January 2021 Observations and Field Notes

Lion tracks, porcupine death, wolf lichen, fallen trees, juniper berries, cattails

We investigated and found several sets of mountain lion tracks.

I noticed some porcupine chews at the base of this chokecherry.

The chewed bark may have been this porcupine

A dead magpie lay next to the lion kill.

The lion triggered a nearby camera at 9:40 am the next morning.

A warm wind blew cattail seeds up Whaley Draw.

Wolf lichen adorned bare ponderosa branches near Baldy Summit.

Nearby, ponderosa pines absorbed parts of this old barbed wire fence.

Heavy clouds settled on the valley floor and sat there all day.

A gust of wind claimed the lone pine near the ranch’s entrance.

The windstorm also took the bald eagle nest tree in the Clubhouse Floodplain.

Last year, beavers found the protected trees and walked right through the fence. Lesson learned.

Beavers continue to be active along the riverfront.

Juniper berries decorate drab branches.