Wolf Bay-Blackwater River Update

Maybe white-tailed deer like sardines.

You get what you pay for. The recent Wolf Bay trip yielded nothing of interest, as the three cheap ($50) new cameras failed to work properly in multiple trials. I left them out for a week even though I knew they weren't up to snuff, and the only photo taken that was not of my hand reaching for the camera is the one above. This was actually from the location of a reported jaguarundi sighting in Blackwater River State Forest in Florida, and the other two cameras were deployed on the Wolf Bay tract. All three have now been returned for a refund, and the next camera purchase will emphasize quality, not quantity.

While at Wolf Bay, I asked a local resident about any sightings of long-tailed cats. "Jaguarundis?" he replied. "Oh, they're here. One guy with a nearby homeowners' association has a hundred dollar reward for proof of one." I should point out that he said "jaguarundi," not me. He is also not a typical local, being an avid observer of nature and having considerable interest in environmental issues. He also does not claim a personal jaguarundi sighting. So, is the jaguarundi in these parts reality or myth? The jury's still out. I'm going to try to track down this person who's allegedly offered the reward.

Fieldwork Begins

Tomorrow, for the first time, bait stations will be set up in conjunction with trail cameras for the sole purpose of photographing a jaguarundi in Alabama.  Three Tasco Model 119223C trail cameras (available at Wal-Mart for $50, not counting a $15 4GB memory card and batteries) will be employed on a large, densely forested private tract on Wolf Bay in south Baldwin County.  Bait will be fish suspended 6-7 feet off the ground (out of reach of coyotes).  The cameras will be left in place for a full week and checked on September 9.  Results will be posted here in a little over a week.

Thanks to Dr. Bill Summerour for advice on methods, for relaying his own 1963 possible sighting in Barbour County, and for passing along a recent report from a competent observer who watched with binoculars for five minutes at a distance of about 50 yards what he was virtually certain was a jaguarundi.  This was in 2005, and on an overgrown woods road near Weeks Bay, roughly 15 miles from where the cameras are to be set up tomorrow.