Three raccoons (Procyon lotor) gathered together Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA

A weekly walkthrough of what has been going on and a look at what is coming up!

“If you can’t be in awe of Nature, there’s something wrong with you.” -Alex Trebek

Southern California Mountain Lion Project Update

Observations and Predictions

In just a couple of weeks I will hit the one year mark from when the Southern California Mountain Lion Project. Over the course of the past year I have learned more about the mountain lion than I ever thought possible. It has been quite the adventure filled with ups, downs, excitement and even major frustrations. This project has taught me the patience needed to be successful in a natural setting, furthering my understanding of this beautiful and elusive apex predator.

One of the observations I have discussed before is the time of day mountain lions are active. Starting the project in spring, I was noticing an abundance of nocturnal movements through the different observation sites. This continued throughout the summer and fall and began shifting as we entered the winter season. My first diurnal video capture of a mountain lion occurred at 1100 hours. Understanding that mountain lions are known to move to and from different daybed sites throughout the day as they rest, wake up, and move again. This being more typical in individuals that are hunting prey and not bedded near a cache site. My first thought about the diurnal capture was that it was an anomaly. Given the prior studies that confirm a rarity in daytime movements in other parts of North America, I needed more data to confirm or deny that temporal patterns of habitat use were in fact changing.

Throughout the winter months I began getting more and more diurnal captures of mountain lions traveling through their habitats. This was when I started to connect the dots of a possible change in behavior. It became rare to capture any mountain lions moving through the observation sites within nocturnal hours. A few things began to rattle around my head trying to understand what exactly was happening. My first hypothesis is that the change in season and subsequently the weather patterns in the area have caused mountain lions to shift their temporal use of their habitats to better exploit the prey within their habitats. The details regarding the "why" will require more observation data throughout more seasonal changes and expansion to neighboring habitats. I need to confirm that this potential change in behavioral pattern is also happening with other mountain lions throughout multiple habitat ranges. Ultimately, this could provide insight to other possible reasons behind the "why" of it all.

Another clear picture of behavior at a specific area with observation sites is the lack of kills in the area. Observation sites within the Palomar Mountain region have only provided data on one potential kill site. The only observation data available for this kill were the remains that exhibited a crushed nasal cavity, indicative of a mountain lion kill. This was in an area where there is a more concentrated area of coyote use. Because of this, I hypothesize that the kill was made here due to prey availability pressures and it is rather likely the kill was scavenged by coyotes that ran the large felid off.

With limited data in this area for kill/cache sites, the only working theory available is that the observation sites are outside the preferred hunting grounds of mountain lions in the area. Moving forward, more sites will have to be set up specifically in areas where landscape and prey features are more conducive with mountain lion hunting habitat. Discovery of hunting grounds will provide a deeper look into the full use of areas by mountain lions. Outlining their travel routes, daybed areas, hunting grounds and preferred cache site landscapes.

A bobcat's struggle in Palomar Mountain State Park

Last Thursday, March 21, I was in Palomar Mountain State Park with a friend of mine. As we made our way down State Park Road to Doane Valley Pond. Just before the first bridge, as we rounded a corner, there was a bobcat slowly walking down the side of the road. The image above is that very bobcat. As I followed on foot for about 100 meters down the road until the felid finally made a move to the dense brush to the north of the road. The thing that concerned me was that the individual looked rather thin and was exhibiting behavior that was abnormal for this species based on prior encounters. First, the body size to apparent weight ratio appeared that this specific bobcat was underweight. Second, the felid maintained its course of travel even after noticing me following it. Only after I closed in to a considerably close distance from this bobcat did it make its move to escape. To me it seemed as if it was potentially disoriented or even just low on energy to sprint and make a hasty escape. The image above shows the definition in the hip bones that can be indicative poorer health in an animal.

The experience was one that I wish was not as common as it truly is. Too often people come across animals fighting for survival in human inhabited landscapes that have contributed to the deterioration of an individuals condition. Animals that have been put in this dire predicament usually display behaviors of lessened avoidance of humans for various reasons. The most probable here is that the bobcat was more determined to find a meal than it was to avoid a potential hazard in its vicinity. With a response like this humans may find themselves in the presence of an animal that is seemingly comfortable with their presence, when in reality the situation is more likely to lead to an adverse encounter.

Any species of wildlife that appears to be comfortable in the presence of humans has experienced something that leads them to abandon their natural reaction to humans. Whether they are prey species that are fed by park visitors and thus habituated to humans or larger more dangerous predators that have become desperate to survive in a human dominated environment, it creates serious issues with the conservation and management of wildlife and the safety of the public that venture into these natural areas.

What's to Come?

New Blog Article

Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog article where I dive into the Southern California Mountain Lion Project observations and predictions, as well as upcoming and current plans to expand the reach of the project

Mountain Lion Seminars

 As the first full year of the project is coming to a close I am looking for new ways to reach the public, educate them, and inspire them to join the initiative of conserving the mountain lion. During these seminars I aim to take people out of their everyday human lives and immerse them in the mind of a mountain lion.

Hair Microscopy Seminars

Hair microscopy for wildlife is the examination of hair under a microscope to identify different species. I use this practice in the SCML Project to examine hair found in natural landscapes, but also the hair that occurs in mountain lion scat. By identifying the different species' hair within the scat, we gain a better picture of a mountain lion's diet in a certain region. These seminars will be geared toward educating those that attend on the gear and practices I employ to achieve these goals.

Supporting Local Art, Small Business, and Conservation all in one!

There is a lot of time, effort and expense that goes into creating images and working towards conservation goals that protect the wild places we visit. It would be an honor to have my work displayed in your home as a way to keep doing this work!

Sessions at JABCECC

Sessions at the Judith A. Bassett Canid Education and Conservation Center are able to be booked year round! Contact information for any questions on booking and pricing can be found through the "book now" link.