Ventura Tracker Certification 11/08/2018

I conducted a Track and Sign Certification in the Ventura Area on November 7-8, 2018.

We saw the tracks of 32 species, including 14 mammals, 11 birds, 3 herps, 2 invertebrate, a human hand print, and a mark from a branch blowing in the wind. We spent the first day at the Nature Conservancy’s Hanson Property on the Santa Clara River where we saw some incredible tracks including burrowing owl, great horned owl, pocket gopher, and a mountain lion and kitten! Day 2 was spent under HWY 101 at an enormous bridge over the Santa Clara river. We found many more great tracks there including another set of great horned owl tracks and coot tracks. See the photos below.

A big thanks to Wyatt Harris for organizing this certification. I also want to thank Maya Shoemaker for assisting. This is a great group of trackers and I enjoy seeing them improve each year.