Mammals known to be at Masson Ridge
Moose – They come and go, browsing impossibly high and leaving giant footprints
White-tailed Deer – Abundant. Negative impact on plant diversity by selective browsing,
Black Bear – Adults seen multiple times, cubs once
Eastern Coyote – Lone animals frequently seen, small packs frequently heard
Red Fox – Often spotted on former logging roads, tracks in winter
Bobcat – Winter tracks, frequent
Fisher – Winter tracks, porcupine kill sites
American Mink – Winter tracks in snow
River Otter – Winter tracks by the pond
Shorttail Wease l- Seen in rock walls where chipmunks nest
Striped Skunk – Seen on West Road
Raccoon – Seen near the vernal pools and in trees
Beaver – Intermittently utilize the pond, adding to the man-made dam there
Porcupine – Common, den sites in ledge, destructive to sassafras and orchard trees
Snowshoe Hare – Tracks in winter, seen in spring as its white coat changes back to brown
Gray Squirrel – Numerous, especially among the oaks, leaf-nests in canopy
Red Squirrel – Not very common, more often among evergreens, nest in cavities
N. Flying Squirrel – Probably common but shy, nocturnal and seldom seen, cavity nester
Eastern Chipmunk – Abundant everywhere, hibernates in winter with food cache near
Deer Mouse – Abundant, caches acorns for winter, scampers on top of the snow
Meadow Vole – Abundant in openings, esp with grass, winter-active, tunnels under snow
Opossum – Attracted to brush piles for shelter, omnivorous
Shrew spp – Up to five species possibly resident, not yet identified to species
Mole Hairytail vs Eastern – creates visible tunnels just below surface of soil
Not confirmed but likely:
Woodchuck
Short-Tailed shrew
N Water Shrew
Smokey Shrew
Masked Shrew
Longtail Shrew
Starnose Mole
Bats – Myotis up to 4 species, Pipistrellus subflavis
Jumping Mice, 2 species
White footed mouse, similar to Deer Mice
Southern Bog Lemming
Pine Vole
Muskrat
Also possible: Eastern Wood Rat, Southern Flying Squirrel