Mammal Watching Forum

Hi everyone, My mom and my sister just sent me this picture from Poipu Beach in Kauai. I’ve never seen a Hawaiian monk seal (or any monk seal, to be honest) and as far as I know they’re not considered common, so I wasn’t sure if I should report it on here, or if it’s like reporting a sighting of […]

1. A new paper proposes novel classification of cottontails in SW USA and N Mexico. I’m attaching the distribution map from the paper. Eastern cottontails from AZ, NM and N Mexico are lumped with Manzano Mts. and Davis Mts. cottontails into a separate species. 2. Nycteris madagascariensis is not a rare Madagascar endemic, but a mislabeled N. macrotis from E […]

Has anybody used or have any comments on the Echo  Meter Touch 2 bat detector, either in the Standard or Pro model? It plugs into a smartphone. Information here: https://www.nhbs.com/echo-meter-touch-2?bkfno=234661 https://www.nhbs.com/echo-meter-touch-2-pro?bkfno=234662  

Here is a link to a PDF I wrote with new info on finding Manzano Mountain Cottontail. — Brian Keelan

In this forum we have talked about thermal imaging monoculars, aka cheat scopes. As tools for doing wildlife surveys, they are discussed in a UK magazine called Conservation Land Management. A summary is on the NHBS website, at this link. https://www.nhbs.com/blog/thermal-imaging-for-ecologists I still am happy to have one myself, though there is zero chance I would ever tell my wife […]

I was in Madera Canyon July 2021 with Jose Gabriel Martinez. It was just two nights, one of which was lost to the most intense storm either of us had experienced. But just to verify, yes, Coati is still possible around Santa Rita Lodge during the day, Ringtail at dusk (best chance is still via unit 18), and Mexican Long-tongued […]

We’re going to Iceland Aug 3-16. If you know an Icelander willing to lend us a car, we’ll pay. Rental companies are all overbooked. Also, if anyone vaccinated is interested in co-renting a minivan and sharing a ride, I’d be happy to be your driver/nature guide. We have kids ages 1 & 6, but they are little angels as long […]

Looking for any recent info or tips on seeing the three rabbits listed in the title. We will be on Cape Cod this weekend for three nights. Last week of July, we are booked for three nights in Shenandoah NP, with the rest of that trip still unplanned. Can we find App Cottontail in the Park? Where else would folks […]

Hi guys,   The possibilities for travelling are slowly increasing, but for this summer I’ve kept it rather close to home with a camping trip by car through Eastern Europe. Since I will not be travelling with a group that is specifically interested in mammals I can’t really do a targeted trip for specific mammals, however at some point we […]

Mammalwatching: The Podcast Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Stithr In the new episode we interview Peter Zahler about  35 years’ work conserving wildlife in the field around the world. Some of his many achievements include his work in Pakistan where he ran a world-renowned project to save the Markhor from extinction, and rediscovered the  Woolly Flying Squirrel, a […]

In early 2021 I published a short report from Karina and Andre Giljov, who had uncovered an apparently reliable spot for Mountain Coati in Mindo. I was gripped. So were others. This was a species I had wanted to see for a while. But after seeing their pictures – of an animal they beautifully described as resembling a Wolverine/Tayra hybrid […]

Here’s a new report from Cheryl Antonucci who just got back from Colorado and found a few “new” sites (or at least new for me) for several species. Colorado, 2021: Cheryl Antonucci, 5 days & 18 species including Wyoming and Thirten-lined Ground Squirrels, Abert’s Squirrel and Moose. Jon

Here is the second part of my Middle East trip report: Libya, 2 days in November 1995 and 4 days in June 2021, 20 species including Cyrenaica vole and Cyrenaica shrew. This time I was in upland Cyrenaica, a very beautiful and mammal-rich part of the country. Highly recommended once the security situation improves a bit. Must be even better […]

I think this is a gray fox?   I have some days off about 2 weeks in August but I am not sure what to do as I need to stay within a few hours of home. That leaves me the option of basically anywhere in New Hamsphire, VT, or Maine. Does anyone have any thoughts on good ideas? Last […]

I just spent a few days in the Middle East looking for various rodents and other (mostly small) mammals. I broke the trip report into two parts. Here is the first part: Syria, Iraq and Bahrain, June 2021, 4 days and 26 species including golden hamster and long-tailed bandicoot rat. The former was the last hamster I hadn’t seen in […]

Hi people, I just started to collect some info on where to find certain species which I still miss on my list. I think I will travel from the 19th of July onwards. By train, but I can hire a car where necessary. My window to prepare properly is narrow. As a teacher I’m very busy at the end of […]

Just two lumps, but of a kind some people might find interesting: 1. Gould’s mouse (Pseudomys gouldii) isn’t extinct: it is conspecific with the (barely) extant Shark Bay mouse (Pseudomys fieldi). The latter occurs on a few predator-free islands which are very difficult to visit if I remember correctly. 2. As I’ve been saying for almost 30 years, Chinese mountain […]

Here is my trip report from a short research trip to the new Kytalyk National Park in Siberia: June 2021, 5 days and 7 species including wolverine and Middendorf’s vole. I don’t think anybody would go there just for mammals but it’s a great birding destination so hopefully some people here will find this report useful.

Look for “mammalwatching” (one word) on your podcast platform or click here. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Stithr We interview scientist, author, artist and tour operator Fiona Reid about a lifetime catching, painting and studying some of the world’s least known mammals. Highlights include bat glamour makeover tips, how to  photograph a flying fox’s teeth and why a plane crash […]

Royle Safaris are running a Western Sahara trip from 12-19 Feb 2022 and have three spots remaining. Morocco is open again for tourism, and anyone vaccinated can enter without restrictions.  Great news if you want to see Sand Cat, Fennec Fox, African Golden Wolf, Ruppell’s Fox, African Wild Cat, Saharan Striped Polecat, Desert Hedgehog and more. More details are here. Jon