Ventura Tracker Certification 11/8/2020

On November 7 & 8, I conducted a Track and Sign Certification for the Ventura County Wildlife Trackers in Southern California.

We saw the tracks of 28 species, including 18 mammals, 6 birds, 2 herps, 1 invertebrate, and 1 track of a branch blowing in the wind. We spent the first day at an amazing bridge in the Los Padres National Forest. The weather was really crazy. We drove through a literal snow storm in the morning to get to the bridge. It was cold and windy much of the day, but the tracks made it worthwhile. Among many others, we we saw beautiful tracks of a great-horned owl, red-tailed hawk, black bear, and mountain lion! Day 2 was spent under HWY 101 at an enormous bridge over the Santa Clara river. Again, the winds were super strong, but the tracks were worth it. See the photos below.

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