Tracking animals

I've just finished another commission of an animal tracks bracelet!  This time heading to identify tracks in Texas.  That's two in two weeks. 

For each track, I make a separate photopolymer plate of the track and then use that to make the impression in the silver clay.

I have 21 different tracks now, plus a few other birds, but lots of birds look quite similar so I don't tend to use many of those.

Here are the tracks that I have - and, without cheating and reading what is on the back of each square, see if you can figure which ones are used in this bracelet:

• badger, 
• beaver, 
• river otter, 
• opossum, 
• porcupine, 
• skunk, 
• fox, 
• mountain lion, 
• raccoon,
• deer, 
• bear, 
• elephant, 
• rhino, 
• dragon (!), 
• buffalo, 
• dog, 
• cat, 
• owl, 
• eagle, 
• duck, and 
• crow/raven.

Wild in Virginia!

I just finished another animal tracks commissioned bracelet yesterday for a lady who lives in Virginia.  She wanted animals and birds that live around where she lives, and wanted some earrings to match too. 

L-R tracks - Owl, Bear, Porcupine, Mountain Lion

For the earrings she decided on White Tail Deer tracks - a new track for me. 

White tailed deer

Fox, Beaver, Skunk

So how many of the tracks would you have guessed if I hadn't told you?

Porcupine, Mountain Lion, Opossum, Wolf

I have another tracks bracelet to make now, so see if you learn any here and can remember them when I show you the next one! 

Bud break in the vineyard

Bud break has just started in our vineyard.  This is the time when you first see the tiny little leaves unfurl.  It starts at the top of the slope of the vineyard and only the very top row is showing those little unfurlings.

It'll be a few weeks before the rest of the vineyard catches up - especially the vines on the flat ground, but it's a lovely  time to see all that regrowth.  We've just had what look like dead sticks since November - and now, signs of new life!

We also had other "signs of life" spottings today in the vineyard.  John was on a conference call - but while he was paying attention to the call (!!!!!) he spotted what he thought was a mountain lion just outside the vineyard.  So I got the binoculars out and had a look and it was in fact a bobcat.  It looked pretty big though - but with the obvious markings on it's body, black tipped ears and a short tail. 

It looked like it was taking a leisurely stroll......Every few minutes, it would sit down and take a rest....which meant that we could watch it for over half an hour while it walked just a short distance.

A little later, we drove out to a meeting and I jokingly said to John "watch out for the bobcat so we don't run it over" and 2 seconds later, there it was on the lane.  To begin with we both thought it was a different bobcat - as it looked so small!!!

The one above the vineyard had looked like this biiiiiiiiig cat - but we then had to face it that in reality, it was just a cute little cat!  We stopped the car -and of course, I got out to have a closer look.  It stood watching me for a while - really quite close so we got to see it so well.  Then it ambled off over the creek.  Unfortunately I'd only had my camera with me when it was outside the vineyard and not on the lane so the photos aren't that clear!

So a good vineyard day today!

What new signs of life have you seen today?

Animal tracks competition winner!!

And the winner is ........Karen!! Well done Karen. You got 8 correct out of the nine. You got all the animals I mentioned in the correct order but just missed on identifying the missing animal, which is the second square.

So the correct answers from left to right are:


Badger; Beaver; River Otter; Opossum; Porcupine; Skunk; Fox; Mountain Lion; Raccoon.

The mystery track was the beaver - I thought it was quite distinctive - but maybe not distinctive enough!!! Don't you just love the opossums little hands.....

Anyhow - well done to Karen - and to everyone else who entered. Hope you'll remember these next time you are out - or better yet, buy a bracelet for the perfect reminder! :-D

So Karen, please tell us what footprint you would like on your prize (- and looking at your profile - please don't make it the Loch Ness Monster!!!!) - it needs to be an animal or bird that I can find a representative print from. Then do tell us why you selected that animal. Also let me know if you want a key ring, book mark or pendant.

Then can you email me your mailing address so I can send off your prize!

Competition - identify the animal tracks

In my latest bracelet - "animal tracks", the tracks of 9 different mammals were used and impressed into the silver. Now your job is to identify which animals the tracks belong to. I know it's quite difficult, so I will tell you the animals used (apart from one) and you then just have to put them in the correct order and try and figure out the missing one.

So the animals are:

badger
fox
mountain lion
opossum
otter
porcupine
raccoon
skunk

plus one more mystery animal for you to guess. (PRINTS NOT TO SCALE)

Start listing from the first footprints after the clasp (on the left in the photo above). Please put your guesses in the comments section. You can enter as many times as you like. Go on - give it a try. This first person with all the correct footprints identified wins - or else I'll keep it going for a week and the person with the most correct identifications will win.

And the prize - I'll make you a key ring or bookmark with the footprint of your choice (as long as I can find one to replicate!). The piece could also be a pendant.... Your choice. With your guess, please name the animal or bird footprint you would like to win and why. And if you don't like leaving comments you can email me your guess instead!

Let's get tracking!

(PS the book shown in some of the previous photos isn't where I got the tracks from - so while it may help, you still have to be a detective!).