How to Spot the Tracks and Signs of Wildlife

Naturalist and cameraman Simon King shares his knowledge on how to spot the tracks and signs of wildlife. Will his tips help you find your subject for your Eden Shorts film?

Simon King Eden Shorts How To Guide

Actually seeing wild animals is one of the greatest challenges of natural history filmmaking, and as many creatures are shy and elusive you may stand a better chance if your are able to identify their tracks and signs.

One of the greatest challenges you face when trying to film wild animals is seeing them in the first place

Although Simon King's network of cameras do offer an unfair (and enviable!) advantage, you are able to make this up with good fieldcraft and detective work.

Spraints and droppings are a good way to spot whether an animal has been there. This is another example of a repeated behaviour, where some animals tend to defecate in the same location - if you know where they're going to go to the toilet, you might spot them at it!

Look for signs of life from certain animals. Badger setts are littered with old bedding and loose soil. Their prints are also very distinctive.

Look for signs of life from certain animals. Badger setts are littered with old bedding and loose soil. Their prints are also very distinctive.

Tracks are also a very good, if not more hygienic, way to spot whether certain animals are in your area. Check in soft, wet ground for their presence. You can even leave out flattened sand in areas you think animals frequent and see what turns up!

While cats, dogs and foxes have the typical four-padded diamonds, badgers and otters have five toes. Deer tracks have two pointed slots where the hoof makes an imprint. You can find a description of some animal tracks on BBC Wildlife, while a quick web search of individual animal tracks will give you what they look like. Here's badger tracks, for example.

Wild animals like to use human footpaths for their own meanderings, although they will sometimes form their own and these are good places to find bare earth for spotting tracks. You may also be able to see other signs here, such as hair caught on vegetation or fences.

If you learn some of these you'll soon start to see evidence of all sorts of animals in your local wild patch.

What do you think of Simon's tips? Do you have any of your own? Stick your thoughts in the comments below.