Nature Connection: What Is Left Behind

Everyone new to walking in nature wants to see all the cool things right away. They’ve seen all the wonderful nature photos, so where are the does with adorable fawns, the baby foxes looking cute as buttons as they tumble about? Where are the owls and the coyotes, the raccoons and snakes? 

Of course, they are asking these questions loudly as they tromp about in the leaves, not realizing, perhaps, that they sound like an army marching through the woods. Most of nature’s creatures instinctually stop and stand still when they hear unfamiliar noises. They want to be invisible to us, and our eyes, like those of most predators, are made to look for motion. Ironically, we can walk right by animals and birds without knowing they are there, and many do this every day.

Although the animals themselves may be difficult to spot on a daily walk, the signs they leave behind will tell a story to those who take the time to examine and interpret them. If you’re really interested in learning about nature, learning to identify tracks and signs such as scat (aka poop) will help pin down spots that animals use regularly.

In the woods it is easy to spot the small trails that wild animals make through the underbrush. Many will use human-made trails as well, so check for tracks and scat as you walk paths and trails. Wild predators such as coyotes and red foxes will often signal their presence by leaving scat smack in the middle of a path. Prey animals, such as rabbits, mice and deer are much more private about their leavings, rarely leaving such obvious signals for would-be predators. 

Serious trackers look beyond the footprints and scat and are alert for broken branch tips, disrupted leaves or pine needles, small depressions or diggings in the dirt. They look for places animals may have rested for the night or signs of a den or nest.

For those of us with less experience, there are still plenty of stories to read in the sand or mud or snow. There are many guides, online and in books, as well as handy little guides that fit in your pocket, to help you learn the tracks of different animals. There are also walks with naturalists that will help you with some track identification. Join a local nature or conservation organization walk and you’ll learn all sorts of interesting things.

In the fall we can find many things left behind on the beach as well. A recent walk at a favorite beach surprised me with a multitude of squid eggs that had washed up on the shore. Most were empty and had been torn apart or fell apart in the water but not all. Some still had eggs and were being feasted on by gulls.

This is the time of year when egg cases of skates and whelks wash up on the shore as well as the shed shells of many kinds of crabs. Fish bones are also easy to find on many beaches, and of course lots of shells from various mollusks.

Depending on the beach you visit, you can find all sorts of different seashells here on the Cape. On the north side facing Cape Cod Bay, the water is colder and most of the shells one may find belong to different kinds of clams, periwinkles and moon snails, blue mussels and sea scallops. On the warmer south side there are lots of whelks, bay scallops and jingle shells. Boat shells, also called slipper shells, are common on both the north and south side.

The Outer Cape has a lot of wave action so any shells one finds there may be broken. The big surf clams are tough and can roll with rough seas, so you may find some of them intact, but most will be fragments. There may be other clams, a whelk fragment and occasionally a rare deep-sea mollusk shell, a delight for regular beach walkers.

Seaweed washes up on shore, of course, and in some areas kelp washes up, its long ribbons both wide and tough. Look for eelgrass, sea lettuce, rockweed and everyone’s favorite, bladderwrack, which has the best bubbles for floating but also for popping. No one can call themselves a Cape Cod kid if they haven’t smashed seaweed bubbles with a rock while sitting in soggy sand. 

For those who love looking for driftwood and interesting rocks, fall is one of the best times for finding both. These are especially fun to look for after a good inshore wind or a windy storm.

Although we may feel sad when we find all the things washed up or left behind, whether bones, shells or feathers, nature uses everything. It may take a while to break down things like bones and seashells, but the earth and the ocean both benefit from the slow release of calcium and other minerals. 

As for seeing wildlife, just be patient and know that every walk isn’t going to reveal what you think you want to see. On a recent beach walk I was standing looking out over the water taking in the calm and beauty. All of a sudden, the sea got bouncy and busy. Gulls and terns appeared and the water was splashing and jumping like crazy. More gulls appeared, and it became obvious that a school of fish was causing the ruckus. It ended as quickly as it appeared, and the gulls all returned to their quiet spots on the beach, watching the sea as I was, their gullets full for the moment.

Most of what we see in nature happens without warning and very quickly. The feeding frenzy I witnessed probably lasted less than two minutes. On my way back to the car I found a beautiful mussel shell, shiny and iridescent. I put it in my pocket to enjoy later.