# whose footprints are these?



## ukphd

Hi

I posted this in another section before I realised there was a wildlife sub-forum but thought it might be worth asking in here too...


Does anyone have any idea whose footprints these might be?

I've not seen any birds in the garden large enough to make them. My thoughts were crow or magpie. I've not seen crows around here at all lately but I did spot a magpie up the road. I'm just not sure they're the right size. I can't seem to find a reliable guide to magpie/crow foot size (!) but what I have found suggests 6 - 6.5cm foot length, yet these prints are 8cm....


Incidentally they occurred after dark... they weren't there at about 5pm but by 9pm they were....


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## jav07

phesant?


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## ukphd

jav07 said:


> phesant?



Highly unlikely I think - sorry I should have said, it's a small town garden, fenced/walled in, far from fields


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## nick gilchrist

Its obvious.if you think about it..only one animal can open gates...AND has that foot pattern of a tri toed foot.


























:whistling2:


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## HalcyonInverts

nick gilchrist said:


> Its obvious.if you think about it..only one animal can open gates...AND has that foot pattern of a tri toed foot.


Thought you were going to post a pic of a velociraptor from that description! :2thumb:


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## nick gilchrist

HalcyonInverts said:


> Thought you were going to post a pic of a velociraptor from that description! :2thumb:


Veloceraptors just don`t have the same comedy effect!:lol2:


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## slippery42

pheasant


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## white

seagull


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## ukphd

nick gilchrist said:


> Its obvious.if you think about it..only one animal can open gates...AND has that foot pattern of a tri toed foot.
> 
> :whistling2:



:lol2:

OMG you're right - I just caught sight of a yellow backside running out the gate....


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## ukphd

slippery42 said:


> pheasant


I really don't think it's a pheasant - I live in a very urban area and I've never seen a pheasant here... but maybe I'm wrong? 



white said:


> seagull


Yeah - I did consider this one but they have webbed feet don't they?


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## xvickyx

Heron? they can be found in Urban areas..


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## HABU

i see tracks all the time....


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## ukphd

xvickyx said:


> Heron? they can be found in Urban areas..


 
Just had a look online and sadly heron's feet are too large for those prints! 13cm apparently....

hmm I don't think I'm ever going to find out - I'll have to stake out my garden and wait to see what comes


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## HABU




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## EVIEMAY

Nancy - I have seen prints like that in my garden too !!! I was curious what bird had that size feet - let me no if you solve the mystery.


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## xvickyx

Hmmmm I wonder what it is...


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## fergie

Does anybody keep hens near you?


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## daftlassieEmma

i'd say magpie/crow/rook, not sure if the snow would maybe affect the size of the print if it was melting?


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## ukphd

EVIEMAY said:


> Nancy - I have seen prints like that in my garden too !!! I was curious what bird had that size feet - let me no if you solve the mystery.


I will - I'm still looking with no sightings yet! I almost wish it would snow again so I can get another chance! 



fergie said:


> Does anybody keep hens near you?


No - that's what my OH said they looked like - chicken foot prints, but there are not chickens anywhere near here. 



daftlassieEmma said:


> i'd say magpie/crow/rook, not sure if the snow would maybe affect the size of the print if it was melting?


yeah - that's my best guess at the moment. I did see what looked a little like a tail mark in the snow and I'd read that magpies often leave tail tracks so I guess it could be that. I'd have thought magpies feet would be smaller than crows though and everything I've read says crows are 6.5cm....

It's amazing how hard it is to find foot length info for birds! 


Habu - what made those prints?


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## jamie and janie

you all have it wrong, it was pingu i saw him do it:gasp:


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## Ozgi

I'm pretty sure those are Magpie prints, there was a load outside work when it snowed and they looked identical.


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## millers666

They look similar to coot or moorhen foot prints, went feeding ducks over christmas when it snowed and those foot prints were everywhere.


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## naz_pixie

what about a raven?


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## vitticeptus

I think you might find that it was a rat!!


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## fergie

vitticeptus said:


> I think you might find that it was a rat!!


Seriously? A three toed rat? Clearly you are having a laugh.


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## vitticeptus

fergie said:


> Seriously? A three toed rat? Clearly you are having a laugh.


just trying to get a reaction.....:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## nick gilchrist

vitticeptus said:


> I think you might find that it was a rat!!


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## vitticeptus

nick gilchrist said:


> image


AHAAA I KNEW IT:lol2:


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## ukphd

:lol2:

I think Magpie is the most likely....
Not seen any Ravens around here and there are not ponds so it's probably not coots or moorhens...
Maybe the snow is just making the prints bigger....


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## adamntitch

ad say wood pigeon they look like the ones i seen in my grans garden and she has loads of them visiting


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## ukphd

adamntitch said:


> ad say wood pigeon they look like the ones i seen in my grans garden and she has loads of them visiting


I don't think wood pigeons have 8 cm feet do they?
think it might be a bit big for them


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## xvickyx

The mystery continues lol.

I just can't think of anything it could be?


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## iiisecondcreep

ukphd said:


> Does anyone have any idea whose footprints these might be?
> 
> 
> image
> 
> image


I have an idea, got any water nearby?



millers666 said:


> They look similar to coot


That! They look like Coot footprints to me as well, Coots have huge feet, and more significantly they have 'lobed' toes, so they are wider than normal birds toes.


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## vawn

too big for magpie or chicken, deff not gull, if they appeared at night maybe a predator?
rooks n ravens maybe, they are quite secretive so you wouldn't see one around i live in the middle of town though it is quite ruralish, there's moor n heathland within 20 miles n i have owls in my garden every now n then n i even had a buzzard once, they both have tracks similar to that


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## vawn

HABU said:


> image


those look like some sorta water bird? crane like...ish?


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## smith86king

surly if it was after dark then most birds would be roosting? Looks alot like a chicken tho,
Have you seen paranormal activity? Maybe its a demon bird!


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## vawn

that's it though, if was after dark that only leaves nocturnal predators n owls are known to live in towns


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## tilly -ann

do you live near water ? could be a moorhen or coot !


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## Ozgi

The toes aren't spread out enough for a moorhen....










or coot......










No way it would be a raven in a urban garden (highly unlikely even in a rural garden).

99% it's a magpie :2thumb:


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## vawn

i had a raven in my garden  don't think magpies have 8cm feet either


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## ukphd

I still haven't worked out what it was... I've been looking and every time we have a frost I go out to see if there are any more prints but no luck yet!


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## vawn

think i've found a semi useful site, 
BioKIDS - Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species, Bird Tracks


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