I'm usually hours or days behind my quarry, but that doesn't matter I'm not looking for a kill, just the clues. If you pay attention, you'll find that the signs are easy to interpret. Here's the well-worn rabbit trail, for instance, threading its way among blackberries to a protected spot where the bunnies go to nibble bark. There's a little line of bird feet that stops suddenly, the slightest swoosh of wing feathers dusting the snow as it took off. And this is where a squirrel traveled to reach a long-buried acorn, making a beeline to the cache as surely as if guided by a neon sign.
Tracks tell the story.
Kids love to play detective, and they're good at it, so round up your own or borrow a friend's for a little outdoor adventure capped with hot chocolate beside the bird-feeder window. The winter garden may be sleeping, but it still has plenty of life. A lifelong naturalist and gardener, Sally Roth is the author of Natural Landscaping, Attracting Birds to Your Backyard, and Taylor's Guide to Ornamental Grasses, as well as a contributing author of many other books. She also lectures nationally on nature and gardening. Yankee Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.