Turds revisited

Scat found on the flume trail, October 23, 2010

Not sure of the critter that dropped this load, but it didn't look like the usual coyote and gray fox scat I am used to seeing.

Fred sniffed them with unusual interest, telling me it was not the same old stuff.

It was twisty and segmented, but I wasn't tempted to share in Fred's olfactory experience.

So I scanned the trail for other hikers and dog walkers, and discretely took the picture above.

The turds were still there yesterday, and two and half months of winter weather had prepared them for closer visual inspection.

They were filled with black and white hair.

Young and Goldman wrote that "Skunk hair has been found in puma dung throughout most of the animal's range in the United States".

That doesn't prove they were left by a puma, which often cover their scat.

So the identification as puma scat is just a guess.

The same scat 2 and a half months later.

Scat of the week

Fred alerted me to this little goody today.

My friend Badger and I were hiking one of the local flume trails with the dogs, and I saw my dog sniffing at it intently.

Puma scat. It was just off the trail next to a ponderosa pine.

Of course, I'm not positive about the ID, but I'm pretty sure from size, shape, volume, and contents (hair and bones).

Since I was in company I skipped the sniff test.

As the crow flies, this is 2.7 miles from and 950 ft above my camera trap at el Paso de las Pumas. Close enough for this cat to visit my cam there.

You gotta know camera trapping is slow when I resort to this kind of subject matter.

By the way, I could have called this post "turd of the week", but I didn't want anyone to think I was blogging about politics.

A clear day, another set

[Fred next to camera set #219]

It's raining again, but I am not complaining. We had a few warm clear days, and yesterday I set another camera trap about 2.5 miles from the house.

When it comes to setting up cameras, Fred's an absolute nuisance.

He barks at me, removes things from the rucksack, pulls at the cable when I'm attaching the camera, mounts me when I am adjusting the camera's view, and runs off with the GPS when it is averaging locations.

It's the kind of frustration you curse about and then chuckle.

While this particular site offers little in the way of scenery, it is situated at the edge of a narrow ridge where animal trails converge from both sides.  

Ponderosa pine, oaks and mazanita -- good edge habitat.

[This is the camera's view. I previsualize each set as stage where the animal will make its appearance. I want the animal to pause in front of the ponderosa.]

I dabbed some coyote anal gland scent on the base of the tree. Fred was on it like stink on a skunk.

On the way back I stumbled upon this old scat.

Whatever left it--puma or coyote--it was eating deer. Fred stepped on it and didn't even notice. But he can find and tries to eat every turkey turd in the woods.  

When that happens you wouldn't believe a cursing old man could move so fast.