Tracks in our yard

The weather lately has been unpredictable and strange.   One day it will be bitterly cold and then two days later, we'll have rain and mild temps.   In between we've had freezing rain, more freezing rain, and a bit of snow.    Last night, it snowed.   Only about 10 cm or 4 inches, but enough to cover up the inch or more of ice all over the ground.   This morning, though it was bright and almost sunny, in that washed out winter sky sort of way that we get a lot around here.  

Outside our livingroom window, we could see tracks running from a large spruce tree in the front yard.   Because there were no tracks that we could see elsewhere around the tree, I went outside to investigate.   It's only -5 today, but with the bits of sunshine and lack of wind, it was a glorious day to go and play outside, well, if there weren't all that ice underneath the snow.   Anyway, after checking out the whole tree, the tracks did indeed only go one way.  However, only going outside and following the tracks did you see the whole story.   I'm guessing it was one of our squirrels.  He ran from an oak tree, across the garden to a pine tree.  Then from the pine to the spruce tree and then back again.

Here it looked like the little creature did a little dance and checked things out.   There is enough snow, that parts of the lower branches of the fir trees are covered with snow and not really accessible at the moment.

The tracks almost look like cat tracks, however, the tracks from our woodpile to the compost are cat tracks and they are substantially larger.    I know they are cat tracks, since I see him hanging out there a lot, and have watched him take that route to see what is for dinner. 

There were racoon tracks from the bottom step of the deck to the bird feeder as well but oddly enough, only one way so I have no idea where he went from there.   Since the bird feeder was pretty much untouched, I don't think he ate much.

There there were these tracks.   These are rodent trails.  They tunnel under the snow leaving lacy trails all over the yard.   Then, the crows come along and strut along the trails, leaving little lacy trenches in their wake.   When the snow is a little bit wet, you can see their footprints in the tracks.   Today though, there were just little indentations from their foot prints, making it look as though someone was stitching along the lines.

 At some point, there is a messy tangle of rodent trails and crow tracks, so I'm assuming that the crow found his breakfast.