“Each place is a unique state of mind, and the many powers that constitute and dwell within that locale - the spiders and the tree frogs no less than the humans - all participate in, and partake of, the particular mind of the place.” ~ David Abram, Becoming Animal
Besides the birds, all kinds of animals cohabit in your place, even in a city. Like the birds, they too are elusive, always on the move.However, they do leave behind subtle signs - prints and tracks, droppings, rubbings on trees, trails and entrances to burrows, and vegetation lines on trees.
Currently, it’s cold and wintry where I live, and the most visible animals in my yard are squirrels, and one lone rabbit. Finding food is probably a challenge with the amount of snow on the ground and they seem to be drawn to the bird seed that’s fallen from the feeder.
I’m always delighted when I get a rabbit sighting as he doesn’t come out of hiding often or for long. However, the snow has allowed me to track his habits more closely. One morning I looked out front to see rabbit tracks coming in from the road to the maple tree, then over to the fence, moving along the fence and towards the bushes out front, across the driveway, probably heading towards the back of the house. He is most likely looking for food, a place to shelter, and hiding from predators.
“Once you start to look, you find yourself picking out the hidden pathways: and you are beginning to find an understanding of the place you live. The parallel existence of mammals other than yourselves or our domestic beasts is revealed by subtle changes in the vegetation - but not so subtle as to be beyond your scope.” - Rewild Yourself, Simon Barnes
Practice
Which animals are currently sharing your place? Look for tracks and other clues. Simon Barnes offers more hints:
Watch for breaks in vegetation. It may have a roof over it.
Watch for discolorations on the forest floor or conical pit holes in the ground.
Look for flattened grass by a river and fronds hanging in the water.
Look for tracks in the snow or mud. Ice covered streams serve as roads in the winter.
Focus on one animal in particular. See if you can track their habits. What surprises you? Share your animal encounters in the comments or on Instagram and add the hashtag #seeingyourplace2022.
Resources
Read: Praise Song for the Unloved Animals by Margaret Renkl in the NYT
Recently, we were thinking about the birds in our lives. I realized recently that I have a contradiction in my reaction to birds. On one hand they seem, well, alien. I know they are distantly related to dinosaur and I can sense that when I watch them.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFa2tDDAkiv/
I may have seen Alfred Hitchcock's movie when I was young, but they often seem a little scary to me. I can't 'read' them, so I don't trust them. On the other hand, when I look at images of birds, it's easy to anthropomorphize them.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFHyQPQgY43/
Why am I going on about birds when the topic is trails? Because there's a connection. I've been looking at trails lately. It's not easy right now as there's a lot of ice and the snow is hard. We're not into the wet season yet, so I don't see trails in mud. When I do see trails, I seem to wonder where the trailblazer is going.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaR7IIlrkE2/
Are they heading out for lunch? Are they fleeing because they are someone else's lunch? Every now and then I'll see a trail that seems to end in a small flurry of activity and, well, you know where my mind is going.
I"m not sure if it's just me, if I have a vivid imagination or whether it really is a constant life and death struggle for animals in the wild. Maybe I read too many thrillers and it frames my view of the world.
I wasn’t at home this week, but I went to a nature center in Georgia and saw many different kinds of turtles, a stingray, crabs and other fish, snakes, and alligators. Except for the snakes and alligators who seemingly ignored us, the others were very aware of us and almost seemed to want to engage. Okay, the stingray maybe wanted to sting me.
One of the employees talked to us about the “personality” of one particular turtle who had been rescued as a baby. He is now 3 and will be released into the wild at 5 years. She said that he recognized different people and would play ball. In other words, there is a relationship.
This made me think of our pets and how close and attached we can get to them. I’ve only had one dog for a long period of time. Daisy was with us for 16 years and was my constant companion. I grieved her death as much as my own parents.
I believe it is a good idea to expand our relationships with animals beyond our pets to other animal inhabitants of our place. Have you had a special relationship with a particular animal in your neighbourhood?