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 […]
I just saw a wolf! Last month a woman approached me while I was checking cameras in the canyon in San Mateo. She was certain she spotted a wolf while driving home late at night after a board meeting. He was running near one of the trail heads that lead deep into the canyon. Unfortunately, […]
Some types of fencing and barriers can have the same harmful affect on ecosystems as highways do—they block apparent wildlife corridors* and may limit gene pools, separate animal families and negatively impact wildlife food sources. Additionally, homeowners in suburbia and urban edge areas are directly affected when these wildlife corridors are blocked. Unable to access […]
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 […]
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 […]
Adapting for survival 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 […]
July’s wildlife video highlights include a coyote puppy, bobcats and 2 cars. Yup… cars. 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 […]
June was a visually exciting month on the trail. A mountain lion visited a week ago—he stayed for a couple of days before moving on. There’s a new bobcat on the trail he sports a beautiful dark coat. And, our resident coyote, 09M, continues to make his mark. Mountain lion A male mountain lion visited […]