WHAT'S NEW IN NATURE?

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This Month:

Coyote picture from National Park Service
Coyotes!
Carol heard coyotes howling recently and they sounded close. We wondered about the coyotes in this area and here is what we found out.
New Hampshire's coyotes are eastern coyotes and they typically weigh 30-50 pounds, are 48-60 inches long, approximately twice the size of their close relative, the western coyote. Eastern coyotes have long legs, thick fur, a pointy snout, a drooping bushy black-tipped tail and range in color from a silvery gray to a grizzled, brownish red. The average life span of a wild coyote is four years. Though coyotes are often mistaken for a domestic dog hybrid, recent genetic research has attributed the eastern coyote's larger size and unique behavioral characteristics to interbreeding with Canadian gray wolves. Unlike the wolf or domestic dog, coyotes run with their tail pointing down.
Although the historical evidence supporting occurrence of coyotes in New England is inconclusive, no coyotes were present in the late 1800s. The first verified account of a coyote in New Hampshire was in Grafton County in 1944. Between 1972 and 1980 coyotes spread across N.H. from Colebrook to Seabrook. Today, coyotes are common in every county throughout the state.
Coyotes are generalists, eating whatever food is seasonally abundant. Coyotes are known to feed on mice, squirrels, woodchucks, snowshoe hare, fawns, house cats, carrion, amphibians, garbage, insects and fruit. Coyotes utilize forested habitats, shrubby open fields, marshy areas and river valleys.
The Eastern coyote is a social animal that generally selects a lifelong mate. Coyotes are quite vocal during their January to March breeding season. Both parents care for their young, occasionally with the assistance of older offspring. Four to eight pups are born in early May.
Within a year some pups will disperse long distances to find their own territories, while other offspring may remain with their parents and form a small pack.
Territories range in size from 5-25 square miles and are usually shared by a mated pair and occasionally their offspring. Coyotes are capable of many distinct vocalizations - the yipping of youngsters, barks to indicate a threat, long howls used to bring pack members together, and group yip-howls issued when pack members reunite.
Coyotes are elusive, adaptive, intelligent animals that manage to hold their own when living in close contact with humans. Most coyote management attempts have been designed to reduce their population numbers, however, due to their fertility, behavior and adaptability, those attempts have failed.
The great majority of coyotes don't prey upon livestock. However, once a coyote learns that young livestock are easy prey, depredation can become a problem. If this occurs, removal of the offending coyote is often recommended. However, when farms are situated in a coyote territory with no depredation, the resident coyote may actually be an asset to the farm by removing rodents and preventing problem coyotes from moving into the area. In suburban areas coyotes have been known to kill house cats. Keeping your pets and pet food inside at night helps reduce the likelihood that a family pet will become prey. Coyotes pose little risk to people and in New Hampshire there has never been a report of a coyote attacking a person.
Information about coyotes found here : NH Fish and Game

January:

Moose tracks and scat - photos by Jed Schwartz
Animal tracks in the snow!
Both Sandy and Jed said they have been out enjoying all the fresh snow cover on XC skis and snow shoes. They each commented on having lots of fun looking at and trying to identify all the varied tracks animals leave in the snow. It's a great time to get out in the snow and have fun tracking animals! This time of year you can easily see the comings and goings (and sometimes doings!) of all the animals in our forests and fields.

Rabbit tracks                                                Small mammal tracks
The best time to study animal tracks is in the morning, before the ground becomes disrupted. Keep in mind the quality of the tracks will depend on the texture and depth of the snow. Thus, a crisp early-morning snow will provide for better tracking, while late-afternoon prints might have turned to slush after a day of sun. Snow that is too deep will not leave a clear cut print.

Weasel (?) tracks
Note the location of the tracks as this might help determine the type of animal that made them. For instance, an otter will be more likely to make tracks near water. Pay particular attention to the number of toes, track size, shape and the presence or absence of claws. Remember that track sizes will vary according to gender and age. Be on the lookout for gnawed twigs, tree scrapings and animal droppings, known as scat.

Deer tracks                                                    Coyote tracks and scat
The best time to study animal tracks is in the morning, before Animal tracks are classified into many categories based on individual characteristics.
• Rodents have four front and five back toes with claws. Animals such as squirrels, rats, chipmunks, porcupines, beavers and groundhogs are in this category.
• Rabbits have four front and four back toes with the back feet measuring two times larger than the front.
• The cat family has four front and four back toes, with claws rarely visible as cats have retractable claws. Cats' front feet are about a half size larger than the back feet. House cats, mountain lions, bobcats and the lynx are members of this group.
• The dog family has four front and four back toes with claws. The front feet are a third larger than the back feet. Domestic dogs, foxes, wolves and coyotes are in this category.
• Weasels have five front and five back toes with claws. Minks, otters, wolverines and badgers are classified in the weasel family. In most cases, the weasel track will only leave an impression of four toes.
• Deer have two toes in front and two in the back, with the front feet about a half size larger than the back feet. Moose are similar but much larger size with a longer stride.
• Bear, raccoon, opossum and skunk leave human looking-shaped tracks with five front and five rear toes with claws.
• Wild Turkeys leave a large three toed track. Other large birds (grouse, crows) are also three toed, crows have a fourth opposing toe.

A great tracking card like the one pictured above is available from NH Fish and Game (see link below) and can help you identify the tracks you see. Let us know what animal tracks you find out in your corner of Washington.
Tracking Card is available here : NH Fish and Game
Information about identifying animal tracks was found here: ehow.com

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