MOOSE

How in the world did I forget to highlight one of THE most exciting moments of this past week?

I FINALLY SAW MY FIRST MOOSE!

Having somewhat of a diverse agricultural background, I have worked with both cows and horses, some oh which can get quite large. When I went to Ireland in the summer of 2008 to study horse racing (I have no idea why I did this, looking back: I can't ride horses for nilch), I worked with some of the largest horses I have ever laid eyes on. Having a degree from NC State University, I have also worked with lots of cows. However, nothing can really mentally prepare you for the image of  hoof stock large enough to walk over fallen trees! In my three weeks of work I have heard one moose tear off into the trees and another walking over fallen trees that were four feet off the ground. Bobbie and I were driving up the mountain this week when, on the side of the road, was my moose! I had begun to think these creatures were imaginary, although I've seen enough tracks and stepped over enough moose piles to support a healthy population. My moose was a yearling bull and probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen. He ran off the road and into the saplings a short bit, but turned and stared at us for a good thirty seconds. He had little buds, so no huge rack of antlers. Standing at just taller than a large cow, he was extremely dark brown, almost black. he was in the awkward teenager stage and not as magnificent as he will be when he grows to his full 1500 lb potential. Bobbie's daughters call them "swamp donkeys" because of their oversized ears... and it's true! His ears and long muzzle reminded me of a donkey, but much, much bigger. His legs alone were close to my total height, so the legs contributed to at least five feet of his height! He was much rounder than any horse I'd ever seen. When I think of horses, I think of open pastures. When I think of moose, I think of strange cow/horse hybrids that walk over trees and run as fast as deer and will stomp your head in like a watermelon. True, these guys can be pretty dangerous. I'm pleased to have seen my first one in the truck instead of around the next corner. Typical defense strategies include luck and climbing the nearest tree, or the use of bear spray if needed. I can't wait to see my first adult male moose (with antlers), or a mama and baby (from a safe distance)! We didn't get any pictures of this moose, but I came up with a pretty darn good idea for a children's book with a moose as the main star (no, not a cop-out of the one you're thinking about!). Here is a photo I found online that resembles what we saw (the one we saw was a little bigger, fuller, and much darker):

I can't wait to see more! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get to see a mountain lion soon... but not too close.

Self Torture

Check out this link to see how well I respond to 40 degree F water. Bear in mind, this is a bog: the water has made the surrounding area marshy and I am at least ankle deep in the water for the entire clip. Luckily, Bobbie managed to capture my second attempt, which doesn't include the very colorful language from the first.

 Imogene Vs. Good Creek

Note: This has nothing to do with research, but provides a peak into the kinds of things biologists get into.

Some Job!

Getting into the swing of this new job has been an experience! Bobbie and I spend our days laughing and talking about all sorts of fun things, from conservation to research to interesting (and often hilarious) life experiences. Although these conversations are between huffing up hills and counting pellets and measuring trees, we manage to pass the days in the field without a dull moment. The past two weeks of work have been insane! Each day is an eight to ten hour lesson on wildlife, plant life, and life as a researcher. Bobbie is teaching me so much that I've begun to feel like the lesser life form of a sponge because I am constantly soaking it all in! My hiking legs are starting to develop and I'm needing less and less time to rest during the day. We've developed an efficient system of working together and keeping a constant eye out for fun critters and potentially dangerous wildlife. I've lost count of the number of snowshoe hares we see each morning on the drives up the mountain (and we count their pellets- now that is a number close to infinity- good for the bobcats!). We see ground squirrels, which are darker and smaller versions of the bigger pine squirrels in the trees above us. The ground squirrels do a great job of letting everything in the forest know that we are around with their angry chattering or occasional surprised squeaks when they see us (it's pretty adorable and we monologue for them daily). We count the squirrel middens as well- piles of pine comb pieces that squirrels leave when eating the center of the combs. We often come upon numerous holes in the ground with several middens around them: this indicates a healthy and well-fed population of prey for the bobcats should the cats choose to pass through the area.

This week we worked in both burned areas as well as cut areas- parts of forest either cut for timber or have had wildfires come through the area. The common misconception is that all wildfires are terrible- this is just not true! Wildfires are a natural and absolutely necessary component for the survival of healthy ecosystems. A variety of flora and fauna benefit from wildfires, and although the area looks a little barren and blackened, flowers such as fireweed grace the ground with vivid fuchsia blooms once the heat has gone. few if any animals die in these fires: larger animals and birds take flight, while smaller ground dwelling species burrow underneath the ground and wait out the flames without harm (even with little oxygen). While no one wants to start a fire, natural fires allow forests to regenerate and repopulate the land and species who live there. I will have to get a good photo to post at a later time.

Cut areas are not as fun. Bobbie and I use a CB radio to make sure we know where the logging trucks are so we don't drive off the mountain as we round narrow corners. The loggers bid and cut areas of the national forest (legally), but unfortunately the fragmentation of the land renders it useless for a variety of wildlife. Deer, mountain lions, bobcats, and many other species will not pass through these areas because there is not enough cover from potential predators. Wolves and coyotes will use these areas to pass through, but a lot of animals are not comfortable with the fragmented habitat to use it. Small mammals, or "smammals" as we call them, seem to do alright, but the cut areas are dotting the landscape bare and are causing animals with larger home ranges to move away because these areas are not suitable for hunting or living safely.

Here are a few photos from the last two weeks:

                 

A cold July morning beginning with data entry.

My boss, Roberta Newbury (Bobbie) having a "top of the world" moment in a cut forest. The wind was particularly bad this day and we were very concerned about trees snapping and falling down on us. This photo was taken just after seeing a coyote run across the road up the hill and after we were away from worst of the wobbly trees.

A moose skull from a winter kill, most likely by wolves. Wolves gang up on a moose and run them until they are exhausted through the snow, injuring them badly on the legs by biting them. Once the moose falls, they make the kill. We could see teeth marks on the skull. Notice my foot provides comparison for how HUGE these guys are!

Juncos are little brown birds that nest in the bear grass on the ground. We have to be careful not to step on a nest! Aren't these eggs perfect?

Lupine

Measuring the Diameter Breast Height (DBH) of trees in a vegetation survey. We want to know how dense the forests are that bobcats prefer to inhabit.

Thor is Bobbie's husky and our guard dog some days. He is an enormous and spirited dog that does an excellent job protecting us. He has fought off bears, mauled skunks, and killed shrews (the last two were not the best scenarios, but we are happy to have him throughout the day because he knows if something is around before we do).

Boreal toad we found snacking on bear scat (note: he wasn't in the scat)

Great blue heron in Big Foot Bog... these guys can be like three feet tall! Imagine how big that tree is.

Bobbie's photo (most of the above are hers) of Big Foot Bog. That water, in addition to being 40 degrees F, is almost chest deep! It looks shallow, doesn't it? I tried to get in... FAIL.

  Being mature and acting out the worst possible scenario for this summer.

All in all, the past two weeks have been awesome! In addition to site surveys, we have also spent some time doing bobcat telemetry. Yesterday was one heck of an adventure, as we discovered that one bobcat was extremely close to us (the louder the beep, the closer the cat, the harder your heart pounds...). This prompted a mini excursion that led us through one very cold and fast-moving creek (remember, 40 degrees. However, you don't really notice it when you are hoping to see a bobcat!). As the beeps from the antenna we were carrying got louder, we followed the sound through the woods. We kept going and going. Wait, isn't he supposed to be thirty feet from us? Where is he?! These cats are so fabulous: this predator knew we were on his "scent" and managed to keep ahead of us without a single sound or the twitch of a leaf. No bolting, no dashing, nothing. He quite easily outwitted us and proved why they are amazing animals! Although the grass was a little high and there were some fallen saplings and crunchy leaves, he managed to get through all of it without a sound. How cool is that? Why didn't we get the cool senses and crazy leaping abilities? I would settle for just being able to see better at night (and so would the other drivers...).

On the way back to the truck, I managed to notice how cold the creek was, and that it was at thigh level - something I hadn't registered before.

Great start!

Whitefish

Today is a fairly cool and overcast day in big sky country. I've had the majority of this week off after working the first straight week; next week I settle into the regular routine of 4d/wk. Although I'm not out hiking today, I am doing data entry of the information found at each site this past week. Although I manually enter info in the field, I have to translate it to an evil Excel application that is currently testing my sanity. At the end of the season this data will be compiled for Bobbie's project.

I'm sitting in a local coffee shop and I have to say that this town is great! The people are nice, the food is great, and the scenery couldn't be better. Last night I walked through town for their monthly art gallery exhibits, where local artists feature and sell their work. I need to get to work on my own paintings because I would really love to exhibit something for August!

This is one of my paintings, chalk pastel and acrylic on canvas, of my cat Chopsticks. I love to paint the cats!

Today and tomorrow there is an arts festival in town that I plan on going to, in addition to the local farmer's market. This Sunday I'll be celebrating our country's independence at a lakeside BBQ with Bobbie and family (there are around 4 lakes in 5 miles, so I have no idea which one).  So far I'm really loving this little town, and my job (minus the dreaded Microsoft application).

Lynx rufus, Week 1

Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are North American cats that have a wide range from Canada throughout the United States. These small cats are about 20-40 lbs and have short, stumpy tails for which they are named. Powerful hunters, bobcats in Montana prefer snowshoe hares and red squirrels but are opportunistic hunters like most cats and will eat small rodents, birds, and fawns. Bobcats are often confused with Canadian lynx, but these are not the same cats, as bobcats are smaller than lynx and have different features. These cats range from shades of brown to gray and have various light solid spots throughout the coat, though not as prevalent as the spots on a serval or snow leopard. Bobcats have been legally hunted during the trapping season in Montana for their pelts, which are still considered an agricultural commodity (I do not support the fur industry no matter the species. We can talk fashion later). These cats have plenty of "cattitude," and although they can fall prey to wolves, coyotes, and mountain lions, these cats do well in the Montana forests.

This photo belongs to Roberta Newbury, the PhD candidate I am working for through the University of British Columbia. Most photo credits will go to Roberta (aka Bobbie) because her camera is way cooler than mine. This is one of the collared cats we are monitoring. Photo was taken when animal was trapped for collaring and prior to release. Collars do not hurt the animal.

The work I am doing this summer involves lots and lots of hiking. Bobbie and I are working in Flathead National Forest studying bobcat habitat selection as well as energy expenditures of these cats. We are also evaluating the presence of snowshoe hares and red squirrels (the main prey of bobcats) to determine where bobcats might travel through. Finally, we are taking vegetation surveys of sites to determine the density of areas for both rabbit and bobcat presence.

The reason I am developing hiking legs is because we use GPS to select sites in bobcat habitat. Although there is a lot more that goes into the process, each day involves traveling from one "site" to another using a compass and distance measurements. The good thing to note here is that if you ever get lost with me, I now know how to use a compass and navigate the wilderness using utm coordinates. I assist Bobbie with counting the steps from one site to another and count bunny pellets and squirrel middens (pellets are waste and middens are the remnants of pine cones. Squirrels are brutal to a pine cone, and the bunnies are eating well). I have learned a variety of scat identification as well as developed the sixth sense required of hikers in Montana if one hopes to survive. The forests are thick, busy, and full of black bears; grizzly bears; mountain lions deer and mule deer; moose; and a variety of small critters and hundreds of beautiful birds. The moose and bears are the most dangerous, followed by the elusive mountain lion and my general clumsiness on cliffs. Bobbie, however, has proven extremely knowledgeable and patient as I learn to climb over fallen trees and not fall down a lot. The hiking doesn't sound difficult in theory; however, long hours in mature forests with varying slopes and tough terrain are difficult to travel through without experience.

I've just finished week one of this new job. It has been a blast! The first day was very rough because we hiked through very mature forest with lots of fallen trees. It was a 13 hour day! Bobbie and I have become fast friends and we've enjoyed our combined squeals over the many wildlife sightings we've had in such a short time:

Day 1 included some very adorable mule deer fawn twins.

Day 2 involved having to climb a very steep little cliff. There were moose tracks up the dirt. I wasn't happy.

Day 6 involved FOUR bear sightings! We saw a bear that we thought was deaf, but it turns out she was focused on her yearling cubs just up the road, both of which we saw not five minutes later!

Mama bear is the first bear. Her yearling cubs (only one pictured, below) were quite curious about our truck. This guy stood up to get a better look. How cool!

The BEST part of this week, however, was when we rounded a corner on Day 3 and saw one of our bobcats sitting on the side of the road! Most wildlife sightings are by chance, as these guys do not like people. We know that this cat was one of ours because of the radio collar around his neck (they don't sport fashion on their own, these cats). The collars help us know where the cats are in the some 250,00 acres of forest, relatively. Bobbie has been teaching me about telemetry use:

Looking for bobcats can take all day, but it has been a nice break for our legs. I'm learning a variety of Montana plants as well as what to do to protect myself out in the wilderness. Montana is a beautiful state, and I'm having a beautiful time stretching my new hiking legs and chasing around my favorite species: cats!

Bobcats! In Montana!

Hello everyone!

I am excited (and a little exhausted) to type from my new apartment in Whitefish, Montana. I have been accepted to work the summer field season as assistant to PhD candidate Roberta Newbury studying bobcats in Flathead National Forest. Roberta's research focuses on bobcat movements within home ranges as well as investigating the prey species in northwest Montana. The summer field season consists of surveys in Flathead National Forest to estimate the presence of bobcat prey as well as the factors that contribute to habitat selection. I made the cross-country trip twice to move from North Carolina to Texas (my parents live in Houston), and then from Texas to Whitefish. Yes, those are a lot of miles and a lot of the USA! I have to thank my parents and my close friends for helping make this possible; without you I would probably still be lost on some back road in Idaho without half of my things and none of my hair.

I arrived in Whitefish five days ago and started my new job. I am adjusting to new and difficult work, so unfortunately I don't yet have time to recount what I've experience or learned in this short time. Please stay tuned in the next week, as I have time off from work and will devote a few posts with pictures! I can report that I have not yet seen my first moose, or grizzly bear. Montana wildlife is nothing I've ever experienced, and trekking this beautiful forest is the next step in my developing a niche in exotic cat conservation.

Isabella Tiger and the Wobbly Sister

Carolina Tiger Rescue's oldest and very special tigress Isabella passed away at the end of May, marking a long life and an example of an ideal life in captivity with compassionate veterinary care. Isabella was born with epilepsy, a disease that causes seizures. Having been on phenobarbital for her entire life, Izzy's seizures were suppressed as best as possible. Because this medication does not cure the condition in animals or humans, Izzy was housed alone for concern that a seizure would trigger the prey drive in an enclosure partner and cause injury or worse for Izzy. As one of the friendliest tigers at Carolina Tiger, Isabella received regular showers in the summer (a pool would risk drowning were she to have a seizure) as well as tons of affection from the entire family at Carolina Tiger Rescue. Always ready for a visit, Izzy enjoyed going on "tiger walks" along the fence with friends and has long been considered the sweetest of the tigers at the sanctuary. At nineteen, she was old for any tiger in captivity and especially old compared to the liefespan of tigers in the wild. She suffered a severe bladder infection in December and pulled through, in addition to another scare in March, where she was almost humanely euthanized because she was so ill. However, she recovered from both illnesses and continued to be a happy and elderly lady. With summer fast approaching in hot North Carolina, however, Isabella's health gradually deteriorated in addition to her appetite disappearing. Carolina Tiger Rescue staff found need to humanely end her suffering. Necropsy results showed utera pyometra, which is an infection in the uterus. She had infectious tumors in her uterus that, if they ruptured, would cause a painful death for Izzy. Luckily she did not suffer this. She also was lacking fluid in her pericardial sac (around her heart) and the wheezing it caused would have only worsened and contributed to a painful end. Animals in captivity can suffer lonely and unhealthy lives, or they can enjoy the best accepted practices available. Izzy was one of those tigers because she called Carolina Tiger Rescue home. She was one of my favorite cats at the sanctuary and although I mourned her death, I recognize that death is not unwelcome in the animal world. We as humans are able to offer relief from suffering with medicine, and sometimes euthanasia. Isabella Tiger will remain one of the tigers who was at the sanctuary that helped start my career. I hope that adoptive parents, volunteers, interns and staff continue to care for each animal in the same manner that Izzy was loved at Carolina Tiger Rescue.

Nenya Caracal, affectionally known as one of the two Wobbly Sisters, also passed this moth. Nenya and her sister, Scylla, have a condition called cerebral hypochondroplasia. This condition affects the cats' ability to balance, and as a result they walk in a wobbly manner. This condition is the result of a virus that the mother was probably exposed to when the cats were in vitro. Nenya lost the ability to walk and after a few days the decision was made to humanely euthanize her. Her back legs gave out, and at ten years old, she lived a long and healthy life; just a little wobbly. The Wobbly Girls were in my assigned areas during my internship with Carolina Tiger Rescue, and I enjoyed trying to come up with new ideas for enrichment for the pair. Although Nenya (and Scylla) were physically disabled, they both were still very capable of sticking a paw through the fence to try to tag you (and not in the childhood game fashion). Cats form bonds like humans, so her sister Scylla probably has had to adjust to the absence of her sister, but Carolina Tiger Rescue has reported that she is doing fine (still wobbly).

Carolina Tiger Rescue is one of two legitimate wildlife sanctuaries on the east coast (the other is Big Cat Rescue). Although other facilities house recsued exotics, Carolina Tiger Rescue is one of the models of excellence in exotic animal care. I am thankful to have worked with a facility with such high standards and such amazing animals.

Please continue to follow this blog, as I am beginning the next chapter in my career: bobcat research in Montana!