So back in October we set up the motion detector camera in the back patio to hopefully get a shot of whatever critter was going to town every night underneath the Butterfly Bush, littering the vicinity with twigs, cuttings from the scented geraniums, and (of all things) very large scat that looked suspiciously like dog poop (where'd it come from? Hana's dog run?!). Anyhoo, we're inclined to believe that these late-night machinations are the works of a very large rat. The resultant photographic evidence strongly suggests the possibility of rodent culpability. But it also sheds light on the fact that a plethora of critters are and have been traipsing through our back patio. Here's the pantheon:
Now, that looks like a rat, hightailing it around the pillar.
WTF is that? That thing to the left with roundish ears and whiskers looks too big to be rat, unless the urban legends are not freakin' legends...
Bunny!
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum)
California Towhee (Melozone crissalis).
Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus). Ok, so what could be more awesome than a roadrunner running through your back patio? Just sayin.'
Ooh, another cam trap. I love these. I'm guessing your first shot is a dusky-footed woodrat, especially your description of "littering the vicinity with twigs." I see you follow Nature of a Man; here's one of his better dusky-footed woodrat posts: http://natureofaman.blogspot.com/2010/07/mama-homemaker.html
ReplyDeleteKatie, I think you've nailed the ID on this critter! I was going nuts trying to figure out what it was...thank you, thank you, thank you!!
ReplyDeleteMy ears are burning... :)
ReplyDeleteKatie is spot on - your first shot is indeed a nice native Neotoma woodrat. Probably dusky-footed, but you have desert woodrats around there too. A note though - their poops are typical rat-sized, i.e., 3/8" x 1/4", so if you're seeing dog-sized scats, it ain't theirs. But, the rat might be coming for twigs and such to build its nest and winter stores. And yes, some will even collect scats for their middens.
Photo #3 is an Audubon's cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii (if you were curious).
And, photo #2... is very interesting. Based on experiential gestalt, I'd say what you have there is a long-tailed weasel. A very cool critter indeed. Their scats would look like small dog poops. Hopefully you can get some better pics of 'em!
What fun! I'm almost tempting to put one up myself, but I think I already know who's been messing up my fountain - raccoooooon.
ReplyDeleterandomtruth, I think your experiential gestalt is patently, uncannily on the money. I looked up long-tailed weasel in the Peterson Field Guide to Mammals and the the long neck, nocturnal habit, and species range is descriptive of this erstwhile, barely discernible chupacabra we see in the cam shot. Clearly, we need to get another outdoor camera with better resolution.
ReplyDeleteTown Mouse, what are they doing to your fountain? Raccoons are cute but destructive, and are definitely not critters to be trifled with. We're wondering if we have them in our attic. Pondering a call for some professional (humane) wildlife removal...
ReplyDeleteMight be the/a woodrat in your attic. They love locations like that. You best sort it out though, because you don't want a raccoon up there - their poop can include a roundworm that can infect humans and it's pretty nasty.
ReplyDeleteYou can always put the camera up there to see...
Ken's ears are really going to burn now. Here's his desert woodrat post: http://natureofaman.blogspot.com/2011/07/artist-formerly-known-as-lepida.html
ReplyDeleteBest to get any raccoons out ASAP. The roundworm Ken mentions killed a child here in Pacific Grove. Short of eating something contaminated with raccoon poop, what I've personally found irritating are the extra large fleas (not your ordinary dog or cat fleas) that hitch a ride on raccoons.
Btw, I love the roadrunner you captured! Very cool. Looking forward to seeing more cam trap pics.
I soooo want one of these cameras! Although some days, I think I might scare myself if I actually saw what all goes on around here after dark! The rat in your first photo is rather unmistakable. We have quite a few fort-building twig-piling wood rats around here. The second shot though is quite distinctive. Almost has to be a weasel of some sort. Maybe he'll come back and give us a better view of his handsome face soon! ;) Love the Thrasher and Roadrunner shots too!
ReplyDeleteI think you've finally documented the elusive California chupacabra. Congratulations. I'd always wondered how well these cams work, and "pretty well" seems to be the answer. I even saw an app for a cellphone that would work pretty much the same way, though I'm not sure I'd want to leave my smartphone out in the weather...
ReplyDeleteKen, woodrats can get up into your attic, too? Wow, these guys are busy, busy critters! As for raccoons, I never knew that they carried a dangerous parasite in their poop - thanks for the warning! We've seen their tracks so know they must be in the area. Must set up the camera in the attic to see what's scurrying around up there.
ReplyDeleteKatie, fleas, too? Man, raccoons are rapidly losing their cuteness quotient in my book...Hoping to get some new cam trap shots soon - Ken's are amazing!
Clare, you've got to get yourself one of these cameras - you'll have a blast (or scare) seeing all the critters and their shenanigans, especially after dark. Remember bunnypalooza?
James, why am I not surprised that there's an app for that? But, like you, I do wonder how that would work outdoors, notwithstanding the elements, 'cause many of us are glued to our cell phones 24/7.
It's a mystery all right. Do you suppose the Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote has finally settled their difference and teamed up for the destruction?
ReplyDeleteMy mind still thinks a roadrunner is just a cartoon character. In the Rest of the World we don't realise it is inspired by a living creature. I remember them as a blur of movement, didn't even think 'bird'.
ReplyDeleteSo, do they run along the road? Why?
Lol, that's a good one, troutbirder!
ReplyDeleteElephant's Eye, the roadrunners out here can typically be seen on the ground in the surrounding chaparral and clearings foraging for insects and small reptiles. Apparently they are better runners than they are flyers. I've actually seen a roadrunner run across a road before, but not on our property - it was at my work place, which is in a much more urban setting. A truly bizarre sight (these guys look oddly prehistoric), and I was just glad he made it across without becoming road kill.
That's really cool to see all those critters, even if one of them is attacking your buddleia. I saw a roadrunner in Joshua Tree for only the second or third time in my life. Such a cool bird.
ReplyDeleteI think that think in the second pic is a hyena! That's a right result, because they'll keep the wildebeasts away!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! AND the comments are just as fun! Everyone get a camera like this for Christmas. I am a real fan of Ken's,...especially like the Fenceline video....who knows what's really out there? He does!
ReplyDeleteI went trough this exact scenario like a month ago! I bought this Stealthy Cam Camera from The Sportsman's Guide. My pest was a raccoon, of course! Little monster kept going in my compost pile to pull out the old food and threw everything ALL over my backyard.
ReplyDelete