ERS 346 Outing #5

Time and date: 19/11/08 1:00 PM
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Waterloo Park, ON
Weather: 0°, cloudy, moderate snowfall, light winds
Habitat: Deciduous forest, urban park

For my final wildlife outing, I decided to return to Waterloo Park to see how a change in seasons (fall to winter) may influence the species that I could observe in this area. One of the first things I noticed when walking through Waterloo Park was the different levels of snow on the ground, as forested areas in the park had a light layer of snow, while pavement had none at all, demonstrating how important microclimates are in urban ecosystems. In the forested area I observed rodent tracks in the snow, which I identified as rodent because the tracks are small and parallel to each other. I would hypothesis these tracks were from a squirrel and not a rabbit because they were more symmetrical than the offset tracks rabbits usually leave. As I continued on I felt more confident in identifying these tracks as being from squirrels, since I observed several eastern gray squirrels foraging in the nearby area. While I was in the forested area of Waterloo Park I additionally observed several black-capped chickadees calling, indicating the individuals may have been communicating with each other. My attention on the chickadees was all of a sudden taken away by a flicker of dull red flying through the shrubs. Although the bird perched for only a few seconds before taking off again, I was able to see the red coloured breast of an American robin. Lastly, as I was walking back home, I was utterly shocked to discover a raccoon perched in a tree near the path home. As I observed the raccoon, it seemed to take an interest in me, as it maintained eye contact and edged closer on its branch. This was certainly unusual behaviour to me, since I have usually only really seen raccoons at night, trying to get into garbage. The unusual behaviour of this raccoon made me hesitant to get much closer to it, as it could be an indication of disease or food conditioning with humans. This demonstrates the ability of raccoons to thrive in urban landscapes.

Posted on November 26, 2019 01:52 AM by eswerdfager