Summer changes

The early summer heat has begun to impact the environment. Although the creek that is adjacent to my favorite trail has dried up, there is another water source nearby that wildlife can easily access. A spring at the base of the trail consistently produces fresh, clear water. And, there still is an abundance of vegetation—food for the deer and resident rodents who in turn attract predators. It may be a different story later in the summer when the vegetation dies off.

Baby animals on the trail

Spring brought with it new life. Many youngsters, such as these skunk kits, are now old enough to accompany their mums on the trail. Although I love being entertained by them, I’m grateful that I can watch them on a computer monitor.

Our wildlife cameras have been fortunate to film deer families, including newborns, fawns and yearlings. It’s delightful to watch these youngsters bopping up the trail.

The deer are plentiful—the majority of wildlife our cameras are filming this month is deer. Camera #2 filmed these three bucks. Note the velvet on their antlers. I am assuming that they are bros.

Deer on the trail. Photo by Marilyn Krieger, CCBC

Wildlife adjusts to people

People are impacting the wildlife on the trails. Wild animals, including mountain lions and bobcats will go out of their ways to not cross paths with people. They adjust their schedules and routes in order to avoid chance encounters. It’s rare to catch glimpses of felines during the day around well hiked trails—they wait until late at night and before dawn to venture out, those times when humans are usually asleep.

Pumas adjust their schedules in order to avoid people. Photo by Marilyn Krieger, CCBC

With the days becoming warm and long, camera #4 is filming a pattern. It is capturing videos of people traipsing the path at all hours of the day, including late at night and before dawn, those times when mountain lions and bobcats are the most likely to take advantage of it.  Although there may be other factors involved, such as seasonal cycles, animals appear to be shying away from the trail as it increases in popularity with people. Recently, we’ve only filmed a couple of bobcats late at night and no lions. I suspect that I won’t see the lions again until the fall or winter—I hope I’m wrong. Check out the time stamp on this video.

Daytime activity

The trail joins with another wildlife byway that meanders through a deep canyon until it reaches Crystal Springs Reservoir. This is a protected area with two man-made lakes—the west side is wild and virtually people-free. Only rangers and the few lucky Felidae volunteers, who maintain trail cameras, occasionally venture to the west side of the lakes. Because wildlife rarely encounters humans in that protected area, they don’t need to limit their activities to late at night. These playful mountain lion youngsters and their mum were filmed at around 5:00 PM about one month ago.

Puma cubs playing during the day. Photo courtesy of Felidae Conservation Fund

Dusky-footed woodrats

This article wouldn’t be complete without checking in on the busy little woodrats. I found out this morning that these little guys are dusky-footed woodrats. Although it’s not clear how they are being impacted by the hot weather and the increase of people hiking the trail, camera #4 is filming an abundance of them being productive at night, collecting twigs to build and repair their homes. We also caught one enterprising woodrat adding on to her penthouse suite high up in a tree.

Dusky-footed woodrat home. Photo by Marilyn Krieger, CCBC

The wildlife cameras are filming changes. Most are expected, caused by the cycle of seasons. Others may be caused by an increase of people enjoying popular trails throughout the day and into the night.

 

The post Our Wildlife Cameras Record Everything appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

Pumas on the road. Picture provided by Bay Area Puma Project.

Spying on Mountain Lions, Bobcats and Other Animals

I’m maintaining between 4-7 wildlife cameras for the Bay Area Puma Project (BAPP) and for me. They feed my addiction for secretly spying on wildlife doing their natural thing. In addition to collecting general data about our local apex predators, some of the cameras are positioned strategically to support specific studies like the 280 corridor study.

The 280 corridor study

The study focuses on a 10-mile segment of Interstate 280, a 57 mile long highway that runs from San Francisco to San Jose. We’re pinpointing the places where wild animals successfully crosses 280 and those spots where they lose the battle while attempting to cross the busy interstate.

The west side of the highway is un-peopled, it has miles of open space, complete with lakes, mountains, forests, grass—a wild environment, rich with life. The area is teeming with animals. It’s a working eco-system that includes a wide variety of wildlife.

The east side of the freeway is a different story. Homes, businesses and bustling thoroughfares dominate the landscape. There are still some open spaces east of 280 that remain wild. Unfortunately, animals are losing their lives attempting to cross from one side to the other. Our local lions are among the victims. They follow the deer or they disperse to the east, looking for new territory. The lucky ones who make it across often end up near homes and are sighted by residents. Some people think they are cool; others are not as receptive to them.

View of the area around Highway 280. Picture from Google Earth.

Our study includes placing a number of wild life cameras on both sides of 280. Based on what we find, we’ll make recommendations to CalTrans (California Department of Transportation) for installing and repairing fences in specific areas as well as pointing out locations where modifications can be made that will allow wildlife to safely pass over or under the freeway. Recommendations will take into account the wild spaces and populated areas.

Zara McDonald, Courtney Coon, Brad Nichols and Audrey Jost are the scientists who designed and developed the protocols for the study. Additionally, volunteers will maintain other cameras located in the north end of the study area.

Picture of Brad and Audrey (Brad and Audrey. Photo by Marilyn Krieger, CCBC.

Camera placement

I’m checking and blogging about two of the cameras in the south end of the study. The first one is focused on a path that extends over the freeway. Although both ends of the path funnel into unpopulated areas, it’s enclosed on each side with fences and wire. I’m curious to see if anything larger then a rabbit will feel secure enough to venture on it during the day. Perhaps deer and predators will feel safe to traverse it at night and in the early morning hours. I’m counting on the camera to solve the mystery.

The second camera is in a promising spot, pointed up a game trail on the east side of the freeway. There aren’t fences on either side of the freeway, which makes it a likely place for animals to cross. Neighbors have reported seeing lions nearby on the road and in their driveways. On one side of the trail are trees and low bushes that theoretically can provide cover for shy predators.

View of the bike path. Photo by Marilyn Krieger, CCBC

Check back next month for the next installment of my wildlife camera adventures. I can’t predict what our cameras will capture—perhaps pumas and other predators will be sighted in the lenses, or maybe we’ll only catch deer and rodents. Who knows? Stay tuned…

The post Urban Edge Wildlife Camera Adventures appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.