So now I can focus on other pressing issues. This weekend will be spring rodent trapping on my study site. Each season we conduct abundance surveys for prey species. This includes various species of mice, rats and squirrels. And the occasional cottontail rabbit. We place Sherman live traps in a transect (fancy word for line) along the conservation easements (the protected thick brush, or ocelot habitat) and check them for 4 consecutive days.
The drought last year really took a toll on the prey community, and trapping in January of this year was pretty meager. After all of our spring rains, and the currently lush conditions of the habitat, I expect trapping this weekend to be very fruitful. This could actually be one of the reasons for our low ocelot trapping success. If there is plenty to eat, what is the draw of a chicken in a trap? Unfortunately, there is no way to prove that.
Here are a few captures from past events.
Baiomys taylori or Northern Pygmy Mouse with a metal ear tag and a mark with a permanent marker. We give each animal an individually identifiable mark so we can calculate abundance. The metal ear tags should last between trapping sessions as well.
Spermophilus mexicanus, Mexican ground squirrel. NOTE: I am not holding this guy properly. Do not try this at home. Animals should be help by the "scruff". But this guy was trying to get away from me and I had a quick picture snapped.
This is me with Sigmodon hispidus, a Hispid Cotton Rat. He has two marks with a permanent marker. These marks will last within the trapping session, i.e. the 4 days of trapping. This is the technique we employed before using the metal ear tags. Cotton rats are one of the major prey items of many small to medium-sized predators in North American, including bobcats, coyotes, and of course, ocelots!
