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That's me on the 40-Acre Lake Trail at Brazos Bend State Park (12/31/2007). I was waiting for an otter to show up. It didn't. Over the years that I've been keeping these pages,
making new observations and learning new things, I have met some interesting people.  Two of them are Dr. Anthony Martin and Dr. Lisa Buckley.  They study ichnology--
animal traces.  While the term is commonly used in relation to fossils (such as dinosaur tracks), it also applies to living creatures as well (sometimes called "neoichnology"
 with "paleoichnology" for fossils).  One major aspect of this study is that such traces can show animal behavior.  For instance, a single footprint might not say much, except 
what kind of animal made it; but a series them might tell if the animal was running, or jumping etc.   There are three basic factors that help to interpret traces: A) Substrate (the
material that holds the trace) ; B) Anatomy (the part of the animal that affected the substrate) and C) Behavior (what the animal was doing with the anatomy that affected the 
substrate).  (see "The Three Pillars of Ichnologic Wisdom" page 9 in  Life Traces of the Georgia Coast by Anthony J. Martin)  I admit that I am not very good at finding and
interpreting such traces. But, it is still fun to look and try to piece together the mystery of what transpired at that spot before I got there.  I usually capture images of animals
activity.  But every now and then I've taken pictures of traces.  I'll begin collecting them here.  I will eventually arrange them in chronogical order of some kind.  Many, many
thanks to Dr. Martin and Dr. Buckley for many conversations via email and online; and for being supportive of my amateurish efforts. 

One more thing: Although alligator burrows (or dens) and nests would be considered ichnological traces. I've only got one example of an alligator den on this page. I have 
many observations of alligator dens, and have already gathered them onto other pages, starting here.
This page is arranged with the newest entries at the top.

At Scobee Field on 10/16/2021 I found this burrow, and it had water in it.  I had a brief view of something moving in the hole, and took some pictures of a crawfish's face before it submerged
 but they didn't come out very well. But at least I knew that the hole belonged to a crawfish. For the next 40 minutes, I stalked the hole, and caught some pictures and short
video of the crawfish. From the size and color (and location) I assume that this was a Red Swamp Crawfish (Procambarus clarkii). Even though the burrow was in a ditch,
there was no chimney, but if there was one, it had probably been crushed by the machinery that left tracks in the mud. 
I read a lot of literature about this species of crawfish. There are descriptions of their physiology and their tunneling behavior.   In "Burrowing activity of Procambarus
clarkii on levees: analyzing behavior and burrow structure" by Phillip J. Haubrock . Alberto F. Inghilesi . Giuseppe Mazza . Michele Bendoni . Luca Solari . Elena Tricarico (2019)
 I found a brief reference to "the typical sideway position used in this species to breathe air oxygen outside the water" . 
In "Procambarid Crawfish:  Life History and Biology W. Ray McClain and Robert P. Romaire   (2007)
"For unknown reasons, some individuals will not burrow as the habitat dries, while others will construct very shallow burrows that can quickly dry out and lead to death."  "Crawfish burrows 
are usually dug by an individual crawfish, with the burrow diameter determined by the size of the crawfish. The burrow extends downward into a terminal chamber that is slightly larger than 
the diameter of the tunnel." "it is thought that any free water in a burrow is likely to be trapped water, perhaps from rainfall seepage, rather than water seeping into the burrow from the water
table.  When there is no standing water in the burrow, wet mud in the chamber serves as a humidifier."
   

In "Gill Morphology in the Red Swamp Freshwater Crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Crustacea: Decapoda: Cambarids) (Girard 1852) from the River Nile and its Branches in Egypt: by 
Mohamed M. Abumandour  (2016) describes: " From available literature, it is well known that there were special anatomical characters of the respiratory adaptations of crustacea to 
terrestrial and amphibious life, in which the crayfish can live for weeks in burrows without free water and adapt to survive for long periods of hypoxia that occur within this burrows due to the
large surface of respiratory gill area."  The crawfish exposed its side to the air, in a "breathing posture".  In the closeup, there are feathery structures visible at lower edge of the carapace, 
where the legs are attached. I think these are sections of the gills, specifically the "podobranchiae" one of three types of gill structures possessed by crawfish. ("The red swamp freshwater
crayfish possess a trichobranchiate gill type, which consists of three types according to their place of attachment on the body; podobranchiae, arthrobranchiae and pleurobranchiae." from
Abumnador 2016). With such an abundance of gill tissue, crawfish can move around in air for some time-as long as the gills are kept moist.
   

I had to walk away from the burrow, then move back slowly, and then use telephoto shots to catch the crawfish unawares. I got a few shots of its face before it backed under the water.
   

These pictures of Scobee Field from 10/02/2021-- 10/09/2021 show how the water levels can change at the park. Since Scobee Field is inside Barker Reservoir, it is going to flood if we
get enough rain. After all, Barker Reservoir was built to collect water and control it to avoid flooding Houston, which is East of this area.
   
                      10/02/2021                                                                   10/02/2021                                                             10/05/2021                                                                   10/05/2021

 
                       10/09/2021                                                                   10/09/2021

At Scobee Field on 9/25/2021-- Back at Scobee Field is inside of Barker This time, I investigated one of the larger holes. This one was about 2.5 inches diameter. When I tried to get pictures
of the inside, I found a cricket, but obviously that was just borrowing the hole. I used a folding ruler to measure the depth, and had  to bend the ruler slightly.
   

Multiple samples got me a burrow length of 13 inches. The sides of the burrow were worm smooth, and dry.  The cricket had already demonstrated that the walls were good climbing surfaces.
I decided to try to fill the burrow with water, to see if I was looking at a hole, or a tunnel. I found a discarded 32 oz cup. I could only fill it about halfway because of the water fountain. I filled the 
hole, using 3 "half cups", so maybe a quart and a half.    
   

I did fill the hole, though, so it appeared to be closed at the end. It emptied slowly, so water did seep out from somewhere.  After about 3 minutes, when the level dropped 4 inches I refilled 
the hole, and then watched to see if anything would  come out.  I expected a crawfish, even though the opening was about 2x larger than most crawfish  burrows I've seen. This time it took 
about 10 minutes to go down 4 inches. Refilled again--12:06 The water level dropped slower. 
   

Then, about 12:12 (6 minutes after filled), I got a surprise. A ribbon snake poked its head out of the water. I stood still and watched as it checked to see if the coast was clear. It went back under 
the water...then came back up. I stayed and watched. I stayed motionless as the snake slowly crawled out of the hole. It stopped once to "yawn", or maybe to readjust its jaws. 
   

I felt a bit sorry, since I'd flooded the snake's hiding place-although I hadn't known it was in there-because I didn't know where it could go. There was little cover around that ditch.
   

The snake decided it was safe to move.  It got out of the hole, and then...disappeared under the grass. I was totally surprised at how easily it disappeared!  I never did find out what might 
have made the hole.  I thought that it might have been a snail's burrow, and had slight hope that it might come out, it didn't happen before I left.
   

I tried a little geometry to figure out the size of the hole, by using the formula for the volume of a cylinder:  V = πr²h    Hole diameter was  2.5 inches so radius = 1.25
Depth was approximately 13 inches.     So: V = πr²h     3.14159*(1.25*1.25)13    =   63.813  cu.in.   BUT the measured volume was 1.5 quarts = 86.625 cu in
So I did this:  86.625 = 3.14159(1.25*1.25)h  and  86.625 = 4.9 *h and 86.625/4.9 =h and 17.689 = h  so  the hole should have been about 17 inches long (or deep?)
This really doesn't tell me much since I got a 4-inch difference, and can't be sure if the burrow is symmetrical, anyway.  But it was a fun exercise.

At Scobee Field on 8/28/2021--The Scobee Radio Control Flying Field is inside of Barker Reservoir. It's about 4 miles West of Fiorenza Park North. The airfield is within a 65 acre rectangle
(Google map measurement). There's an 8-acre picnic area around the main parking lot. Most of the time, this area is dry; but sometimes water covers the entire area. I'd started paying more 
attention to the ditches and wet ecology when I learned about apple snails (Pomacea maculata); and had found them at Scobee.
While walking the ditches, I saw many burrows about 1 inches across which I assumed to belong to crawfish. But there were also other burrows that were about larger--maybe 3 inches across. 
During that time, I also learned that Apple Snail can burrow to avoid adverse conditions, and I wondered if the larger burrows could have been made somehow by the snails.  By the way, although
I have found occasional mention of the snails burrowing, I can't find any pictures, or diagrams, or descriptions of what the burrows look like. I *did* find what seemed to be snails that had made
very shallow holes-maybe the beginnings of burrows-but that's all. At various times through the summer, I examined some of the burrows in the dried ditches. Here are some of them.
   
    A pair of holes in the dry ditch                          Closer view of the holes                     I would call these "crawfish sized" holes               I tried a depth measurement.

   
            About 8 inches deep.                        I could see the ruler from the other hole.    These holes showed excavation traces                About 1 1/2 inches across.

   
        I checked one more large hole...             ....and this occupant came up to see me.            I've seen holes dug by toad before...          ...but the toad could have borrowed it.

At Scobee Field on 9/18/2021--This time I found a fresh hole. The ground was soaked well, so the mud was soft, and didn't mold into solid pellets for making a chimney. But I was able to get
a quick look at the crawfish's mud-covered face in the hole before it dropped out of sight.
   

At Scobee Field on 7/24/2021--The ditches dried, though the dirt was still damp. I noticed a snail shell in a hole in the mud. Since I'd read about these snails can aestivate, 
I took pictures of the shell before I moved anything. I had already seen many snail shells lying out of the water in other locations, and they'd all been empty(dead).
But just in case, I took many pictures of this one. The depression, or hole, or whatever, was intriguing.
   
          Snail in the dried ditch                       Shells of dead small snails litter the area            Snail in the hole shot with flash                 Snail in the hole shot without flash

Then I turned the shell over.  The snail was alive!  I could tell by the sealed operculum.  I took pictures of the snail and the depression. The hole wasn't elaborate, but it seems
like the snail made it.  As of this date (9/29/2021) I haven't found any description of how Pomacea aestivate naturally. Do they dig burrows, or dig anything? I've read of
one experiment shows that it's possible for these snails to survive TEN MONTHS without water, as long as they can maintain a seal to conserve internal moisture. The snail had
"backed into" the hole, so perhaps it could dig by manipulation of its foot.

07/19/2021- I haven't been able to exercise in the area I normally use because it's been raining.  Today, it seemed like the circle had dried enough to use,
so I walked around it, clearing sticks and other items.  As I made another circuit, I noticed a round hole.  It was about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm)across.  It was much
too large to be a cicada exit burrow. My first thought was that it had been a crawfish burrow (Red Swamp Crawfish  Procambarus clarkii) that had had the
"chimney" knocked off--perhaps by park mowers.  I wasn't wearing my glasses, but as I stood above the hole and looked down, I thought there was something
in there.  I retrieved my glasses and a camera from my car, and returned.
   
I stood above the hole, this time wearing my glasses.  I bent and looked down into it...and something moved.  Then, a face appeared at the opening!  It was a toad!
The little face looked up at me.  I'm pretty sure that the toad made that hole--probably as the water dried and of course before the mud had hardened. I took
a few more pictures--giving the toad space so I didn't scare it.  Then, I moved my workout to the next tree over.  In the cropped images, I can see a blister at the front
edge of its mouth. It looks a lot like fire ant blisters I've gotten. Poor little critter.  I've tried to figure out what kind of toad it is.  After some searching,  I've found that it's 
probably a Gulf Coast Toad (aka Coastal Plains Toad; Incilius nebulifer). I can't see the toad's body, but those prominent bone crests between the eyes seem to be a
defining feature. I found the information in this: A review of the biology and literature of the Gulf Coast Toad (Incilius nebulifer), native to Mexico and the United States 
by Mendelson, Kinsey et. al. (Article in Zootaxa � June 2015 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3974.4.4)

  

(update 07/20/2021)- I returned the next day--after all, it's where I regularly practice.  I was sad and a bit relieved to see that the
toad had left.  Relieved, because I thought that the toad was at risk, even in the hole. Since the toad had gone, I could examine the hole.
From the top, the hole is about 3cm across (1.2 inches--I'd estimated 1.5 inches).  I tried for pictures into the hole. It does have a visible
bottom.  That "ledge" is probably just a hard area in the substrate that couldn't be burrowed through.
  
I was able to see a bit more clearly into the hole than the images show. So I thought it would be ok to probe a bit with my finger. The mud was packed, not soft. Also, the narrow
parts are like shelves--that is, the wall is the same width under it as over it.  I couldn't tell for sure if the bumps were exposed tree roots. Also, the hole stops at the bottom, and
does not turn in any direction into anything horizontal. Finally, I made a "high-tech depth sounding device" from a twig and placed it into the hole. I pinched it at the top edge of
the hole, and then-holding by the pinched point-placed it onto my gauge to get a depth reading.  The hole is about 5 inches (13 cm) deep.
  

05/02/2021  Even with more "spare time" it's taking me days to work on new material so I can post it. Part of the reason is that I get more new material before I've completed
editing of the previous new material--because I have more of that "spare time" to go get the new material. Oh, darn. LOL
So, here's how my morning went at Brazos Bend State Park on 05/02/21.  I have more photos (and some video) but I need to post this now before much more time passes (it's
already been a week today).  I'd just gotten to the edge of 40-Acre Lake (had just walked down the hill) when I noticed this set of animal tracks on the trail.  I'm a bit confused
on what made them. I think they're from a cat because of the short heel pad and outline; but it look like there are claw impressions and a single "lobe" in front and two "lobes" in
back--which would make them dog tracks.  Whatever they are, it looks lke they walked on top of the human tracks.  I'll alter this description pending any expert input. If they are
feline tracks, then they'd probably be from a Bobcat, which would be pretty cool.  (UPDATE)--Alas.  According to a number of experts, my second guess was correct. They were
dog tracks. Thanks to science twitter folks: Dr. Lisa Buckley (@Lisavipes) ; Dr. Anthony Martin (@Ichnologist); Zachary Wardle (@ZacharyMWardle).

   
  Animal tracks!  

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