November 2009

Overview

Our goals for this trip include conducting to videoconferencing sessions: one with Jonathan's first grade class and a second with Matt's high school biology class. We would also be pleased to capture either of the males that we attached tracking devices to last August.

Trapping Summary

We trapped for a total of nine days and 256 trap-days. Traps were baited with chicken feet which were replaced every other day or earlier if they were missing.

Twenty animals were captured 24 times in 256 trap-days for a 9.4% trap success rate. Ten of those 24 captures were recaptures for a 42% recapture success rate. Two of those recaptures were originally marked in August 2007 (one of those was also recaptured in March 2009), three recaptures were originally marked in March 2009 (one was also recaptured in August 2009), one was originally marked in August 2009, and four recaptures were marked during this trip. One animal was found dead in a trap that had been attacked by dogs.

One trail camera revealed mongoose visits at three different times on 11.25.09, three different times on 11.26.09, and once on 11.27.09. This site had four traps set on 11.25.09 and seven traps on 11.26.09 and 11.27.09. No animals were captured at this site during these three days. However, a juvenile female had been captured at this site on 11.21.09 and recaptured on 11.24.09 approximately 25 meters from this site, and three adult males had been captured within 50 meters of this site prior (11.19.09 and 11.21.09) to setting the trail camera.

11.18.09 - Set 25 traps.

11.19.09 - Checked traps at 3:00 pm and captured two mongoose - one was a new juvenile male and the other was a recaptured female that was originally marked on 8.04.09. We kept those two animals overnight at Cottages to use in the Skype session from Refuge Headquarters with Mrs. Pulley's first grade class at Juniper Park Elementary School, Westfield, MA on Friday 20 November 2009.

11.20.09 - Checked traps 1-12 at noon and recaptured a female that was first marked on 3.16.09. At 2:30 pm we conducted a one-hour Skype session with Jonathan's class at Juniper Park ES. At 3:30 pm we checked the remaining 13 traps and captured three additional animals - a juvenile female, an adult female, and a recaptured male marked on 3.16.09. We released the two animals from the previous day and kept the other four overnight at Cottages.

11.21.09 - Checked 25 traps at 3:00 pm and captured four mongoose (one recaptured male originally marked on 8.12.07 and recaptured on 3.16.09, and three new animals - juvenile female, subadult male, old female), two land crabs, and a hermit crab. Crabs were released immediately and mongoose were kept overnight at Cottages By The Sea.

11.22.09 - Checked 25 traps at 10:00 am and captured four mongoose (juvenile male, juvenile female, a recaptured juvenile male originally marked on 11.19.09, and a recaptured female originally marked 0n 11.20.09), two land crabs, and a hermit crab. Crabs were released immediately and mongoose were released later the same day. Set 10 additional traps

11.23.09 - Checked 10 traps at 9:00 am and captured two new females that were used by Matt in his five Skype sessions with his Westfield High School biology students where he is student teaching. Checked the remaining 25 traps at 3:00 pm and captured four additional mongoose - one recaptured female from August 2007 and three new animals. All animals were released later the same day.

11.24.09 - Checked 35 traps at 9:00 am and captured one juvenile female and one adult female. Animals were released the same day.

11.25.09 - Checked 35 traps at 9:00 am and captured no animals. Set out trail cameras at stations 10 and 21, and three additional traps at each station.

11.26.09 - Checked 41 traps at 9:00 am and found one dead female in a trapped that had been attacked by dogs.

11.27.09 - Checked 10 traps (seven at station 10 and three at station 21) at 9:00 am and recaptured a male that was originally marked in March 2009 and recaptured in August 2009. Retrieved trail cameras from stations 10 and 21.