Gathering: Homespun Essays from Beech Tree Lane

At the back of the field, at the edge of the woods is a place where the wild turkeys tip toe. I know because on my walks I often see their prints. 

This looking down when I walk leads me to ponder a myriad of tracks, and animal poop. Each animal leaves a hoof, foot or hand print in the sandy dirt. Often they leave a drop of something more special for studying. I’ve become somewhat of a scat aficionado.

The scat of a coyote, I’m sad to say, is often threaded with what appears on this side of that process as fur. This fur of a sort, post digestive process, distinguishes the coyote’s poo from that of other canines. 

I know when the coyotes are near because the squirrel, rabbit and feral cat population go down. When I spot rabbits playing along the sides of the wood line and road, I know the coyotes have moved on.

Raccoon poop looks like smaller dog turds, but has berries in it. And, just so you know, raccoon poop carries diseases, so don’t mess with it. Deer poop and rabbit poop are both pellet-shaped, but rabbit poop is bigger and there are usually more of the deer pellets in one location.You may not think you need this information, but one day, you’ll wow your friends with your knowledge.

Bear poop is a large mound, and often has twigs, berries and even a leaf or two in it. Though bears will eat other things, that was the scat I saw in the swamp along the Lynches. 

Moose turds are larger pellets, and if you live in Alaska or some other place farther north than South Carolina, where the moose roam, they are often shellacked and given as gifts. One last scat story. At Christmas one year a friend gave us the gift of fossilized scat. He could not have known how thrilled I would be!

The dung of an ancient crawling critter. It felt a little like soapstone. A little chalky. Just thinking of it makes me want to go wash my hands.

 The deer dance down the drive to my house. I go out in the morning, leaving a few tracks of my own, and check to see who they danced with the night before.  
 
 
What tracks are you following?
 
Where do these tracks take you?
 
What tracks do you leave behind?