Page 127 - NT 2022 Almanac

Have you ever noticed any funny footprints in the mud or on pavements where you live? You might have found the tracks of an animal that has crept past your house at night when you were fast asleep!
Why not go on a tracking walk around the streets where you live and see what you can spot? Crazy as it may seem, it’s a good idea to take a torch with you even in the day, as tracks can be hard to see in direct sunlight.
You could have a go at copying or tracing the prints on the opposite page. Put them on separate cards or pieces of paper and label them. Take the cards out on your walk, and when you spot a print that looks like one on your card, write
where and when you saw it on the back.
Look out for prints on walls
and even on cars. See if you
can notice other clues that
an animal or bird has been nearby. Can you spot any
scratch marks on trees? A squirrel, bird or cat might
have made those. What about silvery snail and slug trails or spiders’ webs or bird droppings?
It’s not only animals that leave tracks – we humans do as well. Running barefoot is the best way to see how we leave our marks. If you live near the sea, go to the beach on a warm September day and take your shoes and socks off. Is it possible to tell if you were walking or running simply by looking at your tracks?
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