Outdoors: trailing

When the snow is just a layer of fine powder, it's an excellent opportunity for finding out who's been visiting - the kind of visitors that doesn't knock on the door ...
So we went outdoors in search of trails. And: joy & glee - there were trails everywhere!

What could this be? - ah, our own cat Alva: she loves to sit on woodpiles ... let's see what else she's been up to!

... hm - elementary, my dear Watson!

Very determent little fellow with a brisk pace ...

... suddenly vanished from the surface of the earth. Hm! Oh, he went up in a tree - a pheasant!

This little guy had been tottering about - apparently with no clue where to go...

This guy was even smaller. Either he found the layer of snow to be very deep - or he was so tired he had to haul himself forward through it.

Hooray - BIG footprints!

Oh! Somebody took a nap here, we might even interrupt in the middle of it.

The trail went as the crow flies to and from the little spot with melted snow.

We simply had to follow the trail - over the fields we went in our search ...

... only stopping to examin some leftovers - rotten apples for a snack!

Finally! There she was, but not on her own. A doe with her fawns! She wasn't happy about us approaching, so they moved farther away.

My little strong-minded boy in resolute pursuit of three tiny dots in the horizon.

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Please take your time to let trails lead you to new places. Let your child tell you what he sees and what he thinks. Tell him stories from your own childhood; perhaps you were trailing with your dad too, or you once stumbled upon a sleeping fox in the woods. Try not to explain everything and bring reference books along. Let your child experience the magic of Mother Nature telling her own stories. And marvel at his natural ability for listening.