Calling All Mammal Enthusiasts! (1 Viewer)

[danigirl93]

I was wondering if there were any mammal enthusiasts on this forum? I'm having trouble finding fellow furry-animal lovers and would love to meet some!

 

[CalvinFold]

I usually make some effort to say I'm not really a "birder." No life list, no tracking, no studying, no huge books to figure out IDs. I'm really an "amateur animal photographer"...I just like photographing critters. I'd photograph more mammals if they were easy to find, but they aren't. So inevitably I photograph lots and lots of birds, and the occasional insect, reptile, or amphibian.

I also have a very detail-oriented side that demands I properly label and ID the animals I photograph, so I was encouraged to come here to get help with IDs, and was then encouraged to post my photos in my gallery. And now I know far more about various birds than I ever planned.

And yeah, my girlfriend and I often just simplify it to "want to go out birding tomorrow?" But the reality is, she'd spend forever photographing brush rabbits or jackrabbits or trying to get a photo of a fox when the opportunity arises, and so would I. But mammals are notoriously shy.

Birds are more photogenic and in greater variety; so my animal photos end-up being mostly birds.

 

[Farnboro John]

In Britain mammals are hard work chiefly because they are either hunted or persecuted, in both cases the effect being to make them very wary of humans and in many cases, nocturnal.

Some of us treat this simply as a challenge!

John

 

[Sangahyando]

FWIW, I enjoy watching mammals as much as watching birds. John is right though - to give you an example, my mammal life list is literally 10% the size of my bird life list, perhaps even shorter than that. I consider myself lucky if I see five different mammal species in a day (seven is my record so far), whereas with birds, the most I've found in a day was about 100 species (self found, no car).
Around here, the only mammals that you can reliably see in the open without a bigger effort are Roedeer, Wild Rabbit, and Red Squirrel. Other mammals such as Red Fox and Wild Boar (not to mention Bank Vole or Wood Mouse) are actually common, but they're very rarely seen compared to birds with similar population numbers.

I'm also under the impression (could be wrong, though) that mammal watching is less of a "thing" and that people who're chiefly interested in mammals are less organized, except for hunters. For example, I'm still trying to find an up-to-date, authoritative list à la IOC that puts mammals into the right taxonomic order.

 

[CarstenFog]

Link to Mammals of the World

FWIW, I enjoy watching mammals as much as watching birds. John is right though - to give you an example, my mammal life list is literally 10% the size of my bird life list, perhaps even shorter than that. I consider myself lucky if I see five different mammal species in a day (seven is my record so far), whereas with birds, the most I've found in a day was about 100 species (self found, no car).
Around here, the only mammals that you can reliably see in the open without a bigger effort are Roedeer, Wild Rabbit, and Red Squirrel. Other mammals such as Red Fox and Wild Boar (not to mention Bank Vole or Wood Mouse) are actually common, but they're very rarely seen compared to birds with similar population numbers.

I'm also under the impression (could be wrong, though) that mammal watching is less of a "thing" and that people who're chiefly interested in mammals are less organized, except for hunters. For example, I'm still trying to find an up-to-date, authoritative list à la IOC that puts mammals into the right taxonomic order.

Have a look here

https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/

 

[Fedster]

I was wondering if there were any mammal enthusiasts on this forum? I'm having trouble finding fellow furry-animal lovers and would love to meet some!

I actually started by watching mammals back in the Old Country!

 

[jurek]

Hi, I also like watching mammals.

BTW, do you know mammalwatching.com?

 

[Andy Adcock]

FWIW, I enjoy watching mammals as much as watching birds. John is right though - to give you an example, my mammal life list is literally 10% the size of my bird life list, perhaps even shorter than that. I consider myself lucky if I see five different mammal species in a day (seven is my record so far), whereas with birds, the most I've found in a day was about 100 species (self found, no car).
Around here, the only mammals that you can reliably see in the open without a bigger effort are Roedeer, Wild Rabbit, and Red Squirrel. Other mammals such as Red Fox and Wild Boar (not to mention Bank Vole or Wood Mouse) are actually common, but they're very rarely seen compared to birds with similar population numbers.

I'm also under the impression (could be wrong, though) that mammal watching is less of a "thing" and that people who're chiefly interested in mammals are less organized, except for hunters. For example, I'm still trying to find an up-to-date, authoritative list à la IOC that puts mammals into the right taxonomic order.

Many on this forum enjoy mammals, the problem is that many are very hard to observe and are usally glimpsed very briefly.

Elk and Wild Boar on my local patch are evident from the regular footprints we see but in 3 years we've seen the Boar once and never seen the Elk, I've had one sighting of Roe Deer.

I find regular what I presume is rodent scat but with the exception of Muskrat and the occasional dead Rat or Mole, rodents are invisible too.

Anyone want to suggest what this scat is? I see it often on a sandy trail which bisects acidic swamp bog in mixed but mainly Pine / Birch forest. They are approximately 2-3cm, I've taken them apart in the past and insects seem to be the biggest component.


Andy

 

[Farnboro John]

Many on this forum enjoy mammals, the problem is that many are very hard to observe and are usally glimpsed very briefly.

Elk and Wild Boar on my local patch are evident from the regular footprints we see but in 3 years we've seen the Boar once and never seen the Elk, I've had one sighting of Roe Deer.

I find regular what I presume is rodent scat but with the exception of Muskrat and the occasional dead Rat or Mole, rodents are invisible too.

Anyone want to suggest what this scat is? I see it often on a sandy trail which bisects acidic swamp bog in mixed but mainly Pine / Birch forest. They are approximately 2-3cm, I've taken them apart in the past and insects seem to be the biggest component.


Andy

Hedgehog maybe?

John

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hedgehog maybe?

John

That's a good call John, hadn't thoiught of that and unlike the UK they are common here.

My only reservation would be the location. The trail is in the middle of a swamp, access to the surrounding woodland would be a tricky and lengthy route but not impossible?


Andy

 

[Farnboro John]

That's a good call John, hadn't thoiught of that and unlike the UK they are common here.

My only reservation would be the location. The trail is in the middle of a swamp, access to the surrounding woodland would be a tricky and lengthy route but not impossible?


Andy

Hedgehogs can walk where you would sink, and they can swim as well as any other four-footed mammal. Its only humans think there's some difficulty about swimming

John

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hedgehogs can walk where you would sink, and they can swim as well as any other four-footed mammal. Its only humans think there's some difficulty about swimming

John

Good point, hadn't realisd that they were capable swimmers?

It's not the difficulty of swimming, I just think that most mammals like to keep warm and dry, especially those not particularly adapted to water.

Although, we do have a small population of feral dogs here and they really avoid people at all costs. If I ever see them on the trail, they will smim through the marsh and go through the forest to get around me rather than pass me on the open trail.


Andy

 

[jurek]

According to books on animal tracks, it is indeed hedgehog scat.

Many on this forum enjoy mammals, the problem is that many are very hard to observe and are usally glimpsed very briefly.

Most bigger mammals are nocturnal, and are best found by spotlighting. You would see them in daytime very rarely, usually when somebody else already chased them out of their daytime sleeping places. I compare forest to a busy shopping district in a city, only switched by 12 hours. If you go by 11. AM., the place is deserted. Rarely something walks by, sometimes has a quick snack. If you go at 11. PM, the party is going on. There is 10 times so many mammals visible, and they are doing interesting things: eating, playing, mating, courting, caring for their young and so on.

Elk and Wild Boar on my local patch are evident from the regular footprints we see but in 3 years we've seen the Boar once and never seen the Elk, I've had one sighting of Roe Deer.

Boar and Elk usually spend day in dense bushy places, especially reedbeds. I would look for them there. Alternatively you can wait until mid-summer and see them going out still in daylight.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Thanks Jurek


Andy