22 Comments

  • 1 November 2011
    John Fox

    Hi Jon

    DOCX file doesn’t open. Similar to XLS files. PDF sure would be nice.

    Thx,

    John

  • 3 November 2011
    Jon Hall

    Sorry John. I usually try to convert them to PDFs but don’t have the technology to do that on my macbook right now. Will do it one day – if anyone can save the file as a PDF and email it back to me I can replace it.

    thanks

    Jon

  • 4 November 2011
    Jon Hall

    Fixed… still not a PDF but I repaired the link

  • 5 November 2011
    Vladimir Dinets

    It’s a bit funny that the author laments the missed ringtail after seeing a spotted skunk instead. In eight years of living in the West I saw one spotted skunk and at least twenty ringtails.

    • 5 November 2011
      John Fox

      I thought something similar, Morgan just didn’t know how good the Skunk was.

      Jon Hall got the Skunk at the same place, it’s supposed to be a good spot. When I go I plan on using a rubber raft to get there, LOL.

      And I was kind of bummed he didn’t get the gen on Banner-tailed K-rats south of Rodeo that I posted. He was only 10 miles away from the place, it would have been worth a try.

      But it was a lively and well written report, thanks to Steve for posting.

      John

      • 5 November 2011
        Vladimir Dinets

        Isn’t it time for us all to co-write a short mammal finding guide to the US and Canada? I would do it on species-by-species basis, rather than geographically structured. I could write a draft, and then everybody would pitch in with their tips.

  • 5 November 2011
    Jon Hall

    I already let Steve know that the Skunk was a good one! I have never seen them … though I had mentioned in a report that the floor of the Canyon was meant to be a good spot (as are the Channel Islands though I missed them there too).

    Valdimir – a species by species guide would be great… I talked about this with John Fox a while ago and I thought that doing it on line,.. in a sort of wiki so others could contribute would be the way to do it but of course have never got around to it… you could create a separate blog (or set of posts on this blog for different groups of species) that you could write in and others could comment on maybe and keep up to date…. it would be a very valuable resource

    Jon

  • 6 November 2011
    morganchurchill

    I am not nearly as up on the mammal intel as some folks here, but I would be glad to help when possible.

    Might be good to also include info on where to see different subspecies, or at least the “distinctive” forms, since those are usually of interest (and times of year/day)

  • 16 November 2011
    John Fox

    Hey Vladimir

    Just wanted to see how this is going. It seems like a lot for one person to do, I can pitch in for part if I know the format you are using.

    John

    • 16 November 2011
      Vladimir Dinets

      Thanks! I’m going through the last order now, but that’s rodents. Should be done in about a week. Of course, it’s just a draft in Word format. It is a bit more work than I expected – maybe I’ll try to publish it as a e-book eventually.

      That is, if I don’t commit suicide in the next three weeks. My wife is teaching until December 6, and by that time we might be late for the eruption. Not to mention that we are totally out of money at the moment, and getting there isn’t cheap. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, do Google image search for “Nyamuragira eruption”).

      • 27 November 2011
        John Fox

        Well done, Vladimir! No question this would be worthy of a book.

        As far as common names, it seems there are standardized names although I can’t cite a source. Both my field guides call P. maniculatus North American Deermouse and call all Peromyscus species Deermice.

        At any rate, I think it would be useful to list alternative common names and changes. Allen’s Big-eared/Lappet-browed Bat, or Tri-colored Bat, formerly Eastern Pipistrelle, is pretty straightforward. It’s nowhere near as bad as common names of herps.

        I agree about introduced species and exotics. Sika Deer at Chincoteague are well established but I don’t count them. I figure Ratus and Mus made it here entirely by their own efforts.

        I kind of disagree about specific information being a guided tour. I think most people like finding and IDing new species for themselves, but it is often pretty hard. A typical trip has a limited amount of time in a large area, populations change over time, the logistics of travel can be challenging, etc. I’d like to have as much specific information as possible.

        How should people contribute? You are welcome to use any of my trip reports at mammalwatching.com and the links I posted. I can email you about particular species I’ve found if that’s better.

        Congrats on an impressive work in three weeks,

        John

  • 27 November 2011
    Vladimir Dinets

    John,
    This is still a draft. I’ll keep adding more info, including alternative names. But I don’t think using “deermouse” is a good idea. People working with Peromyscus always use it only for P. manic. Originally, the name referred to the fur color, which, of course, is different in other species (some tropical ones are even black).

    Actually, so far I didn’t omit any info on guided tours on purpose. It’s just that I virtually never use them (mostly because of the budget considerations), so I have zero info on them, except for those for marine mammals.

    I have gone through most of reports on mammalwatching.com, but if you (or anyone else) have any info on sites, tours, methods etc. that you consider worthy of sharing, please post it here or email to me. My email is my last name at gmail.

  • 29 November 2011
    Morgan Churchill

    This stuff is awesome…and thanks for the effort!

    I can throw in a little bit of local info. Lake Hutton NWR in summer is a great place for Badger. I had at least one, and sometimes 2, on every trip this summer/fall (granted…that was about 4 trips, but still…)

    Lake Hutton and Sand Creek Road leading to it are also pretty good for Pronghorn, WT Prairie Dog, and Wyoming Ground Squirrel. I used to get White-tailed Jackrabbit out there often, but haven’t on recent visits…no idea if the population has crashed or what.

    The Laramie Greenbelt is great in winter for American Mink and Red Fox

    • 29 November 2011
      Vladimir Dinets

      Thanks!
      BTW, there is a new paper showing that dogs have originated in SE Asia. Although nobody is admitting it yet, that means that dogs have separated from wolves BEFORE domestication, as I’ve been saying all along 🙂
      That makes the Carolina dog even more worth looking for.

      • 30 November 2011
        Morgan Churchill

        I am not familiar with that paper, however some blog posts by Darren Naish have suggested that the domestic dog may descend from a Chinese canine, whose original population is now extinct and only preserved in domestic dog. Dogs like the Dingo or Carolina dog may represent a “throwback” to the ancestral condition.

      • 30 November 2011
        Morgan Churchill

        PS, I think in your ebook you had mentioned that whale are oversplit at the generic level and undersplit at the species level. FYI, Bill Perrin made a mention during his Norris Award lecture a few days ago that he has a paper in submission that lumps Stenella, Sousa, and Tursiops back into a broader Delphinus. Might have also included a couple of other genera, but didn’t have time to fully read everything on the slide

      • 30 November 2011
        Vladimir Dinets

        Morgan,
        Yes, that’s the lump I was referring to. I think it might also include Steno and/or Grampus.

  • 1 December 2011
    Morgan Churchill

    Definitely not Grampus…I believe that taxa is out near globicephalinae and is considered to be somewhat of an old lineage. Might include Fraser’s Dolphin, although I am blanking on the moment the latin name and am too lazy to look it up.

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