Eaton Canyon is home to many animals that we are sometimes lucky enough to see during our visits. However, if you look down, you may see evidence of what comes out when these animals have the park to themselves.
The Canyon’s residents use the same sandy trails as you to explore around the Nature Center, and they leave behind tracks in the process.
Most days, it is pretty easy to find the tracks of a California Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus californicus. Our long-eared native deer leave delicate hoof prints in the sand. They are part of a clade of animals called ungulates, which refers to animals with hooves. Mule Deer are the only wild ungulates found in Eaton Canyon, although you may also see the hooved tracks of domesticated horses.
Who doesn't love the dexterous hand prints of the Raccoon, Procyon lotor? Raccoons have sensitive front paws that represent the majority of their sensory perception. While Raccoon paws look like little hands, they lack the opposable thumbs of primates and of the Opossum’s hind foot. If you see one set of Raccoon tracks at this time of year, you can often find more in the same area as mothers will travel with their kits well into the fall.
Even though it’s easy to spot local birds on the wing when exploring the canyon, it’s still nice to see their busy tracks. If you hear leaves rustling in the brush, it is likely a California Towhee, Melozone crissalis, or a Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus, looking for tasty insects to eat. Instead of walking, they hop and scratch the ground with both feet in unison.
You may find a line drawn in the sand with dashes along it. Perhaps a child with a stick? Or more likely the tracks of one of our resident lizards: Western Fence, Common Side-Blotched or Western Whiptail.
Is that a solid thick line crossing the trail? Depending on its size, it could be the track of a Southern Pacific rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus helleri, or any one of the snakes that make the canyon their home like the Gopher, Garter and Racer snakes.
When coming across one track in particular, I was reminded that the Canyon is truly a natural area with all kinds of animals living here, including American Black Bears, Ursus americanus. Finding these tracks just behind the Nature Center reminded me to always keep my eyes open and aware of my surroundings.
During the summer and fall as water gets scarcer, bears and other animals come closer to the Nature Center to get a drink at the pond and perhaps forage for food including plants, insect larvae and animals.
Tracks serve as a reminder that these animals live here and we are simply visiting. The next time you come to the Canyon, keep an eye on the trails and you may be surprised by what you find in the sand.
All photos by Susan Hopkins