Mammals and Marsupial

The only native North American marsupial is the Virginia Opossum. Here our dog Shirley has a baby opossum cornered. The next photo of a possum was taken by our trail camera, as were most of the photos of the mammals that follow.

Bobcats are seen regularly by our trail cameras. This one eating a yearling deer it apparently killed and hid.

This thin bobcat hunted rodents in front of our goat barn one morning.

This bobcat appeared on Thanksgiving Day, 2023, in a field newly fenced with a very high fence. Apparently, the cat climbed or jumped over it. 

In the fall, we see bears daily under the apple and pear trees near the swamp.

We can't tell all of them apart but we dubbed this guy Big Bear.

 The one below is (was) 3 foot. His right front foot was deformed or had been caught in a trap. It did not stop him from climbing the pear tree outside our bedroom window. He has not been back for several years. I think a neighbor shot him as he had become a pest, getting into garbage cans and our dog food container.

This is the first bear cub we captured with the trail camera

We see few coyotes anymore since we've had livestock guardian dogs living with our livestock. Coyotes look for easy meals.

But this one was in the horse pasture, ignored by horses

We call this doe Split Ear. She has had fawns most years since we set up the trail cameras.

A deer at the edge of the horse pasture

antlers in the velvet

Otters come by most years a time or two to eat frogs and whatever else they can find in our pond. Years ago, when we had ducks, they ate those, leaving only the feet on the bank.

The Brush Rabbit or Western Brush Rabbit is a species of Cottontail, smaller than most cottontails. They are common here.

 

Chipmunks are cute but have become real pests, invading the house and greenhouse, digging in my planters and storing stolen seeds everywhere.

This chipmunk was building a nest in a flower pot outside the back door.

This chipmunk stood on the stairs looking in the glass door hoping to get into the downstairs. We *think* we have all their entry points blocked now.

Cute Townsend's Chipmunk outdoors where it belongs

This mouse, probably a Deer Mouse, fed on something on the deer carcass the bobcat (and dogs) fed on.

This bat apparently was frightened out of its night time roost and flew around our goldfish pond a few times before finding a niche in the house siding to hide in.

The beaver worked hard at damming up our pond and I worked hard at pulling out their dams. They  moved upstream and built a dam there, and are now down at Agency Creek. Their chewed-off trees and branches are plentiful by the creek.

This Eastern Gray Squirrel was here one summer before disappearing

We see an occasional California Ground Squirrel

The little Douglas Squirrel, that we call Chickaree, is common in our woods.

One day in Jan. 2018 a Douglas Squirrel appeared in front of the barn eating the seed I throw out daily for the birds. A Towhee is in front of him in the bottom photo. Love that tail!

A muskrat lived in the bank of our pond briefly, at least we have not seen it for some time.

Raccoons are always in the trail cameras. Lots of them.

In 2022, gray foxes moved into the neighborhood. They are very good neighbors, eating rodents.