Strange visitors overnight

Bird tracks

@Asylum (47893)

Manchester, England

January 17, 2016 6:52am CST

The snow has finally decided to arrive here in Manchester, which is probably Jenny Archer’s fault because she was very jealous that for once we had no snow while they did down South. Of course the snow is great for monitoring visitors by their tracks which get left behind. This morning I noticed a few prints left in the snow on my driveway, one of which seems rather odd. The tracks on the right of the image seem to be clearly of some bird, but the size seemed too large for most of the species that we usually encounter over here. I shall have to keep watch to see if my visitor returns and leaves the same tracks again.

21 people like this

19 responses

@LadyDuck (458091)

• Switzerland

17 Jan 16

Possibly a crow, they leave pretty big prints, the other is a cat, they put one paw in front of the other to walk, it's the same I find every morning in my garden and I know, it's the kitty of the neighbor.

4 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

I recognised the cat, which is a common feature in my garden, but the bird seems a mystery to me.

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@LadyDuck (458091)

• Switzerland

17 Jan 16

@Asylum I have seen the big grey and black crows walking on the snow in my garden and the foot prints were identical.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

@LadyDuck Surely a grey crow would leave a slightly different colour of print than a black crow?

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@Rollo1 (16679)

• Boston, Massachusetts

18 Jan 16

I love trying to determine which animal visited based on snow prints. Of course, depending on the depth of the snow, the tracks can be deceiving.

4 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

Yes, it can make a big difference.

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@Marilynda1225 (79730)

• United States

18 Jan 16

I always like to look and see what prints go across my deck or yard. Most of the time I assume it's deer but sometimes they're either very small or too big. Makes me wonder what lurks around at night

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@kaka135 (14916)

• Malaysia

18 Jan 16

It's so interesting to see the tracks of visitors. My children must be very excited to follow the tracks if they get a chance to see them.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

this is something that we only see on gardens or fields usually because so many people along the streets that tracks of small creatures do not get seen.

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@celticeagle (159017)

• Boise, Idaho

17 Jan 16

It is difficult to sneak around when there is fresh snow on the ground. Birdie of some kind.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

It seems to be an alien bird. I wonder if it arrived in one of those UFOs that keep popping up in the sky.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

@celticeagle I have not seen many clothes hangers in my garden, but they may only come out at night. Are clothes hangers nocturnal?

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@celticeagle (159017)

• Boise, Idaho

18 Jan 16

@Asylum ...A limping clothes hanger or something huh?

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@rebelann (111171)

• El Paso, Texas

18 Jan 16

Ummmm, those tracks woulda looked normal but it's as if the bird was hobbling on a wooden leg like a pirate. I wonder if it had a patch over one eye.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

So are you suggesting that it was a Panda Bird?

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

@rebelann Oh of course, the famous Highwayman Bird.

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@rebelann (111171)

• El Paso, Texas

18 Jan 16

Hummm @Asylum now that's an interesting theory. I know, it's a bandit bird

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@MarshaMusselman (38657)

• Midland, Michigan

18 Jan 16

I didn't know that cats walk in that fashion, @LadyDuck , but I've not a clue what bird that might be either, @Asylum . I'm not in the position to be a bird or other animal watcher just yet, if I ever will be. I see birds outside and wonder what they might be just from looking at the bird itself. I'd be lost trying to figure anything out from just it's prints.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

It was quite clearly a bird track, but a little large for most species that tend to frequent here.

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@LadyDuck (458091)

• Switzerland

18 Jan 16

Yes, the cats walk in that fashion, I think that the bird is a big crow, I have similar footsteps in my garden and I know that are made by the crows.

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@allknowing (130066)

• India

18 Jan 16

Have you inspected any of those tracks closely? They look so uniform to me.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

The tracks have gone now because the snow has melted.

@allknowing (130066)

• India

18 Jan 16

@Asylum That was an interesting observation.

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@kevin1877uk (36988)

•

18 Jan 16

Strange indeed, only one leg. So you had snow, we had rain which is no surprise there.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

I wonder if the cat bit one of it's legs off?

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@kevin1877uk (36988)

•

18 Jan 16

@Asylum Yeah maybe so the cat did.

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@SIMPLYD (90722)

• Philippines

22 Jan 16

So have you discovered whose footprints they were ?

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

22 Jan 16

No, I still have absolutely no idea at all.

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Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (45002)

• Preston, England

17 Jan 16

strange tracks indeed - wonder what they were up to lol!

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

I wonder if my neighbour is playing silly games with me, but of course he would leave his own footprints as well.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

@arthurchappell Of course, or they could have fitted some attachment to the cat's feet.

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Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (45002)

• Preston, England

17 Jan 16

@Asylum a bird foot on a long pole?

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@gudheart (12659)

•

19 Jan 16

Ohh a mystery! I wonder what type of bird it was.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

19 Jan 16

I have no idea, but some members have made some interesting suggestions.

1 person likes this

@garymarsh6 (23393)

• United Kingdom

19 Jan 16

Looks like the great northern emu to me

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

19 Jan 16

So you think that Rod Hull got tired of carrying him and made him walk?

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@boiboing (13153)

• Northampton, England

17 Jan 16

When we finally realised it had snowed the garden was already full of tracks.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

That is often the case for me as well, I seem to have a popular prowling spot.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

@boiboing Heddehog feet are not that difficult to find, they are usually found on each corner of a hedgehog.

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@boiboing (13153)

• Northampton, England

17 Jan 16

@Asylum I left it too late to go looking for hedgehog feet

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@shshiju (10342)

• Cochin, India

20 Jan 16

Why should a crow walks it is bird and it can fly. And in cold whether a cat like its catwalk.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

20 Jan 16

Maybe it's wings were tired or it simply fancied a stroll in the snow.

@shshiju (10342)

• Cochin, India

20 Jan 16

@Asylum May be right. But how could it survive in extreme cold?

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@shshiju (10342)

• Cochin, India

20 Jan 16

@Asylum I have liked your comment. But really I don't like it . Hope that it survive.

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@Letranknight2015 (51523)

• Philippines

17 Jan 16

Turkey perhaps?! well, must be visiting for some reason. if you have a small webcam or a cctv or something maybe you could watch it while it hangs out in your lawn or something.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

The only turkeys that we ever see are in the shops or on television. Now you have me wondering if it could have been a goose, there are a couple that frequent the area, but never come to my garden.

@jaboUK (64361)

• United Kingdom

17 Jan 16

Those tracks are intriguing, especially as they seem to be placed so precisely one in front of the other.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

Maybe it was a bird somersaulting across the path.

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@amnabas (13742)

• Karachi, Pakistan

17 Jan 16

Those bird tracks really looking awesome.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

Also rather odd since I cannot decide what could have created them.

@Marilynda1225 (79730)

• United States

18 Jan 16

Looks like it could possibly be some sort of bird?

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

18 Jan 16

It is clearly a bird of some kind, but I cannot imagine which species.

Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (306195)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

17 Jan 16

I hope you are able to see your visitor and know the kind of bird leaving those tracks.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Jan 16

The snow is melting now, so even if the culprit returns it may be hard to be certain it was the one that made the tracks.

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