Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Category: New Species


Our Friend Richard Paddock of the LA times continues his smart and savvy reporting on urban wilderness. 22 woodpeckers killed so far at Rossmoor. Fish and Game say they’ll inspect the site to see if the permit is appropriate. Rossmoor says it decided to kill the birds because it didn’t want “outsiders” to make decisions for them.

Does that mean if we all wanted the birds dead they’d be protesting to protect them?

Let’s try the madlibs reference, shall we? (no offense, Richard.)

Headline: (_Boring in on a Woodpecker Controversy)

City name + immature woodpecker pun

 

 

The town of (_Rossmoor_) is worried about woodpeckers that have already pecked more

insert name

than (3000 holes in their residences) . Birds haves caused (damage to a dozen homes) and

insert alarming behavior                                                                    insert hyperbole

 

 

 

property owners are concerned it could get worse. Mr.  (_Orum__) who lives in the

Name of rich, selfish man who’s never been outside.

 

 

 

oak woods says that the birds are (_a pain in the neck) and have been making noise and

Verb meaning destroying

.

ruining trim with no end in sight. No one wants to harm the birds but there is

 

 

(_170,000 worth of damage_). The city manager, (Mr. Orum who serves on the

Synonym for No Choice

 

 

committee seeking to stop the woodpeckers damage) says if the birds must be stopped.

Name of another man who went outide once to hunt.

 

 

(Some days, the woodpeckers hammer for hours) The association has contacted

Insert Pandora’s Box remark

 

 

 

(The Department of Fish & Game) for permission to bring in  
Appropriate “wink & nod” Regulatory Body

 

a (sharpshooter)

Euphemism for exterminator

 

Just Sayin’….

 


Meet your neighborhood Hooded Mergansers, first seen and filmed today. They are hard to recognize in their nonbreeding plumage, but they are pretty amazing birds. This was filmed this morning by our own Moses Silva. Happy Valentine’s Day!

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=I_ZeD2BTa3E]

EBRP walk update! Ted Radke reported seeing three wooduck recently at the fourth dam. Now that would be a treat to see. Park Godfather Hulet Hornbeck was there and gave me praise for helping the beavers and striking fear in the hearts of our city council. Igor talked about the flood management plan, and we were fortunate to see a muskrat swim by. All in all, it was a fine event.


I was just looking up dates and realizing that this time last year we had flocks of scaup flying up over the dams to feed in Alhambra Creek. I think one morning Cheryl counted 30. I was assuming it was later in the year but this picture of mine was taken at the dam and dated February 14th (and don’t I have a romantic life!) Yesterday I did another scaup search. Where are they?

Scaup are an interesting, carnivorous duck that feed on mussels or clams and have the dubious distinction of being able to “play dead” if caught by a predator. We were never sure if they were Lesser or Greater Scaup, because the two species look very alike are are typically differentiated by the presence of absence of salt water. With Alhambra Creeks brackish tidal mixed drink it is anyone’s guess. Last years’ highwater (before the flow device was installed) and then the sudden lowering in January created a bigger mussel population, so maybe that’s why they came then and were less enticed this year. Or its possible the broad barren dredging project discouraged them.

Or maybe they just don’t like sheet pile.

Still, the increase in scaup last year was something of an estuary “coup” since the San Francisco Estuary Project’s State of the Estuary Report described declining scaup every where in the bay area, and didn’t realize the Martinez had gotten lucky!

Keep your eye out for our missing feathered friends, and write if you see anything swimming that looks like an oreo cookie.

UPDATE:

Reader CM writes “Saw one scaup swimming alone just north of starbucks on Monday”. Hear that team? Go find some others….Thanks CM!


Apparently this email has gone “viral”, and who can blame every adoring admirer that sends this to all their friends and relatives? You may have read something about the weather in Victoria Austalia, they say its the worst heat wave in a hundred years and fire crews are working like mad to keep things safe. This is back story to explain the little visitor that appears in this photo.

The baby was found shaking underneath a verandah and “looking very sick” after its mother was apparently overcome by the ferocious heatwave that struck Victoria last week.

So the kids found it and the mom invited it inside while they were waiting for the wildlife experts. Read the whole lovely story in the Daily Telegraph. This lost and unmothered little critter was so grateful for the bowl of water offered, it just hopped in.  If you feel brave enough to face unruly popup ads, there’s a photo show in the article that won’t look anything like you expect.

I keep looking at this picture and wondering about this little girl. Was this her most magical day ever? Or do they have Koala’s on their porch all the time? I do think experiences upclose with wildlife change (summon) you in a powerful way: well, they did me.

This is as good a time as any to post this newly available video of my OTHER favorite mammal from Australia, maybe one you’ve never heard of. The Honey Possum (Tarsipes rostratus) feeds entirely on nectar and is small enough to fit on a finger. The colorful locals call them “Noolbenger”, which is reason enough to catch your interest. They are having a tough time as their favorite food (the nectar-heavy native Banksia) is getting less and less common under the influence of urban development.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y1CjINN38Jc]

Maybe its a nocturnal rodent-looking thing, but I definately plan on making the pilgrimage down under to stumble about in the dark and see these little fellows with a flashlight.

Last tag:

Beaver friends LK and GTK are working on a Facebook presence for our beavers, since last night I’m told we’ve made 17 friends, many of them from Turkey?


Our beaver eightball via Moses…this update from Linda:

Okay – we all know that the beavers choose Obama over McCain – twice, they also ‘predicted’ the Philly’s over the Devil Rays and last night they took the Steelers.

Linda

Don’t blame me for spoiling the game. You can still have the nachos.

 

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=HugTDAGyN2w]

As a special treat for all you beaver fans, stay tuned to see mom at the end of the video!

Woodpeckerpalooza

There are now 43 listed news articles on google about the impending shooting from Rossmoor. In fact there is so much discussion about it on the web that Worth A Dam’s comments do not appear until page 9.

I’m thinking “going away quietly” is no longer on the menu. Wonder what’s for dessert?

 

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