Mother Nature as Narrator: Reading Tracks & Signs

Annie Van Dinther talks with Expedition Leader Arpita Dutta about one of the most fundamental and fascinating aspects of wildlife viewing: tracking animals. They’ll discuss how to read and follow signs in order to locate animals, revealing the minute detail that nature provides for us as we anticipate sightings. Animals are unpredictable, but knowing their behavior, their habitat, and interpreting the signs they leave gives us a highly informed ability to find and observe them. When we learn to “read” the stories Mother Nature shares, we gain an understanding of animals as actors and characters. When there is a “plot twist” – unusual behavior we wouldn’t normally expect – we learn to react accordingly. Arpita uses examples from her two decades of guiding experience in the jungle to illustrate the nature of tracking: showing you where and how to look for animal signs and revealing what they mean. Glean tips for developing your sighting skills. She covers sounds, too, such as how to tell the difference between a distress call and a territorial claiming call. When we heighten and hone all our senses in a wild environment, we are more likely to spy the animal residents around us.


Originally presented September 30, 2021

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