The highly-tuned nose of a talented scent dog found mountain lion latrines at the rim of the canyon. Latrines are spots where pumas, often family groups, will repeatedly defecate; they are the mountain lion equivalent of toilets, except instead of flushing, pumas cover their excrement in these locations. But, lions don’t arbitrarily choose places for […]
The 88-acre canyon is a wildlife oasis, regularly visited by puma, coyote, deer and other animals, located in the middle of a suburban landscape. It is shoehorned between homes and businesses, perched on the rim of the canyon, bordered by busy roads and separated from other similar, small wild spaces. Fragments of the Wild Although […]
Three trail cameras continue to film wildlife and human activity in an undeveloped 88-acre canyon. This canyon is ideal for observing wildlife responses to changes—it’s surrounded on all sides by businesses, roads and homes. For more than three years the cams have recorded how the suburban canyon wildlife reacts to the pressures of urbanization and […]
Not too long ago the trails in the little canyon in San Mateo County, California were rich with a wide diversity of wild animals including animal species that are designated as California Species of Concern*. Until recently, the trail cameras filmed lots of animal action—a large number used to patrol, mark and play on and […]
It isn’t a coincidence that there are a number of small mounds of leaves, twigs and soil grouped in a clearing surrounded by tall redwood trees and oaks. They’re not random; the piles, called community scrapes, were intentionally made by mountain lions. These unobtrusive clumps of forest detritus can be vital for mountain lions to […]
There seems to be less wildlife in the canyon this month. It could be a natural cycle or it might be caused by destruction that is occurring in part of the habitat. Mountain lion This large male puma is a regular visitor to the canyon–he shows up about every two to three months. This time […]
Today’s a sad day. Another mountain lion died, hit by a vehicle not too far from the canyon. I’m worried that the victim may be the big male we’ve been monitoring on the canyon trail since early this year. The one who died tried to cross the freeway at 10:00 Friday night. Perhaps the lion […]
Finally it’s the beginning of summer and the trails are alive with activity—human and animal. Our wildlife cameras are capturing it all, including those changes that are caused by natural seasonal cycles as well as adaptations in animal behavior that are likely influenced by people out on the trails day and night. Summer changes The […]
Camera #4 films the most activity of the 6 cameras I’m monitoring. It’s located in an ideal spot for sighting animals—on a trail that follows a creek at the bottom of a lush canyon. A wide diversity of wildlife and humans use this trail 24 hours a day. I understand—it meanders through a cool forest […]
Our trail cameras have spied on a rich array of wildlife, including bobcats, foxes, mountain lions, coyotes and deer. Many of them are regulars—repeatedly visiting the cameras for the last 6 months. I’ve gradually learned to recognize individuals. Through recognition comes attachment—I confess that I’ve named some of them. These 4-legged visitors have great reasons […]