Stories on the Trail: Scat and Pellets, Evidence Does Not Lie.

Coyote scat is similar to wolf scat with the same twisted pattern, but smaller. 
 photo by Jonathan Schechter



A fresh owl pellet is evidence of an owl that is an excellent hunter, and perhaps a rabbit that was not wary.
Photo by Jonathan Schechter


Wildlife sightings are always exciting for me, be it just a glimpse at a spring peeper
 before it plunges back into water, a muskrat with a mouthful of greens, or a coyote
that  turns on a trail for one last look at me.  But sometimes it is the evidence that creatures
leave on a trail that stirs excitement; indisputable evidence of their passing.
A recent day time hike on the Habitat Trail at Stony Creek Metropark revealed little in the
 way of wildlife but the signatures of their activity were everywhere. And not just tracks.
An owl pellet - a regurgitated mass of indigestable fur and bones - told me that a great
 horned owl nested in the woods and hunted the adjacent field at night. One less rabbit will be
chewing on tender acorn seedlings this spring and baby owls had a meal of tender rabbit meat. 
 And a fresh deposit of coyote scat, prominently  deposited on a high part of the trail told me that a
coyote was using the trail as his trail and left behind a sign post message for other coyotes:
"My territory"

For more on Stony Creek see the hiking column in Sunday's Oakland Press -March 6  
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/ 
(Go to the search box and type in my full name for all hiking columns )