There are a number of local fauna that you may encounter while in our mountains.  Please remember that, though they may be cute, they are still wild animals and you should not attempt to make contact with them.  Feeding them is discouraged.  Following are some of the animals that you have a good chance of seeing while out and about:

 WESTERN GRAY SQUIRRELS (Sciurus griseus)  Chances are very good that you'll encounter this cute fellow.  They are very plentiful in our mountains and scurry across the road (many to their sad end) all the time. 

 COYOTE (Canis latrans)  At first, you may think you're seeing a skinny dog trotting along or standing at road's edge.  Coyotes, however, are much lighter on their feet than the average dog. 

Coyotes are plentiful and are seen all day and all night long scavenging for their next meal.  Keep your cats and dogs nearby and under watch - coyotes are very quick and can dash out in the blink of an eye and snatch up a pet. 

Coyotes can also be heard in the night, yipping and howling with their kin.  They often travel in large packs and use their group tactics to improve their hunting success.


    RACCOON  (Procyon lotor)  A jovial night-time visitor, this guy makes his rounds looking for food, sometimes in the garbage cans left out in the neighborhood.  Raccoons have the curious trait of washing their food before eating it.  This isn't because they're clean, it is due to their lack of salivary glands.  In other words, they need a little moisture to wash their food down!  These creatures may be quite brazen and unafraid of people.  Please do not attempt to feed these guys by hand - they're wild animals and can be unpredictable.  For some pictures of one of our recent visits, click here.

 CHIPMUNKS (Tamias obscurus)  Like the Western Gray Squirrels, these guys are frequently scampering about on our deck looking for crumbs.  They're very entertaining!


Here are some other animals that are more rare in our area and that you probably won't see.  In the chance encounter, though, it is always fun to identify what you're looking at:

 FLYING SQUIRREL (Glaucomys sabrinas)  I remember the first and only time that I saw a flying squirrel.  It was at my parents' house in Skyforest in a large cedar tree in their front yard.  I could hear a commotion up high in the tree and shone a light up there to see what was making the racket.  Way up high, two sets of bright eyes reflected the light from my flashlight and I could see that there were two squirrels chasing each other through the branches.  Cute little guys!

Despite their name, they actually do not fly.  They glide on flaps of skin that stretch open when they leap from branch to branch or tree to tree.  What fun!

 BOBCAT (Felis rufus)  I have had the joy of seeing a handful of bobcats in my time.   Once walked across the Willow Creek Jeep Trail between the staging area and Hwy 173.  Another I came across near Sonoma Drive near the golf course.  At first, you wonder if you're looking at large house cat had it's tail chomped off by a pursuing coyote. Then you realize that the nub-tail is as God intended! A rare treat to behold!

 BLACK BEAR (Ursus americanus)  I didn't see my first bear until 2001.  In fact, I saw the same bear twice in one day!  The first time, he ran across Grass Valley Road and down toward the golf course.  He was a very dark brown with a white diamond in the middle of his chest.  Later that night, during a bible study at a friend's house, we looked out the window and, lo and behold, there he was sitting on the back outside the house!  He sat there and watched us and we all congregated at the window and watched him.  He was really big!

The only other bear I've seen was on Hwy 18 just before Nob Hill.  He was a gorgeous, shiny black with a tan muzzle.  His fat body jiggled down the hill, across the highway and down the other side.  He was gone in an instant, but I'll never forget it.

 MOUNTAIN LION (Puma concolor)  In the 35 years that I've lived in these mountains, I have never seen a mountain lion.  In fact, I've never even come across any pawprints in all my wanderings.  My dad, who has been in the mountains since the 60's, has never seen one either, though he did see some large prints in the snow once during a Search and Rescue operation in a meadow deep in the Pinnacles.

 MULE DEER (Odocoileus hemionus)  This species, sadly, was much more abundant and prolific when I was a youngster.  My sister and I used to see who could spot more of them whenever we were driving around at night.  Without fail, it seemed we would spot one or more in the area between Nob Hill and the transfer station (it was called "The Dump" back then).   Recently, I've only seen them far away from the houses and roads in the back country.  They are magnificent creatures, from the sweet little foals, to the stately bucks.  It never ceases to amaze me how the can bound so high and quickly as they make their escape.

 RING-TAILED CAT (Bassariscus astutusassariscus)  This is another creature I have never laid eyes on personally.  My dad actually found one that had been hit by a car many, many years ago.  He actually ended up taking it to the museum in San Bernardino.  There's one on display there, but I have no idea if it is the one he donated (I like to think so).