The Tracks of Yosemite's Chickaree

Friends I greet you from Yosemite. Saturday February 28, 2015 The snow was beginning to fall at bedtime...by early rising...the snow is still falling....gently...a calm and pretty morning....whitened with the beauty of the snow. Snow flurries for most of the day. Time to go play outside in snow... or to take a family walk. A dad stops at little Half Dome to pluck some icicles from her rim to give to his children. Another family builds a snowman and leaves snow angels in the snow. A raven was in the air. For me... playing is tracking. The "V" shaped track of the Douglas squirrel caught my eye. The chickaree, a tree-dweller, lives in the forest... in hollow tree trunks, in tree-bound piles of sticks and leaves, or in well hidden ground nests. Its main food is pine nuts or technically the seeds of the pine cone. Unlike the ground squirrel who hibernates, the chickaree is active all year long, tunneling in snow; and caching large amounts of food to tide it through the winter. It can be seen running along tree trunks and limbs...and fallen trunks. The chickaree is full of vigor....and is a noisy little creature. It is small...about 6-8"long and its bushy tail adds another 4-6". It weighs about 8oz. Its coat is brown with a tan underbelly, which is separated by a black stripe. A Chickaree leaves the trees to retrieve and eat the seeds of the pine cones that he has just cut down....or to go to the stores where he has buried them. From a single Sugar Pine cone he gets from two to four hundred seeds...enough to last a week. Tell- tale signs of a chickaree are...cone cobs and kitchen middens....piles of empty cone scales or nutshells. John Muir writes..."Nature has made him the master harvester and committed most of her coniferous crops to his paws. ....some of the tucked away seeds ....germinate and become trees. ...the amount of influence he brings to bear upon the health and distribution of the vast forests he inhabits... His every attribute...peculiarly squirrelish enthusiastically concentrated. He is the squirrel of squirrels...Give him wings and he would outfly any of the birds. ...a fiery, sputtering little bolt of life...he is the mocking bird of squirrels...with all his chatter...But while running along horizontal limbs or fallen trunks, its tail is frequently folded forward over the back. In cool weather it keeps him warm. His tail-robe neatly spread and reaching forward to his ears...It is seldom so cold, however, as to prevent his going out to his stores when hungry. " Back to the tracks... and tracking... The tracks began at the base of the sugar pine tree. I remembered what Stalking Wolf had taught the famous tracker Tom Brown....who tells us,"Once I had registered what I could of things that would not change for a while, like size and species, I looked not for the track, but for where the track was going. ....After we learned to look ahead and around instead of continually down, we tracked more easily and much, much faster."

Back to the tracks...

Across the snow .... And along a downed tree.... But let's look at the individual track a little closer... From Tom Brown's Field Guide To Nature Observation and Tracking... Squirrel... "It belongs to the rodent order and usually the track shows 4 toes up front and five toes in the rear. It's gait is that of a galloper. It pushes o? with its back feet (sometimes flying through the air), hits with its front feet, and then brings its back feet all the way through. If the front feet land on a diagonal, it indicates a ground dweller, where as if the front feet land side by side, it indicates a tree dweller. ". Note... Squirrels...The chickaree...The rear feet are larger... and register above the front feet...a galloper. The rear feet are at the top of the picture. Back to the tracks... he went inside a small rock shelter for a short time. He was not bewildered by the storm. Nature...Tom Brown writes... "In conclusion, I wish you well in your study of nature. As long as you maintain your interest in it, it will bring you much joy and satisfaction. For nature returns every devotion. Through your joy, may you come to feel a deeper connection with the earth, and may your life express more of the wisdom and grace that are necessary to preserve it. " From Tom Brown's The Tracker ...referring to the big box of plaster casts of tracks... "Each cast represented some amazing incident, some remarkable sight, some exploration. Together they formed the trail of our life in the woods, each print advancing a step in time. " The trees are pretty with snow on their branches...the storm is over. The sun is setting...and... the clouds provide a lullaby of colors across the evening sky. Good night. Stay with Scenic Wonders during your visit to Yosemite, which is especially beautiful in winter. Our cabins and condominium are warm and cozy... and welcoming for you and your family. Ask about our special winter rates. Another terrific day in Yosemite Sent from my iPod Pictures taken by my iPod