You hear a branch crack, leaves rustle – it may be the wind, but maybe not. The woods are bustling with wildlife, but it’s often only by happenchance that you actually see any.
“For many wildlife sightings, it’s a matter of getting lucky,” says Tish Gailmard, wildlife curator at Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center. “Winter is a great time to be out in the woods with the leaves off the trees. You can see all types of squirrel nests in the trees…the forest is a little more open, so the winter is a great time to start looking for wildlife.”
Although there is an element of right place, right time in the business of wildlife watching, here are three tips to increase your chances of spotting something wild on your next hike.
HIKE-SPIRATIONModern day adventurers Helen Thayer, 63, and her husband Bill, 74, prove that it’s never too late to embark on the journey of a lifetime in Walking the Gobi: A 1,600-Mile Trek Across a Desert of Hope and Despair.The couple walked the more than 1,600-mile length of the Gobi Desert, facing 126-degree heat, sandstorms and the real threat of dying from lack of food and water.Along the way, they encountered Gobi nomads, a people who call the barren land their home – giving readers a heartwarming and profound picture of a little known culture.