Put Some Miles On The West Side

Having four days off has let me put nearly twenty five miles on my ole’ hiking boots bushwhacking and following the Quabbin west side roads. I focused in the areas from Gate 6 thru Gate 11. With the little bit of snow we had last Thursday, added to the enjoyment with finding and identify tracks. Clearly the most seen tracks were those of coyotes, and then deer tracks would come in second. I did see four different sets of bobcat tracks along with many moose tracks. The bonus this morning was a track of a red fox. In my total miles hiked I have only seen one fox. It was early dawn and distant view, not sure if it was a gray or red. I have a lot to learn with track identification, but with each outing I review track & scat field guides in effort to identify my days find. Today I walked in the house with a small bird nest I found on the ground. My wife just looks at me and smiles as to say, now what are you going to do with that. Jim