“As humans have developed and destroyed habitats worldwide, it is critically important to keeping remaining isolated patches of habitat connected to each other with corridors of similar habitat, to allow animals (and thus their genes) to move between them.  Conservation biologists refer to this as ‘connectivity'”. Laurence Frank PhD–Living with Lions, Kenya

Wild animals go where there is food and water. It doesn’t matter what service they provide in the ecosystem—predator and prey must eat to survive. Deer are drawn to areas where there is plenty of vegetation—generations follow the same wildlife paths, going back and forth between sites that are proven to be rich in vegetation. They browse and graze on leaves and grasses in one area, then move to others, eventually circling back to the original spot. Predators, including mountain lions and coyote follow them. It is vital that these wildlife routes are kept open and are not made impassible. Additionally, keeping these wildlife corridors accessible discourages inbreeding and may help to deter predators from venturing into urban and suburban areas.

This wildlife path has been followed for years by many generations of deer

Wildlife corridors

Barbed wire fences, barriers and tall fences in our neighborhoods often obstruct the natural movement of wildlife. This is becoming more problematic as expanding urbanization divide and limit animals from accessing wild areas. The neighborhood canyon is no exception. Because the 88-acre canyon is too small to fully support a diverse and healthy group of animals, wildlife cross the busy street that borders one side of the canyon to access the open space. They graze in the meadow, browse on the vegetation, hunt prey and drink the water from the creek in the pristine habitat that is managed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System). The canyon side of the corridor is vital for wildlife as well—it is also a riparian zone and provides food, water and shelter for the animals. One of my cameras is aimed at the crossover spot at the fence the animals go through when crossing between the two wild areas. For many years it’s faithfully recorded a variety of species crossing back and forth.

For years and countless generations, animals have consistently passed through the fence at this spot. Youngsters, watching and following their parents, learned that this is the best place to make the crossing. They wait, hesitating at the fence, blending in with the shadows from the trees until the road is quiet and free of traffic and then dash over to the safety of the canyon.  Families of deer as well as coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions have worn paths under the horizontal barbed wires to go back and forth between the two wild areas. That spot at the fence is rich with the familial scents of thousands of animals over many years passing under and through the wires. Until recently, it worked well.

Everything changed a few weeks ago.

The SFPUC blocked the wildlife corridor

The SFPUC, recently weaved strong twisted wire strands between the horizontal wires in the fence, making it impossible for the deer to squeeze through. This wildlife artery, used by many wild species for crossing back and forth between the canyon and the open space is now impassible and dangerous for many animals.

SFPUC Added vertical wire to the fence, blocking the wildlife corridor

The SFPUC most likely made the poor decision to add the vertical wires because they don’t want people trespassing into the open space. Based on years of consistently filming the spot, their trespassing concerns are unfounded. In the 3.5 years that the camera has filmed the fence, there have only been four occasions when people have squeezed through the wires into the open space. Twice utility workers picked their way through the barbed wire, another time a house painter climbed through the wires to urinate. In 2019 a couple of trespassers did maneuver their way through the fence, probably to take pictures. While the SFPUC concerns are understandable, it appears that they are not considering the environmental implications of blocking a well-travelled wildlife corridor. It also seems that they are not honoring their own policy “Water Enterprise Environmental Stewardship Policy” concerning native species habitats and enhancing ecosystem function.

I don’t know if the SFPUC is aware of the detrimental impact that adding vertical wires between the horizontal ones has on the wildlife. The wires are now locked in place, making it almost impossible for some of the animals to make those crucial trips between the canyon and the SFPUC land.

Does and fawns have it a little easier in some ways. Being smaller and not equipped with antlers, they can squeeze between the closely spaced wires, but at a painful price. They are frequently scraped and scarred by the sharp barbs.

In addition to the fence being almost impossible to pass through, bucks can get their antlers tangled in the barbed wire.  Tragically, bucks who are trapped by the fence, can become easy targets for coyotes or may die from starvation. They are particularly vulnerable right now because it’s fall, the rutting season, when the males are intent on finding mates. They wander more, increasing the possibility of getting entangled in the fence as well as being stuck on the road. Although a few does have managed to fit through the small openings between the wires, some of the members of their groups can’t—leaving them in dangerous and precarious situations on the road.

Finding safe passage

Of course, there are other places they can use to cross over between the canyon and the open space, but they aren’t as safe as the familiar spot in the fence: animals must walk a distance on the road and risk being hit by cars and trucks.

Mature buck can’t get through the fence–he’s stuck on the road

A possible solution to avoid blocking wildlife corridors

The SFPUC needs to stop blocking these important wildlife corridors with injurious fences and barriers. There is a solution that is low-cost as well as relatively easy to implement and it can include local communities. First, the SFPUC needs to identify these important wildlife corridors. These access points and corridors are easy to spot—they are the paths where the vegetation has been flattened and the soil hardened by many generations of hooves and paws. Wildlife cameras should be strategically placed to document the wildlife using the trails to cross between the wild areas. An added plus is that the cameras serve as a deterrent to trespassers. A lot of this work has already been done.  Local conservation/wildlife groups including the Felidae Conservation Fund has identified many wildlife corridors and has been monitoring them for many years. Additionally, the SFPUC can solicit volunteers from the community to monitor cameras and submit and analyze the data. Instead of blocking these spots, cameras can continue to monitor them. When appropriate, signs should be placed on roads, indicating to drivers where the wildlife crossings are located.

What is occurring to the wild animals in the neighborhood canyon is not a unique situation. Tragically, wildlife corridors are being blocked in suburban and urban edge communities throughout the west. Who knows, maybe the local community and the SFPUC can set an example that might eventually be widely adopted, benefiting wildlife and helping people successfully cohabitate in areas that are shared by wild animals.

*The term “wildlife corridors” may not be scientifically accurate. According to the following definition, the term refers to a strip of natural habitat connecting populations of wildlife otherwise separated by cultivated land, roads, etc. 

Thank you Laurence Frank. PhD for reviewing, fact checking and commenting.

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant (The Cat Coach, LLC). Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behaviors. This started with household cats and then after witnessing a puma being killed a few blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can. She is focusing on how urbanization is affecting apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues and helps clients change their cats’ unwanted behaviors though on site and remote consultations. She is also frequently interviewed for print and on-line publications. Additionally Marilyn is guests on television and radio and has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS, ABC, KGO and others.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about all things feline on her Facebook page

The post The Devastating Impact of Blocking Wildlife Corridors appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

It’s always a delight to review the memory cards. Sometimes all we see are people, dogs and deer, other days, we are treated to videos of bobcats, the occasional mountain lion, coyotes and dusky footed woodrats.

During the last 10 days, bobcat kittens, rabbits and deer were the trail cams urban wildlife stars. The largest predators that were recorded were adult bobcats. Mountain lions, coyotes and foxes did not venture in front of the cameras.

Bobcat kitten

A bobcat kitten was repeatedly filmed bopping up and down the trail for a couple of days. The little one was not accompanied by mum or siblings—perhaps he was separated from his family. I hope that this baby eventually reunited with his mum. He’s too young and vulnerable to be out alone.

The next day he’s filmed again, but this time heading in the opposite direction on the trail. There are five more videos of this sweet baby alone.

Something startled this youngster. He might be the same little solitary bobcat kitten from a few days ago, but the ruff around his face seems more prominent than the kitten’s. This little one is so frightened, he momentarily freezes in place, then hurries away, keeping as low to the ground as possible, trying not to be seen. No possible threats were recorded before or after.

More bobcats

This gorgeous bobcat is frequently filmed near the creek. Check out the stripes on the inside of his back legs.

Deer

Deer are frequent visitors, often whole families show up, looking for vegetation to munch on.

Possum

These prehistoric looking marsupials fill an important niche in the eco-system. They are cleanup crews, eating an assortment of stuff, dead and alive, including garbage, snails and mice. Thank them—they also eat ticks. Unfortunately, the cams haven’t filmed any possums with babies riding on their backs.

Rabbit

There is at least one rabbit who lives at the fork in the trail. It’s amazing he hasn’t caught the eye of the resident predators. Rabbits are part of the diets of bobcats, coyotes and raptors. Usually he’s filmed at night, seldom during the day. I am rooting for his continual survival.

Protect the urban wildlife

Thank you to those of you who appreciate wildlife and understand the importance of keeping your dogs on leashes, not allowing them to run through the fragile habitats. You set a good example.

The cameras give us small windows for viewing the fragile eco-system. They let us glimpse vignettes of canyon wildlife and how it’s impacted by humans as well as natural events.

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant. Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behaviors. This started with household cats and then after witnessing a puma being killed a few blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can. She is focusing on how urbanization is affecting apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues. She is also frequently interviewed for print and on line publications. Additionally Marilyn is a frequent guest on television and radio and has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS, ABC, KGO and others.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about all things feline on her Facebook page.

The post A Ten day Glimpse of Urban Wildlife in the Canyon appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

I created a spreadsheet, comparing videos from one camera during the same 13-day period in 2019 with those from the same dates in 2021. The data tells the story, and it is not good. It’s a tragedy to see the canyon trails, once a paradise vibrant with a diversity of wild animals, changed into a ghost town.

It probably isn’t a coincidence that at the same time there’s been a dramatic decrease in wild animals, there is a substantial increase of people, bicyclists and off-leash dogs that are racing through the sensitive habitats. People’s response to Covid19 is most likely behind this upsurge of activity. Comparing the footage from the 13 days in 2019 to the same period in 2021, it’s noted that in 2019 there was only one dog off leash, 18 walkers and one bicyclist filmed in the canyon. It’s a different story in 2021. During the same period, 62 dogs ran off-leash, 499 people walked the trail and there were 33 bicyclists. Most likely, the consequences from the increased usage, especially from the dogs who are allowed off-leash is significant enough that many animal residents have vacated. Unfortunately, Coyote 09M, his mate and pups have disappeared. The last puma was filmed in November and the last coyote was recorded in October 2020. And during the recent 13-day period only a couple of bobcats, one deer and a few skunks were filmed.

Comparison of number of people for same 13 day period in 2019 and 2021–18 people in 2019, compared to 499 in 2021. See spread sheet

Dogs and people

Many of the people who are accompanied by their four-footed companions are responsible dog people. Their dogs are leashed, and their excrement is bagged and removed. As a rule, they control their dogs and don’t let them run off the trail. Thank you for being mindful and doing your part in preserving the canyon and attempting to keep it safe for its wild inhabitants.

Unfortunately, most of the dogs are uncontrolled and race off the trails. All of these dogs have people trailing a distance behind them. During the 13-day study period in 2021, 62 dogs were filmed running off-leash while only 40 sported leashes. The off-leash dogs tore through the canyon, chasing deer and other wildlife and destroying dusky-footed woodrat homes.

Dogs running off leash comparison for same 13 day period in 2019 and 2021. 1 dog ran off leash in 2019, 62 in 2021. See spread sheet.

The dusky-footed woodrat has been designated a species of special concern. This special mammal lives in the canyon and is the main reason that the canyon is not allowed to be developed. Their homes can be 60 to 70 years old—and up to 6 feet high.

Dusky-footed woodrat home

Although it took years for dusky-footed woodrats to construct this home, it probably took less than a minute for it to be destroyed.

Destroyed Dusky Footed Wood Rat home

The wild animals have left

The increase of people and uncontrolled dogs may not be the whole story—there might be other factors that also contribute to the wild animals vacating the area. Although correlation does not imply causation, based on the comparison of videos from the same time periods for the two years as well as the reports from other nature preserves and parks, the upsurge of people, off-leash dogs and bicyclists are most likely the primary reason for the wild animals to now avoid the trail.

Wildlife sightings comparison for same 13 day period in 2019 and 2021. 46 Wild animals were filmed in 2019, 18 in 2021.See spread sheet

I realize that people want to see me post videos of the latest wildlife that uses the trails. I can’t post any for you simply because there aren’t any. Although the wild animals are conspicuously absent from around the canyon trail, every week we have hundreds of new videos that are populated only with people, dogs and bicyclists. The cams are purposely aimed at an angle to avoid recording faces—we do see legs, knees and shoes. And the cams regularly film people engaged in a range of mostly healthy activities including walking, running, exercising, singing and dancing. Sometimes unexplained events are also filmed such as these people carrying shovels. I hope they are using those shovels to fill in the areas on the trail that now have erosion issues and that they aren’t removing native plants. And why move the stick?

Thousands of videos filmed in the canyon since 2018 chronicle the usual seasonal cycles of the wildlife. Unfortunately, they’ve also recorded a huge decrease of wild animals on the trail. Based on the data comparisons from the two years, it appears that the consequence of increasing human activities, especially dogs running loose into the fragile habitats has driven the wild animals to abandon the areas around our canyon trails.

*San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, California red-legged frog, pallid, bat, potential nesting grounds for coopers hawk, white-tailed kite and yellow warbler from EIR Report, December 2008 Impact Science, Inc

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant (The Cat Coach, LLC). Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behaviors. This started with household cats and then after witnessing a puma being killed a few blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can, while learning how urbanization is affecting the apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues. She is also frequently interviewed for print and online publications. Additionally, Marilyn is a frequent guest on television and radio and has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS, ABC, KGO and others.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about all things feline on her Facebook page.

The post Where are the Wild Animals? appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

Two mature males fighting–it’s rutting season

During the months of September, October and November, the cameras recorded enough wildlife activity to see the effects that natural and manmade events have on the canyon eco-system. Devastating wildfires, drought, dogs running through sensitive and vulnerable habitats, poisons, apex predator changes and the season greatly impacted all the canyon residents.

Mountain lion

Mountain lions aren’t new visitors to the canyon. The cameras have filmed puma activity here since they were set up three years ago. Until recently, pumas were recorded walking the trails and occasionally marking about every three months. The canyon has probably always attracted them because of the abundance of their favorite food—deer.

The first mountain lion I wrote about was “Slim”, she died after she ingested second-generation rodenticide. After her death, other lions occasionally ventured into the canyon. That changed in August when the devastating wildfires drove the animals to seek safety from the deadly smoke and flames. Many found sanctuary in the canyon and by necessity, had to share the 90 acres with the already established residents. Last August, one male puma found the canyon an ideal spot to hang out for a few months—there was an abundance of deer as well as places to shelter. Since 90 acres is too small of an area for a mountain lion, he’d travel outside the canyon into the neighborhood late nights and early mornings. On November 25th, his regular appearances stopped.

I received a text late on Thanksgiving evening. It was a short text, stating that there was a dead mountain lion on Interstate 280, not too far from the canyon. We searched the freeway for hours without finding the carcass.  At first light the next day, I continued the search, walking the area, looking in the underbrush, but with no luck. It’s possible that the body was picked up by CalTrans the day before. Sadly, since Thanksgiving, none of my trail cams or the neighborhood security cameras have filmed the canyon mountain lion on his usual patrols. Although, I’m holding out hope that I’ll see him again, the odds are that his life was prematurely cut short on Thanksgiving Eve. Tragically many of our beautiful mountain lions along with other extraordinary wild animals lose their lives on the highways.

Bobcats

The trail cameras are usually packed with videos featuring bobcats. I’ve learned to recognize individuals from the unique patterns of spots on their legs. Earlier this year, a young resident female, who was born in 2018, had three kittens. This may have been her first litter, only one kitten survived. The other two may have fallen victim to other predators, vehicles or second-generation rodenticides. Kittens are vulnerable.

Bobcats, like most felids, live alone, hobnobbing with other bobs in only a few circumstances. Not surprisingly, when females are in estrus they hang out with the future fathers of their kittens. Bobcat moms have difficult jobs. They must keep their kittens safe, provide food for them as well as teach them important survival skills necessary for living in a dangerous world. It’s hard work and the mums have to do it alone. The little families usually stay together about 9-12 months, then the adolescents disperse, leaving mum’s protection to look for their own territories. Often when kittens disperse, siblings stick together for awhile, than finally go their separate ways.

The resident bobcat in the following video knows she’s not alone. Check out how she is walking and glancing to the left. Look at her tail, especially when she starts to crouch down. At the end of the video there is a second bobcat that appears at the upper left of the screen. I’m fairly certain that this is an admirer.

Deer dramas

The canyon has always been full of deer –there is an abundance of vegetation to munch on as well as a creek to drink from. Although the deer attract coyotes and mountain lions, it’s worth the risk for food.

Fall is usually a dramatic time for deer, especially for mature males. It’s rutting season; bucks have an increase in testosterone and the does may come into estrus. Mature males are amorous and challenge other competing males for the affections of the does. One of the cameras was in the right place at the right moment and filmed a violent encounter between two bucks and boy did they get into a rumble. It’s rare to catch such extraordinary action.

Bucks don’t fool around—these are violent fights that often result in injuries that can end in death. One of the bucks sustained a serious injury to his side. I hope he survives.

Disappearance of Coyote 09M and his pack

The presence as well as the absence of apex predators influences all of the resident and transient wildlife. It’s not a coincidence that when the canyon cams repeatedly film mountain lions, they don’t film coyotes. Most likely, not wanting to confront a puma, the coyotes moved outside the 90 acres favoring a safer, open space. Soon after the male puma started favoring the canyon, Coyote 09M, his mate and puppies disappeared. I hope they are safe.

Although 09M has not been seen, we filmed a fascinating sequence of a coyote hunting an underground rodent not too far from the canyon. Coyotes are amazing. Their hearing is so acute they can hear rodents scampering and squeaking in their tunnels deep underground. The first video shows the coyote hearing the rodents—note how he turns his head to listen.

After the coyote is certain that there is a possible meal under his feet he starts digging. The whole sequence is about three minutes long. Hunts aren’t always successful—he didn’t catch a rodent this time.

More wildlife in the canyon

Since 09M and his pack have moved out of the canyon, other animals are either moving in or feeling bold and venturing out more. Foxes are now running up the trail almost every night. Check out that tail!

There is always an abundance of squirrels, but this poor squirrel is furless. He might be suffering with notoedric mange or inflicted with a genetic condition or perhaps he has a fungal infection. He seems to have fur only on his tail. We also have videos of a squirrel with fur on his body but not on his tail.

Thank the Dusky-footed Woodrat for the preservation of the canyon. Because of them, there can be no development here. These precious animals are listed as a California Subspecies of Special Concern. And, they really are special. After 09M claimed the canyon they were rarely seen. Although bobcats and foxes also dine on them, since the coyotes have vacated the canyon, the woodrats are frequently being filmed.

The cameras show how busy this little canyon is. Every day people walk and jog on the narrow trail that follows the creek through the center of the canyon. Although they enjoy spending time in this small natural space, most of the people are unaware of the rich drama that is continually unfolding around them—how can they know? The wildlife in the canyon instinctually adjusts schedules and routes in order to avoid humans. Because of the images from the cameras we can see some of the dramas and the impact of natural and human-made events on the sensitive eco-system.

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant (The Cat Coach, LLC). Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behaviors. This started with household cats and then after witnessing a puma being killed a few blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can, while learning how urbanization is affecting the apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues. She is also frequently interviewed for print and on line publications. Additionally Marilyn is a frequent guest on television and radio and has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS, ABC, KGO and others.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about all things feline on her Facebook page.

The post A Snapshot of Wildlife in the Canyon: Fall of 2020 appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

A scrape made by a mountain lion.

Kiosks, sign posts and community scrapes have a lot in common; they communicate important information from the posters to the community without the necessity of physical interaction. The location the pumas choose for their communication center isn’t random either. They strategically pick specific spots in the forest to convey messages to other pumas who patrol and visit the area. It also isn’t a coincidence that we perfectly aimed one of the Bay Area Puma Project’s trail cameras to record the puma action at this special place.

Mountain lion checking out a scrape

Anatomy of a mountain lion scrape

Watching videos of mountain lions scraping is reminiscent of watching movies in slow motion. The puma’s back legs and feet slowly and deliberately rake leaves, soil and twigs into small piles on one side of bared earth. Then they squat and either defecate or urinate on top of them. Vital information is conveyed about the scraper from the excrement and possibly through scent that is deposited from the underside of paws.

Location, location, location

Community scrapes are often located in places where mountain lion territories overlap and at shared borders. Scrapes are multi-functional; they warn other lions away, time stamp visits and help attract mates. This behavior is most often seen from male pumas. Because of urbanization, the available wild spaces are shrinking and the rules are changing. The size of territories are decreasing and becoming substantially fragmented by highways, residential development and other structures.

My guess is that this is affecting wildlife behaviors. Although, I haven’t found a published study about it, it’s possible that the local mountain lions are being forced to time share and overlap more of their territories with their puma neighbors than they have in the past. In order to avoid unpleasant encounters with each other, pumas may be making and using community scrapes more. Scrapes aren’t just found grouped together; pumas will also scrape on trails that they travel on.

Although many of the adult lions who visit the site scrape, the more dominant male often scrapes regularly. Generally, juveniles will check out the scrapes but will not leave their calling cards—it’s in their best interests not to announce their presence to unfriendly resident adult males.

The most dominant male usually scrapes and marks the most.

Prime directive of male pumas

Pumas, especially males, don’t practice diplomacy: encounters often lead to serious injuries and death. Because the prime survival directive of adult males is to reproduce and hunt, they habitually have a zero-tolerance policy for others of the same sex. In addition to food, males compete for a limited number of females who are in estrus at any given time. Not surprisingly, male mountain lion territories can overlap and include those of a small number of females—pivotal spots for the boys to advertise their availability for mating by scraping.

Prime directive of female pumas

Female mountain lions have different agendas than the males. Theirs is to survive, reproduce and care for their offspring until they are equipped enough to survive on their own. Usually, young mountain lions leave their mums to search for their own territories when they’re between 18 months and two years old. All of mom’s energy and intention goes into raising those precious kittens—she has no interest in boyfriends and usually won’t go into estrus until they disperse, unless a determined male kills her young with the sole intention of having her return to estrus and be ready to mate again.

Mountain lion family. Photo courtesy of Felidae Conservation Fund

Mountain lions looking for dates

Normally, after the youngsters leave their mums, females go into estrus and become obsessed with finding boyfriends. And, adult male pumas are open to the idea. It’s an all-consuming occupation. The girls visit the community scrapes, checking out the messages left by neighborhood and transient lions. They are seeking out the strongest males to mate with. Generally, the most successful boys are chosen. They are the ones who scrape the most frequently, depositing pheromones through their excrement on the scrapes. The girls readily ID them through a scenting process called the flehmen response. All felids, including our household cat companions have olfactory organs known as the vomeronasal organ located in the roofs of their mouths. Felids make a very distinctive face when they’re taking in the scent—their mouths partly open and their nose wrinkles.

It’s not just the boys who scrape, girls will too occasionally. Although they sometimes make their own fresh scrapes, when canvassing for boyfriends, they may urinate on the top of scrapes made by males who are candidates for mating. In addition to broadcasting their availability, it also helps to deter competitors. Of course they also advertise for romantic liaisons through calling.

The lines of communication are open

Although mountain lions are highly territorial and spend most of their lives alone, they still need each other to survive. For their survival as well as the species, it’s imperative that the lines of communication are open with other pumas in the hood as well as those who are passing through. Community scrapes work well—they provide ways for mountain lions to advertise for mates, delineate territories and time stamp their visits without direct confrontations.*

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant (The Cat Coach, LLC). Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behaviors. This started with household cats and then after witnessing a puma being killed a few blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can, while learning how urbanization is affecting the apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues. She is also frequently interviewed for print and on line publications. Additionally Marilyn is a frequent guest on television and radio and has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS, ABC, KGO and others.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about all things feline on her Facebook page.

*The following resources were used extensively in writing this article:
Some of the visuals that are included here are courtesy of Felidae Conservation Fund. Please check out Felidae’s work at www.felidaefund.org.

Hornocker and Negri. Cougar Ecology & Conservation. 2010. The University of Chicago Press

Maximilian L. Allen, Heiko U. Wittmer, Paul Houghtaling, Justine Smith, L. Mark Elbroch, Christopher C. Wilmers. The Role of Scent Marking in Mate Selection by Female Pumas (Puma concolor). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0139087 October 21, 2015.

Bart J. Harmsen, Rebecca J. Foster, Said M. Gutierrez, Silverio Y. Marin, C. Patrick Doncaster. Scrape-marking behavior of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor). https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/91/5/1225/902019 Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 91, Issue 5, 15 October 2010

Maximilian L. Allen a,∗ , Heiko U. Wittmer and Christopher C. Wilmers. Puma communication behaviours: understanding functional use and variation among sex and age classes. Behavior Brill, December 30, 2013

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The wildlife in the little canyon, like in other open spaces that are squeezed in by urbanization, must adapt and adjust to shrinking habitats that are increasingly fragmented by highways and buildings.

Predators, being territorial, need lots of open, wild acreage to live and hunt in. Additionally, some predators, such as mountain lions live solitary lives and in most circumstances don’t tolerate other lions. It’s a challenge for apex predators to navigate the dwindling open areas without encountering each other.

Bobcat on the trail

Canyon changes

At the rim of the canyon, trees are being cleared from the building sites while large equipment removes earth and pours foundations for future homes. Although the county has mandated the canyon below remains wild, the noise and chaos along with a slight reduction in acreage, is impacting the wild residents. Although the canyon still provides the animals sustenance and shelter, their routes have changed along with the times they use the shared trails.

Sharing the space

Marking is an essential way that predators, including bobcats, pumas, foxes and coyotes share the shrinking landscape. Animals distribute their pheromones/scent through urinating, defecating, rubbing and scratching objects and the ground. Through marking, individuals are identified along with their territories, state of health, age and when they passed by. Wild animals also mark to advertise for mates.

Marking helps territorial predators safely avoid each other in dwindling habitats. Perhaps marking increases with the decrease of space, enabling predators to successfully share the wild without potentially dangerous encounters.

Foxes are notorious for marking with feces in the middle of trails. The last couple of months the cameras have recorded this fox, along with it’s mate, cruising through the canyon—stopping periodically in the middle of the trail and pooping.

A few hours after the fox left his calling card, a resident coyote trotted up the trail, ran by the feces, hesitated, turned around, checked it out and then urinated on top of it, leaving his scent. Although marking is a typical behavior, predators may be engaging in more of it as they adapt to living in shrinking habitats.

Intriguing scents

Specific smells attract animals. The original “Obsession for Men” had the reputation of being alluring to felines. Lions, bobcats, jags and other felids would rub and mark areas that were saturated with it. There was a good reason for their obsessions with Obsession. The original fragrance contained civet musk scent, harvested from the anal glands of civet cats. The fragrance currently is formulated with a synthetic version of the scent and civets are no longer abused for the pheromone. The downside is that the new version of the perfume isn’t as intriguing to felids. I experimented and sprayed the stinky stuff on a couple of areas that are popular with our resident felids and canids. They all walked by without a glance or a sniff. The only reaction to the perfume was from a little boy who wrinkled his nose and wanted to know what the cloying smell was.

Pumpkin pie spice proved to be more lucrative. I sprinkled two different types of the spice on the trail. An adolescent coyote and a few deer were especially intrigued by the scent. Although last year the bobcats showed an interest, this year the cameras didn’t film them reacting to it.

An adolescent coyote was curious. He spent about 5 minutes investigating the spice.

Does were also drawn to the pumpkin pie spice. Although the cameras recorded mature bucks walking past the spiced up spots, none stopped to check it out.

Living in the hood

Novembers’ highlights wouldn’t be complete without videos of a some of the permanent residents.

Coyote 09M

Coyotes, being versatile, easily adapt to living near people, in some situations they thrive. The construction hasn’t put too much of a dent in the lives of 09M and his mate. They continue to hunt and patrol the canyon, with one visible change. 09M now only has one ear tag. It’s not known how he lost the other one. It may have been pulled out in a fight with another animal or by playing rough with his mate or perhaps he snagged it on something sharp like barbed wire or a branch.

Something has caught 09M’s attention. He held this position for three minutes before continuing up the trail.

Bobcats

The canyon’s resident bobcats consistently use the same trails for creek crossings. It’s easy to recognize individuals because the shapes and placement of their spots are unique to each cat.

It’s hard to tell what the evening catch is. It looks like a weasel or a ferret. The bobcats have been filmed occasionally catching and dining on them. It’s a mystery why this one wasn’t eaten.

Mature buck

This boy has been hanging out in the canyon for more than a year—he has an impressive set of antlers.

Banana slug sighting

The month wouldn’t be complete without a special tribute to California’s unofficial state mollusk—the banana slug. They have a tendency to show themselves during the winter months, sometimes hanging out in groups. It’s impossible to catch them on video because they move so slow…

Banana slug–California’s unofficial state mollusk

Marilyn Krieger, CCBC (The Cat Coach, LLC®) and author of Naughty No More! helps solve cat behavior challenges nationally and internationally through on site and remote consultations.

Her fascination with cat behaviors began with household cats and quickly expanded to wild felids.

Marilyn enjoys educating people about cat behavior. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues. Additionally Marilyn is a frequent guest on television and radio. She has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS,  ABC, KGO and others.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about cats, wild and domestic, on her Facebook page

The post November Highlights: Animals Adjust to Shrinking Habitats appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

Mountain lion

This large male puma is a regular visitor to the canyon–he shows up about every two to three months. This time he didn’t stick around very long.

He usually stays in the canyon for a few days after he’s killed a deer. Typically, mountain lions cache their meals, covering them with leaves and debris and then return to eat them over a period of a few days.

Not too long after our cameras filmed these videos, a lion was found on the freeway above the canyon. I worried that it was him–it wasn’t. Although I’m thankful, I’m also sad.

Coyote 09M

09M hasn’t been filmed for a few weeks, for that matter, no coyotes have been caught on camera. I’m glad to see he’s still around. I think he’s favoring the open space over the canyon now because there are more rabbits there.

Deer

Neat video of one of the resident does framed by a garden spider and web. A rabbit behind her caught her attention.

Bobcats

We continue to get some great footage of the local bobcats.

Additional Bay Area Puma Project cameras

I just signed on to monitor wildlife cameras in two more locations. Both places are rich in a variety of wildlife. Unlike the canyon trail, very few people are able to access these places—keys and codes are needed. These places are special—they are seldom visited by humans so the animals don’t have to adjust their schedules in order to avoid people.

Mountain lion

Nice picture of a mountain lion taking a stroll.

Fox

There are lots of foxes in both of the new locations.

Birds

There seems to be more turkeys around–every year I see more crossing the roads. From what I’ve read, they’re contributing to the demise of our local birds–they raid nests and eat the eggs.

The post September Videos and Pictures appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

A mountain lion named Slim

The wildlife cameras filmed her in March of 2018, the first week we set up the camera in the canyon. She was beautiful—a stunning female mountain lion walking down the trail in the rain. She made more appearances after that, usually once a month. Although the canyon was a relatively safe place to visit, she was mostly drawn to it because of the abundance of her favorite food—venison. She didn’t stick to the canyon though; she occasionally toured the surrounding communities. Neighborhood security cameras filmed her making the rounds, usually late at night or before dawn.

Slim tours the hood

Her name was Slim. She earned her moniker because her tail was thin, due to a lack of fur. A captain in the local police force who loves wildlife named her and it stuck. We compared Slim sightings, tracking her as she moved through her territory. She was a pleasure to watch. One day she walked into town, right in the middle of the residential district; a nice neighborhood with manicured lawns and sidewalks. Someone looked out their front window and instead of seeing the familiar kids riding their bicycles to school and people leaving for work, they saw a mountain lion strolling up the street.

California Fish and Wildlife, BACAT and the Santa Cruz Puma Project were called and quickly responded. Streets were cordoned off and residents were instructed to stay inside their homes with their pets. Slim was tranquilized, weighed and given a quick health check. She then received an ear tag and a tracking collar. Her health wasn’t great—she was malnourished and had mange, which explained the furless condition of her tail. After taking her vitals, she was placed on a truck, transported back to the open space and released.

Slim, the first mountain lion the cameras filmed, patrolling the trail.

Slim continued to frequent the canyon. Sadly, the canyon cams filmed her deteriorating—it was heartbreaking to watch. She lost weight and fur. The last time we saw her was at the end of July. A couple of months later she died. A necropsy performed by California Fish & Wildlife found she was malnourished and riddled with sarcoptic mange—both are classic signs of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning. Some months earlier she must have eaten an animal who had consumed poisoned bait or ate another poisoned animal. The anticoagulant rat poison, traveling up the food chain, compromised her immune system and finally killed her.

California Fish and Wildlife released a study documenting high concentrations of second-generation anticoagulant rat poisons in predators in California. More than 90 percent of the tested mountain lions and 88 percent of bobcats have the poisons in their systems.

Enter the lion

For months the canyon was missing an important player—a mountain lion. Then about six months after Slim died, our cameras filmed a male lion on the trail. The three canyon cams caught him, sauntering up and then back on the trails. He was the largest puma I’ve every filmed.

The large lion became a regular on the trail, marking his territories by scraping the ground with his back feet and defecating in it as well as by spraying. He makes the rounds every 2-3 months and sometimes he sticks around for a few days. It’s easy to understand why he visits the canyon—it’s full of deer. It’s good he comes by—he, like all mountain lions, is important for the health of wild eco-systems. When he eats, many others do too.

Mountain lion #2 walking the trail

Mountain lions generally kill around one deer a week, which is enough food to last a few days. Lions don’t eat the whole deer in one sitting; they enjoy many meals every day over the course of a few days if left undisturbed by humans. Between meals, they cache the remains in a shady spot, covering it with leaves and debris. In theory, this makes it harder for other predators to discover the carcass and it helps keep the meat fresher. Although it may work to some degree, even I, a human with limited smelling capacity, knows when our lion has cached his meal near the trail.  I assume that our local carnivores, including raptors, coyotes, and bobcats can also easily detect the remains and help themselves to it when the canyon lion isn’t around. All eat well when a lion does.

We have footage of Coyote 09M racing down the trail with a deer head clutched firmly in his mouth the day after our lion had a successful hunt.

Like clockwork, the lion visits the canyon every two-three months. This is the last video we have of him from last week. He doesn’t look as robust and healthy as he did on previous visits. I hope, like Slim, he didn’t eat a poisoned rodent.

A couple of days after he was filmed last week, the mountain lion was killed on the highway. Although I treasure all of them, the canyon lion has a special place in my heart and I pray it isn’t him. Too many of these magnificent animals have become the unintentional victims of urbanization. Some are killed on roads and highways, others poisoned by second-generation rodenticides. Something needs to be done to stop the killing.

*Update: I needed to know if the mountain lion was our boy, so I pestered lots of people for information. It isn’t good news no matter how it’s sliced—it’s heartbreaking when lions are killed. My persistence paid off. The puma was a female: it wasn’t the canyon lion. Although I’m happy to hear this, I’m also sad.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about all things feline on her Facebook page.

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant. Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behaviors. This started with household cats and then after witnessing a puma being killed a few blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can, while learning how urbanization is affecting the apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues. She is also frequently interviewed for print and on line publications. Additionally Marilyn is a frequent guest on television and radio and has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS, ABC, KGO and others.

The post Life Stories of Two Canyon Mountain Lions appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

Bobcat love

A couple of months before the video showed her in the advanced stages of pregnancy, the mom-to-be had at least one suitor. Although adult bobcats, like most felids, are solitary and self-reliant, they solicit the company of the opposite sex during their breeding seasons. Adult female bobcats are receptive to males for only a few days during their cycles. The whole neighborhood is aware when bobcats are looking for boyfriends because they fervently advertise for them through loud, distinctive caterwauling. In addition to long distance calling, scent marking, scraping and physical posturing helps get the word out. It’s not just the girls who are on the make, adult males also verbalize their desires and ardently scent mark in high profile spots, such as the center of trails.

Both sexes mark using urine and feces—the frequency increases with the urgency to mate. The feces and urine of females contain chemicals that broadcast their receptive reproductive state to available males. They also scrape the ground with their back paws and then urinate or defecate in the scrape. It seems that there is an increase in bobcat feces deposited in the middle of the trail during breeding seasons. Another way they mark is by rubbing objects with their cheeks—there are glands on the felids cheeks and the corners of their mouths that produce pheromones.

Typically, breeding season is between February and April, but depending on the climate and the environment, love can occur any time. When liaisons are fruitful, kittens are born on an average of 63 days later.

New life in the canyon

Shortly before her kittens were born, the expectant mom found a well hidden spot to deliver them. The birthing den was up the side of the canyon, overlooking the creek. It was in a dry sheltered spot, either in a hollowed out stump or a place protected by brush. She chose the location for safety and it was near a rich hunting area. In late May or early June, three adorable bobcat kittens became part of canyon life.

Like all felids, the bobcat kittens were born helpless, relying on their mum for food and warmth. Although their eyes were closed and they couldn’t hear, the neonates were guided to their first meals by the vibration of their mum’s purr. In addition to functioning as a navigation system, purring helps keep kittens relatively undetected by hungry predators. Predators are less likely to hear vibrational purrs, whereas squeaks, meows and chirps are readily picked up by their sensitive ears.

Young bobcat kitten

Life as a single parent

Bobcat mums are single parents—they must feed, protect and teach kittens the art of survival without help. It’s not an easy job to do in a dangerous environment. Although well camouflaged by their spotted coats, the little ones are vulnerable and might be found by other resident predators. Also, male bobs, including the kittens’ fathers, are notorious for killing little ones—doing so brings the female into estrus again.

Growing kittens demand lots of nourishment. Typically, they nurse for seven to eight weeks and then begin eating fresh meat.  While mom was away on hunting forays, the kittens stayed close together, not venturing far from the protection of the den. Periodically she moved them to other shelters she had previously scoped out that were safer, cleaner and had plenty of prey nearby.

The bobcat kittens learn survival lessons

The kittens were around eleven or twelve weeks old when they started accompanying their mum out on the trail. It’s her job to teach them the lessons that will help them survive in a harsh environment. They had lots to learn.

The youngsters had to be alert and obey their mum’s visual and verbal signals. Their lives depended on it. Flicks from her short tail, ear movements, body language along with chirps, mews and growls signaled when to wait, hide, follow and run. They also served as warnings as well as other communiqués. Check out this video and turn up the sound. Mamma bobcat signals visually and verbally to her youngsters to wait and then to proceed after she does a security check at the fork of the trail.

Not all bobcat kittens survive into adulthood. Our little family didn’t beat the odds. One of the three didn’t make it, possibly falling victim to a coyote. Early one morning, the cameras filmed the mom hurrying up the trail towards the den, carrying a red shouldered hawk firmly in her mouth. A few hours later, a coyote trotted from the direction of the den, clutching the same bird. After that incident, the cams recorded only two kittens.

The canyon kittens, like all felid neonates, weren’t born successful hunters. Hunting is a skill they had to learn. One effective teaching tool is play. In addition to being fun, playing with siblings as well as mom helped them develop coordination and learn the finely tuned skills of waiting, stalking, pouncing and catching prey.

When the little bobs were mature enough, mom gave them another lesson which helped develop their hunting skills. She dropped a wounded woodrat in front of them to pounce on, catch, kill and eat.

The bobcat kittens are evicted

The little family stayed together for about 9-10 months. By that time the kittens had honed their hunting skills and learned how to survive in a competitive environment. School ended, lessons were learned and it was time for them to leave their mum.  She made it clear with growls that they were being evicted—the little female was in estrus again and male bobcats were courting her. Although, sad to watch the two adolescents being rebuffed, her actions may have saved them from having serious confrontations with her male suitors. For awhile after the rejection, the siblings were periodically filmed together on the trail. Finally they dispersed to find their own territories. Males typically disperse further than the girls. Girl bobs sometimes claim areas that are adjacent to their mothers. We hope they’ve learned their lessons well and live long, healthy lives.

This year’s liaisons between the girl bob and her boyfriends were successful. A couple of months ago the wildlife cameras filmed the little bobcat again going through the stages of pregnancy. If she hasn’t already, soon she’ll have another family to protect, teach and feed. We’re looking forward to seeing her again on the trail with a new litter of kittens following close behind.

Sources

Hanson, K. (2007) Bobcat Master of Survival (Oxford University Press)

Ryden, H. (1981) Bobcat Year (Lyons & Burford)

Sunquest and Sunquist. (2002) Wild Cats of the World (University of Chicago Press)

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about different Feline species on her Facebook page.

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant. Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behaviors. Her interest in felid behaviors began with household cats, but then after witnessing a puma being killed a few blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can, while learning how urbanization is affecting the apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues. She is also frequently interviewed for print and on line publications. Additionally Marilyn is a frequent guest on television and radio and has appeared, along with her Bengals and Savannah Cat on Animal Planet, CBS, ABC, KGO and others.

The post The Bobcat Kittens Grow Up appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

Bobcats

One of the ways bobcats mark is by scraping the ground with their back feet and then either urinating or defecating in the scrape.

We have a lot videos of this gorgeous bobcat. He’s active at all hours of the day.

Here he is again. I love the ocelli on his ears.

Coyotes

Check out the colors of this pup’s coat. As he gets older, it will change. Most likely the multi-colored coat serve as camouflage. There’s a good chance that 09M is his/her father.

Cars

Traffic has picked up on the trail… sorry, I couldn’t resist

The post Featured Videos of the Month: July appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.