To really understand the predators, whether they are furbearers, big game, or raptors, one must understand their prey. Through the years, I've done a lot of work on marten, mink, and owls, thus, to understand their prey base, I've done thousands of trapnights for small mammals, along with lots of work on marmots, squirrels and rabbits. Even to this day, I still do lots of small mammal trapping to keep my finger on the pulse of food availability for coyotes, foxes, and marten. All those hundreds of samples go to a museum.


The northern red-backed vole is the "meat-and-potatoes" for marten and boreal owls in Alaska.



Shrews (this one a vagrant shrew) are common in the diet, but don't add up in terms of percentage of the diet.



One hoary marmot is several meals for the smaller predators.


(Come on Sharon; Can't wait to see your selection of artwork.)

Jack

The red back vole is meat tators for Wis Marten also. I was involved in box trapping marten fm Mn to add to Wi Marten genes. We have some cross over of Mi. marten to Wi and vice versa for gene sharing. Trapped a all orange marten in Mn. but left in Mn.

Red back voles are also instrumental to forest health as they feed on and spread truffle spores throughout the coniferous zone. Truffles have a symbiotic relationship to trees.

I wasn't aware of that, peeler. Very interesting. Thanks for the education today!

Jack

I hope you excuse my intrusion on the thread but thought I'd share a photo of a mountain beaver (Aplodontia) to go along with your foto-friday. They are famous for being host to the largest fleas out there.

BP - Thanks, man! That sure seems to be a light-colored Boomer. Thanks for adding the photo. Those fleas are impressive; I have a vial of 'em around here somewhere.

Jack

There were voles on Rootok Island. I have never been anywhere that they were that thick. They had trails you could see for quite a distance. We never had a problem with them getting into our food. We put different types of food out and saw never saw a sign of them eating any of it. I was scared it would be a problem, when we first got there and I saw all the vole trails. Avatanak island was less than two miles from Rootok and there were no voles on it.

The first year on my trapline the voles were so thick that their noises kept me awake at night. All that squeaking...............you would think that remaining quiet would be a better form of defense

Jack, sure wish I had some voles and shrew images. I like the looks of voles, and have you seen shrews wiggle that snout ? I think they're funny in their super hyped attention span.

On the other hand I do have some prey images in the varmint rodent realm , on occasion asked for from editors. Some aren't exactly mice, but I figure they're in the family, so I included those.

The packrat with his stolen ladle was a real character that I played an experimental "game" with for some months. He would steal my gardening tools and stash them in his hut, and I would dig in there and take them back. He would wait a couple days, then steal them out of my shed again. I would dig into his house and take them back. Once in a while I'd see him on my woodpile staring at me with a rather disgusted expression We played this game until he thought he would chew on my cabin to gain access inside. I guess since he saw me tearing into his hut to retrieve my stolen stuff, he thought the rules were fair for himself to do the same. I ended up having to end the game with use of a rat trap. Once he began chewing , he wouldn't quit.

Thank you, sir Jack, for your share of everything. Every detail studied, large or small, is a fascinating education in appreciation of the natural world.

EXCEPT fleas , lice, ticks, or scorpions.





Grasshopper mouse howling

Deer mouse

You're right Jack, that was a very blonde one. More typical is the one on the right.

What about yellow cheek voles, gulo? Hear about those after a fire.
Do you have specific areas you trap for microtines and has that trapping proved to forecast high or low fur catches?
White, how many times have you had a little guy run over your face in the middle of the night?

LOL That really ticks me off !

In a wall tent one year my buddy was skinning a marten and a vole ran up the leg of his Carhartt bibs. On the inside. He dropped the knife and was grabbing every where in those overalls !! What a hoot !!

I can speak from first-hand experience, those little buggers have cold feet!

I could handle voles in my tent, but no way mice or rats. I don't want any varmints , but if I had to choose , I would deal with voles. Pikas would be ok...like wee rabbits to pet

No cold feetzies !!

Agouti or Gibnut from Central America.
Called the Queens rat in Belize as it was served at a meal to the Queen of England and she loved it and requested more.

white17 -

Were they singing voles (Microtus miurus)??

Wow! Awesome pics....., and drawing Ms. Sharon. So cool to see a mountain beaver. I've only read about them!

Grasshopper mouse.

That's great shot Chancey!

BTW, I had agouti for thanksgiving of 1984 while living the Ecuadorian amazon. I'm with the queen, I always wanted seconds too. Tastes like a cross between turkey and pork.