Spring has finally sprung! And it is still very very wet here at the HJA.
This month, we welcomed a new crew member, Ben Murley. Ben comes from the Michigan Predator-Prey Project, which is where I started my wildlife adventures. Fresh out of college, I worked on the MI Pred-Prey Project for the summer season, capturing white-tailed deer fawns and investigating carnivore kill site locations. It's hilarious to hear that some of the shenanigans that occurred during my time in Escanaba have been told and retold to the newer technicians.
Now that it's spring and some of the snow is melting away, we have restarted our trapping efforts. So far, we have caught 2 new skunks (SG-009 and SG-010), but it's still proving to be a difficult trapping season. We've also recaptured one of the skunks from the fall (SG-003), who had broken the antenna off of the collar. No wonder it's been so difficult to find him in the field!
Here is a great video of a skunk release after processing. We typically let the skunks recover in the trap for a few hours before letting them go. The tranquilizing drugs metabolize unevenly, so skunks can first regain use of their front legs, but not their back legs. While the tranquilizing drugs are wearing off, skunks are very vulnerable to predators like bobcats, hawks, and owls. By letting the skunks fully recover in the trap, we make sure that we are not hindering their survival.
During the day, skunks hide in one of the many small holes in the forest. Walking through the woods, you would never know that a skunk was there unless you were tracking it. These rest sites allow skunks to stay warm and protect them from predators that may find them while they are sleeping. Here, one of our collared skunks enters a hollow, live, hemlock tree. He will remain in the tree for the day until it becomes night again, and he has to forage for food.