Found these mountain lion tracks on Rocky Peak Road while doing the Chumash – Las Llajas loop this morning. The pattern of the tracks suggest the animal was walking.
Based on how soft the ground was at the time the tracks were made I’m going to guess they were probably put down sometime after 1:00 AM Friday morning, while the ground was still saturated from rainfall. This would make them about two days old.
Some related posts: It’s Raining Mountain Lion Tracks!, A Bear on Rocky Peak Road?
Coyotes are curious creatures. You can be nearly certain if one crosses your path, it will continue for a short distance, stop, turn, and watch you.
Recently I had another interesting coyote encounter. I was running along East Las Virgenes Canyon fire road in growing darkness, hoping to make it back to the Victory trailhead before it was completely dark.
I don’t know if I heard something, but for some reason I stopped running and listened. There was a small gully full of brush to my right that intersected the dirt road. In a moment or two I heard a growing rustling coming up the gully. I was transfixed. It sounded as if some huge animal was coming toward me.
The rustling grew louder and louder and the brush began to shake, showing the progress of the creature. It all happened before I had time to react, and even if I could have reacted I don’t know what I would have done!
All of a sudden one coyote and then another exploded from the brush. The first crossed direcly in from of me in a full gallop and the second took flight, making an impossible flying bound across the road and up the roadcut on the opposite side.
As quickly as they had appeared, they were gone, and the canyon was quiet again.
Some related posts: Coyote Tag, Coyote Tag II
Usually found around marshes, ponds, lakes and reservoirs — often in large flocks — this solitary coot was in a conifer forest at 7300′ on Twin Peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles.
It was only a few feet in front of me when it flushed. Far too large to be a quail, at first I assumed it was a grouse, and was surprised it allowed me to approach so close.
Its wings beating furiously the bird managed to scurry downhill a few yards — perhaps briefly becoming airborne — and stop. Preening this feather and that, the bird seemed annoyed to have made such an effort, and more concerned about its feathers than me.
Its wing beats were symmetric and strong and the bird appeared to be healthy, but it was my impression its primaries were not fully formed. American coots (Fulica americana) molt in late summer and it takes about a month for them to return to flight. Maybe this bird was nearing the end of a molt and not quite ready to fly.
But why should the coot be so far from water? I think the closest lake to Twin Peaks is Cogswell Reservoir — about 5000′ lower in elevation and 5.5 miles away.
From last Sunday’s trail run to Twin Peaks.
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/04/12 1745 MDT
Here’s an interactive Cesium browser View of the most recently available Williams Fire MODIS fire detections and perimeter, and perimeters for the Curve (2002), Williams (2002) and Morris (2009) fires. This is a 3D view that can be zoomed and tilted. Fire detection overlay may take a few moments to load. Placemark locations are approximate. Requires Google Earth plugin.
Snapshots:
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/07/12 0800 MDT.
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/06/12 0800 MDT.
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/05/12 1615 MDT.
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/05/12 0900 MDT.
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/04/12 1745 MDT.
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/04/12 0815 MDT.
Williams Fire MODIS fire detections as of 09/03/12 1600 MDT.
MODIS Google Earth fire data is from the USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center Active Fire Mapping Program website. The 2002 Curve and 2002 Williams perimeters are from the CDF/FRAP website, and the 2012 Williams and 2009 Morris fire perimeters are from the GEOMAC website.
A comfortably camouflaged coyote watches me run past.
From a run in mid June on Lasky Mesa in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch).
These young-appearing bigcone Douglas-firs along the Valley Forge Trail are probably older than they look. According to the Forest Service Silvics Manual, Volume 1: Conifers, saplings may be only 2 ft. tall when 40-50 years old and as old as 70 years when they break through the oak overstory.
The bigcone Douglas-fir is a very resilient tree that is remarkably fire tolerant. It can lose virtually all of it foliage to a fire, appear to be beyond the point of recovery, yet survive and regenerate its foliage. Fire-scarred bigcone Douglas-firs have been used to analyze fire history and regimes.
The photograph on the left is of a bigcone Douglas-fir along the Valley Forge Trail that was burned in the 2009 Station Fire. Here is a closer view of the same tree showing how new foliage sprouts from buds along its limbs and trunk.
The Valley Forge Trail is in the canyon of the West Fork San Gabriel River in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. It connects the Gabrielino Trail to Eaton Saddle on Mt. Wilson Road. The trailhead for Mt. Lowe Truck Trail is at Eaton Saddle.
The photographs are from a trail run in May 2012.
Related post: Red Box – Bear Canyon Loop