Duplicity

heidi08 Beaver News, New Species May 22, 2009

There have been a fair amount of grebe-sightings between the second and third dam. These are slender-necked, fish and crustacean eating birds that build floating nests on the water and mate with elaborate dance rituals.

Our VP of Wildlife thought we had a Clark’s Grebe, and I thought we had a Western Grebe. Turns out we were both right! Check out this amazing photo from Cheryl Reynolds showing one of each down at the secondary dam. They look almost identical, but the Clark’s grebe has white around his eye, and the Western’s dark stripe goes right through his eye. See for yourself:

Boy we’re all going to be naturalists before this is through.

Speaking of eyes, mom’s is looking unhealthy again. Remember she was photographed with a condition back in October, and then it seemed to improve. I’ll do some more asking to see what can be done, but it appears to be a recurring condition that at least, isn’t contagious to her or to the others.

Martinez Beavers Accepted At Cornell…

heidi08 Environmental, In the News May 22, 2009

Well in spirit. Check out who is featuring our Heron footage two days after it was filmed? While you’re there visit their inspiring website and consider any entries you might have for the amazing nest photo contest. Everything we can do to link Beavers and Birds in people’s minds is hugely important. Thanks SO much for the help!

Heron Update

From Skip Lisle:

Great video! It’s amazing all the wildlife that uses that little habitat. Of course, any wetland is incredibly valuable ecologically, but this high-use also hints at how terribly rare similar habitats are in the greater landscape. All of these species evolved in a veritable beaver-created Garden of Eden. They “miss” these habitats; it is little wonder that when one does occur, no matter how small, it is very popular. Do California’s wildlife managers understand what a greater tolerance for beavers would mean in terms of species and ecosystem restoration? Cheers,
Skip

From Robert Leida, WTR-8 EPA

Thanks for sharing the wonderful video! Well, it is difficult to tell
for sure. The fish is very silvery and torpedo shaped so my first
thought is a small Sacramento pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis). I
didn’t notice an adipose fin (the video is blurry), but it is possible
that the fish is a steelhead smolt as they lose their parr marks when
they migrate out and steelhead would be expected to be moving downstream
to the bay at this time of year. The size fit’s a smolt as well. Are
you sure that the heron caught the fish in this pool and didn’t fly in
from somewhere else where it caught the fish?!

Rob
______________________________________
Robert A. Leidy, Ph.D.
Wetlands Regulatory Office (WTR-8)

From Pete Alexander of EBRPD

Thanks for sending the video!

I’ve looked at the video with a couple of biologists here at EBRPD.We concur that what happened to the Black Crown Night Heron was this.The heron regurgitated a 4-6 inch fish that was dead or near dead. It appears that the heron had no intention of losing the fish as it tried to grab it after it regurgitated it. Perhaps the heron already had a crop full of fish or the fish in some way was irritating the heron. But the fish appears to be dead and had no signs of life or of escaping at that point. We couldn’t determine what the species of the fish was. It was long and narrow, similar to Sacramento suckers, Sacramento Pikeminnows or possibly salmonids that are found in Alhambra Creek. Hope this helps!

Pete J. Alexander EBRPD

Reminders

heidi08 City Reports May 21, 2009

As I sat through the unbelievably long and draining city council meeting last night I was reminded of the chilling, slow-moving, sense of helplessness that covered me like a glacier last October when the council voted to pretend to believe a lie and place sheetpile through the home of a colony of 8 beavers. Again they robustly argued with citizens and scolded their own experts for not telling the story convincingly enough, then voted unanimously to pursue the CEQA analysis for annexation of both Pacheo and Alhambra Valley.

There was dramatic bristling at my remarks but I’m not sure any one paused to consider the irony that if the city had just kept me happy 2 years ago by leaving me alone in the creek to “play” with my little beavers, I would never have been forced to see them up close and developed such a horrid mistrust. I would never have known that every single rock in their civic garden has wriggling things lurking beneath it that hiss and shrivel in the light of day. I wasn’t even involved the last time the redevelopment circus came to town and was blissfully ignorant of the special deals cut by every member of the council for large and important property owners around the town.

Sigh.

Let this be a lesson to all you city planners of nefarious deeds everywhere. Keep beaver supporters occupied and out of your way or they will learn how to make videos and talk to the media and network with their neighbors, and write letters to raise awareness and exhaustingly try to hinder your dasterdly plans at every turn.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=TWBDxR_zr7Q]

Two tails and a City

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Recent Sightings May 20, 2009

(With apologies to Charles Dickens, I just couldn’t resist the picture or the title.) This photo from Cheryl Reynolds is a lovely prelude of things to come. We are still squinting into the watery horizon to find sign that our new kit delivery has arrived. What will the 2009 models be like? While you’re imagining their tiny tails and mewing little voices, I’ll introduce a recent visitor.

Laura is a knitting wizard with a website called Fiber Dreams including a design/pattern page and a cheerful crafting blog that is as likely to display her amazing shawl designs as it is to talk about a strange bird in her garden. She lives in southern California but was recently up here for a visit with her mother and stopped by to see the beaver dams. Her site linked to our site and that’s how I found her. She thought she caught a glimpse of an otter in the creek and posted the picture. I explained that it was actually a very lovely picture of one of our muskrats, and invited her to come to the beaver festival and get the full tour. She was very enthusiastic, and commented on the recent sightings page as well. Go check out her gallery for mouth watering designs that your fingers will just itch to stroke, and maybe leave a polite comment about how talented she is and wouldn’t it be lovely if she would consider possibly donating the smallest doily for the raffles at the beaver festival?

The one that nearly got away

heidi08 New Species, pictures May 22, 2009

My my my, what a morning of remarkable things at the beaver dam. Dedicated nature fans will already know that we have night herons that roost in the pine tree at Granger’s wharf, but we’ve never seen them up even as far as the train trestle. Jon says that right now they aren’t roosting because they’ve all paired off to nest. This morning I was startled to find this fellow fly onto the primary dam and settle in for a nice long fishing spell. Night herons are monogamous like beavers, and the best bet is that he’s filling his crop to take back to his brood.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when Linda and I saw what transpired. Night herons don’t spear their fish, they wait with their bills open until something good comes along. Apparently while he was holding the barn door open one of the horses tried to make a run for it! Let that be a reminder that sometimes when you’re waiting for something better to come along, you run the risk of losing what you have. As Stephen Sondheim quipped, “you may know what you want but to get what you need, better to keep what you have…”I know I post alot of video but you HAVE TO WATCH this one. It is very unusual footage and has already been picked up by the Cornell Urban bird site!

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=FujhMABOLH4]

Check out updates here.

Three kits and dad visible this morning, and for all you hard core beaver fans, here’s something I snapped while two kits wrestled at the bridge. Sigh, I guess we’re going to have to officially call them yearlings now. Should there be a ceremony?