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Chapter 9. Exploring

Looking at Tree Trunks | Branches and Leaves | Animal Tracks and Traces | Bird watching | Birdcalls and Other Sounds | Looking for Lesser Creatures | Stargazing

Hunting in the woods is not confined to shooting game with a rifle or bow and arrow. You can spend your time in the out-of-doors far more enjoyably and constructively if you hunt with your head and eyes. All searching, tracking, and interpreting is really hunting, and the most patient and shrewdest hunters today are not those who hang their hunting trophies on the wall in the form of antlers, but rather those who preserve their booty from the hunt in photo albums—hunters with the camera.

Yet even without a camera there are innumerable things to hunt for in the woods and fields, things most people pass by without seeing. As you train your eyes and sharpen your powers of observation, you will begin to notice many fascinating things that you weren't aware of before.

LOOKING AT TREE TRUNKS

The marks on tree trunks have a story to tell. You might find traces of a mouse feeding (Fig. 1); air holes made by a beetle or other insect (Fig. 2); vertical, scarred tears or frost rips caused as a result of strains in the trunk because of differences in temperature (Fig. 3); traces of a squirrel feeding (Fig. 4); traces of a rabbit feeding (Fig. 5).

BRANCHES AND LEAVES

You frequently find galls, swellings of the tissues, on pine or oak branches and leaves. Galls result from the attacks of certain insects—gallflies, gall midges, and some aphids—that puncture the plant at a certain point and lay their eggs in the wound. The wound then grows into various shapes and the larvae grow up inside, feeding on the rapidly growing plant fibers.

The shot-hole borer: Vertical main passage with many air holes and side passages eaten out by larvae

Bark beetle: Passages eaten out by bark beetles

Longicorn: The "cradle" in which the larvae of the longicorn, a type of beetle, goes into the cocoon stage

Oak branch with leaves

Two oak leaves. Round, spongy galls at the end of oak branches can get as big as apples, and are often called oak apples. Both the balls and the lens-shaped galls on oak leaves are made by two different types of gallflies or gall wasps. Ink can be made from such galls.

Hazel nuts chewed by mice

Small, round holes in hazel nuts made by nut weevils or long-horned beetles

Passages in a leaf made by various larvae. They eat the chlorophyll, but leave the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf untouched.

Small, hard-shelled galls on beech leaves
Fine white cobwebs over leaves and branches. Inside, the leaves are already partially eaten. The cobwebs protect and support the caterpillars of different   butterflies   and   moths.

ANIMAL TRACKS AND TRACES

You are already familiar with some tracks and traces of animals and you know that if you want to observe animals or photograph them you first have to track down their crossings, runs, and drinking and feeding places. Here are some more examples of the traces left by animals.

These are droppings  of a buck. The balls are drawn out at one end, pushed in on the other.

These are droppings  of a doe—smaller and drawn out at both ends.
 
Everywhere in the fields and woods, in stone piles, near holes in the ground, and around buildings there are tracks of the predatory weasel. The southern American weasel remains brown all year round, but there are other species whose fur in summer is reddish-brown on top, yellowish-white underneath, and changes in the winter to completely white except for the end of the tail, which remains jet-black. The body of this animal is about 16 inches long, the tail about 4 inches.

You can easily recognize the pawprint of the otter by the webbed toes. Otters, found throughout the United States and Canada, live in burrows that have underwater entrances. Their droppings  are full of fish scales.

BIRD WATCHING

Birdwatching is a hobby that many people find absorbing. You too can spend fascinating hours tiptoeing through the woods hoping to glimpse the flash of a wing, or observing quietly from a window as birds cluster round a feeding station.

You can probably recognize a few of the many different types of birds. There are many more you can look for and learn about. Do you know the difference between swifts and swallows? Swifts are frequently confused with swallows, because the way of life— hunting from the air—and the appearance of the two species are similar, but swifts are more closely related to hummingbirds and goatsuckers. Swifts are good flyers but their feet are weak and serve only for clinging to walls. Swifts cannot take off from the ground; so if you find an uninjured swift that has been "grounded," simply throw it into the air.

Here are a few types of swifts:

The chimney swift—nests in walls, unused chimneys, around towns. Has a shrill cry, "Sril-Sril." Smokey black, light throat, tail feathers ending in bare spines, larger than any swallow.

Chimney swift	White-bellied swift

The white-bellied swift—larger than the chimney swift, nests in cliffs and caves. Cries a piercing "Skree-Skree" or a trilling "Gree-Gree-Gree." Brown on top, white underside with a brown band across the breast.

Goatsucker

The goatsucker (whippoorwill, chuck-will’s-widow, or nighthawk)— this is also not a swallow. §oft, mottled plumage. About as big as a thrush. Nests hidden on the ground, stays on the ground or on a branch during the day. Lives on bugs and night moths. Cries "Dag" when flying, "Errrr-Oerrr" when resting.

And now a few swallows:

Bank swallow	Cliff swallow

The bank or sand swallow—nests in holes along steep river banks and in sandpits. Is gregarious (birds of a feather flock together) and generally lives in flocks near water.

The cliff swallow—nests in sunny spots on stony places or cliffs.

BIRDCALLS AND OTHER SOUNDS

In the woods:
Long, drawn-out howling, rising in the middle, then repeated shortly thereafter with a trill: "Hooooo hoohoohoohoohooo."Heard in the spring.	The mating call of the brown owl
Soft, long, drawn-out call: "hoooooo." Heard in the spring.	Mating call of the horned owl
"Hoo hoo."Call	The horned owl
Loud, penetrating call: "youik-youik"	Brown owl
Bright "koovit-koovit." Often in the neighborhood of houses barn owl Loud clapping of wings.	Pairing of the horned owl
Muffled "quorr-quorr," then a whistling "pseee." Repeated at intervals when flying. Heard in spring.	Woodcock
Uniform, continuous whirring with a high "airrr" and a short, deep "errr." beating wings.	Pairing of the whippoorwill
Loud, melodious, frequently changing song from the bushes	nightingale
Loud, flute-like call: "deedlio, deedlio"	oriole
Loud, deep "burr, burr, burr, burr" in scolding tone	buck
Lighter, bright "boy, boy" in scolding tone	doe
Loud, rough, deep screaming or bellowing. Can be imitated by blowing into the spout of an empty watering can.	Mating callof the elk.
Short, loud barking, similar to a dog's, heard on cold winter nights	fox
Grunting "grooo"	badger
High squeaking and rustling in the leaves	mouse or shrew
In the fields and meadows:
A hoarse "chway-chway” followed by a fresh, bright "pickveevick-pickveevick." Only audible close	quail
Loud "gearhick"	hen
Loud "geaheck"	partridge
Humming, trembling sound: "hoohoohoohoohoo (very fast)." Sound comes from the wing and tail feathers which start a buzzing shaking	pairing flight marsh snipe
Far-carrying, screeching call as if made by a saw: "crayik, crayik, crayik"	heron
Trilling songs in the air: "deedldeedldeedl-lewllewlllewll"	meadow lark
Near villages and buildings:
Cheerful sounding and snorting: "chrioock" screech	owl
Loud screaming and mewing in February, March, and April	polecat or marten
Loud, varying song in the reeds:  "teeree teeree tsayck tserr tserr"	reed thrush
Bright trilling like an alarm clock, at intervals. Near ponds	newt

LOOKING FOR LESSER CREATURES

Most people have little sympathy for frogs, toads, lizards, or even snails. Therefore they do not pay much attention to these creatures and are, in fact, even likely to turn away from them in disgust. Such an attitude is foolish, for these "lesser" members of the animal kingdom are really ideal to observe and photograph.

Crested Newt: The male has a crest in the spring, the female never does. Dark gray. Belly yellowish-red with black spots. Grainy skin. Up to 7 inches long.

Crested newt	Striped or pond newt

Striped or Pond Newt: The male has a crest in the spring. Brownish to yellowish, underside yellowish with black spots. Smooth skin. Up to 4 inches long.

Striped Newt: Back like the pond newt, but without a crest, only a dorsal stripe. Up to 4 inches long.

	Mountain newt

Mountain Newt: Back slate gray to blue, underside bright orange.

Larvae

Salamanders: Newt and salamander larvae (as opposed to the tadpoles of toads and frogs).
Fire Salamander: Yellow and black patches. Up to 10 inches long. Deposits its larvae in brooks and springs. Found in leafy woods and under stones in moist valleys.

Fire salamander

Alpine salamander

Alpine Salamander: Black. Slimmer than the fire salamander. Up to 6 inches long. Found in the Alps in damp mountain forests, but not lower than 3000 feet above sea level.

Wall Lizard: Brown or gray with dark designs and a dark horizontal band along the sides. Belly reddish, spotted with black. Sides have horizontal rows of blue dots. Very slender. Tail about twice as long as the body. Throat band not serrated as with all other lizards. About 7 inches long.

	Tree Frog

Tree Frog: Color changes—grass green to grayish-brown. Toes have adhesive pads. Up to 2 inches long.

Brown or Wood Snail: Eyes at the ends of the feelers, as with all land snails (pulmonates). Without shell (limacinidae). Grainy mantle with airhole on the right side of the mantle.

Snail Shells: 

STARGAZING

You can also hunt for the constellations and the stars that comprise them. For this you need binoculars or a telescope. Refer to the astronomical charts on pages 51-55 to see where and when the constellations are visible.
 
The illustrations of the constellations given here show what you can find with the telescope.

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