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February nature column:
Woodland Ghosts
By Pete Salmansohn, Taconic Outdoor Education Center
Like many people in the natural history profession I’ve always had a fascination with the mysteries of the woods, wondering what sort of animals are prowling around that are not readily seen. Are bears denned up somewhere in the mountains? What about the elusive bobcat or fisher? And how about mink, otter, beaver, and coyote?
Knowing that Putnam County has at least 20,000 acres of relatively undisturbed parkland and reservoir properties, I’ve assumed that the local mammal populations are probably pretty healthy. But its only recently that I’ve begun talking to local biologists, park workers, and trappers in an effort to learn the facts.
"Quite a few people are surprised to know what’s here," says biologist Jesse Jaycox. "Fishers, which are a large member of the weasel family, have recently made their way south from the Taconics and the Berkshires, and there are bobcats throughout the highlands and up in Fahnestock. John Yonke, a retired DEC wildlife inspector, says that mink are "very common", though not often seen. Otters are "definitely around", with frequent sightings on Canopus Lake and along protected shoreline areas of the Hudson River, both north and south of the village of Cold Spring.
Bears do not presently breed in Putnam County, as best we know, but there is reason to believe that there are at least two active dens in Dutchess County. Every year, however, there are numerous local sightings. "These are typically two year old males," says DEC biologist Scott Smith, "recently kicked out by mom, cruising around like a teenager in his first car, looking for adventure." This past July 4th weekend two young boys came running out of the woods at Fahnestock Park, yelling they’d just seen a bear in the campground. During that same weekend, three bears were reported near Lake Oscawanna.
Coyotes are here in good numbers, but as with many large mammals they are not often seen because of their habits of hunting at night or during dusk and dawn. Residents of Taconic Outdoor Education Center have often heard groups of coyotes howling at night, and more than half the students in Kevin Keegan’s science class at the Garrison School raised their hands recently when asked if they’d ever seen a coyote.
"Animals have such superb senses of smell and hearing," says Jesse Jaycox. "That’s another reason why we so rarely see them….they know about us long before we know about them. I can tell by tracks in the snow what’s around, but for instance, I’ve only seen a bobcat once." Scott Smith says, "Bobcats blend in unbelievably well. They’re just not seen."
Nonetheless, a lucky observer who happens to be in the right place at the right time might observe something he’ll never forget. "A friend of mine lives in the woods near Dennytown Road, and we were sitting around his kitchen one March morning," says naturalist Rich Anderson, "when I happened to glance out the window and observe what appeared to be a golden retriever walking through the nearby swamp. But this animal had pointy ears and a short tail. It was a bobcat, and it was walking slowly, weaving in and out of the shrubs, moving very precisely. Kind of stealthy. We watched it for a few minutes and then it was gone."
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