Field Guide to Animal Tracks and Scat of California

A guide to the tracks and signs of California animals - including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates like spiders and beetles. It provides essential background and visual aids for the novice, including information about the ecology of each species. “Outstanding. This is a brilliant work by the best in the field. Watching a great tracker at work can feel like watching a magician, but this book demystifies the process and inspires the reader to begin to look closer and open the world of tracking.”—John Muir Laws, author of The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada Spotting an animal's fresh footprints in the wild can conjure a world for the hiker: Why did the deer tracks disappear? Where did the cougar turn off the trail? What does it mean when two sets of footprints seem to coincide? This beautifully illustrated field guide, the first devoted to the tracks and signs of California animals - including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates like spiders and beetles - blends meticulous science with field experience to provide an engaging companion for both armchair exploration and easy field identification. Filled with useful tools for the wildlife expert, and essential background and visual aids for the novice, including in-depth information about the ecology of each species, this book goes beyond basic recognition of types to interpret what animals leave behind as a way of "seeing" how they move through the world.