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Meadow Vole (aka Field Mouse) Tracks
If it looks like a Mouse and squeaks like a Mouse it. . . might be a Vole! This week, we explore Vole tracks and sign, and look at Voles’...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 93 min read
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Variations on Hare Tracks
No matter where I go on PEI this winter – town or country – the most common tracks I see are from Snowshoe Hare. It’s been like this for...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 23 min read
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Recognizing Red Squirrel Tracks
This winter’s frequent bouts of fresh snowfall have made for some ideal tracking conditions. While Red Squirrels are very common, it’s...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 232 min read
23 views
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New Book Coming Soon!
My new book, Wild Foods of Prince Edward Island is coming out this spring and now available for pre-order. Published by The Acorn Press,...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 221 min read
141 views
1 comment


A Busy Intersection
One of my favourite things about winter tracking is coming across a wildlife intersection: a spot used by a variety of animals. Often...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 162 min read
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Beaver Tracks
It’s hard to find near-perfect examples of tracks from terrestrial mammals, let alone from semi-aquatic ones. That’s why I was thrilled...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 93 min read
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Burls vs. Galls
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Winter is great time to spot...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 53 min read
190 views
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Spotting Skunks in Snow
Reading wildlife tracks and sign has very practical uses. For example, even with the recent cold snaps this winter, the Striped Skunks on...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 23 min read
99 views
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Counting Crow (and other Corvid) Tracks
When you think about wildlife tracks and sign, I bet mammals immediately come to mind. But all sorts of wildlife leave tracks, including...
katemacquarrie22
Jan 263 min read
34 views
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Winter Spiders
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI! Today’s topic is courtesy of...
katemacquarrie22
Jan 223 min read
178 views
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Recognizing Raccoon Tracks
This winter, we’re looking at how to identify PEI wildlife tracks and sign. Raccoons often stay in their dens and rely on fat reserves...
katemacquarrie22
Jan 193 min read
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Cat Tracks vs. Dog Tracks
Whether it’s the potential for Bobcats here on PEI or reports of Eastern Cougar on the mainland, wild cats have a mystique that makes...
katemacquarrie22
Jan 123 min read
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Differentiating among Fox, Coyote, & Dog Tracks
Happy New Year and welcome back to my Wildlife Tracks & Sign series. Each week for the next few months, we’ll look at how to identify...
katemacquarrie22
Jan 53 min read
325 views
1 comment


Deer Mice
Just like us, PEI’s wildlife has been busy getting ready for winter. And just like us, our neighbours of other species use various...
katemacquarrie22
Dec 4, 20243 min read
94 views
3 comments


Orange Jelly Spot
Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s easy-to-identify fungi. ‘Mushroom’ usually evokes the stereotypical...
katemacquarrie22
Nov 17, 20243 min read
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White Pine Soda Recipe
Needles of White Pine (Pinus strobus) can be used to make a refreshing drink at any time of year (Photo 1). Kate’s White Pine Soda 1 part...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 7, 20242 min read
595 views
1 comment


The Subnivean Zone
We spend our winters in the bright, cold, noisy world above the snow, but all sorts of creatures stay cozy in the darker, warmer, quieter...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 24, 20243 min read
68 views
2 comments


Mink Tracks
This year’s Winter Wildlife Tracks and Sign series has covered a lot of ground so far, but one entire group of PEI wildlife has been...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 17, 20242 min read
394 views
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Snow Mould
March snowmelt marks the welcomed advance of spring on PEI, but for about one in five people it also means the return of far-less-popular...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 13, 20242 min read
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Nests of Birds and. . . not-birds
🎵 One of these things is not like the others 🎶. If you walk or hike anywhere on PEI in spring and summer, you pass many bird nests...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 10, 20243 min read
158 views
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