Black Tiger-cart

Black Tiger-cart - digesting another
species of cart ... and possibly
a car transmission.

It's been a long time since I've been able to get out cart hunting (with my camera) but with the winter weather setting in on Vancouver Island, British Columbia I think that I might have a little more time to search out new species.

Last week I spotted this aggressive Black Tiger-cart near the popular Courtenay Airpark Lagoon walkway. Although normally rather timid around humans, these carts are active predators and often hunt in packs, separating the old and infirm carts from larger herds.

This Tiger-cart was alone and preoccupied with digesting its meal - in the basket you can see what remains of an unidentifiable cart and what looks to be an automobile transmission.

Field marks to look for - the sleek all black frame and medium sized basket (that is expandable to eat larger prey).

Field of Fear

A Common Blue Roller hunting
in an abandoned lot in
downtown Courtenay.

I spotted this Common Blue Roller in almost the same location where I saw one back in the fall of 2009, suggesting that for this species there may be some strong site fidelity.

Aggressive and unpredictable, these large predatory carts should be approached with caution. Given that there are plenty of outside cats in the neighbourhood it was likely stalking cats in this field.

One more reason to keep your pets inside.

Black Barred Camel-cart

I noticed this gorgeous Camel-cart crouched at the side of the road near the site of the future Ferguson Fields Farm Market in Courtenay, British Columbia.

A creature that prefers the quiet solitude of open fields, it seemed confused by the constant rushing traffic nearby on the Dyke Road. Another good argument for wildlife fencing along this stretch of the bypass.

Black Barred Camel-cart
near the Courtenay Estuary, BC.

This Black Barred Camel-cart must have been a recently arrived female as it was in fresh breeding colours. In the distance I could hear a male camel-cart thrashing through the new grass in an effort to entice it closer. I can only hope that it made its way from the danger of the nearby road to the safety of the fields.

Look for this delightful cart in any urban area bordered by farmland. Creatures of open spaces, their habitat is slowly being encroached upon by urban sprawl.