Friends Of Blue Sky Canyon
P.O. BOX 733
Poway, CA 92074

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© 2009 Blue Sky Reserve

The Blue Sky Tracking Team

Formed in the spring of 2006 with more than a dozen members, the Blue Sky Tracking Team is sponsored by Friends of Blue Sky Canyon. The primary focus of the BSTT is to monitor local wildlife, thereby promoting the preservation of wildlife habitat in Blue Sky and the surrounding areas. In conjunction with the San Diego Tracking Team, quarterly wildlife surveys are conducted along designated transects to monitor the presence or absence of key wildlife species. (photo: some of our members)

Membership in the BSTT is open to anyone with an interest and desire to help preserve and protect the flora and fauna of Blue Sky and the surrounding area. There is no charge to become a member, and tracker/naturalist training (a requirement for performing wildlife surveys) is available for free and/or a low cost through the San Diego Tracking Team.

Notes re: Findings During Transect Surveys

10-26-08
This was the first time we had a small group…only three trackers were able to collect data this quarter.  The usual critters were documented by tracks and/or scat:  raccoon, coyote, mule deer, fox, and bobcat.  For some reason, we found more than ten different raccoon scat samples in sections 5 and 6.  We haven’t noticed that many in one area before.  We of course also found presence of small rodents and cottontails.  One interesting thing is that, although we find opossum tracks down in the canyon, we’ve never found any on our transect. (Photo: bobcat track)

8-9-08
We had another crowd of eight trackers this survey period.  We started at 7 to try to beat the heat, and luckily we were back at our vehicles by 10:10, so the heat was not a big issue.  Along with confirming presence of cottontails, kangaroo rats, and other small rodents, we also found tracks and/or scat for bobcat, gray fox, coyote, mule deer, raccoon, and striped skunk.  We found another roadrunner track in section 6 again, as well. The number of deer tracks actually documented had definitely returned to the pre-fire levels. (Photo: Kangaroo rat track with tail drag)

5-18-08
Seven trackers performed our survey this quarter.  Spring is here, and having had some rain, plant life is returning.  Nothing unusual came up on this survey.  We saw the usual tracks and/or scat for bobcat, coyote, mule deer, raccoon, and striped skunk.  No evidence of fox this time, but there was lots of mule deer browse.  We again found evidence of small rodents and cottontails, and we also found presence of kangaroo rat this time.

2-10-08
Six people collected data this quarter.  We are still finding a larger than normal number of deer tracks, but again, it is probably due to the better substrate and lack of barriers.  The deer do appear to be setting up trails again, whereas last quarter they just appeared to be wandering anywhere and everywhere, as if they were still confused by the fire and smoke.  This time we found evidence of rabbits only in section 1, which is a small section of the road leading to the campground—right before you get to the boundary fence.  No rabbits in any of the other sections, though.  We also again found presence of small rodents in sections 1, 2, 5, and 6. 

We did find fox scat in a couple of sections, so at least one fox has returned.  We also found the expected tracks and/or scat for coyote, bobcat, and raccoons.  We also found evidence of spotted skunk in sections 1 and 2.  A short distance from the easement road, we found a carcass of a young buck that showed evidence of predation.  Our thoughts were that it died in the October fires.  Again, no gnatcatchers or coast horned lizards were to be found, as their habitat had been totally destroyed.

12-15-07 (approx. eight weeks after the fire)
The devastation left by the October fires is so sad.  If I hadn’t already been to the reserve prior to this trip, it would have been a very emotional experience. But having seen the fire’s damage previously, I knew what to expect.  We had five people show up this time, most of whom had already been here and also seen the damage left when the fire swept through the entire canyon.  All the ground cover and under-story is gone, leaving very little cover for what animals are still here. 

The rangers have counted only eight deer in the canyon, but because of the lack of ground cover, the heavy ash layer, and recent rain, we found deer tracks literally everywhere—well over 60, which is very unusual.  Before the deer had been pretty consistently using existing game trails, but now there are no trails and no barriers to stop them from leaving the pipeline road. The thick, ashy substrate (compared to our previous decomposed granite) made it easier to find tracks. It was also interesting that the only section in which we found evidence of cottontails was the very last section—the one closest to Espola Road, which may mean the rabbits have moved from the actual canyon into the surrounding housing neighborhood to find food.  No evidence of fox was found, but we did find tracks and/or scat belonging to coyote, bobcat, and raccoon. 

Of course, we neither heard nor saw and gnatcatchers or coast horned lizards, but we did find presence of small rodents in sections 1 and 3.  Sadly, all of the woodrat nests, being made of piled sticks, now exist only as a concentration of white ash on the ground, documenting where the woodrat nests used to stand.

8-18-07
Again we had another healthy turnout for our transect, with eight people there to collect data.  We made the usual finds of scat and/or tracks of deer, fox, coyote, bobcat, and raccoon, as well as the documented woodrat nests on the transect.  While we didn’t find any roadrunner tracks this quarter, we did find roadrunner scat…the first time it has been identified on our transect!  Now we have something new to look for.  We also heard California gnatcatchers in both sections 3 and 4. (photo: Roadrunner scat)

5-25-07
Seven of us collected data.  We saw the usual tracks and scat:  deer, fox, bobcat, raccoon, and coyote, and a few woodrat nests.  This time we also found roadrunner tracks, and a large variety of plants that the deer had been browning upon.  We also saw a very large coast horned lizard, and actually had a sighting—or rather smelling—of a striped skunk.

2-17-07
The latest Blue Sky transect survey was held Feb. 17 and we had 5 people. We documented the expected species, and this time we found two coast horned lizards (one was an adult and the other was a smaller youngster). We found a few more woodrat nests and a rather large snake skin that had been shed. We also found what I was pretty sure was a mountain lion track a little ways west from where we found the mountain lion scat on the previous transect. Unfortunately, the track was in DG and not perfectly clear. The photos did not turn out well as there was next to no contrast.

(photo: stotting deer stride tracks)