Wildlife dramas continue to unfold in the canyon1. They are nature’s equivalent of reality TV and old-time soap operas. My trail cameras document them all—wild animals living day-to-day while being impacted by urbanization. Some of the videos are sweet, filled with new life while others record the realities of living with natural and human-made dangers. […]
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 […]
Why steal a research trail camera in the canyon where we are recording wildlife? That stolen trail camera was an important conservation tool and the videos it recorded helped educate the public about the impact of urbanization on our local wildlife. And, the footage was also appreciated by the community. Neighbors who live at the […]
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 […]
For the last few years, strategically placed trail cameras have recorded the stories and lives of the wild animals in a special suburban wild-space that is surrounded by roads and buildings. Recent videos from the cams give us a ten day glimpse of urban wildlife in the canyon. It’s always a delight to review the […]
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 […]
Coyote 09M, like others of his species, is extremely smart. He’s beaten the odds and is thriving in a dangerous and competitive environment. 09M’s one of the lucky ones; in fact he’s now the only confirmed living member of his natal family. Despite being highly intelligent and quick learners, only 50% of coyote pups live […]
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 […]
Predators including bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes who don’t want to share resources as well as those who do, are adept at communicating their intentions through scent marking—to their own as well as other species. And often, they scent mark on top of each other’s mark. It’s not always in the best interests for predators […]