a mountain of wood shavings could lead to the home of a resident porcupine. Signs of antlered animals can be found in the shredded bark and bald spots along younger tree trunks.
Look out for feathers, fur, and nests clinging to tree branches. And scat is always a reliable sign of wildlife. There is so much to discover, and tracking makes it easy for trailblazers of all ages to transport themselves into the world of Vermont's feathered and furry friends. Go for an hour, or make a day out of it. Pack a guidebook, sketchbook, and picnic—and then let your imagination wander.
