Our desire to document is bringing us closer to nature and to animals. 

~Ruxandra Guidi

It seems as though the cameras are catching more clips of extended behavior than in the past with our woodland neighbors pausing or maximizing their routes by the cameras so we catch just a little more of how they behave.

In my last post, we saw lots of deer behavior. I thought I was finished sharing that for a bit, but this week, two nice bucks decided to spar right in front of a camera. This behavior is common right now and I have many clips showing bucks of different sizes testing each other. When it is a mismatch in antlers, it is usually a brief match. These two went after each other a while longer but moved away from the camera in many of their bouts.

–A pair of bucks testing themselves as the season of the rut is upon them

The cameras continue to catch our Coyotes going to and fro and I have often wondered whether some of the scenes of deer running or Coyotes seemingly chasing something were interactions between these two species. One camera finally caught a brief scene that gives an interesting insight into what may happen when they meet.

–A deer gives an alert signal (leg stomp) as a Coyote walks by

Studies have shown no significant impact on deer populations in areas colonized by Coyotes. Coyotes probably do have an impact on fawn recruitment, but are not big predators on adult deer. However, the presence of Coyotes may alter the behavior and foraging patterns of deer and keep deer moving more within their home range, which could have a positive impact on the plant community and other groups of organisms that depend on these habitats.

We caught the adult female Coyote I call One-ear doing something you probably have seen a dog do – scraping the ground vigorously after urinating. This is called “scrape behavior” and is believed to help mark a Coyote’s territory by spreading the urine scent. Canids also have scent glands in their paws which most likely adds additional scent to the scraped area. The scraped area may also be a visual sign to indicate a Coyote’s presence on the landscape.

–One-ear scrapes the ground after peeing

Several clips showed one or two of the pups in One-ear’s clan. They still look scrawny with their thin summer coats on though that should start to change this month as their longer winter fur comes in.

–One of the pups wanders along a ridge just outside our deer fence

Always glad to see an opossum on the trail cameras. I think the Coyotes may be having an impact on the ‘possum population as I am not seeing quite as many as in the past. This one is preparing a den by carrying leaves (and perhaps an unintentional stick) with its tail. This camera is near the large Tulip Poplar that houses some Raccoons and Gray Squirrels, so this Virginia Opossum may be moving into that productive wildlife condo.

–A Virginia Opossum carries leaves (and a stick) with its tail and heads to a new den site. It pauses to add some more leaves (by scooping them underneath and into the tail) at the end of the clip.

Our intermittent stream has been flowing more this month with all the heavy rains. I shared a clip last time of a deer playing in a pool and it seems the local Raccoons also enjoy a playful dip.

–Raccoons enjoying the pool formed by recent heavy rains. They played here for about 20 minutes non-stop on each of two nights

It looks like a stretch of nice weather is finally headed our way over the next week or so. Looking forward to seeing what the cameras catch next time.