A Gaze of Raccoons

Dan writes:
I set up my remote camera to gaze upon the base of these large white
pines at the edge of a wetland. I often find a raccoon latrine on the
side of the tree facing away from the water, and that was the case here.

In the early dawn of August 13th, this gaze of four raccoons happened
along. Other visitors included a neighborhood dog (who marked in front
of the tree), a fisher, a groundhog, and a "green bandit". (That's a
raccoon who has recently foraged in the duckweed-infested wetlands.)

According to the all-knowing Internet, a group of raccoons is called a
gaze or nursery. Given the banded tails and masks, I would have called
them a band.

Introducing PerchCam!

Dan writes:

Since there's not much wildlife tracking going on this summer, I thought
I'd share some photos from a project I started working on last winter.
PerchCam is an attempt to turn my Canon DSLR into a really high-quality,
really expensive wildlife camera. I've turned a motion detector into a
remote shutter switch for my Canon Digital Rebel, and attached it to a
40 ft wire. That lets me back up far enough to shoot through a
300-500mm lens to capture the bird against a nice background. I hide
the motion sensor on a perch, branch, or stump near my backyard bird
feeder. Any time a bird or squirrel trips the sensor, the camera takes
a picture. (Unfortunately, the camera also takes a picture any time the
wind blows, or a butterfly sneezes...)

I used the system a number of times in January and February of 2010, and
then abandoned the project until recently. I'm working on some new
improvements, but at the moment the problem is mainly a lack of birds!

Enjoy the photos! I've finally gotten around to putting out my other
wildlife cameras, so hopefully I'll have some mammals to share in the
next month.

- Dan

p.s. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the 3rd annual Mass/NE
Wildlife Trackers' Conference, Oct 30, 2010!
http://northeastwildlifetrackers.org/

Weasel kill

I found the carcass of a Long-Tail weasel in Lincoln recently; laying alongside a garage. It was quite dessicated & I couldn't determine sex (possibly female) or what killed it. It appeared not to have been fed upon.
Note: In determining weasel species (besides size) Ermine have white paws & belly; while long-tails exhibit brown paws & a buff yellow belly.... Cool find anyway

Barred Owls

An adult barred owl flew out in front of me yesterday as I was leaving my shed at the edge of the woods. I watched it land on a branch nearby, where it appeared to be observing something on the ground. Within a couple of minutes, it silently dropped down and captured a mouse. The owl then flew to another part of the woods, where I saw it join up with its baby, who'd been crying out for food for the previous hour or so. (I had looked and looked, trying to find the source of that strange, raspy noise.)
The adult owl then left again to hunt and within a few minutes it started to return with a full-sized squirrel in its talons. That didn't work out too well, and the squirrel dropped with a thump to the ground and ran off. Attached is a photo of the young owl.

Feline Scent Marking: Tracking Big Cats with Cologne

Scientists use Calvin Klein cologne to lure jaguars

Biologists Rony Garcia and Jose Moreira from the Wildlife Conservation
Society's (WCS) Jaguar Conservation Program say they use hidden cameras
as a primary source for observing and tracking jaguars in the
Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve.

But they also rely on Obsession for Men, a cologne known for its complex
scent, to help lure then research and hopefully ultimately preserve
jaguars in the Central American country.

Read how they're using cologne to lure big cats in the rest of the
article, here:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6580G320100609

Another report, focusing on cologne in zoos:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/09/national/main6564173.shtml

This study probably explains why I've never photographed a bobcat, and
why skunks find me irresistible.

- Dan

Finally, Caprimulgus vociferus

Lars has been patiently waiting for the whippoorwill to come back. I was starting to lament its' absence this spring, but I was rewarded with his cry this past evening. I have lived at my house in Stow for now a third spring, and I hear the bird calling from the exact same location for the third year. They fly in the twilight with mouths open to catch insects (in French - "Engoulevent bois-pourri" or "air guzzler").

The bird calls at a very specific time of the late twilight. Last summer, I remembered it being about 9:45p (I'm sleeping too soundly in the early AM to hear the sunrise calls). This evening, it started at 9:30p. This should go later as the summer solstice approaches. The bird calls more with the full moon, as well. Eggs are laid about two weeks before the full moon, so that the adults can hunt more effectively in the moonlight and supply the new chicks with needed food.

I have attached video from two years ago, when three people came out for a visit from Mass Audubon after I had reported it on their website. The video was in the second week of June 08. My earliest recording is 5/14/08.

http://www.massaudubon.org/whippoorwill/index.php?type=declining

I am expecting him to become a nightly regular again. If anyone is interested, I can host.... Lars

Flooding caualty

While taking a walk about a month ago, along a
flooded and closed section of Rte 117 in Bolton
(just west of the 110 intersection; the sign just
visible in the background is at the entrance of the canoe launch), Donna came upon this muskrat sitting along the side of the road.


It was about 9:30 in the morning, with the temperature in the low forties. He/she didn't seem to mind being photographed and made no move to run away. It was only after examining the photos closely (see photo below) that the reason for this became visible.