“A picture is worth 1000 words” aptly suits the accompanying image which is part of this month’s promotion of the trails in Medway.  

One of our most accomplished nature loving members, Jim Wickis, of both our Medway Open Space Committee and Medway Trail Club, took a meander after one of our recent snowstorms “under a blue, azure sky” and snapped this superb example of tracking. It does not take too much imagination to realize that the imprint in the snow is of a hawk swooping down and capturing a small animal. 

During the recent WinterFire event, many visitors stopped by the Adams Meadow viewing platform to see what nature they could see from there. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife publishes a great laminated double-sided pocket guide showcasing the most common animal track patterns to be seen in the Bay State. The tracks are not to scale but it includes, when appropriate, the designs and approximate height in inches of both the front and back feet of 27 animals including turkeys, woodchucks, white tailed deer, and red AND gray foxes. It also includes a 5’ ruler so you can envision how long a “4 front track would look versus a 2” hind foot is.  There are even a few tail imprint details to help identify the wildlife you may be seeing. 

You may be thinking that winter officially is over now since Spring has sprung, but tracks are almost as evident in the upcoming mud season and different parts of town sometimes attract different animals.

The pocket guide to animal tracks can be found at www.mass.gov/news/get-to-know-animal-tracks. 

Andrea Burke is a member of the Medway Trail Club and Medway Open Space Committee