Naturalist View April 2010

A New Visitor to SaddleBrooke

For the first time in the ten years, I have seen the Coatimundi in SaddleBrooke although I had seen them in Catalina State Park on several occasions. Several people had sent me photos of one or more of them on their roof tops or in their yards. One had been in a resident’s yard and they were concerned about their dogs. I told them that it would probably leave on its own, but the next day it was still there. I then determined that it had injured its leg and was unable to climb the wall and was also severely undernourished. It is now part of our nature program and is doing very well. He may be seen at Catalina State Park on Saturdays and will be at our fourth annual “Saddlebrooke Wildlife Exhibit” on Saturday April 3rd in the patio behind HOA#1 Gift Shop from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

White-nosed Coati :Order Carnivora: Family Procyonidae: Nasua narica

Coati on roof

Physical Description:

  • Height 8 to 12 inches tall

  • Body length 13 to 27 inches

  • Weight 7 to 15 lb...

  • Color variable from cinnamon to black with a distinctive mask defined by white marks above, below

    and behind the eyes.

  • Tail is quite long, 13 to 27 inches, striped, and carried vertically.

  • Ears are small and rounded, mostly hidden in the fur. Feet are generally like those of a raccoon, with
    powerful long front claws.

General information:

Coatis are active day and night. They spend their nights in trees, with several animals sharing a perch. While the male prefers to travel alone (and may be referred to as the coati mundi, or solitary coati), the females and their young tend to travel in bands of 4 to 50 individuals. New-born coatis are altricial, or very immature at birth. The coati is a social animal, so it is very vocal with a lot of snorts, grunts, screams, whines and chatters. Most of the day is spent foraging; but during the hottest part of the day, they tend to nap in trees. Coatis swim well and are excellent climbers. They use the tail for balancing on branches and for slowing down the descent of the tree.

Injured and undernourished

Special anatomical, physiological or behavioral adaptations:

The stout claws and long snout are used together for food gathering. They have an excellent sense of smell, and we will see them snuffling along the ground. When they smell prey in the ground, they will stop and dig there. They can also push dirt with their snouts. They are very active hunters for small mammals (mice or rats), insects and bird eggs. The canines of the males are quite impressive and are used as warning signals.

Feeding habits:

They are omnivores, preferring small vertebrates, fruits, insects and eggs. They can climb trees with great skill while using their tail for balance. Most often they forage on the ground. They readily adapt to the presence of humans and will raid trash receptacles. They can be domesticated and seem quite intelligent.

Recovered fat and healthy

Behavior:

They are primarily diurnal, retiring during the night to a specific tree and descending at dawn to begin their daily search for food. However, their habits are adjustable.In areas where they are hunted by humans for food or where they raid human settlements for their own food, they become more nocturnal.While adult males are solitary, females and sexually immature males form social groups. They use many vocal signals to communicate with one another and also spend time grooming themselves and each other with their teeth and claws.

Naturalist View March 2010

Naturalist View March 2010…It’s Nesting Time


Spring is here, and the raptors are nesting! We have had Red-tail Hawks, Cooper’s hawks and Great Horned owls nesting here in Saddlebrooke. Our community provides shelter and food for these hunters.

Hawks are carnivores that belong to the category of birds known as raptors -- birds of prey. They have strong, hooked beaks; their feet have three toes pointed forward and one turned back (the Great horned owl reverses one toe when catching prey so that it has two forward and two back for a better hold); and their talons, are long, curved and very sharp. Prey is killed with the long talons and swallowed whole or torn to bite-sized pieces with its sharp beaks and talons.



Until recently some people shot raptors thinking that they were competing with ranchers and farmers for things like chickens. Remember the cartoon characters Henry Hawk and Foghorn Leghorn?

These cartoons were fun but may have perpetuated the notion that hawks were after the farmer’s chickens, when in reality they were more apt to be hunting the mice and rats in the fields. Certainly they are of great benefit to us here at Saddlebrooke. Not only are they fun to watch, but they hunt pack-rats and mice.

I wish to thank all of the residents who have stopped using poison bait to control rodents and have switched to live traps. Hopefully we won’t lose any more wildlife to secondary poisoning. On a sad note, we have recently found two Red-tailed Hawks that were shot! Both were found in Saddlebrooke but were probably shot in the hills near here. If the persons responsible are found, there are severe federal consequences.

Comparisons

Based on general body shape and flight habits, hawks are classified into different groups - the most common being the Accipiters and the Buteos.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk, the Cooper’s Hawk and the Goshawk are Accipiters. They have long tails and short, rounded wings that enable them to dart through and around trees in pursuit of their principal prey, other birds. Typically, they fly low with a series of rapid wing beats followed by a brief period of sailing, then another series of wing beats.

The Buteos are the largest of the hawks. They are the broad-winged, broad-tailed soaring hawks that are more readily seen because of their habit of circling high in the air or perching in trees or on telephone poles along the road. They include the Red-tailed, the Red-shouldered, the Swainson's, the Rough-legged and the Ferruginous hawks.

The Red-tailed hawk is large bird that feeds mainly on rodents. It flies fast and has excellent vision. It can spot prey from hundreds of feet in the air. The Red-tailed is commonly seen in Saddlebrooke.

Description

The Red-tailed is one of the largest hawks, usually weighing between 2 and 4 pounds. As with most raptors, the female is nearly 1/3 larger than the male and may have a wing span of 56 inches. This species shows a great deal of individual variation in plumage.

The adult has a rufous-colored tail that may or may not have a black terminal bar. Adults are dark brown on the back and the top of their wings. The underside of the bird is usually light with a dark belly band, and a cinnamon wash on the neck and chest. Immature hawks resemble the adults, except their tail is brown with dark bars, which molts in during its second year.

The adult Red-tailed Hawk is easily identified. When it leaves its perch on slow, measured wing beats, or turns while soaring overhead, the broad, rounded tail shows a rich, russet red, hence the name. Within its range, its frequent soaring and loud voice are a good pointer.

Curious Facts:

The eyesight of a hawk is 8 times as powerful as a human's.

Like all hawks, the Red-tailed Hawk's talons are its main weapons.

85-90% of the hawks diet consists of small mammals.

The Red-tailed Hawk has hoarse and rasping 2- to 3-second scream that is most commonly heard  while soaring.

When parents leave the nest, the young utter a loud wailing "klee-uk," repeated several times
- this is a food cry.

Behavior

The Red-tailed Hawk is the most widespread and familiar member of the American Buteos (large soaring hawks). They nest in the month of March in tall trees. Like all other Buteos, it does not fly fast but soars at high altitudes using its keen eyesight to spot the slightest movement in the grass below. It is an aggressive bird and vigorously defends its territory, especially during the winter months when hunting is difficult

Habitat

The Red-tailed Hawk is usually found in grasslands or marsh-shrub habitats, but is a very adaptable bird, being equally at home in deserts and forests

Food and Hunting

The Red-tailed Hawk is a most opportunistic hunter. Its diet is varied, but there is conclusive evidence that 85 to 90 % is composed of small rodents and rabbits. Snakes, lizards and birds fill out the menu.

Breeding

Mating and nest building begin in early spring, usually in March and continue through May. This is accompanied by spectacular aerial displays by both males and females. Circling and soaring to great heights, they fold their wings and plummet to treetop level, repeating this display as much as five or six times.

Nests are located from 35 to 75 feet high in the forks of large trees. The male and female participate in the building of the nest, which is a platform constructed of sticks and twigs, lined with greenery. Both males and females assist in nest construction. Nest sites may be used from year to year, since there is strong evidence that hawks mate for life. If the old nest is wind damaged, layers of new nesting material are added each year.

The female usually lays 2 dull-white to bluish-white eggs that are marked with a variety of irregular reddish spots and splotches. Incubation takes 28-32 days and is maintained almost entirely by the female. During this period the male hunts for both of them, bringing food to her in the nest.

When hatched, the young are covered with white down. They grow slowly and require much food, which keeps both parents busy. They remain in the nest for up to 48 days. During the last 10 days or so the young, which now appear as large as the parent birds, practice flapping their wings and balancing in the wind on the edge of the nest, preparing for the days when they will launch themselves into the air.

The hawks average lifespan in the wild ranges from 13 - 20 years.

Naturalist View Feb.2010

When February arrives in Arizona I start thinking about spring and start looking and hoping for a spectacular wild flower season. I remember a few years back when, my wife, Jeanne and I drove to Kitt Peak and looked out across the desert at spectacular gold and blue fields of Mexican gold poppy, lupine and owl clover.

The spring flowering season in Arizona spans from mid February to mid June with a peak from March to late April depending on rainfall and temperatures during the growing season. In the warmest areas of the lower desert it is normally a couple of weeks earlier. The winter annuals can create an incredible display, but do so only rarely. Later-blooming species bloom more dependably, but not in the great masses of color. Winter annuals such as lupines, poppies, and owl clover create carpets of color for which the Sonoran desert is so famous. This event may occur between late February and mid April. Annuals are highly dependent on rainfall. The massive and widespread displays may occur only about once a decade, when the winter rains are both earlier and wetter than normal. A good bloom cannot be reliably predicted more than a week before it begins and lasts at peak beauty for no more than a week or two. The local papers usually report when and where the best displays can be found.

Herbaceous perennials and small shrubs such as penstemon, brittlebush, and fairy duster also require rain to bloom but are less sensitive to its timing. They are somewhat more dependable than the annuals, making a good show in about half of the years and peaking in March. These species usually grow as individuals or in small patches and do not create the large masses of color. Nevertheless they are worth looking for and are photogenic to boot.

Cacti, because they store water, are fairly independent of rain. They bloom well nearly every year though wetter years produce more flowers. The greatest diversity of spring-blooming species can be seen in April. The cactus show continues as the abundant prickly pears bloom in early May, followed by saguaros from mid May to mid June.

Mid February we begin to see nesting activity of the Great horned owls and Red tailed hawks. You may have been hearing the owls calling to their mates around 4-5 am since late December and you have probably noticed pairs of hawks circling the skies in January. Like most raptors they mate for life but split up after the young are raised (so that they are not competing for hunting territory) then they seek each other out for the next mating season. Very romantic!

Naturalist View November 2009

The Ghost in the Clubhouse

Strange things were happening in the HOA#1 Clubhouse. The phone and computer lines were getting disconnected, and the cooks were sure that someone was stealing food at night. They posted signs in the kitchen and in the Roadrunner Grill stating “We know that you are stealing food. When you are caught, you will be prosecuted”. The patrol was put on alert to be watching for anyone around the clubhouse during late-night hours. This all came to my attention when I was called in to identify a calling card (scat) left in the middle of the operations manager’s desk. The scat and some footprints led me to believe that the culprit was Bassariscus astusus, (from bassar (fox), isc (little), and astut (cunning)). Of course it wasn’t a cunning little fox but it was a clever little mammal called a Ring-tailed cat. Not really a cat, but as with raccoons and coati mundis, ringtails are members of the Procyonidae (raccoon) family. They were called miner’s cats by early prospectors who found them easy to tame and useful rodent control in their mines and dwellings. Catlike in build, the ringtail is nocturnal, and hunts small rodents and insects. It also eats plant matter. It builds a den among rocks, in tree hollows, in houses or, in this case, the clubhouse, where it found a convenient source of food and water and lived in the crawl space between the dining room and the pro shop downstairs. The Ringtail is also the official Arizona State Mammal.

As I was going to be gone for several weeks, I left a live trap with the kitchen staff and told them as soon as they caught the ringtail they should call one of my volunteers who would then release it in a safe area away from the clubhouse. Four weeks later when I returned, I found that the ringtail had not been captured. When I questioned the kitchen staff I discovered that they had set the trap each evening with a piece of bacon and each morning the bacon was gone and the trap was sprung and empty. The problem was that they had not set the trap properly so each night the ringtail had a nice bacon dinner, and after the trap was sprung it simply pushed the door open and walked out. I reset the trap that night and the next morning we had the clubhouse ghost, which we named Rosie.

The Ghost

So, if you have if you have strange noises in your attic, it may be a ringtail, or a ghost. Give me a call.

Naturalist View July '09

I had several calls in the last two weeks regarding an unidentified animal in and about Saddlebrooke. Some thought that it might be a skunk or raccoon and described it as an animal with a white nose . This brought to mind several possibilities. Beside skunks and raccoons there are ring-tailed cats and coati’s.

As I sat at my computer last week the phone rang and a woman said she had taken a picture of this strange animal and said she would send me a picture. No sooner had she hung up when the phone rang and her neighbor called to say he had what he thought might be a raccoon in his yard. I grabbed my camera and headed for his house and discovered the culprit. A Badger!

A lot of people did not think that badgers lived in Arizona. No it was not a Snow- Bird from Wisconsin and I had come across one on the Rail X Ranch a couple of years ago but this is the first one I have seen in Saddlebrooke. I took several pictures then Dan Chase and I rounded up the youngster fed him and released him in the desert the next morning.

Naturalist View January 2010

Nature Stinks.....Sometimes!

In everyday speech, the sense of smell is commonly used as a catch-all category meant to represent a perception in general. For example the phrases, “I smell a rat,” or, “Something smells fishy” Each of these statements is rarely taken literally. You are unlikely to actually detect the presence of a small rodent through your sense of smell. However, in nature you might literally say “I smell a Javalina, “or “I smell a skunk”.

Mammals have three distinct types of glands which transmit substances to the surface of their body - sweat glands, mammary glands and scent glands. Smells are vitally important to most mammals. Even humans, with our much reduced olfactory senses, are affected by smells, hence the success of the perfume industry and of aromatherapy.

In other mammals, scent is an integral part of everyday communication with the rest of the world. Through smell, animals can tell what other species of animals share their world; and within a species, specially deposited scents pass on information concerning an individual's sex, social status, breeding condition and state of health. Scent glands then are very important and occur in a variety of places around the mammal’s body. Many mammals have more than one set of scent glands. A survey reveals that male deer have scent glands on their lower legs, elephants have them behind their eyes, canines on their feet, antelopes on their cheeks and numerous species have them associated with their genital area which allows them to mix small amounts of volatile but concentrated compounds with their feces and or urine.

Like mammary glands, scent glands are probably modified sweat glands. Some animals use scent to mark out their territories either by depositing feces or urine at marker points or by rubbing their scent glands on prominent parts of the environment - branches, rocks, etc. Other mammals use scents to communicate simply by releasing them into the air; this normally applies to social scents indicating status and sexual state. Finally, some animals, such as the skunks, use their scent glands, or the substances produced in them, as a means of defense.

Four species of skunks are found in Arizona. All of them have scent glands which secrete a secretion of musk that gives them their malodorous reputation. Their defensive reaction and warning white on black color patterns are usually enough to deter all but the most determined predator. These nocturnal foragers are rarely seen by Saddlebrooke residents, while their nightly activities leave many clues behind, such as, finding potted plants and gardens dug up at night often with no evidence that the plants were eaten. This is usually the activity of skunks that are rooting for grubs and earthworms. Skunks are omnivores but really seem to prefer a snack of mice, bird eggs and insects. The striped skunk is the most common road kill on the highways. Their natural defense is the ability to rather accurately spray their musk in the face of any threat; however they have not realized that this does not stop a 16-wheeler or even a Smartcar. Natural selection takes time.

The most common of the species by far is the cat-sized striped skunk that occurs throughout North America. This species always displays a thin white stripe on its face, even though the striping pattern may vary between individuals and populations. The usual markings, however, are two lateral stripes that form a chevron, merging toward the back of the head. These skunks are active throughout the year and do not hibernate even in northern Arizona.

The closely related hooded skunk is generally confined to southeastern Arizona, and is commonly found in our area. Somewhat leaner than the striped skunk, hooded skunks weigh from 1¾ to 2 ½ pounds and have a 12 to 16 inch long body. The white stripes on this animal are often solidly joined to form one large white streak down the center of the back. The hooded skunk also differs from the striped skunk in that its foot-long tail is longer than its body. Both animals have the thin white stripe on the face.

The western spotted skunk is also known as the civet. The average length of this small skunk, including the tail, is only about 15 inches. This skunk is also faster and more agile than its larger cousins and is able to hunt rats and mice. It occasionally takes up residence in a garage or attic. The spotted skunk's overall color is black with a white triangular patch on the forehead and a white spot under each ear. Five or six broken white stripes run down the neck, back, and sides, giving the impression of blotches or spots, which gives the animal its name. I have removed and relocated several spotted skunks from homes in Saddlebrooke.

The large, 2 ½ to 6-pound hog-nosed skunk is also easily identified by its entirely white back and tail and lack of any stripe on the forehead. Moreover, the elongated and slightly up-turned snout is largely naked, and the long claws on the feet are almost bear-like in appearance. This species occurs primarily in southeastern Arizona.

All of the skunks are more or less omnivores, feeding on grasshoppers and other insects, grubs, worms, mice, lizards, bulbs, carrion, and garbage. Some even take to raiding bird nests, taking not only the eggs, but birds as well. Even the hog-nosed skunk, which digs for most of its food, will eat fruits and carrion on occasion.

The striped, hooded, and hog-nosed skunks all mate in late winter and early spring, and produce from two to four young in April or May. The spotted skunk breeds in late September and early October, but the fertilized egg remains in a state of arrested development until March or April when implantation occurs - the two-to-four young being born about a month later. The young of all the skunk species are raised and on their own by early fall.

Striped Skunk

Richard Beaty, a class member whose dog had a run-in with a skunk last Christmas, wrote this poem.

**Dusty's Most Memorable Christmas**

Twas the night of Christmas and Dusty had to pee,

so she went outside and what did she see?

But a bushy white critter quite unconcerned,

with a secret weapon that Dusty soon learned.

She bounded over ready to play,

but the ungrateful creature ruined her day.

She got it full in the face I think,

and we spent the next hour getting rid of the stink.

Now Dusty is schooled in a Naturalist View,

a hog-nosed skunk gave her a lesson or two.

While I in my shorts climbed into the tub,

and bent over Dusty and proceeded to scrub.

The intruder waddled off with an unconcerned pose,

while I pinched my fingers to close off my nose.

I heard him exclaim as he ambled out of sight,

I think you’ll remember this Christmas night.

-- Richard Beaty, Naturalist View Class Member

Hognose Skunk

Hooded Skunk

Spotted Skunk

NATURALIST VIEW – December 2009

A sad story
Several weeks ago some Saddlebrooke residents lost their much loved dog to a predator. Even though they were in the yard with the dog and had the patio lights on a dark shadow leaped over the wall and made off with their pet. It rained that night and by the next day I could find no sign of tracks. Most likely it was a coyote or bobcat which had become accustomed to the neighborhood and was waiting for an opportunity for an easy meal.

Be good neighbors to your wildlife
Many people enjoy feeding wildlife. . While feeding the animals can be fun for humans, it is usually detrimental for the animals, and will harm them more than it helps them. The following information will explain this more thoroughly:
Keep in mind that we have chosen to live in a wildlife habitat, which displaces some animals, while also providing attractive habitats for others. We as humans have created this potential problem.

DO NOT feed wildlife! Keep wildlife healthy and wild!

Some tips:
• Do not intentionally feed wildlife; animals quickly associate food with humans.
• Feed pets indoors or remove leftover food immediately.
• Store all garbage securely. Do not discard edible garbage where javelina, skunks, coyotes and other wild animals can get to it.
• Keep bird seed and water off the ground and out of reach of wild animals. A platform can be attached to the bottom of most feeders to catch spilled seed. Or better yet, plant native vegetation that will provide seeds native wildlife can utilize.
• Fencing your garden may be necessary to keep out animals such as javelina and rabbits. Remember, prey species such as rabbits and javelina can attract predators such as mountain lions, coyotes and bobcats.

Other points to consider:
1. when wild animals begin to depend on humans for food, their foraging skills may be diminished. When young wild animals are taught to depend on humans for food, they may become less experienced at foraging and consequently less likely to survive.
2. Wild animals that are used to being fed by humans commonly lose their fear of people. Animals that are unafraid of people will approach them for food, and are sometimes mistaken as rabid and killed. An instinctive wariness of people is important to a wild animal's survival.
3. The food fed to animals by humans is inadequate nutritionally and can cause serious health problems for the animals. Most humans will feed wildlife food that they have in their homes which bears no resemblance to what the animals eat in the wild.
4. Animals are opportunistic and will go for the most convenient food source available. When food is readily available, animals will gather in abnormally large numbers. This means that if one animal in the group has an illness or disease, it can spread throughout the group.
5. Reproduction rates may also be affected when an artificial food source is readily available. In the wild, the number of animals being born is often directly related to the amount of natural food available. This is nature's way of keeping a balance and making sure there are not too many animals in one area.
6. Feeding migratory animals such as hummingbirds can interfere with the animal's awareness of seasonal changes in natural food supplies which tell the animal that it is time to migrate.

There are other ways to enjoy wildlife without harming them. Planting native plants which are a natural food source will provide this opportunity. So please, help wildlife by enjoying them from a distance - their lives depend on it.

Feeding wild birds
Even keeping a bird feeder has its difficulties. Although songbirds do not lose their instinctual fear of humans and the seeds provided are nutritionally beneficial, they are susceptible to diseases caused by dirty bird feeders. Feeders should be kept clean and disinfected with a mild bleach solution. The ground underneath the feeder should be raked to remove moldy grain and bird droppings because both can harbor disease and attract rats and mice as well as Javelina.
I have seen Cooper’s hawks lurking near bird feeders. The predatory bird realizes the feeder is drawing in smaller birds and provides a gathering point. The hawk conserves energy by simply waiting and watching until an opportune moment, and then it imposes a death sentence on any unsuspecting birds. A few years back I had a Bobcat that hung out under a bush near the bird feeder and lunched on doves that were unaware of her presence. As much as I enjoyed watching the bobcat, I moved the feeder to a safer location.