Kelly:

I'm interested in the thought of Bushy-tailed Woodrat. One of my boys
insisted that he had a rodent the fit the description of this species last
week (he saw the aft/tail end best, as the animal escaped under a stump/into
a hole in our woods). I considered it, but: I've only seen this species in
high alpine habitat, and although Peterson's Mammal Guide mentions that
alpine occurrence also, it also indicates by range map that it should occur
at lower elevations. Is the species known to occur in the lowlands of wWA?

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com


>From: Kelly Mcallister <mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov>
>Reply-To: mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov
>To: Rahne Kirkham <rahnefall at sbcglobal.net>
>CC: tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Re: Mystery mammal id help needed
>Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 12:25:15 -0800 (PST)
>
>I'll offer the possibility of Bushy-tailed Woodrat, largely because the
>size seems to
>rule out the other likely subjects, most importantly, the Deer Mouse which
>the description
>otherwise fits. A description of the tail would help.
>
>Kelly McAllister
>Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
>Olympia, Washington
>Reply to: mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov
>
>On Wed, 31 Dec 2003, Rahne Kirkham wrote:
>
> > Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 11:16:48 -0800
> > From: Rahne Kirkham <rahnefall at sbcglobal.net>
> > To: tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> > Subject: Mystery mammal id help needed
> >
> > Actually, it's a mystery mouse. Two days ago at my niece's feeder on the
> > hill west of Auburn, the birds were disturbed by a very large mouse who
>ran
> > down the branch they were on, shimmied down to the hanging feeder,
>snacked a
> > minute, then jumped to the feeder on a post nearby. He snacked there,
>made
> > his way back to the branch (again dislodging the birds) and went his
>way. He
> > was sandy brown with a white tummy and very round ears. Obviously not a
> > house mouse but didn't look like any of the mice on the Burke Museum PNW
> > mammals site. Not a rat (I know rats having lived with pair). Smaller
>than a
> > squirrel but larger than a chipmunk.
> > Thanks.
> > Rahne Kirkham
> > Federal Way, Washington
> > "I am in Love and out of Him I will not go."
> > C.S.Lewis "The Great Divorce"
> >
> >
>

_________________________________________________________________
Worried about inbox overload? Get MSN Extra Storage now!
http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es