My Massachusetts winter
bobcat camera trapping project is complete. It consisted of monitoring six beaver lodges, (four active and two abandoned)
in efforts to learn more about bobcat behavior around beaver lodges, and the frequency they visited beaver lodges. The project goals were to set camera traps during January & February, this would provide
360 camera trapping days. ( 60 days x 6 lodges = 360 trapping days. Over those
sixty days the hope ( my fingers
crossed) was to capture at least thirty-six videos of bobcats on or near beaver
lodges. Then, with a bit of luck there will be at least four interesting
captures and one unique capture. There were variables .Setting specific numbers
may prove unreasonable. Starting with two weeks during January, there was minimal
or no ice and most of the lodges had
exposed water around them. That prompted
me to add one trail camera closer to ab abandon lodge. That addition ended up a
GOOD DECISION with excellent footage captured.
My point with sharing that information is after setting camera trap(s) at a location.
they may need tweaking to increase your
captures.
Over the two-month period camera traps captured twenty-seven
( 73% expectation ) of bobcats near or
at a beaver lodge.
Top Captures for the project were:
-
Bobcat on lodge with snow
-
Bobcat looks into camera.
-
Vocal – two bobcats follow each other.
-
Distant bobcat walks by the lodge, falls out of view
of the trail camera, then reappears scent
marks and walks close to camera with beaver lodge in background. This is also
the most unique video captured during the project.
All six lodges had at least one bobcat visit over the two-month period.
Keeping track of the
frequency each bobcat visits to the lodges identified one lodge as a hotspot. This lodge had
fifteen visits ,the best I could determine from four different bobcats.
Project Summary:
I wasn’t surprised to see the level of bobcat activity at beaver
lodges. Most lodges create an ideal habitat
for rodents. The bobcat in the first video was impressive with its size. I
concluded it was a female with the low riding prom… She has been elusive over
the years , capturing her on video twice. One lodge had fourteen visits from four
different bobcats. Why would that lodge have drawn more bobcats to it than the
other five lodges? It comes down to the location of the lodge in relation to
its surroundings. This lodge is just west of a dam that had partially breached
last summer. Bobcats could still navigate the dam without getting wet. West of
the dam is a steep ridge that naturally funnels wildlife to the edge of the beaver
pond. Once on the edge of the pond the first thing in sight is the beaver lodge.
Add stable ice around it you become a magnet for predators.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for spring Massachusetts camera trapping projects.
Jim
