Reading the Earth

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Once you've "gotten to know" a representative from one animal family group (a dog provides the usual introduction to the canine family), move to another (the neighborhood's strutting tomcat is a likely candidate). In each case, learn the animal's habits, home range and behavior patterns (and how these relate to breeding, bedding and feeding). Keep in mind, though, that you're dealing with individuals, and any rules you come up with will eventually be broken.

As you advance and spend more time observing wild animals, you'll begin to lose any of the Bambi/Mickey Mouse stereotypes you might have harbored and to replace them with a knowledge of the motivation behind animal behavior. In short, most mammal activity revolves around eating, avoiding being eaten, sleeping and breeding. serve animals for long enough and you'll be amazed by how simplistic, repetitive and predictable their behavior begins to appear.

Pay attention to detail. What does the animal eat? If it's a herbivore, does it prefer specific plants from one season to the next? If it's carnivorous; does it concentrate upon a specific prey species? If it's omnivorous, does it still show some discrimination in choosing its diet? Examine scat, when possible. Knowing what comes out will give you a pretty good idea of what went in.

Wherever the wild forefoot goes, it leaves behinda detailed record of its visit. —Seton

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