Mudflats are For the Birds!
On our most recent Apprenticeship Weekend, October 26-27, 2024, we spent seven hours tracking along an expanse of mud where the level of the Grand River had been lowered to accommodate spring runoff. During that time we probably covered only a few kilometres, but each of us crossed paths with hundreds, if not thousands, of prints, most of which came from birds.
I’d like to go through some of the bird species we encountered, their distinguishing features and in some cases, associated behaviours. I’ll go from the largest to the smallest. My main source of information was the book Bird Tracks by Jonathan Poppele, published by Adventure Quick Guides. Additional information came from Bird Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch and Eleanor Marks, Stackpole Books.
The largest print we observed was of a great blue heron, which its longest point, was 8” long. The length of the print confirmed it was a blueheron as other large birds who would also be likely in the area (for example sandhill crane), have prints that are much shorter since they lack the long toe one (the hallux in birds). The only species who might overlap in configuration and length is the bald eagle. While we did see an eagle, we did not locate their prints, which are much more bulbous with talons registering further from the print due to their length and curvature.
Canada goose prints were abundant on the mudflats. The tracks that interested me most were prints where there was a lot of weight on the toes, long strides and then an abrupt end to the line of tracks. The goose was running and then took off! The prints looked so unusual as they showed striations or lines from the leading edge of the webbing.
Interestingly, only a few hundred metres from the goose take off, Tamara spotted another take- off point, this time from a crow. Crows, ravens and bluejays, like all corvids “share a distinctive track feature: toe three angles to the inside and hugs toe two”( Poppele). The crow, being much lighter and more agile than the goose, was able to take off from a standstill with a big push down as evidenced by the two prints beside each other, pushed deeply into the mud.
Another track that we observed many times was of the greater yellowlegs. This is not a common shorebird normally, but was likely in the area on their migration. A few of us were fortunate to have been close to one individual as they walked along the shore probing the mud. Through my binoculars the legs were indeed a very bright yellow. The yellowlegs prints could be distinguished from other shore birds because of their size, slender toes and lack of palm showing in the print.
Photo credit: Byron
Next in order from biggest to smallest were prints of killdeer. These prints were more abundant than the yellowlegs and could be distinguished because they were almost equal in length and width, were asymmetrical, tended to be pigeon-toed in their movement and lacked a hallux. We observed several killdeer both flying and walking. Like the yellowlegs, they were likely not resident, but rather were on their migration journey. Photo credits: Byron
The final shorebird print we observed was of a sandpiper (likely spotted). This print was smaller still and less abundant than the other shorebirds. Note- this image was taken from a different location
As we observed these prints and many more (including red fox, opossum, beaver, mink, racoon, skunk, white-tailed deer, muskrat), I was thankful for mud, clay, clear skies, knowledgeable mentors and friends who enjoy connecting to animals through their tracks as much as I do. Looking forward to our next adventure together!!
