“In Forest Park alone, the city of Portland has identified 45 mammal species.” Source: Forest Park Wildlife Report 2012.
The following info is to help people find and observe wildlife in Bridlemile.
Mammals
Beaver, American (Castor Canadensis)
Where to find them:
Active at night. Wide spots/ponds along Fanno Creek.
How to recognize them:
Left: beaver dam on a portion of Fanno Creek adjacent to a Bridlemile residence’s backyard. The dam was washed out in the January 2024 ice storm. iPhone 11. 2023-08.
Middle: Beaver tracks? Fanno Creek Nature Area north of SW 59th Avenue. iPhone. 2024-08-20.
Right: Beaver-eaten tree stump. Fanno Creek Natural Area off of SW 39th Drive. 2025-01-18.
Size-shape: Distinct wide, scaly, paddle-like tail. Three to four feet length. 35 to 65 pounds. Large heads. Webbed hind feet.
Color pattern: Reddish-brown to black fur.
Behavior: Stays indoors during daylight. Builds dams at night.
Habitat: Wetlands, such as Fanno Creek.
Diet: Leaves, stems and bark of deciduous trees. Also, aquatic plants.
People claim to have seen beavers in Bridlemile, but there is no known photo evidence.
Miscellaneous: The beaver is Oregon’s state animal.
Chipmunk, Townsend’s (Neotamias townsendii)
Where to find them:
Look for them near streams. Look in late morning or early afternoon then they forage, eat, and bring food back to their burrows. They may stop for a moment on a tree stump, low branch, or rock before running away.
How to recognize them:
Chipmunk in Bridlemile backyard. 2024-08. Trail camera.
Size-shape: 14 inches (36 cm) from nose to tail tip.
Behavior: Hibernate during harsh winters. When they run, they hold their tails up.
Habitat: Forested areas. They live in underground burrows.
Color pattern: Tail is grayish above and reddish below. Stripes.
Diet: Omnivorous. Favors berries and seeds.
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Where to find them:
All over. They are most active at night, but sometimes they can be spotted out and around during the daytime.
How to recognize them:
Left: Bridlemile yard. Security camera. 2024.
Right: Coyote in Bridlemile Fanno Creek Natural Area off Julia Street. Photo by Joel Bluestone. 2016-10-09.
Size-shape: Typically under 30 pounds. Erect ears. Bushy tail without a curve.
”You’ll never see a coyote’s tail held high or wagging. If you see that, you are probably looking at a dog.” Source: Portland Urban Coyote Project - The Tail Tell .
Behavior: Usually active at night,, but can be seen during daytime hours as well.
Habitat: Varies. Burrows, downed trees, bushes, and culverts.
Diet: Mostly small rodents. Sometimes birds, insects, fruit, and small pets.
Coyote scat. Hamilton Park. 2024/10/13.
Scat: “Coyote scats are rope-like and typically filled with hair and bones, unlike dog scat which is soft from dog food. Coyotes use scat to communicate and so they usually deposit scats in the middle of trails or near the borders of their territories where they are easily seen.” Source: Urban Coyote Research Project
Miscellaneous: “Coyote sightings in and around Portland began in the 1980s and have increased over the past 15 years. While most frequently sighted near natural areas, coyotes have also been seen in the city. …Until the 1940s coyotes in Oregon were considered somewhat rare west of the Cascades.”
Source: Bird Alliance of Oregon - Coyotes .
Deer, Black-tailed (Odocoileus hemionus ssp. columbianus)
Where to find them:
They are most active at dawn and dusk. Look for them to be grazing on vegetation, as in shrubs or trees. Also, they might be staring at you, but standing so still you might mistake them for a yard deer statue.
How to recognize them:
Left: Black-tailed deer on SW Sweeney Street in Hayhurst neighborhood. 2022 or 2023. Photo by Joel Bluestone.
Right: Black-tailed deer in Hoyt Arboretum. iPhone. 2024-05-18.
Size-shape:
Habitat:
Diet: “During the winter and early spring, they feed on Douglas fir, western red cedar, red huckleberry, salal, deer fern, and lichens growing on trees. Late spring to fall, they consume grasses, blackberries, apples, fireweed, pearly everlasting, forbs, salmonberry, salal, and maple. The mating or 'rutting' season occurs during November and early December.” Source: Wikipedia - Black-tailed deer.
Multiple people have reported seeing deer in Bridlemile. However, the closest deer sighting backed by photo evidence is from a few blocks away in Hayhurst. This is the photo shown above and to the left.
Elk, Roosevelt (Cervus canadensis Roosevelt)
Where to find them:
Rare in Bridlemile. But when they are here, they are hard to miss…
Common on the north Oregon coast, south of highway 26.
How to recognize them:
Left: Roosevelt Elk. SW 58th Avenue. Jane Campbell, 2002
Middle: Elk feeding. This is where they will be corralled later. Photo by Macdonald/Haymond
Right: Photo by Macdonald/Haymond, Elk feeding. Close up from the middle photo.
"I took the photo when I happened on the elk while out walking my dog. The first time I saw them, they were standing in the middle of 58th. They were masked by the dip in the hill, so I didn't see them as I turned in from Hamilton. Then my dog's sudden extreme alertness was explained as I found myself within 20 yards of them. They were amazingly large creatures. Their legs alone were almost as tall as I am." - Jane Campbell
2002 - The elk were later corralled at the home of Ian Macdonald and Janice Haymond before being taken away by Oregon Fish and Wildlife.
Size-shape: Large. Bulls ave. weight 875 (range 700 to 1,200) pounds. and cows ave. weight 700 pounds. Six to ten feet long. Two-and-a-half to Five-and-a-half feet tall.
Color pattern: Dark brown or black neck and tan body.
Behavior:
Habitat: Old-growth forests provide safety from predators and weather. Forest breaks that allow sunlight to reach the forest floor provide vegetation to eat.
Diet: Summer: grasses and sedges. Winter: Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar seedlings. Also, they eat various plants, berries, mushrooms and lichens.
Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Where to find them:
From an older version of the Bridlemile Neighborhood Association website:
“March 2007 - While talking with Jim Metcalf at his home near SW 58th and SW Hamilton we saw a fox run across his driveway and into the trees.”
How to recognize them:
The have relatively long, bushy tails - ~70% of the length of the head and body length. Narrower muzzles than dogs..
They prefer to hunt in the early morning before sunrise and/or late in the evening.
Opossum, Virginia (Didelphis virginiana):
Where to find them:
Find them by looking for their food sources. Opossums enjoy tasting (and perhaps trashing) Bridlemile mini-vineyards of carefully tended grapes. Also, they will sample pet food left outside and are known to rummage unsealed trash cans.
Look for dead opossums near roadways. Their attraction to roadkill, makes them likely candidates to become roadkill themselves.
How to recognize them:
Left: Deceased opossum. Bridlemile yard. 2024-009-21. Right: Opossum scat on a grape leaf in a Bridlemile mini-vineyard. 2024-09-21.
Size-shape: About the size of a house cat. Long snouts. Big heads. Hind feet have an opposable digit without any claws.
White faces and grayish-brown coats. Hairless tails.
Habitat: Wooded areas near streams.
Diet: Omnivorous.
Rabbit, Brush (Sylyilagus Bachman)
Where to find them:
Day or night, in your yard, chewing on your most prized plants.
Hiding in dense vegetation, as in blackberry or thimbleberry thickets.
How to recognize them:
Left: Daytime in Bridlemile yard. Security camera. 2024-06-03.
Right: Nighttime in Bridlemile yard. 2012-12-21.
Size-shape: Small at 25 to 35 cm (10 to 14 inches) long.
Color pattern: Brown to gray on the back. White underneath. Gray under tail.
Behavior: Stay close (a few yard) from dense thickets. They try to avoid predators by remaining motionless. Usually forages for food alone - or in small groups. They do not dig their own burrows.
Habitat: Areas with lots of vegetation cover. Prefers blackberry and thimbleberry thickets.
Diet: Grasses, berries and shrubs.
Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
Where to find them:
They are more likely to be out at night than during the day.
They can be seen near water, such as Bridlemile streams.
How to recognize them:
Left: Raccoon eating blackberry. Photo by Victor von Salza. Date unknown.
Middle: Raccoon drinking from Fanno Creek tributary. Security camera. 2021-03-04.
Right: Raccoon nest. ~35 feet up a tree in a Bridlemile backyard. iPhone. 2024-08.
Size-shape: 16 to 28 inches. long. About 10 to 25 pounds. Dextrous front paws.
Color pattern: Distinct color feature is its front black facial mask over eyes and dark rings around the tail. Coat is grayish.
Behavior: Usually active at night,, but can be seen during daytime hours as well.
Habitat: Above ground in tree cavities, under downed logs, or human chimneys and attics, under decks or houses.
Diet: Omnivorous. Varied diet includes fruit, vegetables, insects, rodents, and human pet food or garbage.
Rats and Mice
Norway / Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus):
Where to find them:
They are good at digging and can be found underground in sometimes extensive burrow systems.
They are nocturnal and so can most often be found at night.
How to recognize them:
Rat at night. Bridlemile yard. 2019-12-15.
Right: Rat at night eating an eggshell. Bridlemile yard. Security camera, 2020-09-11.
Size/shape: Largest rat in Oregon. ~11 inch body length, not including the tail. Tail is shorter than the length of the head and body.
Color pattern: Brown or dark gray with a lighter face and underside.
Habitat: Underground burrow systems with multiple levels and a secondary entrance. Near water, as in streams or sewers.
Behavior: Excellent hearing and smell. Excels at digging. Washes itself.
Diet: Omnivore. They eat discarded human food (see photo to the right above).
Black / Roof Rat (Rattus rattus):
How to find them:
They may be found higher up in buildings or trees. They can gain access via utility lines or trees.
However, they can also be found in underground burrows.
They are more active at night.
How to recognize them:
Left: Rat/mouse in culvert under a Bridlemile driveway. Security camera. 2020-07-14.
Size/shape: Smaller than the Brown Rat, but larger than the house mouse. ~5 to 7 inches long. Scaly, scantily haired tail. Tail is longer than the length of its head and body. Large ears. Finer hair covering than the brown rat.
Color pattern: Black to light brown in color with lighter undersides.
Behavior: Agile climber. Avoids aquatic areas. Primarily nocturnal. Uses tail for balance.
Habitat: Dens can be in trees or under-ground. Uses sticks and leaves and sometimes burrows.
Diet: Omnivore. Mainly vegetarian.
House Mouse (Mus musculus):
Where to find them:
Look for signs of mouse droppings. These resemble small black or dark drown grains of rice.
Look for gnawed baseboards or ducts.
Listen for sounds of scurrying or squeaking.
They will tend to enter homes more when the outside temperature drops in the fall.
How to recognize them:
Right: Rat/mouse in Bridlemile yard. Security camera. 2024-06-15.
Size/shape: Smaller than a Black or Brown Rat. 3 to 4 inches body length and 2 to 4 inch tail length. Large ears. Long, scaly tail. Naked feet soles. Thin whiskers.
Color pattern: Graying brown to almost black on back. Lighter brown or buffy underneath.
Behavior: Nocturnal. They use tails for balance.
Habitat: Outdoors, they use burrows, rocks or crevices.
Diet: Omnivorous, but mostly herbaceous.
Skunk, Striped (Mephitis mephitis)
Where to find them:
Most people can smell their spray. One local resident reported smelling skunk spray in Bridlemile in 2024-08.
Sometimes homeowners find them under houses or porches.
How to recognize them:
They have distinct mostly all-black bodies and two white stripes running along their backs. They also have relatively short legs.
They sometimes stay in abandoned nests of other mammals, as well as under houses and porches.
Squirrels
Squirrel, Eastern Fox (Sciurus niger)
Where to find them:
All over. Look on and below nut-bearing trees.
”Fox squirrels are most abundant in open forest stands with little understory vegetation; they are not found in stands with dense undergrowth … Fox squirrels are tolerant of human proximity, and even thrive in crowded urban and suburban environment. They exploit human habitations for sources of food and nesting sites, being as happy nesting in an attic as they are in a hollow tree.” Wikipedia-Eastern Fox Squirrel.
How to recognize them:
Fox squirrels. Bridlemile yard. 2023-10.
Size-shape: Fox squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in North America. 10 to 15 inch body length and 10 to 15 inch tail length. Large bushy tails (see photos above)
Colors: Reddish-brown color above and orange-brown underneath
Behavior: Spend more time on the ground than other squirrels. Have sharp claws, which help them to climb. Excellent vision, hearing, and smell. They are active in the day.
Habitat: They build nests in forks of deciduous trees about 30 feet above ground.
Behavior: Active in daytime.
Diet: They like nuts. Local oak and pine trees provide good nuts.
Squirrel, Eastern Gray (Sciurus carolinensis):
Where to find them:
All over.
They are found in deciduous or mixed trees with lots of nuts. Also, they like to be near a source of open water. They are more active during early and late daytime hours. They avoid being out in the middle of hot summer days.
How to recognize them:
Left: Eastern Gray Squirrel. Bridlemile yard. Security camera. 2023-06-05.
Right: Eastern Gray Squirrel. Bridlemile yard. iPhone. 2024-09-18.
Size-shape: Eastern Gray squirrels head and body are 9 to 12 inches. The tail to 7.5 to 9.8 inches. Large and bushy tail (see photos above).
Color pattern: Eastern Gray squirrels are mostly gray (see left photo above) and sometimes brown (right photo above) with white undersides.
Behavior: They horde food in small caches for later use. They do this by digging holes or widening cracks. Also, they can descend a tree head first.
Habitat: They build nests out of leaves and twigs in the forks of trees, with moss, grass and features to help reduce heat loss. They also hallow out tree trunks to build nests. Active in daytime.
Diet: They like nuts, but are omnivorous.
Domestics:
Domestic goat: Bridlemile yard. iPhone. 2023-09-01.
Domestic chickens. Bridlemile yard. iPhone.
Information sources:
Bird Alliance of Portland - Living with Urban Wildlife
Houck, Michael and Cody, M.J. Wild in the City. Oregon Historical Society Press. Portland, Oregon. 2000.
Kreigh, LeeAnn. Nature of Portland. Tempo Press. Bend, Oregon. 2020.