Identifier Profile: @beartracker

This is the sixth in an ongoing monthly series profiling the amazing identifiers of iNaturalist! 

Oftentimes the only way most of us can regularly observe elusive wildlife like mammals is by finding traces of their passage: tracks, scat, rubs, and the like. Thankfully there are identifiers on iNat like @beartracker who can help with identification of those signs!

“I got my start in tracking when I was about 13 or 14,” says Kim Cabrera, who grew up in southern California. “My dad was the first one to point out tracks to me, when I was just a youngster. For some reason, those little imprints in the dirt just fascinate me. I imagine the animals making them and am curious about how those animals survive. As a teen, I started to teach myself the various tracks by drawing the ones in the field guide over and over.”

She continued to learn more about tracking and even learned to track humans for search-and-rescue purposes “[but] tracking animals is my first love.” After moving to the northern reaches of California over thirty years ago, she now tracks the bears and mountain lions in the area (among other animals), trying to determine their dietary and behavior habits from their tracks, signs, scrapes, and such. 

A CyberTracker-certified Track and Sign Specialist in both the forest and desert biomes, Kim also spends a good amount of time identifying track and scat observations on iNaturalist, which she discovered through a friend. 

I find it a great learning tool since you get to see tracks and sign in various environments and from all over the world. There is a very helpful community of trackers on iNaturalist who get into detailed discussions on identifications. We tag each other and discuss various tracks amongst ourselves and help each other learn. 

When adding IDs on iNat, Kim searches for observations of tracks and other sign and in addition to the identification she tells me

I try to remember to give reasons why I think a track is this not that so that it’s a learning experience for all. For the tracker, being able to articulate the reasons why you identified a track as you did helps you to clarify the details and solidifies it in your mind. So, the learning goes both ways. Hopefully, my track identifications are helpful to the folks who posted the images. Sometimes, it leads [to] a long discussion between folks, which can be helpful. 

For me, the thing about identifying things on iNaturalist is that it increases my knowledge. Tracks can appear in many different ways. For example, raccoon tracks have a reputation among trackers since they can mimic the appearance of those of other species. I have seen raccoon tracks that look just like those of bobcats or dogs!...

I think this has real-world applications. It’s not uncommon for mountain lions to be suspected of depredations on domestic animals. However, often the tracks found turn out to belong to dogs. Sadly, this can have really bad consequences for the mountain lions if the tracks are misidentified. So, the real-world application of tracking is my main motivation to help make correct track identifications, both on iNaturalist and other places. 

In addition to identifying, Kim also uses iNat as a place to post her observations of other organisms - she’s particularly interested in galls and leafminers at the moment and, after reading about them, she’ll comb through existing observations on iNat as well as post her own observations of them for ID help. “There are experts on feathers, bones, skulls, galls, and more, all on iNaturalist,” she says. “I have learned so much from them over the years and am grateful to them.”

I think learning is the most important thing we can do each day. Try to learn something new each day and you will never be bored. Learning about nature is my passion. I’ve discovered fascinating things with amazing life histories, like galls! And seeing these and identifying them on iNaturalist has helped open up a whole new world of knowledge to me. I am no expert in galls, but I do love learning about them. It’s the helpful identifications of those who ARE the experts that are helping me along that learning journey. As a specialist in track and sign, I hope that my knowledge of my particular subject area can prove useful to someone else who is as eager to learn as I am. This is why I love iNaturalist and its wonderful community. 


- Check out Kim’s website, as well as her YouTube channel!

- Kim also created the Animal Tracks and Signs by Beartracker Wildlife Tracking and Bird Tracks and Signs projects on iNat.

- References Kim recommends include books by Mark Elbroch as well as those by Moskowitz, Tkacyzk, Eiseman, Resendez, Poppele, McFarland, Lowery, and Halfpenny.

- Take a look at the printable comparision sheet Kim made for differentiating feline and canine tracks.

- if you have suggestions for identifiers to profile, please message @tiwane (don't write in the comments). I'm particularly interested in people who specialize in underrepresented taxa, regions, or types of observations.

Publicado el 18 de noviembre de 2021 por tiwane tiwane

Comentarios

Super cool! What an incredible skill!

Publicado por knotwood hace más de 2 años

Awesome! Kim has always been super helpful with my observations and attempts to learn some (very!) basic tracking myself.

Publicado por jeffdc hace más de 2 años

Wonderful! YES, I have certainly found Raccoon tracks to be very puzzling at times! Too, I am grateful to Kim for IDing some of my Track-posts to iNaturalist!

Publicado por katharinab hace más de 2 años

Kim is a gem and I've had the honor of tracking in the field with her! @beartracker is always there to help out on difficult IDs and complex discussions!

Publicado por jim_carretta hace más de 2 años

Always amazed by her tracking talent and wonderful game camera vids on her site. Thanks Kim for all the ID'ng!

Publicado por mikef451 hace más de 2 años

Kim @beartracker is a wonderful resource! I've tagged her on countless observations and she is always willing to help out. She also pointed me to the Winterberry Wildlife website, which is an incredible resource. So glad to see iNat pick her for this article. Way to go Kim!

Publicado por williamwisephoto hace más de 2 años

Way to go beartracker!

Publicado por lenrely hace más de 2 años

Yes!! iNat has become one of the primary resources I use for track and sign identification, thanks in large part to @beartracker's efforts and kind assistance!

Publicado por featherenthusiast hace más de 2 años

@beartracker is my go-to and has always been incredibly helpful. Thanks for featuring her, and thanks @beartracker !

Publicado por robinellison hace más de 2 años

Another big thank you to Kim for all the IDs she's provided for my poorly photographed animal tracks. After confirmation of a few raccoon and dog prints, I was a little alarmed to discover I'd photographed mountain lion prints in the Caribou Wilderness and black bear scat in Humboldt Redwoods. Sometimes it's better not to have this info in real time.

Thanks too for all the interesting observations you have added in northern California.

Publicado por rupertclayton hace más de 2 años

Hi, Kim! It's so great to have you here on iNat!

Publicado por marina_gorbunova hace más de 2 años

Yes, a big THANK YOU to @beartracker who is amazingly talented and generously shares her knowledge, even with common tracks like raccoons 😀 She inspires us to document any animal tracks, and I’ve learned so much from her. !!!

Publicado por metsa hace más de 2 años

@melodi_96 Hi! Good to see you here too! Thanks.

Publicado por beartracker hace más de 2 años

Thanks all!

Publicado por beartracker hace más de 2 años

To Kim: My favourite track is of a grey fox. It was a single track on a baked mud plain with scattered creosote bush near Onion Springs on the north side of the big bend of the Rio Grande River. The track in the wind shadow of a fist-sized rock; there were no other tracks anywhere near. It hadnt rained enough to soften this pan in a while, so the fox had passed by the lee of this stone maybe 5 months ago. She may have been out at night looking around for scorpions and kangaroo rats. Or making a bee-line quickly to somewhere important. I couldnt tell; i wish you were there. I got excited thinking well maybe the fox passed close by the southwest side of other stones after that big summer rain. And about 10 m away in the direction the first print indicated she had been travelling, i found another print, same size, same direction. I kept going, but the terrain began to change, more ground cover, rocky, and i didnt find another print. No luck in the other direction, either. But the line of the two tracks connected two copses of tamarisk each in their own arroyo. So, perhaps the fox had business over there. I was so hoping id find one that might indicate a change of pace or direction, like she saw something or changed her mind. I remember thinking the two prints were like fossils and i could look back in time into another being's mind.

Publicado por alexkerr hace más de 2 años

“I am one of only two women on this continent who have earned two certifications at this level.”
YOU GO GIRL!!!

And thanks again for the track ID earlier today!
Girl power! LOL. Great job. Something to be very proud of … and now a profile story on you, too? Wow!! Icing on the cake. Super cool pic with you and claw marks… but you could really use a manicure.

Publicado por kitemongoose hace más de 2 años

Is there a way do display only observations of tracks, scats and such in the explore tab?
For example using the field: "Evidence of Presence: Track"

Publicado por langzi hace más de 2 años

Tracks seem to get a lot of attention from know-it-alls who will insist a track is a particular animal but with shallow reasoning. Kim's IDs are nuanced and thoughtful. I learn so much from her, and she's so generous with sharing her expertise.

Publicado por janetwright hace más de 2 años

Way to go Kim @beartracker for making it into this highlighted INaturalist section. You have helped me more than a couple times. Tracks and scat are very interesting. I personally think it's good to track scat to see how well we keep our household garbage and litter from becoming wild animal food dangerous to them with microplastics bioaccumulation.

Publicado por ipomopsis hace más de 2 años

@alexkerr That's a perfect description. I love how one can see the actions of an animal that is long gone, often months or years. And we can still see their presence on the land. What they did. What they ate. It's just the most awesome part of tracking.

Publicado por beartracker hace más de 2 años

@ipomopsis I agree. I have found scats of some mammals full of plastics. It's sad and upsetting at the same time.

Publicado por beartracker hace más de 2 años

@kitemongoose Thanks! I love using my claws on bark. :) Glad to be of help.

Publicado por beartracker hace más de 2 años

@langzi I usually put it in the Description /Tags box under the Filters button. I use words like "track" or "track and sign" to filter.

Publicado por beartracker hace más de 2 años

Tracking is incredible! It remind me a lot to what eDNA is!!

Publicado por diegoalmendras hace más de 2 años

@diegoalmendras that's a good analogy! I coined the phrase "Tracking is the highest form of eavesdropping."

Publicado por jim_carretta hace más de 2 años

@langzi this is all observations worldwide that have been annotated as 'track'
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&term_id=22&term_value_id=26

Publicado por thebeachcomber hace más de 2 años

@beartracker Thank you.
I just found another way (to display tracks, scats..) that uses the recent annotation field "evidence of presence". This field does not show in the explore page but you can find it in the identify page in "more filter", "with annotation"..
Example:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?taxon_id=40151&term_id=22&term_value_id=26&place_id=any
Thanks @thebeachcomber too for showing another way!

Publicado por langzi hace más de 2 años

:)

Publicado por aaryan_ hace más de 2 años

Quite impressive! I'm already sending observations to her. Thanks a lot!

Publicado por nelson_wisnik hace más de 2 años

Kim is such an excellent identifier to profile. Tracking is such a specialized and valuable skill and it’s the icing on the cake that she educates people as she goes.

Publicado por driftlessroots hace más de 2 años

I am so happy that this page is featuring Beartracker, who is so helpful and generous!

Publicado por susanhewitt hace más de 2 años

Awesome Kim!

Publicado por tlawson hace más de 2 años

I am a big @beartracker fan -- such a giving presence here on iNat. Thank you Kim for all the help and education. You inspire!

Publicado por redrovertracy hace más de 2 años

Your expertise has been invaluable, @beartracker. Thank you, Kim!

Publicado por jmaughn hace más de 2 años

Thanks for id-ing my tracks over the past few months Kim, I really appreciate your expertise as well as the other trackers on iNat. You opened my eyes to the world of tracking this summer, so it was great to read a little bit more about you. It's fantastic you can help correct the record on tracks regarding deprivation permits on mountain lions, an issue I am passionate about. Thank you!!

Publicado por chloe_and_trevor hace más de 2 años

So cool to learn more about you, Kim! I've loved learning from you here on iNat and like so many others, am grateful for your generosity of spirit and ID skillz!

Publicado por ocean_beach_goth hace más de 2 años

Kim -- you're amazing. :) You've taught us all so much and continue to teach through all of your ID's. Thank you!!!

Publicado por sambiology hace más de 2 años

So great to see you profiled here!

Publicado por patrickhoffman hace más de 2 años

Kim's help with some of my observations has made me pay more attention to tracks and more likely to photograph and post them. I'm grateful that she is willing to share her expertise with us.

Publicado por cae1 hace más de 2 años

It was only recently that I got to know of Kim. I am deeply impressed by her knowledge and her willingness to share it.

Publicado por michaelkiddie hace más de 2 años

Tracking sound like a lot of fun.

Publicado por luiscarlosrodrgue... hace más de 2 años

Great to see you profiled here, Kim! You are a tremendous contribution to the tracking community and to iNaturalist.

Publicado por jonathanpoppele hace más de 2 años

Kim: Congratulations for for this well-deserved recognition of your contributions.

Publicado por tfrench hace más de 2 años

Cool profile.
It's been great to get Kim's input on what may have happened at a couple interesting kill sites I came across, as well as her IDs on various tracks where I was only guessing. It's nice to have an expert willing to take a look on here.
Thanks Beartracker

Publicado por sandor_in hace más de 2 años

I also have been much helped by Kim before! Nice to see this well-deserved profile....

Publicado por raycama hace más de 2 años

I'm a fan! Thanks for the great profile, and thanks for all the ID help, Kim!

Publicado por kitty12 hace más de 2 años

Fascinating! Thank you for the help Kim!

Publicado por mbwildlife hace más de 2 años

Cheers Kim; means alot.

Publicado por alexkerr hace más de 2 años

Awesome to see Kim featured here! Such a helpful and dedicated naturalist.

Publicado por kyle_eaton_photog... hace más de 2 años

Agree with all the nice things everyone else has said here. iNat folks couldn't have found a profile subject who embodies the collegial spirit of the service any better than Kim does. Thanks for being you, Kim!

Publicado por garth_harwood hace más de 2 años

Your comments and approach are so interesting and inspiring. Thank you for the help you have generously given to even a complete beginner.

Publicado por kimcwren hace más de 2 años

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