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Where to direct your Wildlife Questions?
Any questions regarding wildlife in the Village may be directed to
Arlene Raskin
or Ilene O'Meara, Wildlife Master and Master Gardener at:
jikps@aol.com
and
Nancy Allen
303-660-1760, or fax 303-660-3903. Please
call during an appropriate time of the day.
Crystal Petersen
Colorado Division of Wildlife, District Wildlife Manage
303-291-7131
Colorado Division of Wildlife
To
submit your Wildlife Stories and Photographs for use on this web,
contact the association office at:
admin@castlepinesvillage.org
 May
2002, Officer Dave Wiley helping the Lovett family on Tolland Drive
out of a tricky predicament. Thank you, Officer Wiley for being a
hero!! The bull snake was safely released in another area.
Living in Harmony with Wildlife
The key to avoiding problems with wildlife is to follow these simple
tips:
-
Do not feed wildlife. Feeding songbirds and hummingbirds is
OK. Feeding other wildlife is dangerous (it attracts predators)
and against the law.
-
Don’t put your trash out the night before.
-
Keep pet foods inside the home.
-
Seal all cracks or holes larger than an inch to keep out rats,
bats and snakes.
In
most situations, people and wildlife can co-exist. The key is to
respect the “wildness” and not try to capture, feed or domesticate
any of the native animals in the village.
Adapted from a Colorado Division of Wildlife publication.
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 If
you meet a bear:
Stay calm.
Stop and back away slowly; don’t make any sudden movements.
Don’t run. A bear can run up to 35 mph, so you really can’t outrun
it!
Don’t make eye contact; the bear may perceive this as a challenge.
Speak softly to let the bear know you mean no harm.
If attacked, “Fight Back”
Bear prevention tips
DON’T feed your pets or store their food outdoors
DON’T leave bird feeders out overnight
DON’T put your trash out the night before pickup
DO clean your BBQ grill after each use
A Guide to Wildlife Watching
The ultimate wildlife watching experience is behavior watching –
viewing animals without interrupting their normal activities.
Instead of just a glimpse, you have an encounter – a chance not only
to identify the animal, but to identify with it.
Fade Into the Woodwork
-
Try not to be conspicuous.
-
Walk softly so as not to startle the animal.
-
Crouch to hide your figure or break up your outline
Let Animals Be Themselves
-
Resist the temptation to “save” baby animals. Mom is usually
close by watching.
-
Let animals eat their natural foods. Sharing your sandwiches
may harden wild digestive systems and get animals hooked on
handouts.
-
Let patience reward you. Resist the urge to startle animals
into taking flight.
Be Easy to Be With
-
Relax your muscles; animals can easily detect tension
-
Make yourself as small and unassuming as possible.
-
Move slowly, smoothly and steadily
-
Avert your gaze; animals may interpret a direct stare as a
threat.
Adapted from the Colorado Division of Wildlife publication “A Guide
to Ultimate Wildlife Watching”
Wildlife Material in print for Residents
Castle Pines Village was covered in the May-June issue of the
Colorado Outdoors Magazine. Magazine office: 800-417-8986. A copy
is in the Association Office.
Numerous wildlife pamphlets from the Colorado Division of Wildlife
are available at no charge in the Association office.
Bird identification posters and Colorado field guides are available
for viewing in the Association office.
Click here or scroll down to view the
Douglas County Wildlife Resource Map
To
view the Colorado State Parks web page for recreational and wildlife
info go to:
http://www.parks.state.co.us/home/
Wildlife in the Village
Below are descriptions of the various types of
wildlife we have in the Village, along with information on what to
do or not to do when you see one of them. Remember, this is
Wildlife; they should all be treated with respect, admired from a
distance, not disturbed or harassed in any way. We have moved
in to their habitats, and we are lucky to be able to observe them in
a natural state.
Please remember to keep watch of your pets and children when they
are outside your home. Leaving your dog outside unattended,
particularly when they are left to roam for extended periods of time
within the confines of an electric fence, can make them easy prey
for wildlife in the area. For more information on how to coexist
with our diverse wildlife contact the wildlife hotline at
303.952.0932. The number will ring to a voicemail box and a member
of the Wildlife Committee will respond promptly to your call.
WILD CATS: Bobcats, Lynxes, Mountain Lions
We have mountain lions and the occasional bobcat or lynx here in the
Village. Lion sightings in the Western states have increased
because there are more lions and there are more people living and
traveling in lion country. The wild cats are hunters, eating almost
exclusively fresh meat. They do most of their hunting at dawn and
dusk. They have binocular vision, powerful noses, large sharp teeth
and powerful jaws, and move with great speed, stealth, and agility.
Bobcats:
Bobcats are about twice the size of a domestic cat, with thick short
tails. They have a striped face with black tufts on the ears and
spotted coats. They prefer broken country with good cover and tend
to lie up during the day. Their prey is usually in proportion to
their size – rabbits, squirrels, mice, small birds – though
occasionally they will kill deer. They are often seen in Castle
Pines Village.
Bobcat visiting Lead Queen Dr.
Lynx:
Lynxes look very similar to bobcats, though they are a little
larger, their tails are shorter, their ear tufts more noticeable,
and their coats less patterned. Their favorite meal is the snowshoe
hare.
Mountain Lion:
Mountain lions--also known as cougar, puma, and panther--have been
spotted in the Village. They like the rocky areas of the cliffs and
the scrub oak, and mainly hunt deer. When they are hungry, they
will go after smaller prey such as house pets. Mountain lions are
large, usually 100-150 pounds. They can measure up to eight feet
long with their long tail included and have a tawny coat. They are
generally solitary although kittens will stay with the female until
grown. The track shows four toes and a hind area generally without
claw marks as their claws are retractable.
Generally, lions are calm, quiet and elusive and will avoid
confrontation. To reduce the risk of any problems with wild cats,
follow some simple precautions: supervise your children and your
pets outside, particularly at dawn and dusk; make noise when walking
in wooded areas during the lions’ active hours; don’t feed wildlife,
i.e., deer, which in turn would attract lions. (It’s against the
law anyway.) Don’t feed pets outside and store garbage securely.
IF
YOU MEET A MOUNTAIN LION:
-
STAY CALM – talk calmly yet firmly to it, move slowly away.
-
DO NOT RUN – you might trigger its chase and attack instinct,
pick up small children so they don’t panic and run.
-
FACE THE LION, STAND UPRIGHT – try to appear larger by raising
your arms or opening your jacket.
If the lion becomes aggressive, throw stones, branches,
whatever you can without crouching or turning your back. If the
lion attacks, fight back. Remain standing. Lions have been driven
back by “prey” that fights back if attacked.
With a better understanding of mountain lions and their habitat, we
can coexist with these magnificent animals.
Living with nature in Castle Pines Village:
Coyotes:
as PDF file
Castle Pines Village was designed to bring
residents closer to the natural beauty of Colorado. Within our
borders we actually have designated wildlife corridors which are
defined as avenues along which wide-ranging animals can travel,
plants can propagate, genetic interchange can occur, populations can
move in response to environmental changes and natural disasters, and
threatened species can be replenished from other areas.
One of the more frequent wildlife sightings this
year has been the coyote. Their number seems to have increased as
the abundant rabbit population appears to be dwindling. Coyotes
serve a useful purpose in maintaining the balance of wildlife in
Castle Pines and surrounding areas. They can survive on whatever
food is available, from rodents to garbage, insects, fruit, rabbits
and even deer. They are highly adaptable even as their environment
is being taken over by humans. While other natural predators may
have moved away or have become scarce due to our expanding
development, rats, mice, voles, rabbits and prairie dogs have
increased in population. Coyotes are beneficial to us as they help
to control the influx of these species.
Coyotes are active mainly during the nighttime,
but they can be seen during the day. Most sightings of coyotes occur
during the hours around sunrise and sunset traveling alone, in pairs
or in small groups. If the food source is small (rabbits) they tend
to travel alone, if the food source is larger like deer, they will
form groups. Contrary to popular opinion, coyotes do not bark and
yip to announce they have killed an animal; they howl to let other
coyotes know their location.
Coyotes breed in February and March and 4 -5 pups
are born about 60 days later. Pups are born in dens, which might
include storm drains, under storage sheds, holes dug in vacant land
or any other dark, dry place. At around 6 months of age, the mother
coyote will train her offspring to search for food, so it’s not
unusual to see a family group traveling together.
How to coexist with coyotes: Don’t feed them! If
food is deliberately or inadvertently provided by people, the pups
quickly learn not to fear humans. They will become very bold and
develop a dependency on easy food sources. Remember, coyotes have
the reputation for being very resourceful and adaptable!
Coyotes become problems when humans regard them as
domesticated animals. Here are some steps we can take to reduce the
chance of human-coyote conflicts. • Never feed coyotes, deer or
other wildlife! • Eliminate sources of water. • Bird feeders should
be positioned so coyotes can’t reach the feed. They are attracted by
bread, table scraps, seed, birds and rodents that come to the
feeders. • Secure your garbage bags and put your garbage out the
morning of garbage pick-up. • Keep small pets indoors. Only let them
out on a leash, with your supervision. • Feed pets indoors. If you
feed your pets outdoors, pick up the scraps. • Don’t leave small
children unattended outside if coyotes have been frequenting the
area. • Discourage coyotes from frequenting your property by
shouting, making loud noises or throwing small rocks. • Do not
attempt to shoot a coyote! It is against Castle Pines Village Rules
and Regulations to discharge a firearm in our neighborhood!
The next time you see a coyote wandering our
neighborhood looking for mice or rabbits, remember, he may be one of
the best neighbors we have!
Coyote kI-'O-tE, chiefly Western pronunciation
(Merriam-Webster)
Coyotl prairie/desert wolf; Nahuatl, indigenous
language of Mexico
Bluebirds in Castle Pines
In
early spring, the western bluebirds begin arriving on their
territories. Soon pairs will fill the Village with courtship song
and display. Remember that you can obtain blue bird boxes
by contacting
Ilene O'Meara.
Bluebirds’ nest in old tree cavities excavated by woodpeckers or in
nest boxes. Like the vivid cerulean mountain bluebirds that also
nest here and along Daniels Park Road, the robin-red and deep blue
western bluebird prefer forest edges and mixtures of ponderosa pine
woodland and open habitat.
The lovely courtship songs and flight displays are followed by the
building of a cup nest of fine grasses and pine needles. The clutch
of four to six eggs is incubated for fourteen (14) days. Upon
hatching, the bare naked songbird youngsters are helpless and depend
on their parents for warmth and food.
It
is fascinating to watch from a distance as parents keep constantly
busy providing the youngsters with warmth, shelter and food
(insects) for 20 days. One perhaps enviable thing about the
helpless chicks of many songbirds is the “fecal sac”. It is as if
nature had arranged for infants’ poop to come out in sealed packets,
all the parents have to do is drop these over the side of the nest!
Youngsters who have fledged (left the nest) continue to be fed by
obliging parents for about two more weeks. Young birds recently out
of the nest can frequently be observed begging food from adults.
The fluffy young hunker down, tremble all over and flutter while
opening their brightly colored mouths and shrieking “feed me!”
Often adult females of many species exhibit the same behavior as
part of their courtship ritual.
Considering keeping a Nature Journal? Recording your annual or
personal observations of the birds and other wildlife in your garden
can enable you to follow more closely the cycle of life anticipating
many of the events that occur month by month and define the flow of
the seasons in Colorado.
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Wildlife Problems
This section will review problems created when wildlife makes itself
at home in your house or garden. Whether munching, pecking or
digging, we hope to offer the homeowner some viable solutions to
these common situations.
Runways in your lawn? News from the Vole Patrol
Now that most of the snow cover has finally melted from your yard,
have you noticed anything new? If you think your yard is looking
spongy , or seems to have little mazes of shallow tunnels running
through it dotted by small holes, you are not imagining it -you have
prairie voles.
WHAT ARE THEY? Voles are small rodents, often called field or meadow
mice, measuring 4 to 8 inches long. They are pudgy critters with
small ears and short tails and vary in color from gray to dark
brown. Their destructive potential is increased by their behavior:
they do not hibernate; they are active day and night; and they like
to construct 1 to 2 inch wide surface runways and underground
tunnels with numerous burrow entrances. A single burrow system may
contain several adults and young which can reproduce rapidly.
Population levels usually peak every 3 to 5 years. They eat a
variety of grasses and agricultural crops and also eat the bark on
trees and shrubs, especially during fall and winter.
NATURAL PREDATORS. Vole predators include coyotes, foxes, owls and
some snakes.
A
predator population helps control the numbers of voles but will not
eliminate them completely. SO WHA T CAN I DO? Habitat management is
the most successful and longest lasting method of reducing vole
damage. To repair existing runway damage to your lawn rake,
fertilize, reseed and water the affected area. Eliminate, as much as
possible, ground cover or weeds and tall grasses by frequent and
close mowing from spring through fall and applying herbicides where
appropriate. You may want to plant crown vetch, a legume that is
unpalatable to voles, as a border around areas you want to protect.
ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS to discourage burrowing in limited
areas is to repeatedly break down burrows using a shovel or a hoe.
Eventually, the voles get tired of rebuilding and will move to an
area where they are undisturbed.
To protect against vole damage to young trees or shrubs, try
exclusion. Encircle trees or shrubs with 1/4 inch mesh hardware
cloth or 3-inch diameter Vexar plastic-mesh cylinders installed from
18 inches above the ground to 3 to 6 inches below.
Only a few repellants are manufactured for use against voles. The
one used by the Country Club at Castle Pines, which has experienced
some vole damage to the golf course, is capsaicin (the “hot” in hot
sauce). One brand is Hot Sauce Animal Repellent. Be sure to read all
label directions carefully.
Trapping is not effective against a large vole population but may be
useful if you have only a small infestation. Place mouse snap traps,
baited with a peanut butter-oatmeal mixture or apple slices,
perpendicular to the runway with the trigger end in the runway.
You’ll have more success with this method in the fall or late
winter.
We
do NOT recommend toxicants (poison baits) because they can be
consumed by non-target animals, pets, or even children with
disastrous results. Futhermore, all these poisons eventually leach
into our waterways endangering amphibians, reptiles, fish and the
animals that come to drink at the source.
(NOTE: No endorsement of products is intended nor is criticism
implied of products not mentioned. For additional vole information
contact C.S.U.Extension Service.) 4/24/01
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Prevention of woodpecker damage
by
W.F. Andelt, S.N. Hopper1
Quick Facts...The northern flicker, responsible for most woodpecker
damage to Colorado homes, is identified in flight by a yellow or
salmon tint under the wings and tail feathers.
Woodpeckers cause an annoyance by hammering or "drumming" on houses
and property damage by drilling holes in wood siding and eaves.
Control damage by exclusion, scare devices and preventive
construction.
Woodpeckers are 7 to 15 inches long, have short legs, sharp-clawed
toes and stiff tails. Most woodpeckers feed on wood-boring Insects,
Insects on trees and the ground, vegetable matter, berries or tree
sap.
The northern flicker (Colaptes
auratus), responsible for the most woodpecker damage to
Colorado homes, is identified in flight by a yellow or salmon tint
under the wings and tail feathers. Flickers have black spots on a
tannish-white breast and belly. Males have a black or red mustache
extending from the gape of the beak to below the eyes. The
red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes
erythrocephalus), red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus
nuchalis), Williamson's sapsucker (Sphyrapicus
thyroideus), hairy woodpecker (Picoides
villosus), and downy woodpecker (Picoides
pubescens) also occasionally cause problems in Colorado.
Damage Identification
Woodpeckers cause an annoyance by hammering or "drumming" on houses
and property damage by drilling holes in wood siding and eaves.
Woodpeckers hammer to attract mates, to establish and/or defend a
territory, to excavate nesting or roosting sites, and to search for
Insects. Wooden shingles, cedar or redwood siding, metal or plastic
guttering, television antennas and light posts are selected as
drumming sites because these materials produce loud sounds.
Woodpeckers frequently damage cedar, rough pine and redwood siding
and some synthetic stucco exterior finishing. Plywood and Masonite
are less frequently damaged. Drumming is most common in the spring
during early morning and late afternoon and usually ends by July 1.
Control Methods
Woodpecker damage can be prevented or eliminated with several
techniques including visual repellents, loud noises, exclusion,
alternate construction materials and, least preferably, killing.
Take immediate action to reduce damage because woodpeckers are not
easily driven from their territories or pecking sites once they are
established.
Prompt repair of large holes may encourage the woodpecker to leave
or discourage other woodpeckers because these holes may serve as
visual attractants. Cover the holes with aluminum flashing, tin can
tops or metal sheathing, and paint them to match the siding. If
damage occurs near areas that provide perch sites, eliminate these
sites with metal flashing or other materials. If a single board on
the house serves as a toe hold, heavy monofilament fishing line or
stainless steel wire can be tightly stretched approximately 2 inches
outward across the landing site to exclude the bird.
1W.F.
Andelt, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension wildlife
specialist and associate professor, fishery and wildlife biology;
S.N. Hopper, 305 Ruth St., Fort Collins, CO 80525. 4/98. Updated
Wednesday, May 02, 2001.
©
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. 1995-2001.
Contact Cooperative Extension
Web Manager.
Home Page:
www.ext.colostate.edu.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8
and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Milan A. Rewerts, Director of Cooperative Extension,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. Cooperative
Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No
endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism
implied of products not mentioned.
Answers to Your Wildlife Questions
In
this section we will post questions received that we feel are of
common interest to all residents. Contact:
Arlene Raskin
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Calendar of Local Wildlife Events
Please visit the Activities Page of the Audubon Society of Greater
Denver website,
www.denveraudobon.org/2EventsForEmailorFax.html,
for a detailed schedule and description of local events.
Please visit the Calendar section of the
Colorado Division of Wildlife for a detailed schedule and description of local events, classes and
field trips.
Interested in a field trip? Check out Barr Lake State Park, near
Denver. The park was recently featured in Sunset magazine, in which
it was noted that the 2,700-acre park was home to scores of bird
(about 330 species have been sighted there), and the Rocky Mountain
Bird Observatory. The park contact number is 303-659-6006, the Bird
Observatory phone number is 303-659-4348.
If
you know of any additional programs available locally, please
contact the webmaster, Ken Elliott at:
elliottkc@earthlink.net
Wildlife Links
Audubon Society of Greater Denver:
www.audubon.org/chapter/co/asgd
Animals/Wildlife:
www.animals.about.com
Birding/Wild Birds:
www.birding.about.com
Colorado Division of Wildlife website:
www.wildlife.state.co.us
Denver Museum of Nature and Science:
www.dmns.org
National Geographic:
www.nationalgeographic.com
National Wildlife Federation:
www.nwf.org
Nature and Wildlife Field Guides:
www.enature.com
Ocean Journey:
www.oceanjourney.org
Wildlife Conservation Society:
www.wildlifeconservation.org
World Wildlife Fun:
www.wwf.org
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Wildlife Control
As
our population moves into areas that have previously been populated
only by wildlife, the number of human/wildlife conflicts has also
increased. Human beings are sometimes not very tolerant of sharing
their environment with other species, yet it is the presence of
these other species that enrich our lives. Songbirds, birds of prey,
rodents, coyote, rabbits, deer, elk, bobcats, mountain lions, and
others are at home here in Castle Pines Village.
If
you have a problem with wildlife control, we can recommend Jack
Murphy of Urban Wildlife Rescue, Inc. or Peggy Wrabetz with Angels
for Wildlife. Jack and Peggy are specialists in humane solutions to
wildlife problems, education, and rehabilitation.
Jack Murphy, Director & Wildlife Specialist
URBAN WILDLIFE RESCUE, INC. (a non-profit organization)
P.O. Box 201211
Denver, CO 80220
Voice: (303) 340-4911
Fax: (303) 363-8628
Email:
jack@urbanwildliferescue.org
Web:
www.urbanwildliferescue.org
Peggy Wrabetz of Angels for Wildlife, Littleton: 303-972-4228
Jack Murphy and Peggy Wrabetz recently gave a presentation to the
Village residents focusing on learning to live with wildlife in a
way that nurtures an appreciation of these animals and teaches us
how to live on the Wilds' side.
Wildlife Stories:
To post your story or photographs, send them to the
association office
BOBCAT -- This encounter goes back a couple of summers. My husband
and I were driving on Castle Pines Drive North just past Equinox
Drive when I saw something in the high grass next to the road. We
backed up to take a look. It was a beautiful … what was it???
We’re still not sure if it was a lynx or a bobcat, but from looking
at many pictures, we think it was a bobcat. He was sitting two feet
off the road in high grass as if he thought he was hidden from
view. We sat in the car, windows up, for about ten minutes and
watched him. Amazingly, he did not look concerned, he just sat
there and primped himself just like a housecat would do. He had
beautiful markings around his face and ears. We have never seen one
since, so we felt very fortunate to have seen this gorgeous creature
in the wild………Carol Akers
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