UK Animal Tracks & Signs Gallery

A very small selection of animal track & sign images taken by the Wildlife Nomad

Learning to read UK animal tracks and wildlife signs is one of the most valuable skills a photographer or naturalist can develop. Every footprint, dropping, or feather is a clue, telling us which species passed by, what they were doing, and how recently they were there. This gallery brings together images of trackways, scats, feeding remains, and dens, offering a window into the hidden lives of our mammals and birds.

Fieldcraft begins with noticing. The wide pad of a badger, the delicate five-toed print of a stoat, or the webbed impression of an otter on a muddy riverbank all help us understand where to wait and how to move with care. Foxes leave tracks along hedgerows and paths, while pine martens mark territory with scat. Even birds of prey leave signs in the form of pellets and plucked feathers.

For me, interpreting these signs is part of ethical wildlife photography: it allows us to find and photograph animals without disturbing them, letting wildlife reveal itself naturally. By slowing down and reading the land, we step closer to authentic encounters.

Close-up of an otter spraint on a mossy rock.
Remains of a rabbit on the forest floor surrounded by leaves, twigs, and green plants.
Close-up of badger footprint with surrounding soil and some small seeds or plant fragments.
a red fox skull with teeth, held by a hand, on a wooden surface.
Person holding a large, rough, greyish rock with some green moss and lichen, in a forest with trees and forest floor covered in dirt, small plants, and fallen sticks. The rock has scratches from a badgers claw.
Fallen bird feathers on a forest floor covered with small wood chips and twigs.
A green woodpecker feather with black, white, and yellow stripes lying on a beige fabric surface.
A close-up of a forest floor showing a British one-pound coin, next to a pine marten scat, various small twigs and moss.
Close-up of a hand holding a small, empty wasp nest with honeycomb cells, outdoors on grass. Likely excavated by a badger.
Two hazelnuts with open shells placed on a weathered wooden surface.
Close-up of a person's hand holding a badger's tail.
A Pine Marten skull resting on a weathered wooden surface with a blue and clear ballpoint pen lying below it.
Black otter anal jelly sitting among green grass and plants.
An entrance to a known otter resting place behind a patch of dried grass and reeds with water in the foreground.
Close-up of an otter sparint laying on a muddy log with green grass nearby.
A patch of grass with fallen brown and reddish leaves and a small hole in the ground.
Close-up of crow feathers with two stiff quills that have been bitten off by a mammalian predator. Shown against a plain white background.
A close-up of a badger hair caught on a barbed wire fence, against a blurred green background.
An opening to a badgers sett with a large spoil mound outside, surrounded by green plants and trees.
A misty forest with tall leafless trees, green plants, and purple flowers on the ground. in the foreground is a badger sett.
A wasp nest dug out by a badger, surrounded by dry grass and soil. An inset image shows a honeycomb-like structure.
A narrow dirt trail runs through lush green undergrowth with various plants, ferns, and bushes in a dense forest.
Close-up of animal tracks and droppings in sandy soil, with a small dry leaf.
Close-up of an otter trail found next to a lake.
Close-up of a riverside tree with roots exposed above water, showing textured soil and a large den opening beneath the roots.
A forest scene a bird of prey's plucking post, with green grass, plants, and fallen tree branches on the ground.
A person's hand holding a small harvest mouse nest made of dry grass, against a blurred background of dry grass and foliage.
Feathers scattered on the grass with four people's feet visible around the area. a typical sparrowhawk kill site.
Close-up of a sandy ground with otter tracks, with a green bush on the left side.
Close-up of a moss-covered rock with an otter spraint.
Close-up of sandy ground with scattered leaves and white fungi. In the sand is an otter footprint.
The remains of a crayfish claw on a brown mossy surface.
Close-up of moss-covered rock with an otter spraint on top. In a forest with fallen autumn leaves in the background.
Otter tracks in muddy ground, near a rock and some leaves, with a ruler at the top for size reference.
A person's hand holding stoat scat and a silver lighter with black tribal designs (for size reference), outdoors on grass.
Close-up of wet muddy ground with animal droppings and small plants or roots.
A weathered tree stump used as a feeding table by squirrels, with scattered dried seed pods on top, surrounded by green fern plants and forest ground with soil and pine needles.
Hand holding a large owl pellet.
A close-up of pine marten scat on asphalt, with small bits of food and seeds visible.
Close-up of moss-covered surface with an otter spraint.
A broken or crushed eggshell on grass and dried leaves.
Close-up of a rocky surface with water and a wet otter spraint.
Dead fish lying on rocks in a shallow stream, surrounded by stones and aquatic plants. Predated by otter.
Close-up of animal tracks in wet, reddish-brown dirt, with footprints and disturbed soil.
Animal footprints in the dirt trail, with a yellow leaf nearby.
Close-up of sandy ground with three coypu scats.
Close-up of a wet, moss-covered rock in a stream or river, surrounded by water and some fallen leaves. On the rock is an otter spraint.
Close-up of damp soil with moss, twigs, and small green plants growing on it. In the soil are the marks made by an otter claw.
Otter footprints in muddy ground with small bubbles of dew or water droplets nearby, next to a yellow ruler showing inches and centimeters.
Close-up of a weathered barbed wire fence with a clump of badger hair attached, with fine hairs extending outward, against a blurred green natural background.
Close-up of a tree trunk in a river, with an otter spraint on the bark.
A badger latrine with a black object partially buried inside, surrounded by grass and small plants, with a measurement scale placed next to it.
A pine marten scat coiled on asphalt ground near card with a black scale in centimetres.
A pine marten scat on dry dirt ground with small rocks and twigs. A green ruler placed below the scat, showing measurements in centimeters.
An otters trail passing through long grass with a measurement card placed in front of it.
A dead shrew with a long tail on ground with gravel surface. Below it, a yellow measurement card with a black and white centimeter scale.
A dark, rotted animal feces with visible seeds or grains, lying on dry grass and soil.
A fresh otter foot print in wet dirt or sand, with a ruler for scale.
A person's foot in hiking gear walking on snow-covered ground, following a trail of red fox tracks.
Animal tracks in the dirt with a green measuring card for scale.

Ethical Wildlife Photography & Fieldcraft