Although it is *technically* spring in this part of the world, we’re still pretty much in full-on winter mode, so to show you some photos from a snowshoeing trip we took a few weeks ago seems sort of appropriate. Nothing “flowery” here, not at the moment.
But we have mountains! This is Sawmill, just off the Smith-Dorrien Trail close to where it intersects with Highway 40. It was a new snowshoe jaunt for us, a 5.3 kilometre loop with very little elevation. The most recent snowfall had occurred the day before, and the wind had blown hard, crusty dunes over much of the broken trail.
And in other parts, there were tracks. We think these were from a bobcat:
We figured we could rule out a cougar because the tracks were too small, and we decided a lynx could also be slotted into the too-large side of the scale. (I know, we ought to have placed an object for size comparison, but we didn’t think of it at the time). The tracks were slightly larger than those of a domestic housecat, which also lends credence to the bobcat ID. I’ve never seen one, but they are small!
We later found even smaller tracks running (but only in very brief intervals) in front of the larger ones and we believe the mother bobcat was likely carrying a kitten and set it down into the snow at certain spots. I did some research and it seems possible that bobcats could have young at the time of year we were out, while lynx will supposedly birth closer to April or May. Here are what we think may be bobcat kitten tracks:
I would definitely welcome any input on the ID of the cat tracks – maybe someone reading this can offer more insight? Does our imagined mother-kitten scenario seem plausible, or could there be another explanation?
At least, this next set of tracks could be identified with absolute certainty. My hubby offered the correct nomenclature: Polus pokysnowus. 😉
And on that note…have a wonderful weekend! Hope there is a little less snow where you are….
Flowery Prose 
Love the humor of that last track — and the curiosity of the others.
I had such a giggle when he showed me the last track; I had to share….
Those bobcat tracks sure tell a story. (I, too. love the humor of the last track.) Spring is slowly starting to come to Maine, but we still have snow. Not as much as you do, but I think we are farther south.
The snow is melting for you, I see from your recent posts! We have had a couple of days of sun and some melting, but another storm is on its way and it’s supposed to dump a record snowfall on us tonight through Tuesday. But the quality of sunlight has changed and you can feel that the season is nearly upon us…. 🙂
Oh, my word! What a winter it has been, all over!
How interesting. The great thing about snow is that the tracks show. I just saw kids having an Easter egg hunt in the snow. Summer is actually here in the South and temperatures will be reaching 80 degrees.
The snow does make a huge difference in spotting tracks! It’s fascinating to try to imagine what the animals were doing when they came through the trail. Summer still seems like a distant dream for us….
Polus pokysnowus! Love this!
He comes up with the funniest stuff sometimes….
Still chilly here in southern Ontario – had a teeny bit of snow last night but aconites and snowdrops are blooming, daffodils and tulips coming up. We’re all waiting… 🙂
Those beautiful spring bulbs always make me so happy – still awaiting their appearance here! You’ve had some wild weather these past few days, hope all is well there.
That was a truly interesting write up, Sheryl. And with a bit of humor from the hubby, made for a truly unique read. I cannot say I know anything about those tracks, but the little ones beside the mother cat are so sweet to see. 🤗🤗. It is not often a person would see two types of tracks like that, I wouldn’t think.
Happy Easter to you and the Mr. 😉🙂🙂🐰
Thanks so much, Kathy! Hope you had a wonderful Easter!
Fascinating post, Sheryl! I love those tracks and your hubbie’s joke too.
It was a fun trip, and a nice little mystery….
Hello Sheryl! I’m back from an amazing trip to the Southern Hemisphere, and making some blog visits. Other than enduring snow in spring, I hope you are well!
As with the others, I love the Polus pokysnowus 🙂
We had a big snow last weekend, too, with lots of power outages and downed trees. Today? Daffodils are up and I had on sandals.
Hope the same for you soon!
Ah, spring weather and its moodiness! Hope the sun is shining for you these past few days! I haven’t yet had a chance to read all of your posts (hopefully I’ll get to it this week!) but your trip south sounds absolutely wonderful!
Nog veel te koud maar de lente zal alles overwinnen.Wandelen met sneeuwschoen moet heerlijk zijn.Zelf nog nooit gedaan
Nice forensic question! I really like the Polus Pokysnowus, though.
It’s fun to try to figure out what was going on when the tracks were made!
yep,thats a Bobber.Cute little kitties.
Fantastic! I’m so pleased to have a confirmation on that ID – thanks a million!
Great tales and tracks, and your husband sure knows his stuff!