What lives in that trashy old creek, anyway?

heidi08 Beaver News, New Species, Recent Sightings January 11, 2010

Photo: Green Heron at Primary Dam 1-10-10 Cheryl Reynolds

Just in case you wondered what that crabby green heron is doing when he seems to be standing so still and looking for lost change in the water: here’s a hint. Look at the size of that fish. Not a meager challenge for a bird that can’t chew. This picture was take too early in the morning for great light, but its a fantastic glimpse of his culinary treasure. Anyone recognize the victim? Fish ID help?

We saw two yearlings this morning, and had a lovely close encounter with mom as she rooted around in the dam sticks for a treasure she just knew was there. Her eyes look the same, maybe a little better, but she is active and groomed and went home to sleep in the lodge.

If the fates are kind to us this year she is already pregnant. It was early January two years ago when Moses showed me footage of the parents nearly mating. That’s how we first knew mom had the different tail mark. (You could tell who was who by what they were um…doing). Now we just hope they um…do it again and give us kits for 2010.

Fingers crossed.

Snipe-Hunt?

heidi08 New Species January 15, 2010

Our newest avian visitor. Cheryl took this photo on christmas eve at the third dam.

Photo: Cheryl Reynolds

This pretty fellow is a Wilson’s snipe. Both sexes are about 10-12 inches in size. That super long beak of theirs pokes in the mud for good things to eat, and is flexible so they can open the end without opening the base. (I’ll wait for a moment if any of you want to try that at home). The practical joke played for years of “going on a snipe hunt” is actually only a joke to people who don’t know about this fellow, turns out there really IS a snipe. And it really IS hunted.

Here’s what it sounds like.

The snipe strolls along the mud foraging for insects, molusks, larvae. He sometimes sticks his head all the way in the water, and he often swallows what he finds without lifting his head at all. This is a rare gift among our feathered friends, because most birds must tip their head back to swallow, relying on gravity for the motion rather than muscles.(I have long suspected that this is why there are very few birds in space.)

But this is hardly the most unique thing about this medium sized shorebird. When love strikes the male makes a classic hu-hu-hu sound with his feathers to lure the woman of his dreams. (Hu could resist?) They build a neat nest on the ground. So far, so familiar. Then guess what happens! The female almost always lays four eggs, and when the first two hatch Dad takes them off to raise on his own. He or the offspring never see mom again. Mom raises the others by herself.

It’s a classic case of avian joint custody!

Gosh this reminds me of something. Wait, don’t tell me. Don’t the fledglings raised by dad go to bird camp later and meet the fledgings raised by mom? And don’t they try to get their broken nest back together again? Oh wait, no. that’s the parent trap.

With our monogamous “Walton’s Family” beavers living just inches away, it just goes to show that there are as many ways to make a family as there are creatures in the world. Keep an eye out for this fellow, and let us know if you see anyone new at the dam!

Precarious

heidi08 New Species, Recent Sightings December 28, 2009

Who doesn’t overeat on the holidays? The beavers have apparently had a busy Christmas weekend. I think of them waking up and seeing all the gnawed trees (six by cheryl’s account). Maybe it’s a little like getting up after a party and seeing how many empty bottles are assembled in the kitchen. (Ohhhh. Maybe we shoulda stopped sooner. No wonder my head’s killing me!) Still, the beavers probably have some leftover genes that tell them to “eat up and make food to store” for winter, even though Martinez doesn’t freeze. They clearly let that archaic message direct some chewing behavior.

Like all late night parties goers, the beavers have had some incredible guests lately. Check out these photos from Cheryl this weekend.

Snowy Egret at landing on secondary dam: Cheryl Reynolds

Great Egret Fishing on Secondary Dam: Cheryl Reynolds

This is a nice opportunity to see the snowy egrets fancy feet. See that bright colored landing gear in the first photo? The snowy egret comes equipped with some flashy footwear that he wriggles under the water to attract the fish. When some curious fellows come underwater to investigate, the snowy egret snaps up his dinner! Now that’s some good designing.

Oh and by the way, this is the first year we’ve photographed Great Egrets at the beaver dam. Mark it as another species drawn to the habitat.

Happy Solstice to You Too

heidi08 Friends of Martinez Beavers, New Species December 22, 2009

Scott Artis writes that the owl kick-out order was apparently granted just in time. Before the ink was dry on the CDFG signature allowing the eviction of the burrowing owls and the fumigation of the ground squirrels, Kiper went to work.

In any event, I stumbled upon the first round of evictions by Kiper Homes’ consulting firm way sooner than expected. As I wandered through the unlocked chain link fence I found a team of 3 actively enlarging the burrows of the owls my wife and I have come to obsess over in terms of their protection. I continued down the middle of the street looking over burrows marked with flags of orange and red, plexi-glass fitted one-way doors blocking burrows that sheltered a family during breeding season, and adjacent burrows that provided extra cover were now overflowing with soil and rocks. The eviction of the first section was just about complete and the process continued uninterrupted in the background as I spoke with the principle biologist. I couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder as the shovels filled in burrows that months earlier I had cleared of garbage and debris.

Scott and his wife were there, sadly recording the damage as burrows were widened and fitted with one-way doors, and other adjacent areas were filled with soil and rocks. Scott had a talk with the biologist hired gun on site, who admitted that the squirrels were enormously important to the habitat and thought they deserved protection. In this discussion Scott also learned that there is no data on how evicted owls recover, or whether they recover at all.

The eviction process simply functions by ASSUMPTION that displaced owls do fine and is apparently at the behest of the California Department of Fish & Game who no longer requires banding of the evicted. So again I am left with the feeling that the owls are a Species of Not So Special Concern.

Burrowing Owl Eviction Begins.

Obviously Kiper (rhymes with viper) wanted this done in time for the holidays. Who can celebrate with their family while bands of hoodlum owls are loose in the neighborhood? When I look at Scott’s smart, bitter video I know exactly how he feels. There but for the grace of 200 people…

Have I told you all lately how much I love you?

Owl Eviction

heidi08 Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, New Species, Why We Care December 16, 2009

Remember the burrowing owls that adopted the abandoned development site in Antioch? Beaver friend Scott Artis of JournOwl wrote about them on his website, and followed up with an article in the Contra Costa Times and the MDAS Audubon newsletter. The owls were threatened by the removal of fencing which had offered them protection and kept the traffic and dumping away. Scott worked hard to get the city to force the developer to replace the fencing.

He wrote yesterday that he received the mitigation/relocation report from the city. It read:

The California Dept. of Fish & Game (CDFG) has signed off on the plan and provided them with a letter to proceed with eviction. Communication from the developer in September indicated that they will move forward with construction in Spring 2010. The report dictates that the passive relocation timeframe is Oct. 1, 2009 -Feb 1, 2010. The CDFG has not yet approved eviction for Oct. 1, 2010 to Feb 1, 2011 for any owls that show up or remain after initial relocation efforts, etc.

In short, the owls will be passively relocated through the use of one-way doors and the California ground squirrel population on the land will be fumigated. Unfortunately, the owls will not be tracked or checked up on after their eviction. I have provided details and excerpts from the document at http://journowl.com/index.php/archives/1063

I guess its a kind of victory that Scott was able to get anyone to pay attention to the owls at all, and passive relocation is definitely better than active destruction. But his email made me very sad. Does Fish and Game ever say anything but “yes”? Okay, kill the woodpeckers. Kill the beavers. Evict the burrowing owls. How about advising cities to work on accommodating their animal population? How many cities know of a nesting ground for 4 pairs of burrowing owls? Are there any cities that would like a greater mouse population? Why not make the owls into a feature of the housing project? You could call it the complex the “Burrows” and have an owl logo on your street signs. Children could learn about them in school and there could even be a local TV station Owl Cam. Antioch could be famous as a friend to owls, instead of only boasting a gloriously corrupt Redevelopment Agency.

Aside from the fact that the city is ignoring a precious resource it is lucky to possess in favor of the almighty dollar, it is startling that permission is so cheerfully given to evict “this species of special concern” by CDFG. As Scott said, clearly the owls are a “species of not so much special concern”. No effort will be made to track them to make sure they relocate into safe stable territory. The holes will be blocked with one way doors, and after two days the burrows will be collapsed. (I guess following the foreclosure model practiced heavily in Antioch where people leave their homes in uninhabitable states and strip every sell-able thing from the walls.)

After which, the ground squirrels will be fumigated. No story is complete without the dramatic death of a rodent. The fact that the squirrels are a keystone species and provide food and burrows for all manner of animals is really just a bonus.

I’m sorry for your owls, Scott. I know its sad to lose site of them, but know in your heart that getting them the attention you did was no small feat for a city that is known for the most famous harboring of a kidnapped child in history. Getting Antioch to pay attention to anything but outbuilding is a lion’s struggle. The owls were lucky to have you.