Neighborhood Animals

The Animal Neighbors interpretive sign was installed during the Summer of 2019 to inform the public of the many creatures that call the surrounding area home. Though Standley Lake is often recognized for the recreational opportunities available, the park is also a wildlife refuge. Around the nature center you can find many signs of nearby critters just out of sight, you just have to look closely.

Eastern cottontail rabbits like to burrow, but it’s not always a huge hole in the ground. You can find areas where these rabbits have dug shallow pits to cool down in the hot summer sun. Look for tufts of their soft fur stuck in low hanging branches or along the trail and imprints of their long back paws in the loose sand near the deck.

On a warm Spring evening, walk north of the Nature Center and you may hear the sound of Western Chorus Frogs all chirping loudly together in search of a mate. They can often be found in a shallow marsh past the boat storage lot surrounded by insect loving birds like Spotted Towhees and Say’s Phoebes.

Under the oak trees just east of the Nature Center, look for evidence of Fox Squirrel activity. It may be your first response to look up in the trees in search of a squirrel, but they leave clues of their favorite hang outs behind when they munch on a staple snack, acorns! Look in the tall grass or under fallen leaves for the shells of acorns from seasons past.

The trees around the nature center is home to a large number of songbirds, woodpeckers, sparrows and numerous migratory visitors. Depending on the season, it may be difficult to spot them, but search for cavities in the trees, where chickadees gather to stay warm in the winter, and owls hide alone in the summer. If you are patient and quiet, you’ll notice bird activity increases the longer you wait.

On the Greenway Trail to your left, you’ll likely find evidence of the elusive coyote any time of year. Like domesticated dogs, they enjoy marking their territory, often leaving scat in the middle of the trails. After a particularly rainy or snowy week, their paw impressions can be found in the exact same location every day. Use this trick to discern them from a dog print: The space in between the toe-pads tends to form an “X” in a coyote print, due to the ovate shape of their foot. A dog print is more circular, and that “X” is stretched into an “H”.