What is leaving those tracks? The wildlife of WSU Vancouver
(Photo courtesy of Michelle Maani, known as lamoustique on Flickr)
As students are attending classes from home, WSU Vancouver’s wildlife emerges. With more than 6 miles of trails to explore, Andrew McIntyre, adjunct professor and wildlife biologist, along with John Bishop, a professor from the school of biological sciences, discuss what species can be spotted when exploring the campus grounds.
While spending his time out on the trails, McIntyre taught an ecology lab last spring and used game cameras to take photos of various animals to show students examples of predation. The goal of the ecology lab was to motivate students to make predictions about predation and how it varies based on prey, predator and different types of microhabitats.
“The game cameras were part of an experiment to test predation by animals around campus. We placed seeds in plastic containers in a meadow habitat, wooded habitat and on the edge of the woods. We wanted to see how seed type and habitat type affected predation, in other words, how many seeds were eaten,” McIntyre explained. “The game cameras were placed by either a wooded or edge seed setup area to catch images of what types of predators students would see. We then used some of those images to make predictions about why we were seeing those animals [and] which animals liked which types of seeds.”
McIntyre also explained what types of animals he has personally captured by using his game cameras, which are set to quickly snap a photo when animal movements are detected.
(Photo courtesy of Michelle Maani, known as lamoustique on Flickr)
“With those images, plus doing some hiking on campus, I know there are white-tailed deer, coyotes, opossums, raccoons, western gray squirrels, unknown field mouse species, long-toed salamanders, pacific chorus frogs, crows, steller’s jay, western scrub jays, robins, spotted towhee and junco.”
Bishop has also seen a variety of fauna, birds and fish around the campus ponds.
“I have seen deer and coyotes regularly and a wide variety of birds,” Bishop said. “Birds most likely to be noticed are red-tailed hawk and American kestrel, but there are often great blue herons, mallards and hooded mergansers around the bookstore pond. Steelhead and salmon have been known to spawn in Mill Creek [too].”
For those who are eager to see some of the animals that WSU Vancouver’s trails have to offer, McIntyre shared some helpful tips on how to get started.
“There are some trails at the lower section of campus that may be good for spotting wildlife, especially in the evenings or early mornings. Try flipping over a few rocks or logs, especially by the stream too to see cool amphibians or insects,” McIntyre said. “The larger wildlife are tougher to find but may be found in the evening or at night. They are very good at not being spotted.”
Though some wildlife around campus is difficult to spot, it is definitely possible. With some patience and heading out at the right time of day or night, watch for stunning cottontails, songbirds, deer and even coyotes. Be careful when approaching wildlife habitats, and remember to always have respect for our animal friends.