Urban Wildlife

These are some of the cool plaster casts of tracks that students at Dundas Street Public School made recently during their Keep It Wild! workshop. Studying animal tracks is a great way to connect with wild animals and learn more about the wildlife that lives in the city. Tracks are easiest to spot along creek and river beds, and in muddy trails after a recent rainfall. There are lots of resources on the web that explain how to make plaster casts of tracks. Check some of them out this summer and see if you can capture some tracks! 

Nature Detectives

 Tracking wild animals is a great way to have fun and learn more about wild animals. There are lots of great places in the city where wild animals, like raccoons, deer, coyotes, and fox, live. You might not always catch of glimpse of a wild animal, but you can often find signs that they were there. Tracks and scat are two things to look for. But you can also look for other signs, like nests or dens, feathers, fur, or shed skin, or signs of feeding, like empty acorns, stripped bark or chewed leaves.

There are lots of great books that can help you learn more. One suggestion is Tracks, Scats and Signs by Leslie Dendy, with illustrations by Linda Garrow.

If you are a teacher, check out our Keep It Wild! workshop, geared for grade 1 and 2, focussed on animal tracks and signs. It's a great way to learn more about animal characteristics and adaptations.