tracking : on hour in the life of: November 25, 2024

With a couple of hours to pass before getting on with a greater priority, I bundled up and went on my way to be "out & about" once again at Confluence Park.  Weather-wise it was not a morning to be standing around, rather moving quickly along would be more suitable.  I moved swiftly along for about an hour and a half through the forest plus down along the creek-side and then.....

.....I began to notice the sights!  I had originally thought to myself, I should leave my camera behind to curb the interest to stop and snap shots, but I didn't listen to myself and carried my big camera.  Glad I did!  The footprints in the snow-covered creek looked on the older side maybe by a day.  

These prints in the ice looked older too!  

I wondered who made them, yet I had an idea who the culprit might be! 

Even though the tracks were not new, I hoped the culprit might still be around.  I scanned the area and while I was doing so, I was being scanned over by this coyote up on the ridge.  That's what I thought!  Guilty!  Now my plan of quickly moving along began to fall by the wayside.  Note:  I used my zoom for all photos and videos.  

It did not spend much time keeping an eye on me but I spent all my time keeping my eyes on it.  

I watched it move along the ridge top in a stealth like manner until.....

.....it began to works its way down the hillside

Once it was near the bottom, it sprang into action and bolted across the meadow, until.....

.....something caught its attention!

After pulling its snout out of the snow, it put it back in, numerous times.  It appeared to have succeeded in doing what it was, it was doing. After pulling its snout out of the snow one last time, it gave itself a full body shake and trotted on.  It headed for an open area and I knew the creek meandered back there and that's probably what it was trotting along.  I quickly moved along, almost running to where the creek wound around closer to the path.  I arrived to the spot, I waited until.....

.....the coyote came around the corner! It was closer to me now than it had been all along (I used my zoom just a bit) yet it was not bothered by me. What it was bothered by was walking on the ice!   

Eventually it came time to go!!!  I looked at the time, I just spent one hour tracking the coyote on top of the time I spent walking before the tracking began.  It was time for me to go, to go home!  I was out here much longer than I planned to be yet I treasured the experience and so thankful I brought my big camera.   

Arriving back at my vehicle, the frosty fringes would soon melt once the heat was turned on!