Showing posts with label wild creatures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wild creatures. Show all posts

Animal Medical Center of Seattle (in Shoreline) works with Woodland Park Zoo to treat their ailing jaguar

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Nayla in her habitat at Woodland Park Zoo

Our neurology team at the Animal Medical Center of Seattle had the honor and opportunity to work with Woodland Park Zoo’s jaguar, Nayla. 

Animal keepers at the zoo noticed Nayla, who will be 19 in October, was having balance issues. An initial exam showed Nayla had a head tilt, difficulty walking, and abnormal mental activity and eye movement.

Shoreline and Zoo medical staff studying Nayla's MRI scan

In late June, Nayla was sedated and transported to our hospital where she underwent an MRI and cerebrospinal fluid collection. Woodland Park zoo’s veterinarians, Dr. Misty Garcia and Dr. Yousuf Jafarey working with Animal Medical Center veterinary neurologist, Dr. Chai-Fe Li, were able to rule out a brain tumor, other central nervous system disease, and several other potential metabolic issues that could have caused her symptoms.

While a specific diagnosis remains elusive, with medication, supportive treatments, and special care provided by her animal care team, Nayla has improved significantly. 

“Nayla has responded to treatment, and her neurological symptoms are almost fully resolved,” said Dr. Garcia. “We are excited by her remarkable recovery including her sassy personality.”

Nayla is doing well and is back in her habitat at the Zoo

Guests can once again see Nayla enjoying the jaguar habitat in the zoo’s Tropical Rain Forest. 

“We’re excited to see Nayla being herself once again in Jaguar Cove,” said Animal Curator at Woodland Park Zoo, Shawn Pedersen. 
“Nayla has been an incredible ambassador for this near-threatened species over the years and we’re very happy to see her back out enjoying herself and bringing smiles to zoo guests.”

We are thankful for opportunities to partner with Woodland Park Zoo to offer our specialty services for these special animals like Nayla.

The Animal Medical Center is located in the North City Business District at 17518 15th Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155

--Animal Medical Center of Seattle


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Not a stallion but a mare - and still at large - zebra seen near North Bend

Thursday, May 2, 2024

One of the recaptured zebras faces the camera
Photo courtesy RASKC
Thursday update on search for zebra near North Bend

Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) continues to take in information about a zebra that went missing on Sunday near North Bend, Washington.

RASKC has been in contact with the zebra's owner in Montana, as well as local residents assisting her. 

Contrary to the owner's original statement, the missing zebra is a mare, or female zebra. 

This has been confirmed by photos from the public that show the zebra wandering in the area near North Bend.

Numerous credible sightings of the zebra have been reported to RASKC and law enforcement, including one on Thursday morning, but so far the zebra has eluded capture. 

However, at this point, RASKC animal control officers are not actively searching for the zebra. They will continue to respond to credible reports of sightings, though. 

Sightings can be reported to 911 or RASKC's non-emergency number at 206-296-7387. 

Residents are asked not to approach the zebra or try to capture it themselves.


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Zebra stallion continues to elude capture

Four zebras escaped in North Bend; three were captured and one remains on the loose
Photo courtesy RASKC

Update on search for zebra from Regional Animal Services of King County

As the search for a lost zebra enters its third day near North Bend, Washington, Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) is issuing this update to the media and public.

As of 11am Pacific time on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, RASKC has not been able to corral the zebra. 

However, there have been numerous confirmed and unconfirmed sightings of the animal, all still in the same general area of King County where it escaped with three other zebras on Sunday. Animal control officers from RASKC are following up on these leads, and will continue to regularly patrol the area over the next several days at least.

Captured zebras corralled at a private horse farm. Photo courtesy RASKC

RASKC encourages anyone who has seen the zebra to call 911 immediately so that authorities can be dispatched to the area. People should not approach the zebra or attempt to capture it on their own. RASKC welcomes any photos or video clips that could help inform animal control officers as to the zebra's location. Those can be emailed to RASKCMedia@kingcounty.gov

At this time, there are no plans by RASKC to organize a large, formal search operation for the zebra. The area that would need to be covered is too large, and some of the terrain in the foothills of the Cascades would pose a danger to humans on foot. Also, since typical spring weather is expected to prevail in the area for the next few days, there is little concern about extreme temperatures being a factor in the zebra's well-being.

RASKC has received numerous offers of help from animal search and rescue organizations, drone pilots, and other volunteers. We thank all those who have offered help, and will follow up with them as we're able or needs arise.

And this, from Hilary Franz:

Photo courtesy Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz

Meanwhile, Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz posted this photo and said:

"The teams at Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are always working to make sure our wildlife have healthy habitat. While this one was an unexpected challenge, we wanted to make sure that our new zebra friend felt comfortable for however long their stay in Washington ends up being."

(Psst - do I have to tell you it's a joke? -Editor)


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Wild Creatures: Cougar in Lake Forest Park

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Detail of photo by Janne Kaje, Lake Forest Park, 11/14/22
See previous story
By Josh Rosenau

Cougars are known for being great travelers. 

Typically, an adult female has a home range of about 60-100 square miles that she occupies on her own (with cubs), and a male’s home range will overlap those of 4-5 females. 

Fall is a time when it’s common to see younger cougars (18 months to 2 years old) disperse from their mom’s range and look for their own. 

Males typically travel much longer distances; one was recorded having traveled 2500 miles over the course of 2 years, from South Dakota to Connecticut! It’s hard to know for sure about this one without a closer look, but I’d guess that’s what we’re seeing here. It’s certainly possible that it was a more established older individual that was forced out of its home range by development or other factors. That’s far less common, though.

Typically, those younger dispersing males are just moving through, and are gone after a few days. They need to find an area with enough room (and not too many people, cars, roads, noisy dogs, etc.), plenty of deer, mating opportunities, and also no resident male to chase them away. That can be hard to find, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he stays for a little while if this seems like a place where he can feed on a deer and rest for a few days before traveling on, but I’d be shocked if it decided to stay here for good. 

Research by the state department of fish and wildlife here (and confirmed by research in other states) has shown that cougars try to avoid areas with people, even woodsy suburban areas like LFP. A wooded, wild creek greenway can work as a corridor for them to travel through, but is unlikely to offer enough room and seclusion for this cougar to make it a permanent home.

I’m not aware of any established cougars until you get out to areas like Maltby or other much less developed areas, so dispersal as far as our town would be rare. But because they are so good at dispersing, they can find themselves in odd places. 

One showed up in Discovery Park a few years back, and in LA, one has even crossed freeways and made Griffith Park its home! Their adaptability is a big reason why they managed to survive the forces that wiped out our wolf and grizzly bear populations historically. 

I’ve only been in LFP for a few years, and don’t recall any reported here in that time, but I would be surprised if one of these dispersing males hadn’t passed through every few years. Odds are, most of them went unnoticed, especially in the days before cell phones, doorbell cameras, and motion-activated trail cameras.

Coyotes and cougars have a tricky relationship. Cougars will kill and eat coyotes, but they far prefer to go after deer. Coyotes will sometimes drive cougars off of a deer carcass, stealing the cougar’s food. 

Coyotes or bobcats have been known to kill young cougars, but at this one’s size, that’s unlikely. Any of the three might try to chase the others away from food, but direct conflict beyond that would be rare for adults. We have a lot of deer, rabbits, raccoons, and other wildlife that are easier for those species to pursue, and which they evolved to focus on. 

For better or worse, I doubt this cougar would reduce anyone’s backyard coyote sightings!

Lake Forest Park resident Josh Rosenau is a Conservation Advocate, Region 1 for the Mountain Lion Foundation mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 107
Twitter: @MtnLionFnd
FB: MountainLionFoundation
IG: mountainlionfoundation


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Wild Creatures among us: Bobcat in North City / LFP

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Bobcat in North City
Photo by Mary Freeborn

By Diane Hettrick

Shoreline resident Mary Freeborn was treated to the sight of what appears to be a juvenile bobcat strolling through her yard, and was able to get these photos.

She lives above the woods off 25th NE and NE 177th on the Shoreline side. Lake Forest Park is on the other side of 25th NE.

According to Aaron Wirsing, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) at the University of Washington,

Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are closely related to lynx but are able to use a wide variety of habitats, including city suburbs. They typically weigh about 25 pounds and have paws that are about twice the size of those of a domestic cat.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says "Found throughout all of Washington, bobcats are probably more common than most people realize. Bobcats appear to be using suburban settings more often, although due to their reclusive ways, they are not often seen."

Mary says that "I feel so lucky to be at the right place, at the right time."

Bobcat looking toward camera'
Photo by Mary Freeborn

So far I've been told about sightings in central Shoreline in the Echo Lake Neighborhood, Innis Arden, Lake Forest Park where Phillippa Kassover got a lot of photos (see previous article) and now this one in North City.


Fish and Wildlife has an information page on bobcats
Because of their elusive nature and caution around humans, bobcats are seldom seen. In areas occupied by humans, these cats typically limit their activity to night hours. (In dim light, bobcats see up to six times better than humans.) In undisturbed areas, they can be active at dawn or dusk if prey is active at that time. However, bobcats may be active during any time of day.

Bobcats travel in predictable patterns along logging roads, railways, and trails made by other animals to move between resting areas, food sources, or hunting areas. Evidence of a bobcat’s presence may include tracks in snow or mud, droppings, feeding areas, and claw marks on tree trunks.

Oh, and hope that you are not within earshot of mating bobcats. According to Fish and Wildlife,
Bobcats rarely vocalize, although they often yowl and hiss during the mating season, especially when competing males have intentions toward the same receptive female. Such wails have been likened to a child crying, a woman’s scream, and the screeching of someone in terrible pain.


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Wayne's Wolves - at the Woodland Park Zoo

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Wayne Pridemore usually photographs wabbits in his Shoreline backyard but when he ventures out, his interests are bit more wild.

By Wayne Pridemore

I visited Woodland Park last Wednesday to photograph my favorite exhibit, the gray wolf sisters.

Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Kaya, Doba, and Shila turned eleven years old this last April. They were born at the New York State Zoo on April 28, 2010 and joined Woodlawn Park in October of that year.

The three sisters look like their mother with white coats. It is impossible for me to tell if I'm photographing one wolf or three as they walk up and down their hillside trail.

Photo by Wayne Pridemore

In the wild gray wolves have a life expectancy of about ten years but in captivity they can live from fifteen to eighteen years. The sisters can be viewed in the Northern Trail area of the zoo.

The Woodland Park Zoo is located on the Phinney ridge in north Seattle 5500 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103



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Wild creatures among us: Long-tailed Weasel - Mustela frenata

Sunday, June 13, 2021

He looks a little worried about having his photo taken.

All photos by Tanis Coralee Leonhardi

Susan Leonhardi sent photos of the long-tailed weasels who have been hanging out in her Innis Arden back yard, taken by her daughter Tanis. This was the first report of them locally, but in the last week other people have been seeing them as well.

Note the distinctive black-tipped tail

Susan said  "Who knew that the animals that eat our sweet little chipmunks and bunnies are also very cute. We had a first-time visitor at our home, a Long-Tailed Weasel. I was shocked to see it.   

"My husband witnessed a weasel dragging a baby bunny across the street being followed by the bunny's momma. Both my daughter and I have also seen this new-to-us Weasel within the last few days.

"One day there were two of them." 

He was lured with parmesan cheese for his photo op

According to Washington NatureMapping Program, long tailed weasels are found in every environment in Washington state. The following is from their website.

"Long-Tailed Weasels eat mice, rats, voles, squirrels, chipmunks, shrews, moles, and rabbits. Sometimes they will eat birds, bird eggs, snakes, frogs, and insects. They use tunnels made by other animals to hunt for their food.

Looking for his companion.

"Behavior: Long-Tailed Weasels make loud chirps when they are frightened or ready to attack. They will utter a low trilling sound when participating in a friendly meeting between a male and a female. The same trilling sound also calls baby weasels to their mothers. Weasels can be seen during daytime, but are most active at night.

"Weasels bounce up and down in a running motion with their backs arched like a bridge and their tails held straight out. They also swim expertly and climb trees with particular ease."



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Wild creatures among us: The shy mountain beaver shows his face in Lake Forest Park

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Mountain Beaver in Horizon View Park
Photo copyright Breck Haining


Breck Haining reports that "While walking along the path on the west side of the reservoir toward Horizon View Park I happened across a young Mountain Beaver. This is a photo I took with my smartphone.

"The thing that surprised me most about the this Mountain Beaver was that it seemed to pay no attention to people who were passing. Other Mountain Beavers I have seen hide quickly when they detect someone’s presence. I was able to get fairly close to this one to take the attached photo. Then it scurried away."

This is not the first time that Breck has encountered a mountain beaver in Lake Forest Park.

Mountain Beavers live and travel in burrows - many in Lake Forest Park
Photo copyright Breck Haining 

The following is from an excellent blog post: The Mountain Beaver That is Not a Beaver by Matthew L. Miller

It can be difficult to compare the mountain beaver to other mammals because it’s the sole surviving member of its genus, Aplodontia and its family, Aplodontiidae. Mountain beavers (Aplodontia rufa) are a mammal of the Pacific Northwest. 
There are isolated populations along the California coast, at Point Reyes and Point Arenas. There are other populations in the California Sierra. The mountain beaver is also found along coastal forest ranges in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, where it is a common if seldom seen creature.

Miller's article can be read here:

Mountain beavers are rarely seen or photographed
Photo copyright Breck Haining

According to Miller,

Mountain beavers are not beavers. They are not closely related to beavers. They don’t look like beavers. So why the name?

“They actually do chew down trees, but only little saplings for their bark,” says Hopkins (referred to earlier in the article).

The similarities end there. They have a short furry tail compared to the beaver’s famous paddle. Mountain beavers don’t build dams; instead they live in tunnels and often use tunnels to move through their forest homes. They need access to a regular supply of fresh water, and they can swim well if necessary, but they prefer their tunnels to the semi-aquatic life of beavers.
 
There have been other reports of mountain beavers in Lake Forest Park, but few photos before this.



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Wild creatures among us: Bobcats

Monday, April 20, 2020

Bobcat in Lake Forest Park
By Diane Hettrick
Photos by Phillippa Kassover

I've known for years that there were bobcats in our area. 

One of my neighbors in north central Shoreline had one on her deck after a snowstorm 20 years ago - but it took me years to identify the big cat was that was freaking out her cats as a bobcat.

Another sighting ten years later in Innis Arden - no pictures there either but the resident correctly identified the cat in the tree as a bobcat.

Distinctive and beautiful markings on ears, short white flag tail (striped on the top side),
very big paws, and much bigger than even the biggest house cat


Now, with all the humans inside and jokes about animals partying in the streets - finally a photo of a local bobcat.

Not just a photo, but Phillippa Kassover was able to do an entire photo shoot as a large and calm bobcat browsed her yard in Lake Forest Park.

Spots like a leopard. Muscular body. Long legs.
About twice the size of the biggest housecat.


It can be disorienting to see them. They look like housecats but they are just too big. The musculature is different too. Heavy shoulders, long strong legs. Most people don't get the extended and close up view that Phillippa did.

Fabulous design on the ears and what looks like
a dark stripe along the spine.


In 2015, Aaron Wirsing, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) at the University of Washington, told me:

I suspect that your neighbor spied a bobcat (Lynx rufus). Bobcats are closely related to lynx but are able to use a wide variety of habitats, including city suburbs. They typically weigh about 25 pounds and have paws that are about twice the size of those of a domestic cat.

I’ve been informed that there are quite a few bobcats in the greater Seattle area. Congratulations to your neighbor on a neat sighting, and thanks for the inquiry!

Now all I need is a bear.



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Photo: Bog Beaver

Friday, June 15, 2018

Photo by Martin De Grazia


This is a very good shot of a North American Beaver who lives at Ronald Bog. They are primarily nocturnal, which is why it is challenging to get photos of them. There have been beavers at Ronald Bog and Twin Ponds for decades.

Generally they live peacefully with their human neighbors. Because their teeth never stop growing, they have a constant need to gnaw on wood, whether they need to build a dam or not.

That has created problems with the native plant gardeners who have worked long hours on cleaning up the vegetation around Ronald Bog. The beavers chewed down all the new saplings.

Finally the volunteers and parks staff built fences around the trees.


DKH



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Wild creatures among us: Hip hop little bunny

Monday, May 21, 2018



Text and photos by Wayne Pridemore


A pair of Cottontail rabbits have taken up residency across the street from us. This is a first for us. In the 28 years that we have lived in this home we have seen all kinds of wildlife on our street but never rabbits. What's up Doc?



Since there are a pair of the little bunnies I decided to research the internet to find out about the rabbits. They are herbivores so they eat grasses, sedges, sprouts, and tree bark. Cottontails also eat succulent annuals, weeds, and an occasional garden vegetable.



They are speedy little buggers and can reach speeds up to 18 miles per hour. Cottontails have a life span of 3 years. These rabbits mature early, generally young rabbits can mate at 2 to 3 months of age, and an average litter is 3 to 4 babies.

 
There are two photos of each of the pair. Can you see the difference?



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Wild creatures among us: The incomparable Douglas' Squirrel

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

"I heard an owl"
By John W. Lewis 
and Gloria Z. Nagler
Photos by Gloria Z. Nagler

We have somehow managed to reside in Lake Forest Park for over twenty years and not notice a Douglas’ Squirrel (aka “dougies” for the purpose of this article) until two years ago!

Now, of course, we’re besotted with the miniature squirrels. We have included three recent photos Gloria made of the three dougies who hang out in and near our yard. One of our neighbors says she has never seen a dougie near her home, though everyone in our neighborhood sees the ubiquitous Gray Squirrels.

Douglas’ Squirrel is named after Scottish naturalist David Douglas, who travelled to the Pacific Northwest in the early 19th century and named many animals and plants, including the Douglas Fir. And, yes, Douglas’ Squirrels enjoy eating seeds from Douglas Firs.

Dougies are also known as pine squirrels and chickarees. Pine squirrels because they eat and bury pine seeds (and help propagate pine trees thereby!) and chickarees perhaps because of their chittery call, which you’ll hear often if you are visited often by a dougie.

John and I are not alone in adoring dougies. According to Wikipedia, John Muir described dougies as “by far the most interesting and influential of the California Sciuridae”. Can’t argue with Muir.

How are they different from Gray Squirrels? First, according to Washington NatureMapping Program, dougies average 10.5 to 14 inches in length, but get this: that’s including their bushy tails that are 5 to 7 inches long! The body size of all other squirrels in Washington average eleven inches (excluding tail) according to UW Resident Squirrels website, or close to twice the size of dougies.

Dougie and fallen leaf

Look at the photo we’ve included, for scale, of the dougie next to a fallen leaf. And while we are on the subject of tails, we have included one photo that displays a dougie’s tail in all its splendor – looks like a bottle-washer brush, doesn’t it? It doesn’t appear soft and furry like their cousins’ tails.

Second, according to eMammal (Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute), grays and dougies differ dramatically in how they hoard. Gray Squirrels engage in scatter hoarding, burying their nuts in several places (and even fake burying nuts if a competitor is watching). They recover about 40 to 80% of their caches, says eMammal.

Dougies, however, do larder hoarding, concentrating their food in one spot. Though we have yet to find research on the issue (still looking!) one could imagine that scatter hoarding may be advantageous. If a competitor finds one of your many spots, little harm; but, if it raids your only cache, you are bankrupt! Foresters sometimes take dougie hoards to get seeds for replanting.

Bottle brush tail
Douglas’ Squirrel along with its similar but more widespread cousin, the American Red Squirrel, is being displaced by the Eastern Gray Squirrel, which was introduced to Washington in 1925 and has spread rapidly.

Professor Stephen Harris from the University of Bristol notes that Grey Squirrels are hardier than their red cousins and can live in a wider range of habitats, which gives them a significant advantage.

Douglas’ Squirrel is not endangered, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. It is however protected by law, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

By the way, do you know what a group of squirrels is called? A scurry, or a dray. Personally, we prefer a scurry – it’s alliterative and also sounds like their locomotive style.



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Wild Creatures among us: Beavers and Mountain Beavers in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

This female was trapped in Lake Forest Park's Hillside Creek
and relocated by Beavers Northwest
Photo by Kim Josund

By Christine Southwick

The beaver is North America's largest rodent and is built for life in the water. Adults can be up to four feet long and weigh over 60 pounds. The beaver has webbed hind feet and a large, flat, nearly hairless tail.

Photo by Jerry Cahill

It uses its tail to help maintain its balance when it is gnawing on trees. It will also slap its tail against the water to signal danger or to warn away predators.

The beaver has short front legs with heavy claws. Their rear legs are longer, and they use their rear webbed feet help propel themselves through the water. When the beaver is under water, its nose and ears close up and a special membrane covers its eyes.

Beaver at Magnuson Park
Photo by Scott Ramos

Beavers mainly eat tree barks. Beavers also eat other vegetation like roots and buds and other water plants. The beaver has a specialized digestive system that helps it digest tree bark.

Beavers mate for life, but if one mate dies, the other one finds another mate. Beavers mate when they are about three years old. Mating season runs from January and March in cold regions and in late November or December in the south.

Beaver lodge at Magnuson Park
Photo by Scott Ramos

Gestation lasts about three months, and females have one litter of kits a year between April and June. Before birth, the female makes a soft bed in the lodge. The babies' eyes are open when they are born, and they can swim within 24 hours of birth, and they will be exploring outside the lodge with their parents within a few days.

Young beavers are weaned in about two weeks. Both the male and the female take care of the young beavers. They stay with their parents for two years. Beavers can live to be 20 years old.

Locally, beavers are reported at Ronald Bog and Twin Ponds. The one who set up shop in Lake Forest Park was flooding school grounds with her dams and had to be relocated.

Mountain Beaver in Lake Forest Park
Photo by Craig Kerns

Mountain beavers live in moist forests, on ferny slopes, and are occasionally found in damp ravines in urban areas. Their worldwide range is the coastal lowlands and coastal mountains of southern British Columbia (from the Fraser Valley to the Cascade mountains), western Washington, western Oregon, and south into California.

  • Mountain beavers are herbivores and eat a wide variety of plants.
  • Food items include all above and below-ground parts of ferns, salal, nettles, fireweed, bleeding heart, salmonberry, brambles, dogwoods, vine maples, willows, alders, and conifers. Mountain beavers also eat rhododendrons and other ornamental perennials, shrubs, and trees.
  • Food items are eaten on site, temporarily stored outside burrow entrances, or placed in caches inside burrow systems (Fig. 4).
  • Mountain beavers will climb into trees to lop off living branches that are up to 1 inch in diameter.
  • Mountain beavers have primitive, inefficient kidneys and must drink 1/3 of their body weight in water every day.
  • Mountain beavers dig tunnels 6 to 8 inches in diameter throughout their territories, which may be 2 acres or more, depending on food and cover availability, and population density.
  • Tunnel systems, or burrow systems, are located in or near thick vegetation, and tend to radiate out from a nest site. Mountain beavers have been found using tunnels that are 10 feet underground.
Mountain Beaver in Lake Forest Park
Photo by Craig Kerns


Mountain beavers are abundant and active year-round, yet they are seldom observed due to their subterranean existence. Although active on and off throughout a 24 hour period, they are only occasionally seen wandering around on the ground or climbing in trees during daylight hours. They find the majority of their food and water within 150 feet of their burrows.

Besides Lake Forest Park, there are mountain beavers on the grounds of Shoreline Community College - and probably in The Highlands as well.



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Keep your pets inside - the coyotes are active

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

This coyote killed Jennifer Dodd's dog in its backyard,
then lay there for two hours before leaving.

By Diane Hettrick

I've been hearing reports of coyote sighting for the past month.

As you may know, they are no longer afraid of humans, and are comfortable being out in daytime.

This is the time of year when the juveniles leave the den and find their own territory.

In the past few days, a pet cat was killed by a coyote at a condo at the head of Echo Lake, and a pet dog was killed in its backyard in Ridgecrest.

The cat would have been killed for food, and the dog most typically would have been killed in a territorial dispute.

The best thing to do is to keep your pets indoors. The times they are most vulnerable outside are night and early morning - but these pets were killed during daytime.

My personal observation is that cats with friendly and trusting personalities are most vulnerable, as are aging cats.

Animal Control does not deal with coyotes. Neither do the police.

If a coyote attacks a human, or if there is indication that two or more are hunting as a pack, then the State Fish and Wildlife would kill them as a matter of policy. Incidentally, Wildlife officers believe that coyotes that attack humans have been fed by other humans.

A few years ago in Lake Forest Park, a pack of three or four coyotes killed a sheep in someone's yard. For the next two weeks there were Fish and Wildlife sharpshooters with high powered rifles hunting and killing coyotes in people's back yards at night.

If you see a coyote in daytime, the suggestion is to make a lot of noise, and do everything you can to appear big and dangerous. PAWS suggests a soft drink can with about three inches of gravel or small rocks. Used as a shaker, it's very, very noisy. The Wildlife website suggests a home made clacker.

There's a lot of good information at Fish and Wildlife. Try this article..



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Young seal pup in Edmonds - look but don't touch

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Young seal at rest
Photo by Bill Anderson

I have been to the Edmonds waterfront only once in the past two years - and there was a seal pup on the beach. It was nestled behind a log, almost invisible in the dark. We knew not to touch him. There was some light from adjacent buildings and the ferry terminal, so I was able to scan the water. Sure enough, there was an adult seal bobbing in the water offshore and watching us intently.

Many people think that seal pups on the beach are sick or abandoned and try to help them. I am happy to reprint this article by the Edmonds Seal Sitters from MyEdmondsNews.com
--Diane Hettrick

Commonly asked questions about the Edmonds Harbor Seal

Edmonds Seal Sitters notes that the young harbor seal that has been hauling out on the Port of Edmonds boat dock adjacent to the Edmonds Fishing Pier continues to fascinate passersby.

Seal Sitters volunteers are monitoring the seal, said the group’s founder, Susan Morrow, who provided the following answers to the most common questions asked by folks who stop to watch the seal.

Why is the seal laying on the boat dock? Is it sick?

This young seal appears to be healthy: it is plump, alert and moves well in and out of the water. Harbor seals haul out of the water every day to rest and regulate their body temperature. Some researchers estimate these seals spend 40 percent of their lives on land.

Will the seal’s mother come back to care for it?

No. This seal has long since separated from its mother, and is feeding itself. Harbor seals are weaned at 4-6 weeks of age, and then the mother seal moves on. We estimate this seal is about 6 months old, so it has been on its own and finding its own food for months.

Is it male or female?

We don’t know. We would have to approach the seal and hold it down for an examination to determine its gender; that intrusion wouldn’t be useful or necessary right now.

I see the seal twitching sometimes. Is it sick?

Seals sneeze, cough, yawn, scratch themselves and hiccup just like people do! A sick seal will be lethargic, thin and immobile, nothing at all like the “Edmonds seal.”

How long will this seal stay here?

This has been a unique situation; usually seals haul out on our beaches, not on our boat docks. The seal appears to feel safe and secure returning to this spot and has been resting here since mid-December (and Port of Edmonds officials have been very understanding and cooperative). However, this young harbor seal will eventually move on, likely for one of two reasons: 1) as seals age, they get more wary of humans and find more remote locations to haul out. Edmonds Seal Sitters has tended to hundreds of young seals the past decade, but has not found an adult seal on the Edmonds waterfront in that time. 2) construction on the Edmonds Fishing Pier is scheduled to start mid-March, and this activity will likely motivate the seal to move on.

This has been an unusual, delightful and safe opportunity to watch a young harbor seal up close. Hundreds of people have stopped to watch the seal, and have learned about marine mammal behavior.

But please remember: These are wild animals. If you come across a seal on the beach, stay at least 100 feet back and let the animal rest undisturbed. Share the shore!

Susan Morrow, Edmonds Seal Sitters, Hotline: 425-327-3336



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Wild creatures among us: Otters

Monday, January 11, 2016

Otter at Ronald Bog
Photo by Martin DeGrazia

By Diane Hettrick

A man I knew who worked in a building on Echo Lake told me a story years ago about being in the building at 5am and seeing animals he didn't recognize leaping and playing in the water. We took the story to the Echo Lake neighborhood association and after a lot of research, identified the creatures he saw as freshwater otters.

Then, people who lived around the lake started telling otter stories. It's apparently one of those things you know about if you live there. My favorite story was the young man who was fishing off one of the docks. He was catching a lot of fish and thought it would be a great idea to keep them in a basket and put the basket under water.

When he was done, he pulled up the basket - and it was empty. The otters were probably delighted with the bonanza.

A rare photo of an otter out of water
running along the shores of Ronald Bog
Adult males are 4 feet in length and weigh 20-28 pounds
Photo by Martin DeGrazia

I have heard many other otter stories since. Martin DeGrazia lives on Ronald Bog and sees otters there regularly. They are very elusive and I have few local photos, so I am pleased that he was able to get a number of photos and share them.

Otters live in burrows with underwater entrances or hidden dens near the water. They spend most of their time in the water, hunting for fish, and other water creatures, such as crayfish. They are a particular boon to Echo Lake, which has the dubious distinction of being home to a species of invasive crayfish.

Otter at Ronald Bog
Photo by Martin DeGrazia

Otters are opportunistic, though, and will follow any good food source. George Piano of Lake Forest Park told a story about coming home to find an otter fishing in his koi pond. She ran off, but not before getting a few of his prize koi. A few days later, she was back, this time using his pond to teach her pup how to fish.

George's home in Lake Forest Park has a steep ravine behind his property, which drops down to McAleer Creek.

Otters playing in the waters of Twin Ponds
Photo by Debbie Arthur

I think it's safe to assume that every body of water and every stream in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park has otters. This week, I received a photo taken by Debbie Arthur of otters in Twin Ponds. Kevin Urie reports they are in Boeing Creek.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife says that "In late fall, the pups leave to establish their own territories. During this time, wandering youngsters are seen far from water, traveling on land between lakes, ponds, and from one stream drainage to another."

Otters at Ronald Bog
Photo by Martin DeGrazia

This is a partial explanation for the stories about otters being seen traveling across the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden in the Richmond Beach neighborhood. Since there are no streams or bodies of water nearby, I am still curious about where they are coming from.

It's also interesting to think that, aside from the occasional fish pond, the otters are finding enough fish in the lakes, bogs, ponds, and streams, to sustain life and breed.



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Wild creatures among us - raccoons up a tree

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Text and photos by Wayne Pridemore


A raccoon mother and her two babies were chased up a tree by Sunni, the Ricards' dog.
The raccoon mom was very unhappy about the situation. 


The twins were not taking any chances as they climbed into the higher branches.


The youngsters watched and listened to their mother's chatter.


When Debra Ricard came home from the library she called Sunni into the house and momma raccoon called her babies down from the heights. 


After checking the traffic on 21st NW, Mom gave the signal...


...and the family was outta there!



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