I’ve actually been holding on to these photos for about a month, and I guess I started thinking about them as I was contemplating the contents of my latest post.  And I will officially attribute the chosen theme to Pat Bumstead over at Bird Canada who made me laugh with a reply to my recent tweet concerning the final touches being put on the inaugural edition The Burrow Guardian (Burrowing Owl Conservation Network’s newsletter).

@patbumstead   Good thing u have so much free time….-:)

I do appreciate some good humor and great owl supporters!  Thus, with so many things that I need to get done over the Labor Day weekend for burrowing owls, Pat’s comment fresh on my mind, the incredible efforts of Heidi Perryman (and the rest of the crew) over at Worth A Dam to safeguard the urban beavers and garner approval for the installation of some beaver sculptures, and EVERYTHING else that I can’t even begin to name, I thought it most appropriate to share some beaver kit photos.  And they sure were busy that evening gathering willow.

So here’s to all those busy birders, conservationists, and online buddies out there working to make a difference for wildlife.  Happy Labor Day y’all and enjoy the long weekend.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to put down the conservation hat for a few hours and simply explore nature’s transition from spring to summer.  And with the passing of the summer solstice the season decided to introduce itself in a rather unfriendly fashion to the eastern side of the Bay Area as the mercury climbed into the nineties.  I’m definitely  a cooler climate aficionado, but absolutely love everything about the Hawaiian islands so forgive the hypocrisy.

But as soon I stepped into the so-called wild I cracked a smile; the wildlife was abundant.  Ducks led trails of fuzzy young, geese herded goslings to the water’s edge and beyond, juvenile green herons were honing their foraging skills, a cottontail escaped the morning heat under a shady tree, dragonflies zipped amongst the reeds, belted kingfishers teased me with potential photo opportunities, an otter inconspicuously navigated a pond and crossed paths with a muskrat, turtles rested on logs, and a young raccoon stepped quietly through the wetlands in an effort to avoid detection. 

Although my day eventually came to end, it was indeed the beginning for so many animals that were embarking upon their first summer and learning the skills necessary to succeed in life.  So I hope you enjoy a few photos of my encounters with wildlife youngsters.

Last week a business trip popped up that resulted in a 2 day excursion to Houston, Texas.  I knew exactly what was in store regarding my day job, but uncertainty loomed in regards to any potential birding. Perhaps I might be able to squeeze in a little time for myself so prior to leaving  I embarked on a mad rush to find a local birding spot.  Dawn Fine answered my plea for help and via a web search pointed me towards Russ Pittman Park, a mere 3.5 miles from my hotel at the Hilton Houston Medical Center.  PERFECT!!

And by the end, my stay had become an amalgamation of ultimate technology and the natural world.  Between and post appointments at the likes of NASA, I had managed to not only visit Russ Pittman Park but walked the trails at the Armand Bayou Nature Center.  What I had anticipated to be a birding break actually turned out to be an adventure in entomology.  Not by design by any stretch of the imagination, but while peering through the foliage of a 4 acre park, squinting through the darkened forest, and scanning a prairie for avian treasures I just happened to find gold in the insect world.  So let’s begin the virtual tour of Russ Pittman Park in Bellaire, Texas.

Everything started off promising for birding as even the sign said I was on the right path…

The park was heavily vegetated, was intertwined with dirt, stone and paved paths, had a small pond, an aviary tucked in the back with a couple of doves and pigeons, and reminded me of old fashioned rustic garden that utilized the fallen leaves, bark, and branches as natural ornaments.  There were a few open grass areas that were partially covered by a canopy of neighboring trees.  Unfortunately I was plagued by a digital camera malfunction which resulted in the inability to use 90% of my images.  Otherwise, I would have shared some photos of the many monarch butterflies that flittered about the flower gardens.

Still no wild bird sightings, but the squirrels were plentiful  and I did see many signs that birds do actually frequent the park.  Elusive creatures today I guess!

But the real find of the Russ Pittman Park visit was a beehive constructed out of a nesting box.  I stared in wonderment for quite a while as I thought it was incredible.

And with that honey of a find I decided to leave on a good nature note and make my way to the next appointment.  I fully intended to make a single post of the trip, but now that it has metamorphosed into something longer than expected, I guess a part two is warranted. Stay tuned for the finale of ‘Wildlife on the Side’ and my brief adventure in the Armand Bayou Nature Center in my next post.

Check out Part II of Wildlife on the Side – Looking for birds in Texas

I guess I really don’t need an excuse to throw out a favorite passage of mine from the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  Heck, our Government plainly states a reason to conserve wildlife in peril and recognizes the varied and vital roles these species play in maintaining the health of our Nation’s ecosystems.  But there was and is something conspicuously absent from that 1973 landmark document.

“The Congress finds and declares that various species of fish, wildlife, and plants in the United States have been rendered extinct as a consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation; other species of fish, wildlife, and plants have been so depleted in numbers that they are in danger of or threatened with extinction; these species of fish, wildlife, and plants are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people…”

Prior to becoming an endangered or threatened species, many of those listed under the ESA had a degree of commonality about them.  Perhaps they were species routinely observed or occurred in such vast numbers that who would have guessed such a “common species” could be disappearing from our National landscapes (i.e. Chinook salmon). So what is conspicuously absent from protection…those “common” species we take for granted, those species who currently have healthy populations, and those plants and animals just as vulnerable to overharvesting and habitat loss as the ones who currently populate the list of endangered and threatened species.

“Right now, there are few incentives for public land managers to focus on and maintain ecologically healthy wild animal populations … to keep the lifeblood of wild places flowing. As a result, we often learn that a population or an entire ecosystem is in trouble after the damage is done because we haven’t been monitoring and protecting wildlife.”

Amy Vedder, Executive VP of Conservation for The Wilderness Society

Recognizing that a need exists to ensure today’s common species continue to benefit from healthy populations, a new piece of legislation has been introduced to Congress.  America’s Wildlife Heritage Act is nothing less than a Species Act designed to monitor species, “maintain sustainable populations of native species and desired non-native species, and reintroduce extirpated species when a species population is no longer present.”

According to the America’s Wildlife Heritage Act:

Fish and wildlife are fundamental parts of America’s history and character, and fish and wildlife conservation is a core value shared by all Americans. All future generations deserve the opportunity to benefit from and enjoy a diverse array of fish and wildlife species.

The American landscape is rapidly changing, particularly in the Western United States where the majority of the Federal public lands are found, increasing the importance of sustaining fish and wildlife and their habitats on our public lands.

Federal public lands are critical to the future of fish, plant, and wildlife species in America. Federal public lands help to protect endangered and threatened species from going extinct and help prevent species from becoming endangered in the first place. These lands complement the conservation of fish, plants, and wildlife on private lands by providing comparatively intact tracts of land that serve as refuges from human development and other pressures. Federal public lands also help keep common species common, including species valued for hunting and fishing.

Please contact your congressional representatives (http://house.gov) and encourage them to sign on as co-sponsors of this important bill.

For additional information visit The Wildereness Society: http://wilderness.org/content/wonder-it-all

Here in Antioch, CA we are by no means short of coyote, well at least that used to be the case.  Catching coyotes in a natural state of living was a common occurrence a couple years back, but now spotting one in our usual haunts is a fairly unique experience.  A number of months back  my wife caught one sleeping next to a road cut through an open field by off-roaders and illegal dumpers.  Now that the city has headed my warnings and complaints about a growing ‘free’ dump on municipal land they have cordoned off the area, which hopefully draws the larger fauna back. 

It has been quite a while since any intimate coyote encounters, but one memory pops up every time we step foot in the open rolling hills.  My wife and I were taking our two German Shorthairs for a run in what is currently a fairly large expanse of open land within walking distance from our home.  Of course, the urban sprawl continues to make its way northward, and will eventually consume this field, but for now we enjoy the scenery, the wildlife (foxes, kestrels, red-tailed hawks, burrowing owls, coyote, etc.) and the incredible views of Mt. Diablo.  Just as dusk was approaching, we noticed a coyote had appeared on the top of a hill overlooking the depression where we were giving free reign to our dogs (Daisy & Gretchen).  The coyote was quite intent on watching the action and continued to parallel our movements. I was at ease with the situation. Perhaps because I was as much enthralled in the coyote as he was with us, especially when a colleague joined him on watch.  Now that backup had arrived, the coyote robustly made his way down the hill and was partaking in a trajectory that would inevitably result in an intersection. 

Not sure how Daisy and Gretchen would react to the approaching canine, we leashed them to ascertain control.  Intrigued by his pluckiness, I decided to stop and allow the coyote to make the next few steps.  Upon reaching a distance of 30 ft, the coyote halted, laid down, and was unmoved by our now attentive, eager to be  off-leash barking dogs.  At this point I decided to approach the statuesque creature and determine any motives if possible.  As I stepped forward, the coyote stood up, and began lifting and lowering his front limbs in a bouncing motion, as if partially rearing up on his hind legs.  At no time did I feel the coyote was an imminent threat, whether this posture was actually indicative of aggression or not.  As I continued forward, the coyote matched my steps in the rears, keeping a constant 30 ft divide between us. 

As dusk was swiftly becoming night, our dogs conceded they were not going to reach a state of freedom, and as observers it was time we continued on our way home.  Thinking we had left the coyote behind, we were soon surprised to see that he was indeed following us, and being closely trailed by the other.  As we set foot on the pavement, we could see the coyote pull back as if constrained by a human development barrier.  Since that time we had encountered the coyote twice more, always on occasions when I managed to leave the camera behind. 

This memory and our sightings of the curious coyote will be two years old in October.

Well my wife and I finally made the jump to a digital SLR camera.  It was upon returning from our trip to Hawai’i that we realized our old SLR was just not cutting it in this ever evolving digital world.  The SLR was great and provided years of great service, but getting film developed, having them saved to a disc , or scanning selected photos ourselves just seemed so antiquated.  This was especially the case as we are constantly needing the photos for our work on the web.  Thus our reasoning for the splurge was to cut out the middleman, get excellent resolution, have the ability to exchange lenses (as opposed to our compact digital camera) and learn more about the art of photography without having to wait for the results via traditional film development. And so far we are having a ball with it.

But, the actual reason for mentioning our recent upgrade to a digital SLR is to give a small plug for an organization I support.  The Nature Conservancy is holding a digital photography contest through September 30, 2009 and entering is as simple as uploading images to Flickr.

When all is said and done, your image may grace the 2011 Nature Conservancy calendar and be featured on their website. 

The Nature Conservancy is “looking for your most breathtaking images of nature, including lands, waters, plants, animals or people.  Photographers keep full ownership of their photographs but grant us the right to use their image in support of our mission.”

So happy picture taking and take a look at the great entries received thus far at http://www.flickr.com/groups/thenatureconservancy/

Full contest details and rules are available at:  http://www.nature.org/photo.

I admit I wasn’t ready for the beginning of the week, so while I get my next post together I thought I pass along a few signs I came across during my journey on Maui…a few simple reminders to protect endangered species.

Well after the other day’s post, I got to thinking of the last coyote sighting I had 10 months ago. I didn’t realize such an occurrence was about to be a rarity. Without further adieu…

Unable to ignore the less than subtle hints (i.e. barking, whining, pacing) any longer, my wife and I took our two shorthairs for a much needed night time walk through our suburban maze. Venturing outside the confines of the stucco wall that defines our neighborhood, we found ourselves on what can be considered a paved mote that officially separates the developed world from that of a semi-urbanized dimension that still manages to pass as open space. In an effort to prevent the collision of the two worlds, a series of chain link has been erected that formally fragments the little openness that remains. Approximately 100 feet away, all four of us spotted a coyote running away from our position parallel to the fence; whose activities were soon interrupted by the spouting of whines from our pseudo-children. A brief hesitation was followed by a sprint towards the open zone as the coyote retreated in the opposite direction of his intentions.

Upon closer inspection, we soon realized that a portion of the fence had rolled upon itself and left a sizeable area to sneak back and forth from blacktop to soil. As we peered through the holes in the fence trying to glimpse the rogue canine, we were startled by a second coyote running parallel along the fence in our direction. As we remained motionless (except for the escalating antics of the shorthairs of course), the coyote abandoned his efforts upon our visual identification and watched, much to his chagrin, dinner escape between our legs. Literally running for life, a rabbit passed between our posse without so much as the slightest alteration to its trajectory.

It was at that moment that we realized the two coyotes had been working as a team to flush the rabbit along an inescapable path. They effectively set up the typical “pickle” until urban sprawl squandered their game. Through a series of unfortunate events, namely my wife, our dogs and I, the coyotes went without supper. As soon as the incident passed, my wife asked if I was happier for saving the rabbit’s life or more saddened by the fact that we caused the coyotes to go hungry.

I am ashamed to say that I may be guilty of falling into an observational torpor and have completely failed to recognize the lack of recent local wildlife sightings. As I sit here racking my brain to identify the last time I saw a rabbit, a burrowing owl or a coyote, I can’t help but remember their abundance one and two winters ago. Whether by day or night, I was accustomed to the visual stimulation of spotting a burrowing owl poised either on the post of a fence, or, as I neared, darting from their earthen hideaway to a rock that serves as an observation station, a pair of coyotes shadowing my moves at a distance, and rabbits scattering from fresh grasses to leafy thickets for cover.

Come to think of it, there was a time that an ambulance or fire engine post-sunset would set off a chain of coyote howls that would drown out the sirens. Now, sirens simply pierce the nighttime silence, fence posts remain unadorned, and the fields are free of curious canines. However, these open spaces do continue to propagate and are now host to an ever increasing population of blacktop and streetlights. So I guess the question ‘Where’s the wildlife?’ has a rather obvious answer.

Unbridled development and urban sprawl are at the forefront of environmental tribulations; causing habitat fragmentation, destruction of open spaces, wildlife displacement, pollution, etc. By carving neighborhoods, roads and shopping centers into once continuous blocks of forests and grasslands we are dividing critical habitat into ever smaller blocks. Yet, we are amazed when some suburbs experience an increase in negative human-wildlife interactions and others lose the splendor of nature we once so enjoyed.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, most woodlands in the East are less than 100 acres in size, 95% of tallgrass prairies have been destroyed or converted to agriculture, and 94% of native grasslands in San Diego County have been developed. Additionally, the U.S. Forest Service states, “Between 1982 and 2001, approximately 34 million acres of open space (an area the size of Illinois) were lost to development – approximately 4 acres per minute or 6,000 acres a day. Specific to forests, over 10 million acres were converted to houses, buildings, lawns, and pavement between 1982 and 1997, and 26 million acres more are projected to be developed by 2030. The total loss of forests from 1982 to 2030 will be close to the size of Georgia.”

There is no doubt that amplified habitat fragmentation as a result of urban development is a danger to biodiversity and if we are not careful we will awaken to find ourselves alone on a nature walk.