Mammals of Yellow Lake
Almost exactly a year ago (minus one month), I did a journal post about the birds in my area, and I think it's about time it was followed up separate a separate post on mammals. In the future, I might do another post on reptiles, insects, and amphibians.
The mammals in the Sammamish-Issaquah area have gotten used to an urban lifestyle, but they still avoid human contact, except for a few species that have progressively adapted to live in close proximity with people (e.g. squirrels that will scavenge from bird feeders, and unfortunately, garbage cans). Generally, the larger mammals will wait out the day in the dense forests, far away from human disruption, but they will wander into the neighborhoods once night falls.
Let's start with some smaller mammals, and we'll gradually work our way up the size scale. A couple years ago, in downtown Seattle, the rat and mouse population suddenly exploded, after the construction of a new city dump that was so close to houses and apartment flats that the mice didn't even bother to wait until dusk to make their way into homes. However, the rat population stabilized and eventually went down again after the long-tailed weasel population boomed. Long-tailed weasels are generally shy creatures during the day, but they emerge from their hiding places at dusk to hunt for chipmunks and mice. They can be found in virtually any habitat in Washington State, but they are still a rare animal and conservation efforts are underway to bring the population up. I have never seen a long-tailed weasel at Yellow Lake, but I have occasionally seen their tracks, which I consider a good sign.
We have been lucky enough to see Northern Flying Squirrels on occasion, though we've never gotten a photo. Mostly all we see of them is a flash of white as they glide past the trail camera, but it's still reassuring to know that the forest is healthy enough to sustain such an amazing species. While they are technically considered Least-Concern, local populations are declining, so it's important to make sure our resident Flying Squirrels are protected.
Douglas' and Eastern Gray squirrels are common sightings in backyards, and their presence is often betrayed by the sight of a sudden swinging branch as they hop from limb to limb. They are some of the main urban-reliant mammals in our area, mainly feeding off of apples from our apple tree and morsels of food from the city parks.
Eastern Cottontail rabbits have taken over the neighborhood, and a quick stroll around at dusk will reveal entire colonies feasting on lawn clippings and potted plants left outdoors. iNaturalist lists them as native, though they are a bit of an "in-between" species, as they were native to the East Coast and traveled West with human expansion, similar to Brown-headed Cowbirds.
On the Yellow Lake waterfront itself, there are a few types of semiaquatic mammal. There is a beaver dam at the lake as well as many young trees with teeth marks, but there hasn't been much recent activity in about year. I suspect they have either moved to another body of water or have an isolated supply of sapling trees that is inaccessible to humans.
A few weeks ago, I spotted a muskrat on a log, eating some pond lilies. I took many photos and videos, excited about the new species at Yellow Lake. I was hoping he would be a permanent resident, but I have never seen him there again.
Now, on to the bigger mammals! Let's start with deer. There are only mule deer at Yellow Lake, and they often visit backyards in the spring to munch on freshly budding leaves. However, during the rest of the year you are unlikely to see them, prompting me to wonder if they move to a different forest during the winters and fall.
Bobcats are an uncommon species, though they make random visits through neighborhoods a few times every year. They are active hunters throughout the Yellow Lake area, and every week or so I spot a fresh bird carcass that has been devoured by one of them. They are bold hunters, and since there are no mountain lions in the area, they are pretty much the top predator in the area (except for bears, but we'll get to them later).
If there was one animal in the area that could rival the bobcat's position as top hunter, it would be the coyote. Their tracks are common throughout the summertime, and their scat is generally filled with fruits and seeds, rather than meat, implying that these "urbanized" coyotes are less ferocious than others. However, if need be, they are formidable hunters who never waste an ounce of meat, often licking feathers from their kills clean. In other, more secluded forests, I know that coyotes will prey on deer, and I suspect the same behavior could apply in Klahanie, though I do believe that they don't attack large prey as much as some other, wilder individuals. They can usually get their fill by catching squirrels, rodents, and of course Eastern Cottontails, which are pretty much everywhere.
Next up is the Common Raccoon. They dominate the Yellow Lake shoreline as well as all the little creeks that empty into it. They are practically the only species in the area that will eat crayfish and other small critters that live in the creeks, the only exception being herons (and, on rare occasions, corvids.) They also enjoy patrolling the neighborhoods at dusk, breaking into unguarded trash cans and compost piles. They are serious opportunists, willing to eat almost anything. Fruit, eggs, rodents, grubs, fish, and small lizards/amphibians are all on the menu. The raccoon also has an advantage in the scavenging sector. Its small, humanlike hands help it maneuver search for prey in a way that most other animals can't.
The last animals we will cover today are the bears. Black Bears are everywhere during the summer nights, tipping over trash cans and breaking into compost bins. Halloween especially seems a delight for these ravenous ursids, as we've lost too many pumpkins to them to count. Despite their imposing size and reputations as man-eaters, the bears at Yellow Lake are almost totally herbivorous, eating roots and berries for sustenance. When they do eat meat, they eat things like rodents and fish, the latter being an essential part of their diet in the fall months, when the Sockeye Salmon migrate through Issaquah Creek. It's hard to get a specific population count on the bears in the area, as they tend to move in and out of Klahanie, and it seems each bear that leaves is replaced by a new, seemingly identical one in a matter of months.
All in all, Yellow Lake harbors a vast plethora of mammals, from tiny woodrats to enormous bears. This area is, for the most part, a wildlife haven, and the mammals have certainly adapted to an urban lifestyle in ways no one expected.
Comentarios
Añade un comentario