FOWT News, Updates & Posts

19

Mar

Wolf Trap Mammals

Blog, News Article, Uncategorized

This page will be a repository of mammal photos from the Wolf Trap park (work in progress). For a more comprehensive coverage of our critters, check out the mammal section of the iNaturalist.

(most of these were taken with my old iPhone, so they have more documentary than photographic value)

Groundhog

I used to see a number of groundhogs around the meadow, but they seem to have vanished recently. There are still some groundhog holes in the Shady Garden.

If you sat quietly on a bench, it would even approach you with some degree of curiosity.

Raccoon

This is the ONLY time I saw a raccoon in the park during daytime.

But it did not like my paparazzi manners and swam away.

Soon it disappeared in the park.

But at night you can see them lurking in residential neighborhoods…

…or even prowling for food.

But they are very wary of their surrounding…

…and at the first hint of trouble climb the nearest tree.

Needless to say they are accomplished climbers.

Red fox

The chances you will see a fox in broad daylight are a bit better, but they usually move so fast that you have rarely an opportunity to take a good photo. I did manage to capture one on video though.

Chances are better at night…

…when they search for food.

Sometimes in pairs…

…making sure no crumb is left behind.

White-footed mouse

Park is also home to colonies of white-footed mice, who are smaller than the usual house mouse and sometimes manage to get inside. Since I don’t kill vertebrates, I usually put them in a glass jar and the next day release them far away in the park. All detainees have the right to one phone call and one blueberry (administered very carefully – since rodents can carry nasty diseases).

After dinner they usually fall asleep in a funny curled up state.

Wake up, sunshine. Time to go!

Deer gallery

I have so many deer pictures that I decided to make them into a little deer medley.

Cottontail

There used to be cottontails around the Meadow, but I think the foxes took care of them. And not in a good way.

These days the best chance of spotting one is in the strip of woods between the Filene Center and the Highway.

Here it is, hopping alongside the access road.

Chipmunk

Chipmunks are plentiful but very shy.

This one was an exception.

Squirrel

Squirrel are very common in the park.

Although they mostly frolic in the trees, so you barely see them.

It is much easier to spot them on the ground.

Or on the concrete.

This is probably the most prominent squirrel hole in the park (the uppermost part of the trunk). You will find it in the big tree on the right, when you are facing upstream at the Gazebo Bridge (the hole is oriented towards the parking lot). During the season you can often see a squirrel peeking out of that hole.

— honza —

foxes, groundhogs, mammals, raccoons

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