QUAIL CSI USING A SCENT STATION Objective: Students will identify wildlife species by observing and identifying their tracks, through the use of a scent station. Students will be able to recognize wildlife diversity by observing different animal tracks, will discuss animal populations, and the predator prey relationship. Materials: Provided Quail CSI Using a Scent Station PowerPoint (CD) Animal Tracks Pocket Guide Critters of Texas Pocket Guide Texas Tracks, Do You Know Them? worksheet Scent Station student sheet Track Molds Scat Models Not provided 10 pounds of flour Hula Hoop Ruler Scent bait (can of tuna fish or catfish bait) Plastic food storage container (sandwich size) Water Can opener (if using tuna as the scent) Clipboards Model Magic (suggested), Play-Doh, or modeling clay Vocabulary: Please reference the Glossary for definitions. abiotic, adaptation, biotic, carnivore, conservation, depredation, dew claws, digitigrade, diurnal, ecosystem, environment, gait, habitat, herbivore, land stewardship, nocturnal, omnivore, plantigrade, predator, prey, retract, scat, scent bait, scent station, track, wildlife Background - Slide One (1): Animal tracking skills help wildlife biologists and landowners identify animals that have been in an area. In the past, people tracked animals to help them find food sources and to avoid dangerous animals. Today, scientists, hunters, and landowners track animals to discover the path or route an animal takes. In addition to tracks, wildlife trackers search for animal droppings known as scat, and they may even find clues by looking for scratches in tree bark or in the ground. Another way wildlife biologists and landowners can make discoveries about the land is through the use of scent stations. This is a way to attract animals to an area where their tracks are left behind as evidence to help identify the animal. In addition, it provides a way to estimate both predator and prey populations. The quality of tracks left behind can vary depending on the dirt, sand, or clay imprinted. Procedure and Activity: Day One (1) Use the Quail CSI Using a Scent Station PowerPoint, to provide background information and directions for students. Slide two (2) - Imagine that a nearby landowner is having problems with predators catching and eating quail on his land. Before the landowner can put predator management into action, he or she must first identify the
predator. Many wild animals, and especially predators are nocturnal, therefore seeing or identifying them during the day may be difficult. As a wildlife biologist you will create a scent station as a way to lure animals, with the use of a scent, to obtain samples of their tracks. Think of it as a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) method to identify the animals for the landowner. Slide three (3) includes pictures of Northern Bobwhite quail to provide a visual for students. Provide background knowledge on quail by discussing and identifying their adaptive characteristics and other facts such as: Quail and many birds that spend the majority of their life on the ground are very susceptible to predators. Quail need a good mixture of both bunchgrass and forbs (weeds and wildflowers) in order to survive Quail nest amongst the grass, feed on the seeds from the forbs, and use the vegetation as a camouflage from predators. Slides four (4) and five (5) provide directions for creating a scent station. Go over the directions with students and then take them outside to create a scent station. Appoint students to help carry supplies outside and to assist with creating the model. Locate an area which students cannot access and tamper the scent station. Make sure the school administration and other teachers are aware of the scent station. The area should be flat and located where animals are likely to travel at night. This could be at the edge of a habitat, or where two paths intersect. It should be about one (1) meter in diameter, and be free of grass, sticks, rocks, and any other material that could obscure tracks. Place the Hula Hoop on top of the chosen location. Pour the flour onto the cleared area inside of the Hula Hoop. Use a ruler to spread and flatten the surface of the flour. Remove the Hula Hoop. It is important to use bait that will attract wildlife. Pour approximately one-half (1/2) inch of water into the container. The water will help keep the ants away from the scent. Place the opened tuna fish can or catfish bait inside the plastic container. Place the container in the center of the circle. Use the ruler to spread the flour so there are no marks. Leave the station in place overnight and check the following day. (If more than 48 hours, it may be difficult to identify tracks.) Return to the classroom when the scent station is complete. Initiate a discussion about models and how they are helpful to scientists, wildlife trackers, and landowners. Describe their advantages and their limitations. Review the day s lesson by asking students to pair up and to describe the creation of a scent station as well as how they are helpful to scientists, wildlife trackers and landowners. Day Two (2) The Animal Adaptations Discovery Trunk includes the following materials to assist students with track identification. Pass these out and allow students to share, if necessary, before going outside. Texas Tracks, Do You Know Them? sheet Animal Tracks, A Pocket Naturalist Guide Critters of Texas Pocket Guide Note: It might be helpful with track identification to allow students to use track molds found in the Animal Adaptations Discovery Trunk. The track molds of predators most likely to eat quail are the bobcat, nine-banded
armadillo, coyote, Virginia opossum, and the northern raccoon. Students can use Model Magic, Play-Doh, or modeling clay to make casts. Taking the casts to the scent station may help with track identification. 1. Provide each student with a Scent Station student sheet and a clipboard. Return to the scent station to make observations, and hopefully identify the tracks of the quail predators and other animal s sharing the quail s habitat. If time allows, instruct students to sketch the footprints and the critters they suspect have visited the scent station on the back of the student page. Students may also search the area for scat and identify it using the replica scat models inside the Animal Adaptations Discovery Trunk, which include the bobcat, coyote, Virginia opossum, and the northern raccoon. The Animal Tracks, A Pocket Naturalist Guide, includes illustrations of scat along with other animal signs. 2. If tracks are visible in the flour, teach older students the difference between plantigrade (walking with the entire sole of the foot on the ground such as in bears, raccoons, and people) and digitigrade (walking on toes such as in dogs and cats) animals. Students may also find tracks from birds, which are included in the pocket guides. 3. At the end of the first 24 hours, if more time is needed to obtain tracks or if students wish to continue, use the ruler to make the flour smooth and provide fresh bait as needed. 4. Slides six through nine (6-9) of the PowerPoint includes pictures of the most likely quail predators, including their tracks. If desired, show the slides upon return to the classroom. Slide 6 Northern raccoon and Virginia opossum Slide 7 Bobcat and nine-banded armadillo Slide 8 Coyote and house cat Slide 9 Red-tailed Hawk and western diamondback rattlesnake 5. Upon return to the classroom, ask the following questions. Are all of the animals identified from the scent station quail predators? Which animals are predators? Would a quail and a quail s nest have different predators? Why would a turkey, deer, or cow be drawn to the scent station? Why would a landowner want to increase the quail population? How might quail predation affect the ecosystem? (When the balance of an ecosystem is altered, the ecosystem can become unstable, which can trigger many changes between biotic factors.) Can you identify specific adaptations of quail predators? (Coyotes have sensitive noses to help locate food. Raccoons have use of their front paws, much like hands.) What have you learned about the animal population around your school? Slide 10 This slide addresses land stewardship.
Land stewardship is known as responsible planning and management of resources such as land, water, and animals. Why would a landowner want to use a scent station and how is it related to land stewardship? (Scent stations can help landowners identify predators of a particular species, so that predator management can be put in put into action. In addition, a landowner can estimate populations of animals through the use of scent stations by identifying tracks of attracted animals.)
SCENT STATION DATA SHEET Name Date Scent Station Location: Weather Conditions: Habitat Type: Day Animal # Hind Foot Tracks # Front Foot Tracks Bait Used Plantigrade or Digitigrade 1 2 3