Mountain lions, coyotes and bears, oh my!

[Wrightwood]

[RobertW]

Don't tell me someone has lost a Lemur...

Could be something of the weasel family which would include badgers, minks, ferrots, etc.

I'm sure "Naturalist" will know what kind of vermin romp around the Heath Creek canyon area.

[Wrightwood]

Robert_W,
that's the tail I saw as it ran off. Now we need to see what the Naturalist has to say.

Ring-Tailed Lemur ?

Thanks

[johnNjeri]

Maybe someone lost an exotic pet? Maybe Sasquatch's favorite pet has gone missing? Maybe a Coatimundi?

Wow, WW. They might have to name a new unknown species after you.

Wrightwoodius Wakemeupis

[BirdSong]

Ringtail. You are very lucky to see one. Although common enough, they are nocturnal and very shy.

http://www.desertusa.com/mag01/mar/papr/ringt.html

[Wrightwood]

Or could it have been a bandycoot (also very rare for these parts). My other guess might be a red panda! They have striped bushy tails too.Maybe someone lost an exotic pet? Maybe Sasquatch's favorite pet has gone missing? Are you sure it wasn't kind of weird cat?

Wow, WW. They might have to name a new unknown species after you.

Wrightwoodius Wakemeupis

Guaranteed it wasn't a normal cat or raccoon.

I have noticed odd scat on the deck for a month or so
but not sure if it's related.

[johnNjeri]

[Wrightwood]

BirdSong,
that was a great link and seems like the animal I saw.

Any links on what their scat may look like?

[BirdSong]

WW wrote: Any links on what their scat may look like?

No, but here are the tracks:
http://www.humboldt.net/~tracker/ringtail.html

Descriptions from Animal Tracks by Olaus J. Murie:

"The tracks are quite catlike and there is not a noticeable difference between front and hind tracks. This is one of the animals that have all five toes."

"The food is quite varied, and includes rodents, bats, insects and fruit. Consequently the scats vary. In Texas, where miscellaneous foods are eaten, the scats were often found broken up in short lengths, and crumbled easily when dry."

The picture show the scat being about 3 inches long.

[Wrightwood]

It doesn't sound like the Ring Tail Cats are into peanuts or bird seed from the pages I've read so far but the small fountain is kept running with fresh water.

The scat I've been seeing varies in length and is about 1 1/2" to 2" long, about 1/4" diameter and tapered at both ends.

[rmekemson]

To Flatland Refugees:

You asked about bald eagles.  There is a substantial winter seasonal population at Lake Silverwood.  That's just about the closest.  If you head over to Lakes Gregory, Arrowhead and Big Bear you'll find more.  They like to feed on the fish and Coots found around and in the lakes.  

[Mountain_Witch]

It doesn't sound like the Ring Tail Cats are into peanuts or bird seed from the pages I've read so far but the small fountain is kept running with fresh water.

The scat I've been seeing varies in length and is about 1 1/2" to 2" long, about 1/4" diameter and tapered at both ends.

That's way cool to see a Ring Tail (AKA Miners Cat, Civet Cat, Cacomistle)
About the scat: usually elongated and cylindrical, but with great variation in size and shape; in dry habitat, tends to crumble.
The name"Cacomistle" derives from tlacomiztli, which in the language of Mexico's Nahuatl Indians means "half mountain lion." Better mousers than house cats, Ringtails were once placed in frontier mines to control rodents; hence the name "Miner Cats."
They also go after juniper berries, hackberries mistletoe and persimmons, so carrion isn't the only food they eat.
(reference used: National Audubon Field Guide to North American Mammals)

[BirdSong]

WW wrote:"so far but the small fountain is kept running with fresh water"

This is an interesting observation because last year for the first time ringtails were seen regularly both at Eaton Canyon Nature Center and Monrovia Park. I think you might have made a good connection here between the continuing drought and the sighting of ringtails so close to human haunts.

WW also said: "The scat...[is]... about 1/4" diameter and tapered at both ends."

The picture in the Murie book shows the scat tapered at one end, while the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals describes it as, "usually elongated and cylindrical".

[Mountain_Witch]

Ya know, it's funny we are talking about Ring tails as my neighbor has been telling me that he has been seeing squirrels running across my roof at night and I've been trying to tell him that squirrels aren't nocturnal but he keeps swearing that they are squirrels. I wonder if he's been actually seeing Miners Cats? Hmm....I think this calls for a late night sit out with my night vision scope to solve this mystery.

[Wrightwood]

This ring tail cat likes the green astro turf for leaving it's deposits. I'll see about getting a infrared camera setup in the area to hopefully capture what appears to be a regular visitor.

(This is the same spot where the residential LiveCam is located and most of my close-up bird photography has taken place.)

[naturalist]

Somehow I missed this whole thread on Ringtails--I was out of the picture for a while.  A co-worker and I saw a ringtail cat in a large pine right in the middle of the camp--next to the road and lots of buildings!  We saw it before Christmas, and I have seen these little guys before quite a bit, but never here in Wrightwood, so I would have known what it was right away.  How cool that we are seeing lots of them, and I think Pinescent, er, I mean, Birdsong has it right that it's the drought that's bringing them (and lots of other critters) in.  I mentioned we saw a bobcat strolling right through campus earlier this year, right?  

[BirdSong]

Somehow I missed this whole thread on Ringtails

N.---You didn't miss a thing . ;-) WW posted the picture last night and generated the whole set of interesting responses about its name and habits that occurred this morning. Glad you could confirm their presence here.

[Wrightwood]

WW wants a full picture now!

[johnNjeri]

Since suet and seeds doesn't sound like the miner's cat preferred diet perhaps she was seeking rodents that have been helping themselves to your feeder for a midnight snack.

[naturalist]

Aha!!  Now if we could just get the ground squirrels to climb the trees at night...