Home Wildlife
Camera ProjectAugust 2025 completes two years of the Friends of Lafferty Park's
wildlife camera project. As a reminder, this was not intended as a
scientific survey,
just a fun sampling of some of the wildlife on the Lafferty Ranch property
on Sonoma Mountain. Below is a summary of the animals our cameras
encountered.
| English,
general |
English, specific |
Spanish | Coast Miwok * | Scientific name | Camera sighting frequency |
| Badger | American badger | tejón, tlalcoyote (from Nauhuatl) | lok'-kum ("weasel" is closest) | Taxidea taxus | Just twice in two years |
| Bobcat | Bobcat | gato montés, lince | to-lo'-mah' | Lynx rufus | About one per month, all cameras |
| Coyote | Coyote | coyote (from Nauhuatl "coyotl") | 'oye | Canis latrans | Several times per year, mostly on upper mountain |
| Deer | Blacktail deer | venado | choi-yek'-ke, also: kasum | Odocoileus hemionus columbianus | Many every month, all cameras |
| Eagle | Golden eagle | águila real | li'-le mele | Aquila chrysaetos | Photographed only once by a hiker |
| Feral hog | Feral hog | cerdo salvaje | (non-native) | Sus domesticus or sus scrofa | Average 5-6 per year |
| Flicker | Northern flicker | carpintero escapulario | wol-lo'-lok | Colaptes auratus | Once or twice |
| Fox | Gray fox | zorro | 'ah-wah-ke | Urocyon cinereoargenteus | Twice |
| Frog | Sierran treefrog | rana | ko-to'-la | Pseudacris sierra | Just once by accident (cold blooded animal**) |
| Hawk | Red-tailed hawk | gavilán | su'-yu | Buteo jamaicensis | Several times |
| Heron | Great blue heron | garza | 'ale | Ardea herodias | Several times at creek |
| Hummingbird | Hummingbird | colibri | kulupi | Calypte anna (?) | Just once at creek |
| Jay | Steller's jay | arrendajo | wet' | Cyanocitta stelleri | Several times |
| Lizard | Western fence lizard | lagarto | petenya | Sceloporus occidentalis | Just once by accident (cold blooded animal**) |
| Mountain lion | Puma, cougar, mountain lion | puma | 'o-puk'sho | Puma concolor | 3-4 times per year |
| Newt | Rough-skinned newt | tritón | kotokowai ("salamander") | Taricha granulosa | Just once by a hiker (cold blooded animal**) |
| Opossum | Virginia opossum | zarigüeya | (non-native) | Didelphis virginiana | At least once a month, all cameras |
| Owl | Great horned owl | búho | tu-ku-li | Bubo virginianus | 2-3 times per year |
| Pigeon | Band-tailed pigeon | paloma | 'u-'mu'-me | Patagioenas fasciata | Twice |
| Quail | Valley quail | codorniz | hek-hek-ke | Callipepla californica | Several large coveys on hillside forest trail |
| Raccoon | Raccoon | mapache (from Nauhuatl "mapachtli") | tu'-se | Procyon lotor | Just 2-3 times per year |
| Rattlesnake | Northern Pacific rattlesnake | culebra, cascabel | ukulish | Crotalus oreganus | Just once by a hiker (cold blooded animal**) |
| Raven | Common raven | cuervo grande | ka-kah'-lish |
Corvus corax | Just once by the creek |
| Skunk | Striped skunk | zorrillo | kah'-luk | Mephitis mephitis | One or more every month |
| Squirrel | Western gray squirrel | ardilla | wet'-te'-la | Sciurus griseus | At least once a month, all cameras |
| Thrush | Hermit thrush | zorzal | meye ("bird") | Catharus guttatus | Just once |
| Vulture | Turkey vulture | buitre | akayah | Cathartes aura | Many times Spring 2024 (deer carcass at creek); otherwise once |
| Wild turkey | Wild turkey | guajolote (from Nauhuatl) | (non-native) | Meleagris gallopavo | Just once at highest camera |
| Woodpecker | Acorn woodpecker | pájaro carpintero | pan'-nak | Melanerpes formicivorus | Several times on woodland cameras |
| Woodrat | Dusky-footed woodrat | rata | yu-lu | Neotoma fuscipes | Once alive at creek; 2-3 times as bobcat prey |
| Total: 12 mammals, 14 birds, 2 reptiles, 2 amphibians
= 30 species photographed |
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* Coast Miwok vocabulary is from this excellent resource, which also
includes pronunciation tips:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5cdf8d50c14cff00014b0f04/t/61983955e02bef674d704538/1637366101733/tomales+bay+miwok+selected+word+list_17nov2020.pdf