Nature Watching: How to Find and Observe Wildlife

Overview — Course No. 80190

The natural world is teeming with life, but often we miss the full richness of wildlife around us. Nature Watching teaches you how to find and observe animals through the lens of wildlife tracking. Casey McFarland, a senior professional tracker, guides you through essential tracking skills, from interpreting animal tracks and trails to understanding marking behaviors and migration patterns. This course offers practical, hands-on lessons to deepen your connection with nature and its diverse ecosystems.

Video Lessons

01: Signs and Sounds of the Wild

Introduce yourself to wildlife tracking and the wealth of information it provides about animal behavior and our environment. Preview various aspects of tracking, from animal camouflage to marking behaviors.

Duration: 18 min

02: Bugs and the Backyard Serengeti

Explore the rich insect life, including beetles, caterpillars, millipedes, and cicadas. Learn how to identify these creatures through their unique tracks and behaviors.

Duration: 18 min

03: What Feathers Tell Us about Birds and Flight

Dive into the anatomy and function of bird feathers, especially flight feathers, and how they reveal different bird behaviors and species.

Duration: 22 min

04: Paws, Claws, and Hooves: Who Stepped Here?

Study common animal tracks, focusing on cats, beavers, deer, dogs, and rabbits. Learn how track signatures help identify behaviors and species.

Duration: 18 min

05: Migratory Trails Explain Much about Life

Investigate animal migration and trails, understanding their ecological benefits and how to interpret them for insights into animal behavior.

Duration: 16 min

06: Camouflage and Becoming Invisible

Learn how animals and trackers use camouflage and movement to blend into the environment, and practice exercises to enhance your own invisibility skills.

Duration: 20 min

07: Bird Nests and the Stories They Tell

Examine bird nests, their construction, and what they reveal about bird behavior and lifestyle. Study nests of redwing blackbirds, robins, and cliff swallows.

Duration: 23 min

08: Animal Bedding and the Dream World of Deer

Understand the importance of animal bedding spots and how they leave signs on the landscape. Explore deer feeding and bedding behaviors.

Duration: 18 min

09: Using Your Eyes and Ears Outdoors

Heighten your senses to better appreciate the natural world. Practice exercises to improve hearing, sight, touch, and smell for effective wildlife tracking.

Duration: 20 min

10: Marking Behavior: What a Funny Way to Talk

Investigate how animals use scent marking for communication and territory delineation. Study examples like deer and the multifaceted roles of scent in the wild.

Duration: 19 min

11: Bird Language and the Art of Listening

Learn to interpret bird vocalizations and body language to understand their messages about safety, well-being, and the environment.

Duration: 10 min

12: Trees and Life: Food, Homes, and Communication

Explore how trees serve as food sources, homes, and communication platforms for wildlife. Study examples like sapsuckers and prairie dogs.

Duration: 21 min

13: Wildlife Mating Behavior

Investigate the observable signs of animal mating, from buck rubs to raccoon courtship, and how these behaviors leave tracks and signs.

Duration: 16 min

14: Making a Map with the Moon, Clouds, and Stars

Create your own internal map using natural features and celestial bodies to orient yourself and connect deeply with your environment.

Duration: 17 min

15: How Long Ago Was an Animal Here?

Learn to estimate the age of animal tracks by assessing track quality, location, and environmental effects like weather and ground conditions.

Duration: 15 min

16: Scatology: What Animal Droppings Tell Us

Discover the wealth of information in animal scatology, revealing diet, behavior, and emotional states through droppings.

Duration: 20 min

17: Gaits: How Animals Walk and Run

Understand animal movement patterns through tracks, focusing on the walk, trot, lope, gallop, and their variations.

Duration: 19 min

18: Exploring the World of Winter Wildlife

Examine winter survival strategies of various animals and how winter conditions affect tracking and trailing.

Duration: 16 min

19: Becoming a Great Tracker

Master the art of trailing animals by learning to distinguish between front and back, left and right tracks, and maintaining pace and focus.

Duration: 17 min

20: Advanced Tracking and Trailing

Refine your trailing skills with expert strategies for smooth movement, pace control, and recovering lost trails.

Duration: 16 min

21: What the Beaver Teaches Us about Our Planet

Learn about beavers’ ecological impact, their role in transforming landscapes, and parallels between beaver and human planetary effects.

Duration: 15 min

22: Testing Yourself: The Wildlife Tracking Exam

Conclude with an informal exam to review and expand on key tracking concepts, from animal trails to feather functions.

Duration: 21 min