Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Blog by Erin Hauge
It was windy on the Preserve today, with a touch of fall in the air. Trees and other vegetation are starting to get that ‘end of summer’ look that foretells the change of seasons. The BLM staff is also preparing the many fields they manage for the wetland areas that provide so much forage for all the migratory waterfowl in the fall. The BLM staggers the flood ups so that there will be fresh forage throughout the winter. The first step though, is to clear and disc those fields that will become ponds so that the downed vegetation will create a rich soup of invertebrates, small fish, amphibians and vegetation for waterfowl to feast on.
Emma and Elizabeth checking Camera 10d. One crew member handles the camera and one crew member scribes camera data. Erin Hauge
We saw some interesting tracks and scat and there were a few raptors flying overhead but we saw no mammals in the field. We approach most of the cameras in a vehicle and our voices carry so most mammals high tail it before we come in to view! Many’s the time when a bobcat or coyote was in front of a camera not twenty minutes before we rolled up.
We began to think about how wildlife shares the same landscape - predators and prey as well as all the species who may compete for resources - and how often they actually cross paths in the wild. It makes sense that non-predatory animals may intersect paths often and just carry on their normal business of foraging, looking for mates and raising young. On the trail cameras we’ve seen a skunk walking behind a coyote, deer grazing with turkeys in the distance, and a bobcat and a coyote marking the same spot, leaving their calling cards for others in the area.
Wildlife texting! The top two images show a bobcat marking and the bottom two show a coyote marking over the bobcat about two days later. Courtesy Bureau of Land Management
Staying alive while sharing the same space with predators and other competing foragers is a full time job. Gophers will browse the vegetation within a very close circle of their hole, popping up to grab a bite and retreating within 5 seconds or so because that’s about the time it takes for a raptor to dive and grab. Bucks will bed down with their backs protected against a log or heavy brush cover and position themselves so they can smell any danger upwind. Even predators have adapted to use different hunting styles to help eliminate competition. Mountain lions ambush their prey, they stalk and quietly wait for a chance to pounce, while coyotes are coursing predators, meaning they run and hunt in open areas, pouncing opportunistically on mice and other prey they may come across. Coyotes are also great carcass scavengers and berry hunters, which gives them more flexibility when trying to find food.
Here’s a very short video that illustrates directly how mountain lions use ambush skills to hunt: https://i.imgur.com/1kqS7Oe.gifv
On one of the cameras we noted three separate instances of deer racing into view, banking and then pronking down the dry creek bed away from the camera, clearly in alarm. Pronking is a four-leg leap into the air that quickly bounds the animal forward. All legs leap and touch down simultaneously and it’s used when the deer feels threatened and wants to get away quickly. Several times a single raccoon was seen racing by the same camera. All of these sequences occurred at night and none of them revealed the cause for the alarm in terms of whether they were being pursued. It may be that the rut has begun for the deer and so everyone is more agitated. But since raccoons were alarming as well, it may also be that a mountain lion in the area is laying down scent and keeping everyone in the vicinity on high alert. Animals don’t tend to flat out run unless it’s necessary, such as to escape danger, because it’s a huge expenditure of energy and requires more of the limited and precious nutritional resources they have available in their bodies. We saw no lions on camera and we carefully observed the area for any possible track, scat or sign and did not come across anything likely.
Deer pronking, the four-legged bounding motion used to escape when threatened, at dawn. Pictures have been cropped for space. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Raccoon running past the same camera, about 5 days later at 11:50pm. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
In addition to tending the cameras, our crew had a great time honing some tracking skills as we explored areas around the cameras that were rich in track and scat. Tracking is a great social activity and part of the learning opportunity is to discuss what we’re observing, gathering everyone’s thoughts and combining knowledge. When tracking, even for experienced trackers, there can be about an 80% chance of calling a track or sign correctly. There are so many variables and circumstances that just aren’t predictable and you really have to rely on what you’re directly seeing in the field. Rules of animal behavior are great guidelines but animals act and react in ways that may have sensible explanations but that we can’t always predict or explain. Owls will fly in the daytime and mountain lions end up under front porches in urban areas. Three great questions to ask when you are observing tracks or sign are: 1. What am I seeing? 2. What does it mean? 3. What animals are involved?
We found some great examples of two large bird tracks that may look somewhat the same but once you see them side-by-side, it’s easier to tell the difference. Wild turkeys have large tracks and can be told by the articulated segments in their toes, visible in a clear track, and the symmetry of the three front toes and the rear toe. Great blue herons have about the same size track but their toes don't have the articulated pattern that turkeys do. The heron's back toe is slightly off-set and this can be easily seen in a clear track.
Great blue heron track on the left, note the asymmetrical hind toe. A wild turkey track on the right. The hind toe of the turkey doesn't always register but can be seen here. Erin Hauge
We saw no mountain lions on camera but we can see a healthy suite of wildlife is living on the Preserve. This week we saw bobcats, coyotes, deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, rabbits, grey squirrels, wild turkeys, flickers and black phoebes. We’re glad to see so many species active on the Preserve and we’ll try again next week for a mountain lion!
Great blue heron strutting in front of the camera. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Wild turkey kerfluffle! Note the dust being kicked up by the scuffle on the left. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
A doe and her spotted fawn walk by the camera. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
A Black Phoebe often uses one of the cameras as a perch while hunting for insects. Here she's returning to her perch! Courtesy of Bureau of Land Managemenet