David Moskowitz Photography: Pacific Northwest Wildlife, Tracks, Landscapes, and People

Wolf Tracking In Wisconsin

2012-02-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

Just home from a week and a half of adventuring in northern Wisconsin where I participated in a collaboration between Teaching Drum Outdoor School and Wilderness Awareness School on Wisconsin Wolf Tracking Expedition, joined by former Wilderness Awareness School Instructor and founder of the Earth Native Wilderness School, David Scott. Teaching Drum hosted the program which was held very close to the School's home base near the town of Three Lakes, Wisconsin.

Despite unseasonably warm conditions on several of the days and a lack of fresh snow for the first half of the class, snow conditions allowed us to peice together some amazing stories about the wolves of the region and the other wildlife that share the North Woods with them.

Front track of an adult Wisconsin wolf.

My coinstructor, and founder of the Earth Native Wilderness School, David Scott, inspects the recent scent marking activity of a wolf under a large hemlock tree just off of a forest service road in the Nicolet National Forest.


David Scott and Teaching Drum staff member Chris Bean discuss the home range of the Giant Pine Pack which the class spent several days tracking.

Prior to the start of the program, Teaching Drum founder Tamarack Song took David Scott and I out to visit the folks participating in the rigorous 11 month long Wilderness Guides Program.

The participants in the Wilderness Guides Program invited us into their sleeping shelter, where they are weathering the snow and subzero temperatures of northern Wisconsin in relative comfort.

The outside of their winter quarters.

Tamarack Song looks on as one of the Guides in training works an elk hide on the frozen lake by their winter camp.

Tracks of a fisher bounding into the forest. Fisher sign was relatively common in many of the locations I visited while in the area.

Participants in the Wolf Tracking Expedition inspect the scat left behind by a large fisher.

Front track of a wolf found on the program.

Conservation Biologist and wolf researcher Ron Schultz shared tracking tips and stories from his years of field work capturing and colloring wolves in the area.

Teaching Drum staff member Leah Moss inspects a set of fisher tracks.

Tracker Randell Westfall inspects the cavity created by an excavated cache of deer meat made by a wolf.

Wilderness Awareness School meets Teaching Drum in the North Woods.

A Winter Day in Eastern Okanogan County

2012-01-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

Went exploring in eastern Okanogan County a couple of days ago. A beautiful landscape and one hard to reconcile with Washington's tag line-"the Evergreen State".

Arid valley south of the town of Conconully.

Abandoned building close to the former town of Nighthawk on the Similkameen River.

Conconully Cemetery

Tattered flag flying in the Conconully Cemetery

Blue Lake, Sinlahekin Wildlife Area.

Sinlahekin Valley, Sinlahekin Wildlife Area.

Valley north of the town of Loomis, Washington.

Palmer Lake

Similkameen River and Chopaka Mountains.

Similkameen River.

Entertainment in the Similkameen River Valley.

Abandoned mine rigging and tailings pile close to the former town of Nighthawk, Washington.

Conservation Northwest Ocotober Newsletter

2011-10-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

The October edition of the Conservation Northwest newsletter is available online and features a number of images from my wolf project along with excellent articles on related topics! Downloaded it at: http://www.conservationnw.org/library/newsletter/newsletter-pdfs/Fall2011-CNWQuarterly.pdf

View all of Conservation Northwest's Newsletters at: http://www.conservationnw.org/library/newsletter. The September edition also features a number of my images and excellent related articles.

16-20: The aroma of rotting salmon

2011-09-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Spent 4 of the last 5 nights out in the field, attaining a sense of oneness with the river, the tides, the migrating salmon, the moss and lichen cloaked trees of the rainforest, the bloodthirsty blackflies, and the ever present aroma of rotting fish carcasses--the good life. Several interesting encounters with wolves which I'm sure will make it into the book.

Flying south tomorrow and home the day after. Now that all the field work is completed, I reckon I'll be chained to my computer for the next month and half writing. Don't think I'll be posting daily updates.


A black bear carries its prize back to shore for a late afternoon meal.

15: Getting teased like a raven swooping on a wolf

2011-09-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

Heavy fog slowed our arrival at field sight. We likely scared them out of the stream when we showed up. Found a ton of headless salmon and a couple laying the grass still flopping. Got a few images of one animal. Heading back out this evening to camp for a few nights in an attempt to be out there at first light without disturbing them! Wish me luck! May be a few days before my next post.

The remains of a very recent meal of some rainforest wolves on the British Columbia coast.

A raven taunts a wolf in morning fog.

Day 14: They come in the night

2011-09-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we were right to be hopeful. The wolves came. And the wolves caught and ate salmon. Right in the stream in front of the blind were we were set up to photograph. During the night between when we left at sundown and before we arrived at first light. We did watch one wolf skirt the edge of the meadow we are set up on later in the morning but didn't take any photographs.

When we left the pink salmon were literally streaming into the mouth of the creek on the rising tide so we will see what tomorrow holds!

12/13: Go for the eyes

2011-09-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Rain, wind and looming deadline for three chapters of writing kept me in yesterday. Today Doug and I spent most of the day in the location we photographed the pups a week ago. Tons of pinks in the river and we heard howling just as we were packing up to leave at dark. Optimistic about tomorrow!

Find out more about my project on Wolves in the Pacific Northwest!

A raven pecks out the eye of a recently expired pink salmon in a shallow stream on the British Columbia coast.

Two men dwarfed by the rainforest they are about to enter. They were out counting fish carcasses along the stream to determine the number of salmon returned thus far for the Heiltsuk Nation's Fisheries Program.

11: A not so great bear

2011-09-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

A long day sitting along a river here in the Great Bear rainforest trying to stay dry and not get eaten alive by bugs. The only large mammal out and about today besides us was this yearling black bear which poked around in the river briefly before nearly walking into my blind before I said hello and it ran off into the forest.

On the way back in the evening we passed an absolutely massive barge carrying a huge amount of timber heading. Hard to tell from this image but the barge is multiple stories tall. Bet the bears where those logs came from are having a worse day than the fellow who ran into me this morning.

To find out more about conservation issues related to the Great Bear Rainforest visit Raincoast Conservation Foundation's website at www.raincoast.org

A young black bear makes its way across a coastal stream in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Tug pulling a barge loaded with rainforest trees, dwarfing a fishing vessel to the right.

Day 10: Of fish and bird

2011-09-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Got 18 species on my bird list for the day including two new ones for the life list, a Black Turnstone and a Surf Bird. Lots of salmon in the streams we visited but the wolves have continued to be scarce.

Doug enjoying a cup of coffee during the morning commute to the office.

The Office

The only sign of wolves we found today were a couple of brainless chum salmon.

Chum salmon swimming upstream.

Jumping Coho salmon

Black turnstones

Day 9

2011-09-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

A beautiful morning on the same stream I've been at for the past several days. The only wildlife activity was a tiny shrew that scampered in front of my small blind before disappearing into the tall grass. No salmon in the section of stream I was set up on today. Doug's dad, a commercial fisherman had a slightly better catch today, (about 26,000 pounds of salmon better) so I won't be going hungry tonight.

View from my blind.

Dinner

Day 8: Why I am up here for 21 days

2011-09-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Rain all morning and wind along with a vey high tide kept me out of the field all day. Luckily I was able to explore the small town of Shearwater, home to a lovely fuel dock and a pub that has a pretty good Pale Ale on tap at the moment.

Find out more about my project on Wolves in the Pacific Northwest.

Shearwater Fuel Dock. Featuring gasoline, diesel, and a slot reserved for floatplanes.

And on the 7th day he rested

2011-08-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

Spent the day catching up on sleep and writing. Actually enjoyed not lifting my camera once today. Back at it bright and early tomorrow.

Day 6: Sick of listening to ravens

2011-08-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Spent much of the day back in the same location as yesterday. No wolf activity but the ravens and eagles where quite active further upstream. After three hours of sitting in my makeshift blind I wandered upstream to see what was so interesting and discovered the remains of about a dozen coho that had been killed by wolves the day before (likely around the time we were photographing the pups).

For some more images of the area check out the awesome photos of Douglas Brown at his website: www.douglasjbrown.com

More info on my project at: davidmoskowitz.blogspot.com/2010/03/wolves-of-pacific-northwest.html

One of the many ravens lingering along a salmon bearing stream and feeding on the remains of coho killed the day before by wolves.

Day 5: Puppies!

2011-08-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

Doug and I walked into a area where he has found wolves fishing for salmon in past years to see if there were fish running in the stream yet. Apparently we weren't the only one's curious about it!

Three curious wolf pups in a wet meadow.

Two ravens discussing the morning's events.

Learn more about my project on Wolves in the Pacific Northwest!

Day 4: Quiet day on the water

2011-08-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Calm morning water on an inlet north of Bella Bella

Jumping chum salmon are a common sight in the still waters close to fresh water streams at the moment

Day 3: Salmon are spawning!

2011-08-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

We discovered a stream in an inlet northeast of Bella Bella today in which the chum salmon have started moving into and spawning. Along the banks close to the mouth we also discovered about a half dozen carcasses that had been fed on by wolves and a couple of fresh scats.

Spawned out chum salmon in a small stream in the Great Bear Rainforest.


Chum salmon carcass with the top of the head removed by a wolf and a fresh wolf scat besides it.

Learn more about my project Wolves in the Pacific Northwest.

Great Bear Rainforest Day 1-2

2011-08-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

View from the flight into Bella Bella-a maze of rainforest clad islands
and wandering ocean inlets bounded by the Coast Range to the east

View from the water on my first day out in the field.

Doug Brown, the field station manager for Raincoast Conservation Foundation,
and my guide, spotted this wolf along the shore of a small island northeast of Bella Bella

Sunshine and wolves greeted me on my first day in the field here on the central coast of British Columbia. The salmon are gathering at the mouths of the creeks and rivers here.

Learn more about my current project on Wolves in the Pacific Northwest!

Wolves of the Pacific Northwest

2011-08-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

Contact David at moskowitz_david@hotmail.com to support his project!

WOLVES IN THE LAND OF SALMON

A unique and fascinating story is waiting to be told about one of the world’s most intriguing animals and its place in the diverse and striking landscapes of the Pacific Northwest; from wild coastlines and rainforests to remote mountain ranges and inhospitable deserts.

How do wolves survive in a temperate rainforest and how is this different from their behavior and ecology in the harsh high deserts east of the Cascades and BC Coast Range?
What have been the impacts of over a century of wolf extirpation from Western Washington and Oregon?
What are the prospects and ecological significance of their recovery across Oregon, Washington and Northern California?
What is the cultural significance of this iconic predator for indigenous peoples of the region and for modern western culture in the Northwest?

Answers questions such as these, and inspiring appreciation and conservation of our region’s wildlife and wildlands are at the heart of Wolves of the Pacific Northwest, a book I have a contract to write and photograph (Timber Press, Portland, Oregon). Lyrically written and strikingly photographed, while also academically rigorous and original, this book is designed for a broad audience.

THE FUTURE OF WOLVES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
The wolf is an icon of the wild, and a critical element of many of the ecosystems it inhabits. The story of wolves living in the Pacific Northwest is unique and provides a new lens to explore the ecology of a well known species, one often associated with the wide open tundra or vast grasslands rather than dense old growth forests, wild coastlines, mountainous landscapes, or deserts. As wolves become an increasingly conspicuous element in wildlands of our region and capture headlines in the news, people’s interest and curiosity about this regal symbol of the wild will also grow.
The re-establishment of wolves is now underway in the southern Pacific Northwest, making this project both a timely and time-sensitive one. With state and federal managers actively working on preparing for a rapid increase in the numbers and associated issues of wolves in the region, interest from the general public will only be growing in the near future.

On the wild Central Coast of British Columbia, one the most inaccessible parts of the region, wolves face challenges from increases in industrial resource extraction and declining salmon runs. Vancouver Island, where wolves were once extirpated but naturally re-established themselves has been at the forefront of challenges between wolves and recreation wilderness users, an issue which will also likely be prominent in Washington and Oregon.

NOT JUST A BOOK: A CONSERVATION INITIATIVE
There are few single elements of the natural world more compelling to the human psyche then wolves. Across the globe, and throughout time, wolves have captured the imaginations of humans. Here in the Pacific Northwest, both their recent absence and now reestablishment have brought into sharp focus the interest in this charismatic apex carnivore.
Along with the production of a book, photographs, articles, and presentations from this project will be used to promote awareness and conservation regionally through collaborations with educational and conservation organizations including Conservation Northwest (www.conservationnw.org) Wilderness Awareness School (www.wildernessawareness.org), and Wildlands Network (www.wildlandsnetwork.org) .

CAPTURING THE STORY
Pulling together the multitude of parts of this complex story will involve extensive literature research, interviews with experts in the field and expeditions across the region to places where wolves have maintained healthy populations, areas where reestablishment of populations in now occurring, and locations were wolf extirpation has had significant impacts on the regional ecology.
All of the writings and other media produced for this project will draw on the latest research findings on wolves and my own first hand encounters in the field with wolves and their environment. Field research and photography expeditions will be carried out via kayak, ski, backpacking and boat trips.

YOUR SUPPORT
The support of numerous individuals, along with grant funding I am seeking from foundations, and in kind donations, has helped secure equipment needed for field work and photography, defray travel costs, and help underwrite other research and cost of living expenses as I've started this project. However, with many field trips ahead to complete the main manuscript for this project and plan public outreach events I am still actively seeking funding.

If you are interested in supporting this project please send me an email at moskowitz_david@hotmail.com.

Do mink (Neovison vison) have webbed feet?

2011-07-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

While researching and writing my field guide I encountered various published accounts of the foot structure of mink (Neovison vison). Because of these discrepancies I sought out specimens to examine personally. I examined the feet of 3 recently deceased mink, all from western Washington as well as about a dozen museum skins at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. All of the green specimins I examined showed mesial webbing on both front and hind feet. Some of the museum skins did as well, while others where dried in such a way so as to make analysis of this impossible. None of the green specimins or museum skins were clearly lacking webbing between toes. The amount of webbing is slightly less than in their larger cousins, river otters (Lutra canadensis) but is none the less quite clear. As is typical with the tracks of most web-footed animals, webbing can be detected in footprints in deep substrates but is often not apparent where substrate is firmer.

The photos of actual feet bellow are from a male mink which was killed by a vehicle in the Snoqualmie River Valley, King County, Washington in 2009.

Left front foot.

Left front foot with toes splayed showing mesial webbing between toes.

Hind feet.

Toes splayed on hind foot revealing webbing.

Top view of a hind foot also showing webbing.

All four tracks of a mink in a typical loping pattern for the species. In this deep substrate the webbing between the toes has registered. Tracks from along the Snohomish River, Snohomish County, Washington.

Closer view of two tracks (left hind on top of left front) from the same set of tracks as above.

Tracks a small (likely female) mink from along the Yakima River in Kittatas County, Washington, also in a typical loping pattern. In this firmer substrate the mesial webbing has not registered.

Clayoquot Sound Revisited

2011-06-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

A week of journeying by land and sea has yielded some great results as I continue to collect material for my forthcoming book on Wolves of the Pacific Northwest. I am tremendously grateful to Steve and Susanne Lawson for their invaluable assistance in my fieldwork here in Clayoquot Sound thus far! Stay tuned for more photos and stories to come!

Sea Otter patrolling coastal waters north of Ucluelet.

The return of extensive bull kelp forests along the northern Pacific coast has been associated with rebounding Sea otter populations, a classic example of a trophic cascade. Bull kelp was released from heavy browsing pressure by sea urchins with the return of otters which love to eat urchins.

Rocky coastline close to Wye Point, north of the town of Ucluelet

Guess the beach brings out the playful side of more than just juvenial people. Here two yearling wolves play with washed up seaweed on an island in Clayoquot Sound.

Wolf crossing a lead of water at first light.

We watched this randy male black bear following a smaller female bear earnestly, stopping only to rub vigorous on a large drift wood log, a behavior which increases during the breeding season.

Oystercatchers are one of the most common shorebirds in the Sound this time of year.

Freeloading Chicken Update

2011-03-03T21:47:00.000-08:00

"Dave- I checked the White Pine camera on Sunday the 20th after two weeks, got about 640 shots of a Pine Marten, two grey jays, and a few wind triggers. I replaced the batteries, card, bait and scent. It only took that Marten two days to get all the bait."--Pete Jenkins

American marten poses after dispatching the freeloading chicken.

The Curious Case of the Freeloading Chicken and the Wolverine

2011-02-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

This weekend, following up on several sets of likely wolverine tracks biologist and backcountry skier Pete Jenkins discovered, a small group of intrepid citizen scientists set out to place a remote camera in the vicinity in hopes of capturing a photo of the illusive carnivore. Grey skies and a very thin coat of fresh snow beckoned.

Clouds covered the high peaks of the Chiwakum mountains south of Highway 2 in the Washington Cascades when the group met early Saturday morning. For the project, a few unusual items were called for, not usually included in the field kit of backcountry skiers: a hammer, some chicken wire, a motion sensitive camera, and, much to my chagrin, a frozen chicken and the contents of the scent glands of a beaver (these two items ended up in the bottom of my backpack). More typical of such a ski trip, Samantha Goff insisted on the addition of a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer to each of our packs (see my blog post on climbing around the Eldorado Massive, http://davidmoskowitz.blogspot.com/2009/08/climbing-in-north-cascades.html, for background on Sam and PBR).

We departed bright eyed and bushy tailed as heavy wet snow fell, providing some reprieve from the hard raincrust. A couple of hours later, a gain of 2000' elevation, skinning on an old logging road and then up through uncut mixed conifer forest, had left us quite wet and me feeling a bit upset about the freeloading chicken weighing me down.

Pete identified the location he had determined would be the best spot to set up the camera based on prievious track sightings and how animals general moved across this particular set of drainages descending from a large alpine cirque above. Not a minute too soon. I was totally fed up with my chicken (and had a sneaking suspicion it might be leaking chicken juice into my pack.

Pete Jenkins double checks the remote camera settings.

Backcountry skier extraordinaire, Julie Weis double checks the quality of the chicken, possibly not sure how picky wolverines are about the freshness of their poultry.

Writer Chase Edwards (http://poboxtheeurovan.blogspot.com/) looks on nervously as Pete attaches the bird to the tree.


Pete attaching the chicken, wrapped in chicken wire, securely to the bait tree with remote camera in background.

Chase unwrapping the strong smelling scent lure.

Chase, clearly relishing the opportunity to smear the bait tree with beaver castorum, an irresistible scent for many creatures.

Chase and Sam celebrating a job well done.

Much of the skiing that followed, while punctuated by (brief moments of) fine turns, might otherwise be described much like dancing with a partially frozen chicken across a floor of slide alders, avalanche debris, and thinly covered raincrust. Stay tuned here for photos we get from the camera!

Seattle Times Article

2010-11-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

Seattle Times Article on wildlife tracking in snow, and the Cascade Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project.

Check it out!

Animal trackers read dramas in the snow by Kathryn True. November 17, 2010.

American marten (Martes americana) track in snow.

Bears, for a change of pace

2010-09-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

A few images from a recent trip to the 7 Lakes Basin in Olympic National Park.


Black Bear feeding on huckleberries. East of Heart Lake, Olympic National Park

Black bear, Olympic National Park

Black bear, Olympic National Park.

Darcy Ottey with the Hoh River Valley and Mt. Olympus in the background.


Darcy Ottey watching a bear feed in the meadow beyond her. An Olympic marmot was also watching the bear with much scrutiny. West of Swimming Bear Lake, Olympic National Park.


Western Heather Vole (Phenacomys intermedius). Lunch Lake, Olympic National Park.

Stream in the Sol Duc River Valley, Olympic National Park.

Black bear, feeding on huckleberries. Olympic National Park.

Clayoquot Sound, B.C.

2010-07-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Wolf tracks along west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Bald eagle above a foggy forest.

Carcass of juvenile humpback whale on beach of island in Clayoquot Sound

Racoon foraging for sand flees on beach of island in Sound

Black-tailed deer feeding on seaweed on island in Clayoquot Sound.

River otter scent marking on seaweed as tide goes out.

Black bear foraging for invertebrates in the intertidal zone by rolling rocks.

Large Sitka spruce in ancient forest on island in the Sound.

A gray wolf trots along the beach early in the morning with ravens in the background.
West Coast, Vancouver Island

Tofino Inlet, Clayoquot Sound.

Harbor seals lounging at low tide.

Despite decades of conservation efforts, Clayoquot Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, faces numerous severe threats to its ecological integrity including clear cut logging of roadless old growth forests, industrial Atlantic salmon fish farms, and proposed open-pit copper mining. Learn more about the region and how you can support conservation in the region at the following websites:

Friends of Clayoquot Sound

Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve

First Nations Environmental Network

Atlantic salmon fish farm in Clayoquot Sound with uncut forest in background. Several rivers with no clearcuts or roads in them are seeing massive declines in salmon numbers due to sea lice and other issues associated with fish farming in the Sound. The smell is overwhelming, far worse than a dairy farm and totally shocking in such a wild setting.

Active clearcut logging in Clayquot Sound. Top of the photo is uncut oldgrowth. Bottom is regrowth from a previous clearcut.

Growth rings: over 200. Destination: ?

Huge western red ceder stump set amidst second growth forest of planted Douglas firs. Note that the original nurse log that the ceder tree started growing on in still under the stump, attesting to the volume of biomass in the previous ancient forest and the literally centuries it took to create the structural diversity so important to many Old growth obligate species.

WILDLIFE

2010-07-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

Western heather vole (Phenacomys intermedius).

Olympic National Park, Washington.

Winter Wren with insects in its mouth bound for hungry young.
Western Washington.

Black bear.
Olympic National Park, Washington

American Pika

feeding on just sprouting larch needles

Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, North Cascades, Washington

Male Blue grouse

North Cascades, Washington

Townsend's vole

feeding on grass

Snoqualmie Valley, Washington

Black-tailed Deer Buck
Klamath Mountains
Northwestern California

Western Grey Squirrel
feeding on acorns in an oak tree
Klamath Mountains
Southwestern Oregon

Western Jumping Mouse
Selkirk Mountains, southeastern British Columbia

Grizzly Bear on Elk carcass
North Fork Flathead River, northwestern Montan

Bull Moose
Northeast Washington

Mountain goats in mist
Goat Rocks Wilderness
Washington Cascades

Bighorn Sheep Ram
Clemens Mountain
East slope Washington Cascades

Great Egret
Bolinas Lagoon
Northern California

Northwest People

2010-06-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

Outward Bound Instructor Jacob Anderson climbing the Horsefly couloire on Reynolds Peak

Sawtooth Range, North Cascades, Washingtion.

Naturalist Marcus Reynerson inspects a black bear den discovered by David Scott who looks on along with Gabe Spence and Brian McConnell. Western Washington.

Climbing guide Forest McBrian shows off some stylin' moves.

Bellingham, Washington.

A taste of winter for Emily Gibson.

Washington Cascades.

Casey McFarland prepares goose feathers for photographing for his forthcoming text on Bird Feathers of North America (co-author David Scott).
Redmond, Washington.

Naturalist Emily Gibson inspects a marsh wren nest she discovered
Potholes, WA

Darcy Ottey on a sunny fall day in the Cascades

Rosa Levin taking a photograph,
North Cascades, Washington

Mountaineer Steve Smith applies sunscreen on a bright day.
Ragged Ridge, North Cascades Washington.

Forest McBrian reflects on life and love.
Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, Puget Sound Washington.

Bling Bling takes a well earned rest bellow High pass.

Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington.

Drawing badger tracks from a plaster cast.
Vashon Island, Washington.

Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest

2010-02-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

WILDLIFE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Tracking and Identifying Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates

written, photographed, and illustrated by

DAVID MOSKOWITZ

A TIMBER PRESSS FIELD GUIDE

SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE ON APRIL 28, 2010

Now available. Purchase your copy through www.davidmoskowitz.net and support the author and the educational mission of Wilderness Awareness School!

Wild animals fascinate, yet are rarely seen. It is possible, though — if you know what to look for and where, and if you understand what you see — to increase your chances of wildlife sightings, whether you are far from civilization or right in your own backyard.

Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest includes illustrated descriptions for more than 180 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates most common in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, northern California, Idaho, and western Montana. With more than 460 photographs, hundreds of scale drawings, and more than 90 distribution maps, it belongs in every pack and is a must-have for nature lovers of all ages and skill levels.

David Moskowitz, a professional wildlife tracker, photographer, and outdoor educator, has been studying wildlife and tracking in the Pacific Northwest since 1995. He has contributed his technical expertise to a wide variety of wildlife studies regionally and in the Canadian and U.S. Rocky mountains, focusing on using tracking and other non-invasive methods to study wildlife ecology and promote conservation. David has worked on projects studying rare forest carnivores, wolves, elk, Caspian terns, desert plant ecology, and trophic cascades. He helped establish the Cascade Citizens Wildlife Monitoring Project, a citizen science effort to search for and monitor rare and sensitive wildlife in the Cascades and other Northwest wildlands.

David’s extensive experience as an outdoor educator includes training mountaineering instructors for Outward Bound, leading wilderness expeditions throughout the western United States and in Alaska, teaching natural history seminars, and as the lead instructor for wildlife tracking programs at Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, Washington. David holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and outdoor education from Prescott College. View his photography and find out about classes at www.davidmoskowitz.net.

Paperback Flexibind
Pages: 364 pp.

Images: 464 color photos, 213 line drawings and 93 maps

Tracks In Snow, Winter 2009-2010

2010-01-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

American marten (Martes americana)

left hind track

North Cascades, Washington

Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

hind track

Northern Rockies, Montana

Mountain lion (Puma concolor)

left front track

Northern Rockies, Montana

Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

left front below left hind tracks

Northern Rockies, Montana

Moose (Alces alces)

hind track

Northern Rockies, Montana

PACIFIC NORTHWEST LANDSCAPES

2010-01-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

Ponderosa pine and hoar frost.

East slope Cascades, Washington

Kintla Lake.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Mount Shuksan and the north fork of the Nooksack river.

North Cascades, WA.

Hoar frost on snags.
North Cascades, WA.

Sunrise over Mout Redoubt.
North Cascades, Washington

Mountain stream west of Whatcom Pass.
North Cascades, Washington.

Rogers Lake and Tiffany Peak, site of the Tripod Fire.
Okanogan Highlands, north-central Washington.

Beargrass, Cornice peak
Selkirk mountains, southeastern British Columbia

Sunrise in the Selkirk mountains
northeastern Washington

Kendell Peak ridgeline,
Snoqualmie Pass, Washington Cascades

Southeastern Oregon

Balsamroot in the Tieton River Canyon
East slope Washington Cascades

Mount Baker and Mount Fury at Sunrise

North Cascades

Northern California Coast

Pickets Traverse

2009-09-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

Forest McBrian climbing into a col on the south side of Mount Fury.

Whatcom Peak, the northern start of the Pickets range

Challanger Glacier, the largest glacier in this part of the North Cascades

Forest McBrian hiking out of Luna Cirque with the massive north face of Mount Fury rising on the left and Luna lake below.

Southern Pickets from the north. Left to right: East McMillian Spire, West McMillian Spire, Inspiration Peak, Mount Dagenhart, Mount Terror

Forest McBrian traversing south along the ridge leading to Picket Pass, what Fred Beckey might refer to as "pleasant hiking".

Forest on the Mustard glacier, part of our travel route over the southern Pickets.

Forest making the transition from the icy glacier to the steep wet rock which lead to the col between the Ottohorn and Himelhorn peaks and our route out of the Pickets. This section of the route was the most technically challenging piece of the entire traverse in the conditions we encountered it.

Last views to the north before we dropped down and south out of probably the most wild and remote section of the North Cascades. Mount Fury and Luna Peak in the distance.

One last major obstacle descending south off of our last col, a steep gully (an eroded volcanic dike of which there were a number in the range which presented difficulties along the traverse) filled with large quantities of loose rocks. The light at the end of the chasm couldn't come soon enough.

Luna Peak at sunrise from the south

Climbing in the North Cascades

2009-08-11T21:43:00.001-07:00

Samantha Goff and Matt Chalmers, filled with anticipation at the start of our trip into the Eldorado Peak high camp.

Samantha and Matt on the Inspiration Glacier on the approach to the West Arete of Eldorado Peak.

Samantha smiling at our first view of the route from the Dorado Needle Col which separates the McAlester Glacier from the Marble Creek Cirque. The climbing route is esentially the right skyline.

Samantha at a belay ledge soon after getting on the arete, just above the layer of clouds which filled the Marble Creek drainage.

Happy faces after enduring an unplanned bivouac high on the west face.

Samantha looking up towards the summit as Matt leads the final pitch of the route. Dorado Needle and Early Morning Spire in the background.

Looking south from the summit across a sea of clouds with only the highest peaks of the North Cascades jutting up like islands.

Johanesberg Mountain in the foreground.

The south ridge of Eldorado Peak and the Eldorado Glacier.

Inspecting the descent off of the snow arete on the south ridge of Eldorado.

Forbidden Peak, the Forbidden Glacier and Moraine Lake with part of the Inspiration Glacier in the foreground, taken from our camp at the base of Eldorado's east ridge.

Samantha leading out across the McAlester glacier towards Dorado Needle.

Samantha navigating the north ridge of Dorado Needle.

Myself at a belay ledge on Dorado Needle.

The massive west face of Eldorado Peak briefly poked out of the clouds while we were on Dorado Needle.

Samantha leading out on the final pitch on Dorado Needle.

Matt nearing the summit.

Matt navigating the final piece of the ridge, a knife edge section which he is climbing "au cheval".

Samantha belaying from just below the summit.

Soaking wet from a long descent in pouring rain, Samantha completes a successful trip with the safe retrieval of several cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer from the Cascade River.

Wolf Tracking in the Salmon River Mountains, Idaho

2009-08-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

The landscape, typical of the mountains of central Idaho shows conifer forests, dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in various stages of regeneration after naturally occuring fires. Interspersed are large wet and dry meadow systems.

Don Taves inspects the trail of a wolf trotting down a dirt road.

The right front foot of a large wolf. The toes have splayed widely and the claws of each digit have dug in deeply, including in the reduced inside toe due to the fast speed of this animal. The bounding trail of this wolf was adjacent to the trail of two fleeing mule deer indicating a pursuit (apparently unsuccessful for the wolf).

A pine marten (Martes americana) peers down from a safe perch.

Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) in flight. Cranes breed and rear young in the vast wet meadow systems of central Idaho.

Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) at a burrow.

Rocky mountain elk (Cervus elaphus)

Students in Wilderness Awareness School's Idaho Wolf Tracking Expedition hiking out across Corduroy meadows at the southern end of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness towards the end of a long day in the field searching for and following wolf tracks and signs.

A Northern Pocket Gopher (Thomomys talpoides) Hard at Work.

2009-06-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Pocket gophers are prodigious soil movers. Though seldom seen, the throw mounds they create are conspicuous in areas they inhabit. Mounds are often confused with those produced by moles. However, as seen here, gophers produce fan shaped mounds expelling dirt from a hole to one side of the mound of soil which is plugged afterwards. Moles expel earth from a hole which come straight up out of the ground and the resulting mound of soil is generally evenly dispersed to all sides of the plugged hole when complete.

I had the opportunity to photograph this creature while it worked right in the middle of where I was camped and could thus leisurely photograph and drink a cup of tea as the sun rose one May morning in Western Colorado over the course of an hour, an unusual pleasure while photographing elusive wild creatures.

The gopher had just begun to expell earth when I discovered him hard at work.

The exposed gopher quickly pushes soil out of his hole and then retreats back to a safer position to observe its surroundings.

The completed throw mound with the hole plugged at the base of it. Throw mounds are produced in the process of creating underground tunnels the pocket gopher uses for accessing food (roots and vegetation), as well as sleeping chambers, food storage spaces, and latrines.

The finished throw mound with the tent I was staying in the background.

Western Colorado: Aspen forests and Wildlife of the High Lonesome Ranch

2009-05-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Aspen stand at about 8500' elevation on the western edge of the Rocky mountains.

Aspen stand with bear climbing marks and elk cambium feeding scars on trees in the foreground. Many aspen stands in the southern Rockies are dying for reasons that are not yet totally clear. Aspen stands are generally comprised of one or a few individual organisms (called "Clones") each of which sends up multiple trunks. About half of the mature trunks in the patch are dead.

Entrance and throw-mound of a bear den found on a steep forested northwest facing slope close to a ridge line at about 8200' elevation.

Close up of the internal chamber of the den. The den was only about 4' deep.

Dewitt Daggett gets a close look at the den.

Rocky mountain elk at sunrise with stunted aspen in the background.

Incisor marks from an elk feeding on the bark of an aspen. Barking of aspens by elk can have extensive impacts on aspen stands. Along with the bark, elk, deer and cattle also feed on the branch tips of saplings stunting their growth and retarding recruitment of young trees where browsing pressure is intense.

A red-naped sapsucker paused from excavating a new cavity in a dead aspen tree. Cavities excavated by woodpeckers are used by a wide variety of other birds and mammals as nests once abandoned by the woodpecker.

A female Purple Martin looking out from its nest cavity in a standing dead aspen tree. In this same tree was also a nest cavity being used by a house wren.

Female and male Purple Martins courting close to their nest cavity.

Female collecting dead aspen bark to line her nest cavity.

Mule deer resting in the shade of a Douglas fir during the midday heat.

Large scrape made by a mountain lion under a large Douglas fir at along a ridge. This scrape has been visited and enlarged over repeated visits by the cat. Scrapes such as these are a scent marking behavior performed by both bobcats and cougars.

Looking northwest across the western edge of the Rocky Mountains at sunset.

Sunset and aspens

Wildlife Tracks and Signs

2009-01-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

River otter trail with a slide down a short slope.
North Cascades, WA.

Porcupine
fast walk track pattern
Umpqua Dunes, Oregon Coast

Mountain Lion and Black-tailed Deer
tracks in mud,
Skagit River, Washington

Canada lynx
walking trail wending through fresh snow
North Cascades, Washington

Pellets of 3 Pacific Northwest Lagomorphs:
Black-tailed jackrabbit (left), Nuttal's cottontail (center), Pygmy rabbit (right)
Southeastern Oregon

Black bear
Claw marks on a Ponderosa pine tree
Northwestern Montana

Northern River Otter
right hind foot
Puget Sound, Washington

Coyote tracks
front (bellow) and hind (above)
Oregon Coast

Global Climate Change Comes to Carnation Washington

2009-01-07T17:25:00.001-08:00

Under the old railroad trestle bridge over the Tolt River, WA.

Same location as above during typical winter stream flow.

Tolt River flowing just under the Highway 203 Bridge in Carnation about 12 hours before the water crested.

Tolt river from same location as above during typical winter stream flow.

Tolt River, flood stage.

Tolt River from the similar vantage, typical winter stream flow.

Tolt river at flood stage.

Tolt river photographed from close to the same location as photo above during typical winter stream flow.

A new addition to Carnation. This entirely new log jam is about about 300 metres long and and 40 feet wide or wider in places, at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers. It has completely obliterated a two lane gravel road that ran along the edge of the river here.

Looking north on Highway 203 just north of Carnation, WA

Flooded farm in the Snoqualmie Valley, WA.

Flooded house for sale. Carnation, WA.

Flooded neighborhood in Carnation, WA.

Carnation Tree Farm, WA.

Highway 203, just south of downtown Carnation, WA.

Flooded farm field south of Carnation caused by a burst levee on the Tolt River.

Highway 203 in Carnation, WA.

Reptiles, Amphibians, and Insects

2008-09-29T12:12:00.001-07:00

Rough-skinned Newt, Umpqua Dunes, Oregon Coast

Northern Alligator Lizard, Umpqua Dunes, Oregon Coast

10-lined June Beetle?, Umpqua Dunes, Oregon Coast

Cascades frog, Commonwealth Basin, Central Washington Cascades