There is a little something for everyone in these on-line tracking lessons. If you are unfamiliar with tracking, you may be surprised to discover that tracking can extend well beyond merely following footprints and identifying what kind of animal made the tracks. An entire story may be recorded via more than just footprints. That story can include physical health and characteristics, behavior, emotion, and intentions.
The tracking lessons presented here are intended to serve only as examples from the experiences of a handful of people. There are several very good resources on tracking that are sure to provide more well-rounded surveys of the subject than the brief presentations below. However, I hope these examples help bring to life the questioning mindset of the tracker.
Note: These lessons include lots of photographs which are rather large. If you have broadband Internet access (DSL, cable modem, or T1), no problem. If your Internet access is via modem (dial-up), these lessons will take a long time to load. Sorry. I'll try to improve this. I've noted the estimated load times below so you know how much time you have for the next household chore. :-)
Tracking Lesson 1: An Introductory Survey At the beginner level, tracking is very much a science involving observation, experimentation, measurements, research, and deductive reasoning. At the intermediate level, many tracking scenarios and aspects start to become intuitive - an art. And at the advanced level, well, this is probably neither the time nor the forum... There are links to some additional articles included at the end of this lesson. [Load time: 6 minutes @ 28k]
Tracking Lesson 2: Deer Raiding Bird Feeder Perfect conditions and fortunate timing presented this exceptional tracking lesson one morning. Michelle had been suspecting that the deer were helping empty the bird feeder at night! [Load time: 17 minutes @ 28k]
Tracking Lesson 3: Rabbit Kill This lesson contains some rather gory photos, though not that different than what your hamburger looks at some point before it makes it to the grocery. Our next door neighbor called us early one morning asking who she could call to have a dead rabbit removed from her driveway. Knowing that we were about to embark on a tracking mystery, I grabbed the camera. Um, you aren't eating a hamburger right now, are you? [Load time: 4 minutes @ 28k]
Also see Virtual Dirt Time - An Adventure in Tracking Online for some additional (excellent) on-line tracking lessons.
Tracking classes are taught locally by Bill Reichling. Bill is a retired school teacher and is a Field Researcher for the Eastern Puma Research Network. You can reach him at (513) 451-1146.