Snow, frost and
thaw has created perfect tracking conditions. Now is the winter at its finest,
it’s just to enjoy. In the mountains the snow depth varies from 65 to 85 cm, it
is built over many obstacles and makes skiing a real pleasure.
In difficult
terrain, is usually snowshoes best choice, but if I expect that tracking also
will offer longer distances over flat bogs, I put on my old-fashioned wooden
skis. With hand-sewn beak shoes and leather straps that hold them in place,
they are quick to put on and off and perfect for tracking!
The snow depth
means that many moose leave the mountains and gather in the valleys and
lowlands, where there is less snow and easier to access food. A colleague saw
16 of them together at a feeding place.
Convenient for moose, but
also an additional offer for the wolves, there is much food in one place. These four joined together near
our farm today.
This week I
finally found the wolf pack that
eluded me this winter. I have not yet tracked them together for a long
distance, but I have accumulated quite a lot of urine and droppings for DNA
analysis. The young wolves lived around an old moose carcass while their
parents were in search of new prey. They had filled an ice-covered lake with traces
of fun and games. It must have been a lovely sight.
It is now
busy days. Only one week left before the rutting season puts a stop to track
lynx families, and I have not found one yet. And more wolves to trace. And
almost time for golden eagles. And a guilty conscience because I have not had
time with the birds home on the farm, missed this year’s bird count. A sign of
the times, the stressful lives we all live…
