Living with Wildlife

Mercer Island is home to a plethora of wildlife - birds, rabbits, raccoons, deer, and more. As Puget Sound communities and urban areas continue to extend into undeveloped wilderness, displaced wildlife are finding their way into the lives of their human neighbors.

Wildlife experts emphasize the importance in understanding how human habits help fuel wildlife encounters and how to reduce human/wildlife conflicts. Visit our Wildlife on Mercer Island page on Let's Talk for more information and the latest updates.

Mercer Island is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Below are some of the most common, as well as very rare, wildlife seen throughout the Island.

Deer

Deer are one of the most familiar animals in Washington State, and local sightings have become more frequent. While most agree that they are beautiful and graceful, their fondness for grazing in gardens and on landscape plants, can try the patience of many Island residents. Deer particularly enjoy the Island because of the lack of natural predators and regulations banning hunting. The City has no legal authority to regulate the deer population and the State implements all the protection policies in place for deer in Washington. At NO time is it lawful to hunt deer in the City of Mercer Island. Learn about living with deer.

Raccoon

Raccoons are very common in urban areas and to Mercer Island residents. In urban areas, raccoon populations can get quite large due to limited predators, restrictions on hunting and trapping, and human-supplied food. Human interactions with raccoons typically involve their search for food (garbage cans, gardens, chicken coops) or den/home (attic, crawl space, beneath decks). Modifying your home and yard to not attract raccoons is the most effective way to prevent conflict. Recommendations to prevent interactions with raccoons.

Rabbit

Owls have been spotted throughout Mercer Island including by parks patrons. Most owls are nocturnal and prey on small mammals. According to experts, most aggressive behavior from owls - dive-bombing - is motivated by defense of their territory or young. Learn more about owl behavior.

Coyote

According to wildlife experts, Coyotes are adaptable animals that have learned to occupy just about all habitat types, including deep into urban areas. The likelihood of conflicts with coyotes increases when people feed them - deliberately via handouts or inadvertently by providing access to food sources such as garbage or pet food. According to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), prevention is the best tool for minimizing conflicts with coyotes and other wildlife. Learn specific steps to prevent conflict with coyotes.

In November 2021, the City partnered with an urban coyote specialist from the United States Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services division to conduct an assessment of coyote patterns and activity on Mercer Island. On November 15, 2021 Matt Stevens, the Assistant District Supervisor and Urban Coyote Coordinator for the USDA’s Wildlife Services Western District, presented his findings as well as information about coyote behavior. Click here to watch the presentation. Click here to view Matt's analysis and report.

Bobcat

Bobcats are reclusive but have been seen in suburban settings. Bobcats are usually various shades of buff/brown, with black or dark brown spots and stripes. Rarely seen by humans, bobcats typically limit activity to the night hours. They typically travel along trails made by other animals to move between resting areas, food sources, or hunting areas in a range size that varies from 2.5 to 6 square miles for adult males, about half that for adult females. According to WDFW, they are not often responsible for killing domestic animals, focusing mainly on wild animals as prey. Learn more about bobcats and how to prevent conflict.

Cougar

Cougar sightings are very rare but they have been spotted in Western Washington. In August of 2019, a cougar was caught on security camera in the vicinity of Pioneer Park in Mercer Island. The City received a handful of potential sightings through mid-October 2019 and reports of two additional unconfirmed sightings in July 2020 and October 2020. The City worked closely with the WDFW on all reported sightings. WDFW officers visited locations of the potential sightings and provided information via a presentation to the City Council about cougars in urban areas. According to the WDFW, cougars can swim,  travel long distances, and are highly adaptable, living in terrain ranging from forested lowlands to rugged and remote mountainous areas. Cougar habitat includes steep canyons, rock outcroppings and boulders, dense brush, or forests. Learn more about cougars.

Looking for information about other wildlife? Visit the WDFW website for fact sheets on a variety of wildlife, birds, and amphibians.

Seattle Urban Carnivore Spotter

Spotting wildlife can be an exhilarating or sometimes a nerve wracking experience! The Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle University have partnered to explore how native carnivores live and interact in the greater Puget Sound area. When you spot local wildlife (raccoon, coyote, bobcat, etc.), use the Carnivore Spotter to report your sighting. This helps researchers better understand how humans and wildlife are coexisting.

General Tips for Preventing Human/Wildlife Conflict

• Don’t feed wildlife - directly or indirectly. 
• Don’t give wildlife access to garbage. Keep your garbage can lid on tight by securing it with rope, chain, bungee cords, or weights.
• Prevent the buildup of feeder foods under bird feeders.
• Put food in secure compost containers and clean up barbecue areas. 
• Feed dogs and cats indoors and clean up after them. 
• Keep dogs and cats indoors, especially from dusk to dawn. 
• Fence vegetable gardens and protect fruit trees, bird feeders, and nest boxes.
• Enclose poultry (chickens, ducks, and turkeys) in a secure outdoor pen and house.
• Keep livestock and small animals that live outdoors confined in secure pens during periods of vulnerability.

The WDFW offers guidance and information about how to remove or "evict" nuisance wildlife that have taken shelter in or under your house or other structures as well as information about hiring wildlife control operators.

Wildlife issues and concerns are handled by the wildlife experts at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Residents can contact the WDFW at 360-902-2515 or via e-mail at wildthing@dfw.wa.gov.