Dear Friends,

This month’s trip was different from other outings because we enjoyed so many sightings of deer, we geo-referenced feline tracks, and we took several scat samples from different species (mostly fox) at the Northern Jaguar Reserve. At Los Pavos, we increased the number of cameras and put an extra camera at Arroyo Los Pavos where we had seen many feline footprints along the trail. This location has great potential for wildlife observation because of the amount of vegetation as well as a large population of white-tailed deer.

We had some excitement and a tense moment walking through the Arroyo Los Pavos, observing a javelina at very close range. We were startled as this individual came out from its resting place very quickly and making a lot of noise. We were sure that there were more javelina in the vicinity, and we heard them running away through the undergrowth. What made us apprehensive as we stood still was that this one javelina stayed there staring us down. It is known that javelina can become aggressive when cornered. Although it was probably just a few moments of standing there and observing each other, it seemed much longer. Finally, the javelina turned around and ran toward the mesquite trees where it had been hiding. Later on, when we came to a site called La Pista, we noticed the remains of what could have been a javelina. We were not completely certain, since we only found the hindquarters and part of the spine, yet the bones were more or less the size of an adult javelina.

We recently began monitoring a new site at Dubaral. It includes a pond where we have found many feline markings along with mountain lion and deer photographs. We are happy to see these results showing a balance between predator and prey, and thus suggesting a healthy ecosystem.

We noticed an increase in the bird populations this month, and in the mornings we can now hear many different types of bird calls as part of the spring mating season. It is the beginning of migration for some birds, and the arroyos are full of bird life. We were able to observe a vermilion flycatcher in courtship flight, puffing up its wings and fluttering while he sang. We also noticed gray hawks roosting in the trees and calling out to their mates. What really made an impression on me was seeing bald eagles in a small arroyo at La Ventana. We saw two individuals perched on rocks near one of our motion-triggered camera sites. When they realized that humans were nearby, they flew away.

Without a doubt, the most exciting thing that happened this month was finding a jaguar photo at Diego Ezrré’s ranch, a participating ranch in the Viviendo con Felinos project. We have not been able to identify it from previous jaguar photos and think that this is a new individual. We hope that we are able to get more photos of this jaguar in the months to come since our primary purpose is to secure jaguar habitat so that the population continues to grow.

– Javier

Javier Valenzuela Amarillas has worked on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches since 2012. As a jaguar guardian, he helps to maintain an extensive network of motion-triggered cameras on the reserve and ranches, inventory the ecological health of the land and water, and patrol the area to keep out poachers.

Top photo: vermilion flycatcher, photo by Jim Rorabaugh; bottom: gray hawk

Dear Friends,

On this month’s trip, Daniela and I were really pleased to be accompanied by two of our NJP supporters, Eric and Caroline, on some of our camera inspections. We began the trip together with an afternoon spent at Rancho Bábaco, one of the Viviendo con Felinos ranches where we visited a spring near the house that is a good place to view wildlife. We later were joined by representatives from the Carlos Slim Foundation and WWF.

Our fieldwork on the reserve began at La Ventana. We led Caroline, Juan Carlos, and Turtle as we checked the motion-triggered cameras along the Arroyo La Ventana. This is a very beautiful stream filled with clear water, tiny fish, and abundant vegetation.

Next we continued on to Babisal, and en route, we were able to see a wild turkey and a white-tailed deer near a place known as Huijalo. At El Carricito, representatives from the Carlos Slim Foundation and WWF accompanied us to learn about our work and how the cameras are important in monitoring jaguars. They were also able to observe some of the hard work it takes to build gabions, as Laqui led our volunteer Stéphane and a small crew in building these permeable rock dams to help prevent erosion and restore the water table. Next up was a hike along the Arroyo El Burro at Dubaral, where we enjoyed seeing photos of two female jaguars, “Suki” and “Caza.”

At Los Pavos, we divided up into two teams to reach more camera locations. Laco and I went to the Arroyo Los Pavos and saw mountain lion tracks as well as a white-tailed deer who ran after Loco (Laco’s dog). We watched as the deer came right onto our path, yet after noticing our presence, it quickly ran the other way. That same day, Daniela and Eric went up the Cerro de Las Velas, and during their trip, they were lucky enough to see an elegant trogon – a bird with such vibrant colors that make it one of the most beautiful species on the reserve in my opinion. This sighting really made Eric happy, as he has a special interest in observing birds. Eric accompanied me on another long walk, and we saw more mountain lion tracks as we looked for new camera locations.

As we explored La Hielería and the Arroyo El Babisal, I realized yet again how beautiful the reserve is. We could see lots of willows, we climbed around near waterfalls, and saw pools of water that are so deep you cannot see the bottom. We saw lowland leopard frogs, many tadpoles, and several species of birds, including canyon wren and painted redstart. We were all impressed by the richness of species on the reserve and the importance of protecting all of the natural wealth found here.

– Javier

Javier Valenzuela Amarillas has worked on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches since 2012. As a jaguar guardian, he helps to maintain an extensive network of motion-triggered cameras on the reserve and ranches, inventory the ecological health of the land and water, and patrol the area to keep out poachers.

Top photo: Palo blanco flower, photo by Ian Fritz; middle: Loco at Babisal; bottom: black vultures, photo by Ian Fritz

Hi,

This month, Javier, Laqui, and I enjoyed many different experiences. In addition to checking the motion-triggered cameras on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches for photos of jaguars and other felines, we also supported and welcomed the launch of “TrekWest,” a human-powered journey from Sahuaripa to Canada to connect the Western wildway. We were with John Davis on his journey through the reserve and on to Nacori Chico. We also were joined by a Canadian volunteer, Stéphane, to help with our camera work and restoration projects.

We spent most of our time checking the cameras on the Viviendo con Felinos ranches and a few of the cameras on the reserve. That’s because next month we will need to spend most of our time on the reserve. The results this month were very encouraging – we were able to get 23 photos of two female jaguars, “Caza” and “Libélula,” that have been showing up fairly regularly these last few months on the reserve and ranches. There were also a lot of photos of mountain lions, ocelots, and bobcats. There was rain for a few days while we were on the ranches, which was good for the cattle and to keep the dry season from being too harsh.

We introduced John Davis and videographer Ed George to the people of Sahuaripa with a series of events in town with ranchers and local schoolchildren to launch TrekWest. Diego Ezrré, owner of the ranch La Tinaja, played an important role in organizing these community-wide events. John and I then rode horseback from Sahuaripa to La Ventana along with Braulio, a vaquero. Once we reached the reserve, we traveled the rest of the way on foot with Laqui. It was a very successful trip; John was able to see many species of birds, javelina, and the landscapes of the reserve. On the day to Dubaral, we arrived after walking for nine hours. The next day, Laqui took us on a shortcut from Dubaral to Los Pavos, which saved hours of traveling and allowed us to rest a little.

Ed brought a lot of heavy camera gear, and if it had not been for the help of Javier and Stéphane, we would not have arrived at the confluence of the Río Aros and Río Bavispe as planned on the last day of our hike. This area is to the north of Los Pavos and where we met up with our guides from the Nacori Chico ranches. The ranchers welcomed us and were eager to help wherever we went, and on the last day we spent ten hours on horseback – yes, ten hours! Finally, we arrived at Rancho Pinidehuachi, which is an hour and a half drive from Nacori Chico, and they took us the rest of the way by truck. John met up with Cindy Tolle, his next guide on the trip through Sonora and Chihuahua. Before we left, we tried out John’s Surly Pugsley, a very sophisticated bike with tires that are much wider than normal. Laqui, Javier, and I each took a ride on it, then said goodbye to John. It was a great experience to participate in TrekWest, and we wish John a lot of luck on his journey ahead.

– Daniela

Daniela Gutiérrez has worked on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches since 2011. As a jaguar guardian, she maintains an extensive network of motion-triggered cameras on the reserve and ranches, inventories the ecological health of the land and water, and patrols the area to keep out poachers.

Top photo: TrekWest leaving Sahuaripa; below: school event in Sahuaripa, cowboys carrying camera gear during TrekWest

Hello!

This was the last trip of the year, and we retrieved more jaguar photos in a single month than we’ve had since August! We began our tour of the Viviendo con Felinos ranches with Mesa Rica and El Puerto, making our way toward Los Alisos. We were surprised to find a jaguar photo at Mesa Rica that also included a dead javelina. “Suki,” the female jaguar in the photo, was first documented at the Northern Jaguar Reserve in September. This photo is important to share with ranchers so that they can see the jaguars are getting their food from wild animals instead of cattle. A few days later at the reserve, we went to a very distant site called “Los Chinitos.” To reach the camera, we have to cross over five hills, which adds to the journey. The view from the last hill is very beautiful, and – like most of the reserve – you cannot see any signs of human presence.

I had never been to Los Pavos during the winter, and I expected it to be much colder – similar to other areas on the reserve. The lowest temperature was in the mid-50s. Dubaral, Babisal, and La Ventana (which is the coldest) were all close to freezing. During our walks to check the motion-triggered cameras, we noticed a decrease in butterflies and grasshoppers, and we did not see any snakes. We were able to cut some wild chiltepines that were growing near the cameras at Dubaral and Los Pavos, although the grasshoppers had not left us too many.

We had regular sightings of deer and also of a javelina family. There were at least 25 javelina, big and small, near El Sapo on the road to the reserve. This was Javier’s first time seeing javelina, and he was very happy. It was really entertaining as the baby javelina were beautiful to watch. They all ran away so quickly to hide.

It’s been a few months since we’ve had good video to share. The new Cuddeback Attack cameras now all have 32GB memory cards, and the additional storage capacity will help to capture many more photos and videos on these cameras… hopefully lots of felines.

The last news this month is that we obtained several photos of two female jaguars, “Libélula” and “Caza,” at several locations on the reserve and surrounding ranches. This was exciting to determine how much territory they can cover in a single day and also their distribution at the reserve during the last few months. It is satisfying to finish the year with photos of female jaguars on the reserve, as well as on the Viviendo con Felinos ranches. We want to thank all of you who have supported us this year – since without your help, we would not be able to work on the reserve nor have the necessary equipment to accomplish our fieldwork. We are looking forward to more good results during the year ahead.

Thank you again,

– Daniela

Daniela Gutiérrez has worked on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches since 2011. As a jaguar guardian, she maintains an extensive network of motion-triggered cameras on the reserve and ranches, inventories the ecological health of the land and water, and patrols the area to keep out poachers.

Top photo: Laqui, Daniela, and Javier; below: Suki at Mesa Rica, seen at right with a javelina 40 minutes after the first photo

 For more photographs of mountain lion kittens in 2012, visit this photo gallery.

From top to bottom: A family of coatimundi, blond tarantula, black bear, dragonfly, young coyote with a snack, juvenile common black-hawk, bobcat, badger with toad, female jaguar with bat, West Mexican coral snake, coatimundi, raccoon, ocelot, bobcat with toad, coyote

Photo credits: tarantula – Marco Navarro, dragonfly and West Mexican coral snake – Daniela Gutierrez

Hi!

Our trip this month was an adventure because our truck had some problems, although we were still able to accomplish everything we wanted to do. When we were at Los Pavos, which is at the end of the road, the truck’s battery died. So Javier and I hiked back down the road, looking for help on the route from Los Pavos to Babisal. It took several hours, since it was pretty far away, and we took advantage of this opportunity to explore the region and see interesting things that we cannot enjoy when we ride in the truck, such as scats, snakes, and the landscape in general. We came across a very beautiful dark gray snake with red on the stomach and a gray stripe on the back of its head, which we identified as a ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus). Unfortunately, we didn’t get any photos because it moved away so quickly. Although our hike lasted almost five hours, we enjoyed the scenery and what we found.

The following day, we explored the length of the Babisal arroyo so that Javier could become familiar with the site and see where the Hielería arroyo connects with the Babisal arroyo. At Dubaral, we traveled along the El Burro and Dubaral arroyos and found puma tracks. We saw that some pools that had water last month were now dry.

With regard to jaguar photos on the reserve this month, there were three photos of two female jaguars: “Corazón” and “Caza” at Dubaral and Babisal. The male jaguars, including “El Inmenso” and “Ferb,” were not seen on the reserve or at the surrounding ranches. We hope to see them again in the coming months.

We had a large quantity of mountain lion photos on the Viviendo con Felinos ranches and a jaguar photo at Las Cuevas. We identified the jaguar as “Libélula,” the female jaguar who was recently recorded on two neighboring ranches, Los Alisos and La Mesa Rica, near the reserve’s boundary. This photo is very exciting since it appears that her stomach is still a little swollen. We hope to continue taking pictures of Libélula and that a baby jaguar will soon appear in one of the photos.

See you next time with more news about the jaguars,

– Daniela

Daniela Gutiérrez has worked on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches since March 2011. As a jaguar guardian, she maintains an extensive network of motion-triggered cameras on the reserve and ranches, inventories the ecological health of the land and water, and patrols the area to keep out poachers.

Top photo: La Hielería; below: Libélula at Tésotas on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and at Las Cuevas

Hi Everyone,

I’m here again to tell you about the latest news from our October fieldwork. I had the opportunity to have a biologist who graduated from the University of the Sierra work with me on the Northern Jaguar Reserve. His name is Javier, and he has field experience working with birds and many types of vegetation. In the coming months, he is going to add to the monitoring information we are gathering, and if all goes well, he will stay on as a new jaguar guardian. Hopefully he will share some of his adventures here at the reserve.

We had a visit from some volunteers who worked on the construction of a second casita and the installation of solar panels at Babisal de Abajo. Their visit was a big success – they finished making the adobe bricks needed for the casita, and we now have electricity! Javier and I took the volunteers on a short hike up the Arroyo Babisal to check on the motion-triggered cameras and change batteries. We taught them about how the cameras work and how we choose their locations. I was able to show them the photos we retrieved, including many fantastic pictures of two young pumas and their mother taken right in front of the camera over a four-day period.

With regard to the camera traps, we had many surprises and were able to obtain several jaguar photos both on the reserve and on the surrounding ranches – all of them females. “Corazón,” a female jaguar first seen in 2006 and last seen in April, was photographed on the reserve at Dubaral. “Libélula,” another female jaguar, was recorded at Los Alisos and La Mesa Rica (two of the Viviendo con Felinos ranches where we have cameras). Libélula is pictured with her stomach enlarged, a sign that suggests she had a cub. The father is most likely “Ferb,” a male jaguar she was seen with on several occasions in the spring. This is really good news for the reserve, since our objective is to conserve the jaguar. The potential for a new cub tells us that we are accomplishing our objective on the reserve and ranches. Now I am wondering this month, “where are the male jaguars?”

Until next time,

– Daniela

Daniela Gutiérrez has worked on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches since March 2011. As a jaguar guardian, she maintains an extensive network of motion-triggered cameras on the reserve and ranches, inventories the ecological health of the land and water, and patrols the area to keep out poachers.

Click here for more photographs of these mountain lion kittens.

Hi,

This last trip to the Northern Jaguar Reserve was filled with surprise and adventure, much more so than in previous months. We were able to visit Los Pavos with assistance from Rick, the tractor, and the reserve vaqueros Laco and Laqui. They fixed the road and also worked with me out in the field. Most of the feline photos this month were of mountain lions and bobcats. There are just a few photos of jaguars and ocelots on the reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches, which happens during the rainy season when there is more water available. Although we did not have many jaguar photos, we hope to see more in the coming months.

Along the arroyo Cajón Los Pavos, we found a pair of military macaws in a tree above the canyon. We were able to observe them for some time. Personally, I have never seen macaws so close to where we were walking, and this was one of the best sightings I have ever had.

During our journey to El Carricito, we found that the rains this year were much more intense than last year. The water level was almost two meters high in some places. I also noticed when I was in the arroyo at Los Pavos that there was running water all the way to the end of the stream, which is incredible. When you walk in that area during the dry season, it is impossible to imagine water there. Seeing all of this water left quite an impression.

We had jaguar photos of “Caza” on the reserve at the Babisal arroyo, and right now it appears that we have two female jaguars in this area since there were photos of “Libélula” at Babisal last month. We hope that soon there will be some photos of the male jaguars that normally show up in our photos, like “El Inmenso” and “Ferb.”

In the month ahead, we hope to inspect more of the cameras on the nearby ranches and to visit Rancho El Saucito, which is in-between Agua Fría and Cajón del Mudo. I was recently taking photos and examining potential locations for cameras at El Saucito since this property may soon join the Viviendo con Felinos project. We hope to have good results here and more feline photos.

Until soon,

– Daniela

Daniela Gutiérrez has worked on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches since March 2011. As a jaguar guardian, she maintains an extensive network of motion-triggered cameras on the reserve and ranches, inventories the ecological health of the land and water, and patrols the area to keep out poachers.

Top photo: Military macaws at Los Pavos; below: the reserve as a nursery for young wildlife – coyote, deer, and coatimundi