Elk, coyote, owl, bats

[Don Boucher]

Hello,

Last night we went for an after-sunset walk just in our neighborhood. We saw some larger bats at twilight, most likely Big Brown Bats. As it got darker, the bat detector revealed more activity.

We walked on the path along the railroad tracks from Village Green Park and Cheldelin Middle School, listening to crickets and searching for bat activity.At the end of that path, you can view the field east of Jackson-Frazier Wetland and next to the railroad tracks. We could see with our binoculars about 15 elk. Somehow, even if it's dark, looking through binoculars helps. 

We enjoyed watching for a while when a smaller figure went trotting by. It was a coyote hunting among the elk! We had to watch for a while because it's difficult to see at night but due to the canine's proportions and size compared to the elk, it wasn't a fox. It was dashing back and forth, sniffing the ground and occasionally doubling back to get a second sniff at one spot or another. The elk were pretty chill about it. Sometimes an elk lifted its head and stepped forward if the coyote got close but mostly they ignored the coyote. 

Meanwhile, I saw a decent sized figure fly into a nearby Douglas-Fir. Once I got my binos on it, I could see the ear tufts. A Great Horned Owl! As I was trying to point it out to Lisa, it flew off toward the railroad tracks and we lost track of it.

After about 20 minutes, we back-tracked along the path. Sometimes we walk the edge of the field but we didn't want the elk to leave. Later, we walked to the north end of NE Manchester St, we saw the elk again and they were really close! And the coyote was still hunting out there too!

What a wildlife treat without having to leave the neighborhood! We were happy enough to get outside, since we were cooped up inside earlier in the week due to wildfire smoke.

Don Boucher

NE Corvallis

[Mary Garrard]

Jealous! 

I live in a residential neighborhood not far from the Brandis and Forest Dell Natural Areas. My neighbor has a video cam on his front and back deck. Turns out there is a lot of wild activity at night—other than the deer that brazenly eat my plants 24-7…. I have never seen opossums or raccoons although I walk all the streets and trails nearby. My neighbor's camera has recorded raccoons, opossums, all the free-roaming neighborhood cats, and most fun of all, foxes! I knew there were gray foxes in a large meadow nearby, but had no idea that they played around in my back yard! So far he hasn’t detected coyotes or elk, but that would be a stretch.

I too love living where wildlife still romps nearby. We have taken so much of their habitat, and I don’t really mind about the deer taking bites out of my plants.

Mary

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[Don A Boucher]

Last night we saw the elk again after dark, from the north end of NE Manchester St. The owl too. No coyote though.

-Don Boucher

[Carma Sue Henry]

Don, 

Your elk might be part of, or at least associated with, a small group we saw 4/22/26 west of the Hyslop Field Crop Station between Granger and Pettibone where what's left of Frazier Creek runs.  They would have had to cross Granger to get back to Jackson Frazier Wetland, but it's not too busy in the eve's. 

We often make a circle detour along Granger on our way home from town just to see what's out there; lots of heron, egrets, raptors, plenty of coyotes and nice views of Jefferson and the Sisters, but absolutely no where to pull over.  Can you imagine if Frazier Creek was allowed to meander again, or had some beaver dams?  Instead, just this last winter, the drainage in some of the floody grass seed fields, where we had often seen egrets, was improved.

Earlier in the winter and into spring we had also seen elk come out into the fields between JFW and 99W (just north of the hsp) fairly often.  They're hard to spot because the fence rows are so tall & thick.  That means they've stayed in this area for nearly the entire year.  

Crossing 99W to get back into the west hills and Mac Forest would be really problematic for herd of elk.  That traffic might be part of what's keeping them near JFW.  It might mean they're also just becoming more endured to suburbia, like in some of the coastal towns.  We may have the beginnings of a resident herd!  

Carma Henry

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[nsto...@gmail.com]

We stopped by Davis Family Farms on Hwy 20 (a bit north of Conifer) this afternoon to pick up some produce. We weren't able to get any of the fresh corn that was on our list...the elk had gotten into their field for the third time this year and damaged the corn. The woman working there proceeded to regale us with tales of the antics the elk have gotten into in past years, including trampling their strawberries one year and destroying their corn maze another. She seemed more amused by than angry at the neighborhood wildlife. One of their employees had tried sleeping out in the fields to dissuade the elk. That didn't work, so now the farm has just put up an electric fence in one area, and they are hoping to be able to have some corn available by later in August.

Nancy Stotz