Dirty Campers

               Signs like these are a common sight in the Redwoods.

               This Steller's Jay in this photo by Micah Carnahan in the Prairie Creek Redwoods has become so habituated to the human presence that he will actually approach this close looking for food.

               The common raven in this photo taken by researchers in the Prairie Creek Redwoods is wearing a back pack housing a radio transmitter. This will allow bio technicians like my cousin Micah who happens to be working on this particular project with Amy Scarpignato (project leader, and raven holder), following the ravens around with an antenna and receiver. This involves long days hiking through mysterious old-growth redwood forests looking for the android corvids, sometimes they have to camp out...(sounds rough). 

Why go through all this trouble?? 

The answer involves the Marbled Murrelet shown below in a water color by Ram Papish:

The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow. Its habit of nesting in trees was suspected but not documented until a tree-climber found a chick in 1974 making it one of the last North American bird species to have its nest described. The Marbled Murrelet has experienced declines in their numbers since humans began logging their nest trees beginning in the latter half of the 1800s. The decline of the Marbled Murrelet and its association with old-growth forests have made it a flagship species in the forest preservation movement. (wikipedia)

Well, the listing of the Northern Spotted owl has for all intents and purposes decimated the old growth logging industry in the Pacific Northwest; nevertheless, the Marbled murrelet continues to be in decline. It is now hypothesized that increased human activity has habituated corvids to the presence of our garbage. The increased density of corvids puts pressure on the marbled murrelets in the area. By pressure, I mean:  eats their eggs and chicks. This is a problem and needs to be researched.......enter Micah and his colleagues. I hope to post more as I hear more details from their study. Cutting edge Stuff.

A couple more points:

1) The "decimating" of the old-growth logging industry was not for nothing. Please don't get that idea. The habituation of corvids to anthropogenic food sources and the implications on nest predation is an issue that could not even be addressed if the old-growth trees that the murrelets nest in are cut. 

which brings me to my next point:

2) Marbled murrelets never touch the ground. They eat, sleep, and generally take care of business out in the open ocean. They only come "on land" when they land on the lateral branches of old redwood trees to build their nests. These lateral branches can be several feet wide.     

This study system is fascinating, and typical of the politically charged atmosphere that usually surrounds human use of the planet's last remaining wild areas. 

Memorial Day BBQ

Here at tBt we are not against the troops, we're against the wars.  

Watchable WIldlife

Sometimes you don't have the opportunity to interact with or even see rare and endangered birds. These "calender birds" like the raptors and exotic neo-tropical migrants can be exciting, but hard to come by. Today though, I had to do laundry, and was invited to dinner with the Carnahans. What do you do if you have a bird watching blog, a need for cool wildlife pics, and only a half an hour or so? The answer of course is watchable wildlife. These types of creatures offer an opportunity to witness life in the wild without turning off your car radio. The red-winged blackbird holds a territory in hopes of attracting a mate. He could care less about the BIO technician stumbling around under his tree with a camera. The duck family (seen in the "waterbirds" post) is growing up in a hurry, and seems oblivious to the harsh world that awaits the ducklings when they fledge. I would encourage all of you to spend more time observing and appreciating the common animals we usually take for granted.

The Kinetic Sculpture Race

               

               What could be cooler that a mechanical fire breathing dragon?

               A mechanical fire breathing chicken!

               Octomom.....

              And the hippypotomous.

               OK.

For those of you who havn't been to the Kinetic Sculpture Race, it happens on memorial day weekend in Arcata, CA. Highlights include laps around the square, dead man's drop, a couple dozen miles of Highway 101, and an aquatic crossing of Humboldt Bay. All machines are people powered. These pics were taken during the opening ceremonies when the judges are ceremoniously bribed by the racers. 

25 Pounds

25 Pounds is the weight limit for the gear I bring with me on the flight from Honolulu to Midway atoll. I will be able to have more sent in later, but for the first week or two, I will only have what I can bring on the first flight. I have to make two things clear here. One: this weight limit is not flexible since it represents my part of the cargo capacity on a packed flight in a small aircraft going 1,200 miles over the Pacific (the distance from Oahu to Midway). Two: Midway atoll is not a deserted island, I understand there is a merchantile and a bowling ally left over from the Navy Days. This means things like shampoo and food are available, and only take up precious weight. What I have pictured here is probably pushing the 25 pounds. I plan on using a bathroom scale to test the weight. So far techy stuff like the SD-50 scope, coolpix camera, laptop, and binoculars are the heaviest part. This is a digital world after all. I will probably be wearing most of the other stuff to stay warm on the flight.................which is at night.

Why at night?

Because we will be landing on a tiny atoll that is home to hundreds of thousands of sea birds, most of whom are less active at night. This is also the same reason the plane is powered by propellors instead of jets. Use your imagination, but remember it is not their fault. The birds (like this American Goldfinch) were here first.

Predator Avoidance

                                             

                           Picture 1: Can You See the Ca. Quail Pair?

                           Picture 2: They can See You!

                           Picture 3: Here is a better view.

Interspecific Competition

         

               1st Picture:   Fishing Brown Pelicans

          

               2nd Picture:   Partially Submerged Diving Brown Pelican

               3rd Picture:   Gull Atop the Pelican

               4th Picture:   Gull making away with the Pelican's catch

Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in which individuals of different species vie for the same resource in an ecosystem (e.g. food or living space). The other form of competition is intraspecific competition, which involves organisms of the same species.

or....

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between two different organisms where one organism, the parasite, takes favor from the host, sometimes for a prolonged time. 

maybe both..............You decide.

Bird Song

**Gear Upgrade** I was gifted a new compact spotting scope and a Nikon Coolpix camera for graduation (Thank You!). Here is the best shot out of the first series of pics from the new rig. Pretty sweet. I still need to learn how to use everything, read instructions etc. I will soon have plenty of time, as I will be moving to an Island, no not even an island, an atoll! (details to come).

Three little birds pitch by my doorstep singing sweet songs

For these shots, I used one of the Bushnell spotting scopes from the HSU wildlife equipment cache, and my Olympus digital camera. It takes a bit of work to figure out how to hold the camera up to the scope's lens, but after that, digi-scoping is a good way to photograph wildlife without investing in an SLR camera and a telephoto lens. Top to Bottom -> black-headed grosbeak, Three Little American goldfinch Birds, and a bald eagle pair.