Category: Tracking

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Mother Nature

5/3/2018

Families go for a hike in Round Canyon

Enjoy a variety of activities on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks next week in celebration of Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching, so consider trading the typical brunch and expensive flowers for an adventure with mom on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Visitors can celebrate Mother’s Day with the sweet smells and sights of nature while making lasting memories with the whole family. Whether registering for a hiking, interpretive, or stewardship program, there are several opportunities to celebrate mom and Mother Nature all week long.

Learn Something New in Nature This Weekend

10/9/2015

Photo courtesy of lupgv on Instagram.

Activities held Saturday and Sunday will teach skills you can use forever.

If you’ve visited the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, you know that there is always something new to discover. Learn a new way to look at the land this weekend, through hikes, walks, rides and workouts that will introduce you to skills such as wildlife tracking, cactus planting, mountain biking and even Zumba.

Two very exciting Saturday activities will help visitors learn about the easiest way to “see” wildlife on the trails: animal tracking. By learning which prints are which and “whose scat is that,” you can tell what type of critter was on the trail before you. In Round Canyon, the City of Irvine presents Beginner Animal Tracking, which covers the basics of spotting and identifying animal tracks over a short, 1.5-mile walk. OC Parks is presenting Watching Wildlife in Fremont Canyon, a program that also covers tracking, and will include information about raptors flying overhead near Irvine Lake. This program includes a 4 mile hike with some hills and spectacular views. Both programs are for visitors age 12 and up, and are led by Irvine Ranch Conservancy naturalists.

Keeping Track of Wildlife

8/14/2015

Learn about animal behavior with a free beginner’s tracking class.

It’s just after dawn, and two mule deer are making their way along a trail. They stop to nibble on some sagebrush when they hear a twig snap in the distance. Just a split-second after their large ears pick up the sound, they take cover, bounding quickly to some large shrubs downhill. A few hours later, the entire scene unfolds again, as a trained naturalist “reads” the tracks left by those deer, recounting their every movement. Understanding the tracks left by wildlife gives us insight into their world, and you can learn the basics of tracking with afree class on Saturday, August 22.

Learn New Outdoor Skills with Hikes for the Whole Family

11/13/2014

Learn about the geology and ecology that make the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks so valuable and unique.

As fall begins to change into winter don’t miss the opportunity to explore the changing landscape of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks with hikes geared toward every age and ability level. With a seemingly endless hot season wrapping up, take advantage of great hiking weather as you experience the beautiful geological features and wildlife found in your own backyard.

How to 'See' Wildlife in Hot Weather

6/20/2014

Tracks on the trails tell a lot about the types of animals found in our local wilderness.

As the weather heats up, spotting wildlife during the day can be difficult. Most animals seek a cool spot to stay during the day, being more active early in the morning and later in the evening. Even if you cannot spot them, you can look for signs that animals left behind on the trail. OC Parks and the Irvine Ranch Conservancy will be hosting two separate events next weekend to teach participants how to look for these signs.

“Animals love using the trails to get from point A to point B most efficiently and to conserve energy,” says Conservancy Interpretive Specialist Kelley Reetz. “The tracks and scat they leave behind are a snapshot, telling a story about wildlife activity.”

Want to See Wildlife in the Summer? Look Down.

5/25/2012

You’ve heard that every picture tells a story – along the trails of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, every paw print tells a story. While many mammals avoid daylight hours in the summer, you can follow their activities by “reading” the tracks they leave behind. Irvine Ranch Conservancy docents and volunteers receive training from expert trackers, so every hike can become a tracking hike if you just look down.

In summer months, wildlife may constrain the bulk of their activities to twilight, just around sunrise and sunset. Coyotes especially will come out around sunset to yip and play together as a pack, like friends getting together at the end of a work day. These communication noises are often heard on evening or sunset open space activities during the summer, and evidence of these meetings can be seen on early morning programs as well.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Mother Nature

Learn Something New in Nature This Weekend

Keeping Track of Wildlife

Learn New Outdoor Skills with Hikes for the Whole Family

How to 'See' Wildlife in Hot Weather

Want to See Wildlife in the Summer? Look Down.

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