Since my back yard has been blanketed by glistening snow, it has been interesting to observe the physical evidence left by the winter critters that traverse it. The main culprits being squirrels and rabbits. Or, maybe, just one rabbit. I've only seen one rabbit, here, at a time. Snow is the perfect canvas for them to paint their tracks.
I noticed something interesting about the rabbit tracks on the the right side of the tree. They appear suddenly, after a series of squirrel tracks. The rabbit appears to have been hopping in the squirrel's tracks for as long as it could. A clever attempt to hide it's movements from anything looking to hunt it. What a wascally wabbit.
It was amusing to wake up one morning and find rabbit tracks going all the way around my house. They went up my front porch and stopped at my front door before continuing off around the house, where they returned to the back yard.
During the day, I only catch glimpses of the rabbit. It appears to be very active during the night. I don't have much hope that I'll get a good picture of it. The days have been the domain of the birds and squirrels.
The Squirrel Superhighway
One day, while looking over the yard from an upstairs window, it all became clear. I had missed it from the ground. But, with a more overhead view, my eyes beheld it. Stamped into the snow was the highway system of the squirrels.
There appears to be three main hubs in Squirreltown. The two tallest trees along with a tree that doesn't like to shed it's leaves in the winter. Originally, this was just going to be a post about animal tracks. Somehow, I ended up with this...
In red, I traced over the areas with the highest concentration of tracks. Though the tracks aren't visible due to my roof being in the way, I included a line along the bottom of the map representing the route connecting Nut 'N Fancy with Squirreltown Diner. Yes, after placing the lines, I then went down the rabbit hole of coming up with names for the various landmarks that the squirrels have been utilizing. @Brisby even joined in the fun suggesting Nut 'N Fancy for the name of Squirreltown's upscale dining location. Also known as my neighbor's feeder.
Squirreltown Diner is the tree where I have my feeders hanging from. It's also the home of the all-you-can-eat seed and suet buffet, which makes it one of the busiest places in town. You just never know who you'll run into at the diner...
Hey! It's Dee Fuzzytail! Proprietor of Dee's Imported Nuts!
They say every critter has a tale. And there are many tales to be told and many tails to behold in a place like Squirreltown...
Wherever we are, we are surrounded by nature. It's always trying to communicate with us. Take time to notice. #NoticeNature.
All gifs and images are my own unless otherwise stated.