Stinger
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Cowboy Up!!
Posts: 183
|
Post by Stinger on Dec 5, 2004 21:57:58 GMT -5
So it was Friday night and Chrom just got into town and we were trying to think of something to do when Chrom gave me 3 options; rent a video game, go drive around looking for animals or both...well we chose both! So, we stopped by Scott's work and he just happened to be there, we met at his place and picked a spotlight and Neil and headed out down the Lake Mary road...just 4 friends in a truck with an 18 pack of beer, man I could not think of a better way to spend a Friday night!
Now, for mammal sightings part of this story...we saw about 18 elk all but one were either cows or calves. There was one bull about a 4x5 or so that we did see briefly, as soon as that light hit him he was gone! I just I had an elk call with us! Oh well, maybe next time!
|
|
|
Post by Whiskey Jack on Dec 6, 2004 15:04:58 GMT -5
Man....see what I get for going to bed early on a Friday night! I won't miss one of these trips again, I swear!
|
|
Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
|
Post by Kitfox on Dec 22, 2004 16:47:24 GMT -5
Here's a photo of one of the black-footed ferrets I saw the other night. This one is still in captivity.
|
|
|
Post by Whiskey Jack on Dec 22, 2004 20:27:10 GMT -5
Kit, that is great that you went out! Talk about a tough experience to volunteer for! My respect and admiration goes out to you.
On the day before graduation I saw 3 coyotes dringing out of a puddle of snow melt on my way to Moon Crater. They moved off the road about 20 meters and watched me go by. A good sign indeed.
And the past couple of days in the field have been great, I have seen many Jack Rabbits and Cottontails, I found a Prairie Dog town, and saw lots of Coyote signs. Today, as I rounded a bend along a drywash I accidentally spooked a herd of about 24 Pronghorn right in front of me. I regretted disturbing them greatly and, as an apology, I no longer used their trails.
I can't wait to hear about all the sightings that occur over winter break!
|
|
|
Post by Whiskey Jack on Dec 28, 2004 10:46:04 GMT -5
Driving in to town on Sunday, upon a long dirt road, I was fortunate enough to see to very large Mule Deer off to the side. One took off quickly, but one stayed about 5 meters from the car and stared as I pulled to a stop. I'd have to say that is the longest staring contest I have ever had with a deer (who won).
|
|
|
Post by Whiskey Jack on Feb 2, 2005 16:13:40 GMT -5
Lately I have been finding a lot of mammal signs....Badger holes, Pronghorn tracks, Elk droppings.... actually the Elk droppings made me do a doubletake. At first when I saw them I was in the bottom of Diablo Canyon, hiking through about 10 inches of mud and water. They were on a buddy bank with somemedium shaped hoof marks. The thing was, was that the droppings were coagulated together, like a Pronghorns or Bighorn Sheep, also the location of them was just plain weird, down a narrow, steep and muddy canyon, way out in the high desert grasslands. I thought they were Bighorn sheep signs for sure (and still haven't ruled it out, unless someone can help), but I have since then convinced myself it was Elk. Who knows what lives out there in the middle of nowhere! Could be anything I suppose...
|
|
|
Post by Whiskey Jack on Mar 2, 2005 12:34:25 GMT -5
Traveling down the old, dirt road to Raymond Wildlife Area the other day, the last thing I expected to see were the Buffalo. They are so elusive and hard to find, and since I was only going to the ponds to do a little birding, I figured I wouldn't have time to drive around and look for them. But there they were........36 of them, at the Northern point of the Wildlife Area. I could see them just fine from the road, and it was good, like seeing some old friends.
Also in Diablo Canyon as I hiked down in the bottom of it, I rounded a bend and came face to face with 2 large Elk. I don't know who was more frightened, them or me, but they took of running. I had been tracking them for a month now, so it was good to finally get a visual conformation that they inhabited this lonely canyon.
|
|
Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
|
Post by Kitfox on Mar 2, 2005 23:48:16 GMT -5
Where's Diablo Canyon? I think I've seen an exit for that somewhere but I can't remember where.
Anyway, I think the skunks are becoming more active now, I'm begining to smell them everywhere. =)
|
|
|
Post by Whiskey Jack on Mar 3, 2005 11:54:31 GMT -5
You probably saw a sign for it on the way to the conference in Gallup, Kit. You head out on I-40 (towards Gallup) and a couple miles passed the Buffalo Range Exit for Raymond Wildlife Area you'll cross over Diablo Canyon. To get to it you have to get off on the Two Guns Exit, where there is kind of a creepy ghost town, but anyway, just follow the dirt roads that head towards the canyon. Some parts are much deeper then others, and currently there is some water running through it (which is a pretty rare sight). It is also a great place to find meteroite fragments.
|
|
Stinger
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Cowboy Up!!
Posts: 183
|
Post by Stinger on Mar 15, 2005 19:01:27 GMT -5
I cant believe I almost forgot this one, about 2 weeks ago Sparrow and I were coming up "cardiac hill" towards my apartment, Pine Ridge near the dome, for those of you that dont know and we spotted a Gray Fox or Urocyon cinereoargenteus, for those of us in mammalogy! It was very beautiful! I followed if briefly as it headed for the dome!
I know the species name is supposed to italicized or at least underlined but it would not work for me...sorry!
|
|
Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
|
Post by Kitfox on Mar 16, 2005 11:40:43 GMT -5
That's awesome Stinger. I saw a fox on campus just this Saturday night. I was leaving to pick someone up from the Greyhound station at about 2AM, and a fox ran across the road by Gabledon and into the cemetary. It was so cool. ^_^
|
|
|
Post by Whiskey Jack on Mar 18, 2005 11:28:11 GMT -5
You see what I get for not leaving with you guys that night, Stinger! Not only did I not get to see the fox, but I had to walk in the snow for a couple of miles, and the only wildlife I saw were a few drunk people stumbling around! Sheesh! I'll know better next time.
Out on the Wind Farm site, I am proud to say, that the Gunnison's Praire Dogs have finley woke up from the Winter sleep. At first I thought it was some weird bird making a strange whistling call, but, it turned out to be the P. dogs, talking to each other, and probably warning each other that some weird looking caveman guy was walking around in the middle of nowhere with a pair of binoculars.
|
|
Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
|
Post by Kitfox on Mar 18, 2005 11:44:55 GMT -5
Last night my friend saw a skunk run under a car, and I grabbed my flashlight to track it down, and it was actually a cat. @_@
I did see a skunk earlier that night though down on the east side!
|
|
Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
|
Post by Kitfox on Mar 27, 2005 14:14:07 GMT -5
Last night I heard an awful shreeking sound coming from my room. I went outside to see a baby bunny being stalked by my two cats. It seemed to have trouble walking and it was, of course, in shock. I picked up the bunny and put him in a dark box with a towel, some water, and some grass. I inspected him and it didn't appear that there were any cuts in his skin, which was lucky. So bacteria from the cat's mouths hopefully won't be a problem. However, he was having trouble moving his hind legs, so I was afraid he might have had internal injuries.
This morning he was hopping around like a normal rabbit, and he had eaten all of the grass I'd given him. He also didn't seem to be afraid of me at all and he would sit in my hand without trying to jump away (of course that could be because he was too afraid to move). He seems to be doing well enough to release back into the wild. Hopefully my cats won't get him again (they are often leaving dead bunnies on our doorstep).
There are a million of those rabbits hopping around all over the place down our street, but it's nice to help one out anyway. I don't know anything about rabbit rehabilitation, but I hope I did more good than harm with this one. =)
|
|
Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
|
Post by Kitfox on Mar 28, 2005 16:49:34 GMT -5
Here's a photo I took of the cottontail before releasing him.
|
|