Winter Weekly 11/22/18

As snow continues to build up, so do our chances of finding rare signs! Can you identify a wolverine track? Look for these identifying track features:

Track
• Typical mustelid structure, with 5 toes on all feet
• Front: 4-7.5 inches long x 4-5 inches wide
• Hind: 3.5-4 inches long x 4-5 inches wide
• Thickly furred feet often cause tracks to look indistinct

Trail pattern
Wolverines leave a very unusual trail pattern with lines of footprints at an angle to the direction of travel.  How do they move to leave such a pattern? Watch this illuminating video to see them in motion. (Thanks, Jen, for sharing this!)  Check it out so you'll have a mental image to call up when observing tracks in the field.

Their unique loping gait leaves a distinctive trail pattern we know you'll be able to identify if and when the opportunity presents itself! 

Wildlife Camera Findings
     
We're off to an incredible start! Already a Sierra Nevada red fox has visited the camera at Meadows. Here are the highlights, below. Watch our social media pages for more pictures, and check out the full sets on googledocs.  We think they're especially fun this week!

An investigative fox at Meadows

A coyote made regular circles around the bait at Meadows, a buck visits Hazel Hollow #2

A buck intently watches a nearby doe...and the chase is on! 

About the updates    
 
The pictures that you bring back from the wildlife cameras will be posted to Google Drive for you to look at. (For those of you who helped out last summer, the Flickr page will no longer be used.) 

In addition, we will be sending you a weekly email with the highlights from both the cameras and the tracking surveys.  You can also check out other photos on our facebook and instagram pages.