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Tracking
Quizzes
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Quiz #51 - Answer
by Brian Booth |
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Photo 51G
If you
guessed CROW or MAGPIE, you’re basically correct. The mystery animal
is a YELLOW-BILLED CHEOUGH (pronounced “chuff”), the high-altitude
Himalayan version of the crow.
The way you figure this out is
as follows:
a) The tracks have 3 toes pointing forward and one
toe pointing aft, so it’s a bird.
b) With tracks just over 2
inches long, the bird is medium-large size.
c) The tracks are
asymmetrical - Toe 3 is angled towards Toe 2. The toes also have
bulbous lobes (see Toe 2 in Photo 51E, and Toe 1 in Photo 51F).
These are indications of the corvid family (ravens, crows, jays,
magpies.)
d) The track length of just over 2 inches is about
right for a crow or magpie, a bit too small for a raven, and too
large for a jay. |
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Photo 51H
This tracking experience was part of my “bestest”, most
awesome outdoor adventure ever, as you can probably guess from Photo
51H. |
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Nepal is perhaps the most spectacular country in the world, I was
fortunate to climb with a great group and trip leader, and the people
who inhabit the Himalaya are the strongest, heartiest, most joyous &
generous I have ever met.
The cheough is an impressive bird,
thriving at extremely high altitude and brutal conditions. I saw cheoghs
all the way up to 19,000 feet elevation on this trip, and the higher
they traveled, the more active and raucous they behaved.
This
was a trip of a lifetime, and was a further example that you can do
tracking anywhere you go, no matter how unfamiliar.
Wishing you
good tracking adventures this season. The Earth is an awesome place, and
the more you explore, the more you will find.
BRIAN |
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Quiz #51 - Question
...on to Quiz #52 |
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(All photos on this page are Copyright © by Brian Booth
or Walter Muma unless indicated otherwise)
To send comments, questions or feedback about these quizzes,
email me |
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Tracking Quizzes |
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