CCA has been monitoring wildlife in the Cascabel area since 2015 as part of a collaborative project with the Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance. Around a dozen cameras are spread out along a 15-mile stretch of the San Pedro River and are placed near the river and major washes. To date, the camera project has documented 21 species of wild mammals (bigger than a cottontail).  The data collected has been shared with the Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Saguaro National Park, and the Bureau of Land Management.

The mammal species we have documented include:

• Rock squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus)
• Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)
• Black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
• Antelope jackrabbit (Lepus alleni)
• Beaver (Castor canadensis)
• Javelina (Pecari tajacu)
• White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
• Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
• Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
• Hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura)
• Spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis)
• White-nosed coati (Nasua narica)
• Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
• Opossum (Didelphis virginiana californica)
• Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
• Badger (Taxidea taxus)
• Grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
• Coyote (Canis latrans)
• Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
• Mountain lion (Puma concolor)
• Black bear (Ursus americanus)

We’ve also gotten lots of pictures of different bird species.  And domesticated species as well (cow, pig, cat, dog, alpaca, mule.)

The Cascabel Conservation Association has been sponsoring local yellow-billed cuckoo surveys since 2018. That was the year after the species was placed on the endangered species list, which mandated careful guidelines for conducting surveys to ensure gathering valid data.  Surveys are done at roughly 2-week intervals between mid-June and early August. A minimum of four transect visits per season is required; flood flow events call for being flexible with scheduled surveys.

Due to COVID19 safe distancing protocols, we are not conducting cuckoo surveys in 2020 and hope to resume in 2021.

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Header photo: Matt Clark