Home is where you make it

I have been a proud homeowner for the last two months. I never dreamed that I would be in this situation being that I was born and raised in California where house prices are astronomical, and working in a career that typically does not pay well. I grew up in San Francisco living in apartments or “flats” as they were called there. After that I had many places that I called “home”. As a wildlife biologist, I did a lot of traveling over the years, working on projects that lasted anywhere from 3 to 6 months. While I always had a permanent residence, I also had many “home away from home” experiences. I sometimes had nothing more than a tent to call home. Other jobs had me living in apartments in a city, houses in the forest, and one even had me living in a literal shack! I have not only lived in unusual buildings, but unusual places. I spent a total of 9 months living on an island, and another 2 living in the Arctic Circle on a compound with a bunch of oil drillers. Between projects I would return to my permanent residence which was close-packed apartments, which we usually managed. Not only was my ceiling someones floor, and the walls on either side of me shared….but these people could come to my door at anytime…day or night…to complain or request a repair. We never had much privacy, and could never be left alone. We finally moved to a real house after 16 years of apartment living. It was a great place in the middle of the Angeles National Forest complete with mountain stream outside our door. We loved it, but it was an expensive rental and not our own. Finally after dreaming about owning a home for many years, house prices dropped dramatically and on a whim, I went to a first homebuyers workshop. I figured MAYBE we could buy a house in a year or two. From the time I took the class, to the time I was living in my new home was ONLY 3 months later. The whole process was fast and easy. We had many friends who were having a terrible time trying to buy a place, but everything sort of fell perfectly into place for us. We feel so blessed to finally have a place to call our own, even at this late stage in our lives.

Hike of a lifetime

I give up a city kid in a concrete jungle. My only experience with wildlife were some pigeons downtown, gulls at the beach and crabs that would grab our toes as we went into the ocean to play. I never got to experience summer camp, girl scouts, or any of those things that most normal kids did. Growing up a poor inner-city kid just did not have opportunities like that. There was no such thing as family vacations either..I did go on a few with friends families, and got to spent most of my summers in LA visiting my sister. If not for her, I probably would have never left San Francisco.

Even though I was a city kid..I always loved animals, and read as much as I could about them, and watched shows about them as well. One of my favorites was Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. I did not get to experience nature first hand very much at all, but was taken on a field trip when I was 9 years old to Samuel Pete Taylor Park. To be honest, I am not even sure where it is located..the outskirts of San Francisco I guess..but I have ALWAYS remembered the name as it made such an impression on me. This was my first and only experience hiking in nature up to this point in my life.

I was absolutely fascinated by the wildness of it all..had never seen trees, plants or animals in this way before. When the hike was over I did not want to go back. Me and another student begged our teachers to let us finish out the trail. Amazingly they did! This would never happen today. We were left to finish the trail by ourselves and then hike back down alone where the rest of the group would meet us. We were given a brief warning by the teachers before they left, about bobcats and other animals we might see. I remember having absolutely NO fear at all of any animal I might encounter on the trail…it was all too exciting and fascinating to me!

I feel that this field trip was a pivotal point in my life. I realized then how deeply I cared for animals and nature. This was the very start of the many travels and journeys I would take as a wildlife biologist. It made me realize how impressionable children can be and how important it is to get them outdoors and experiencing nature. Almost every biologist I know first became interested in their career by having a positive early childhood experience in nature. If I had never taken that hike, my life may have taken a completely different course.

The nest is yet to come

People often ask what my typical work day is like and what I mostly do (from March until August) is nest search. I find the nests of tiny little grey endangered birds. I monitor these birds religiously keeping track of when they arrive, when they find a mate, when they build their nest, when they lay their eggs, how many they lay, when they hatch, how many hatch, and when their chicks leave the nest, and then I follow up to make sure they survived after they left the nest. I also try and keep track of when they leave the area to migrate back to Mexico. This may all sound like a lot of info to gather..and believe me..it is! I will also add that I have to do this for up to 142 pairs of birds. This is an enormous amount of info and that is why I spend 5-6 months of each year, 8-9 hours a day working outside in the field gathering it. Luckily, nest searching has become one of my favorite things to do!!
I was first introduced to nest searching in the spring of 2000 while working with Henslow’s Sparrows in Tennessee. I had no nest searching skills to speak of and really did not understand how one would go about finding a birds nest. I learned that I would soon be sneaking up on birds and observing them for long periods of time while trying to be as still and quiet as possible. There were certain rules to follow as well such as never making a trail to the nest. You could not walk straight to a nest then go back the way you came as this could lead a predator right to it. You had to sort of walk by the nest and glance in as you passed. Also, we had to keep an eye out for predators (especially other birds) who could and would watch us to find out nest locations. Jays were especially adept at finding nests. I heard stories about one project where all the nests were flagged 5 meters south of the nest. A smart jay came along and figured out the pattern and went to every nest with a flag marking its location and ate them all! If a potential predator might be around we sometimes had to do “fake” nest checks. We would approach several bushes in the area (one holding the real nest) and check them all, peering into each bush to throw off the jays, crows, mockingbirds, or ravens that might be keeping an eye on us. We also did not want to draw cowbirds (a parasitic species) to the nests either.
Different species pose different challenges to finding their nest. Some birds are ground nesters, some scrub or tree nesters, while others will nest in cavities or crevices. The nests can be located at a range of heights depending on species as well. Nests are composed of all sorts of materials: moss, spider webs, sticks, branches, flowers, snake skin, feathers, twigs, mud, leaves, and sometimes even man-made objects. Each time I find a nest, made out of a variety of materials, and containing eggs of different sizes, shapes, colors, with different markings like spots, etc…it is like finding a work of art. To me, they are natures little masterpieces.
When I nest search I get into a sort of “one with nature” mode. I wear only earth tone colors so I blend in with the scenery, and will crawl into a bush or scrub and just sit absolutely still, moving nothing but my eyeballs and just “become” part of nature. After sitting there for a while I just seem to blend in as I have had many close encounters with animals while doing this. I once had a whole family of quail (mom and 15 tiny babies) run by me, completely unaware of me, and so close I could have reached my hand out and touched them. I have also had deer, and coyote walk right up to me as well while in this comatose state. Some of the more curious birds such as wrens and hummingbirds have come literally within an inch of my face or my eyes.
Some nests take a very long time to find, and I feel I am up against a clock somehow on some bizarre game show where the bird is my opponent. I have had to crawl into the territories of some fussy birds that would freak out if they saw me. One little bird would come and find me no matter how quietly I entered it’s territory and no matter how far outside of the territory I would start to crawl. It would end up perching right above my head and would start scolding me. It was like I was playing hide and seek with the bird, with me always losing! I swear the bird enjoyed it. When I have a bird this challenging it is always a huge triumph when I find it’s nest. I feel exhilarated and sometimes a little giddy and like I have really accomplished something that day.
I think one of the reasons I enjoy nest searching so much is because it is a challenge, and you can set goals as to how many nests you want to find that day, or what particulars birds nest you want to find that day, etc. and then you can really focus on the task and get it done. I thrive on setting goals and then meeting them. I am definitely a “to do” lister and finding nests is sort of like completing everything on your “to do” list for that day. It is a test in patience, focus, using observational skills, the ability to be quiet and still, to be sneaky, to outwit nature, and sometimes it involves a lot of luck! No matter how you find the nest, it is always quite satisfying in the end.

Got baby birds?

Since the bird breeding season is almost here, I thought I would share what one should do if they happen to find a baby bird this spring. It seems so many people mistake fledglings as being abandoned that they may inadvertently end up killing a baby bird by "saving" it. This is the advice I usually give:

If the bird is fully feathered, it is most likely a fledgling and has left the nest on it's own and it's parents are caring for it. It is normal for birds to leave the nest before they can fly. You need to replace it where you found it..preferably in a scrub or tree so it is relatively safe from predators, and the parents should come back to feed it. If it is unfeathered...then look for a nest and if you can find it...replace it into the nest. Do not worry about your scent being on the chick..birds have a very poorly developed sense of smell and will NOT reject a baby that has been touched. If you cannot find a nest, get the bird to a local wildlife rehab for it's best chance of survival. Also, keep in mind, it is illegal for you to try and raise this bird on your own. All birds in the U.S. are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Look for a rehab here:
http://www.wildliferehabinfo.org/ContactList_MnPg.htm
http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/wildlife/rehabilitators/directory-us.html
　
　

The Gossip Bird

When I was first hired in 2006, to study the Least Bell's Vireo I had never seen or heard one before. They are an endangered subspecies (one of four) of the Bell's Vireo. It is a little non-distinct gray bird that occupies mostly riparian habitats. It does however have a very distinct song. I was given a mnemonic device to recognize its song. A fellow birder told me to think of the vireo as “the gossip bird” as when it sings it quickly says “You tell me what she said about mmmeeeee, I'll tell you what she said about yyyooouuuu”. Play the video below to see if you can hear the gossip for yourself.
I was told they arrive every year around March 15th, after migrating back from Mexico. I went out to my study site on the 15th, but never heard or saw one. I went out on subsequent days...and still nothing! I was a little frustrated, but not too frustrated since no one had heard them in the watershed yet. Finally the days turned into weeks, and still no sign of the bird. They had never been this late before and I started to think they would not show up at all. Just my luck..get a full time permanent position studying a bird that did not exist! Finally, on April 15th, a full month after their proposed arrival date I heard its distinct song. I immediately called my boss to tell her the good news. She questioned me to make sure it was indeed a Least Bell's Vireo I was hearing since it was my first. I told her I was positive as their call can really not be mistaken for anything else. I finally spotted the bird as well, to confirm its species. I was the first to hear one that year and in the days to follow more and more vireos showed up. We never did figure out why the birds were a month late..all we could assume was that they got caught up in some storm and were blown off course, or that many left late due to the storm.
We typically name our birds..usually after something to help us remember their location...so we have birds named after trees, rocks, or other naturally occurring things in nature, but we also name them after man-made items found out on our sites. I named my very first bird “Riker” as a tribute to a Star Trek The Next Generation character. William Riker was Captain Picards' “Number One” officer. Riker was my “Number One” bird!

Tern! Tern! Tern!

Using yet another song as my title. From the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” recorded ironically enough by The Byrds! Found out this song is actually stolen right out of the Bible..almost word for word from the book of Ecclesiastes. Who would have known?
Anyway, just wanted to write a little introduction about one of the bird species I have worked with over the last two years. It is the endangered California Least Tern. They nest in a colony out at Huntington Beach which makes a very nice place to work. Always nice to get out of the sometimes 100+ degrees I usually work in. The colony is fenced in since these birds basically lay their eggs right on the sand. Without the fencing, beach goers would step right on them! They don't really make any sort of a nest at all, but may sometimes make a “scrape”. Occasionally they will lay their eggs on or next to shell fragments or debris or trash on the beach. We found a couple of eggs last year laid ever so neatly next to a little green plastic elephant toy. We didn't dare move it. Sometimes birds will lay their eggs outside the fenced area and more fencing will have to be added to protect it.
There are several volunteers that watch the colony at all times keeping an eye out for predators. We had problems with crows the first year swooping down and eating chicks or eggs, and last year the kestrels really took a toll. They managed to get permits to kill a few crows and scattered their bodies throughout the colony and the crows figured it out pretty quickly..that entering the yard meant death. It solved the problem. The kestrels were not as easily deterred. They tried capturing them, but never could. It was a pair, so I am sure they had a nest of babies that needed to eat too..unfortunately they choose to feed them an endangered species! Once, we watched a male kestrel dive down and grab a chick while we were working in the yard..and could not do anything to stop it. We yelled and screamed and tried to run towards the bird to scare it, but it did no good.
The terns typically lay just 2 eggs, occasionally one, or even more rarely, three. We actually had a 3 egg nest last year and all three hatched which was fairly unusual. We monitor the nests throughout the whole process (laying, incubating, and hatching) checking on them twice weekly. The whole yard is “gridded” with poles that are numbered going down the yard and letters of the alphabet going across the yard so that we could map the nests as we go and be able to locate them the next time we are there. We mark and number the nests with small wooden “craft sticks” or tongue depressors. When we find a “nest” we write the nest number on it with a Sharpie and place one stick facing the ocean (south) and another west of the nest, so that the number can be easily seen when approaching the nest from different directions.
The funniest part of monitoring the nests is that we do it from a “blind”. We created these big rectangular shaped “shells” from PVC pipes and covered them with sheets sewn into a square shape to fit over them. We then cut little “windows” into the sheets so we could see where we are going. We heard lots of funny remarks from the beach goers as they could never quite figure out why we were walking around in these big “squares”. He heard our fair share of “Spongebob Squarepants” jokes! It is VERY hard to navigate in these things as we constantly trip over either the tubing, the sheet, the vegetation, or a combination of the three. When there were fledglings running around, we had to be even more careful of where we were stepping or falling so as not to crush any of them. We also carry a clipboard/paperwork, binoculars, pens, tongue depressors, etc. all in there with us, which makes it all very hard to keep track of since we have to hang things from the tubing just to walk as you need both hands to lift the “blind” to walk from place to place. We lost lots of pens and equipment in the sand that way!
Also, if we had to use “the bathroom”, we would just squat in place since we were basically in our own little port-a-potty! It was too much trouble and took way too long to walk/waddle back to the entrance to get out..then take your blind off, walk to the bathroom, then put your blind back on, and walk all the way back to your designated spot. Much easier to just take care of business out on the beach sand!
I may not get the opportunity to monitor this species again this coming season as I will be starting a new project with a different endangered species and just will not have the time to make it out to the beach anymore. But, it was fun while it lasted!

Gone Batty

Bats are probably one of the most misunderstood creatures on the planet. I would just like to dispell some of the harmful myths about bats and give people some good websites to become more educated about bats. Bats are actually very important to the ecosystem, they pollinate many of the foods we eat: avocados, mangoes, figs, etc., and are basically the only pollinator of the agave plant (used in the production of tequila). Who would have known that without bats there would be no tequila.
Bats are also important as pest control..they save farmers millions of dollars each year by not having to spray their fields with harmful pesticides. They also eliminate mosquitoes around peoples back yards and in wildlife areas, eliminating the chance of people and animals contracting diseases such as encephalitis, malaria, and west Nile virus. Bats are also important in health care. Scientists have discovered that the saliva from vampire bats has a useful anticoagulant that is being used to make a drug to help people with heart problems and blood clots.
I urge people that have bats in their yards to let them be, and to enjoy the fact that they are there. Try and preserve wildlife habitat on your property as well as in your local communities. If you have bats in your house..please make sure you resolve the problem so as not to harm the bats. There are humane extraction methods that will be included in the websites I post below. Almost every bat species in existence is in decline due to habitat loss, loss of roosts, or to eradication by humans. Bats are very slow reproducers and only give birth to one or two pups a year also contributing to their decline.
I have always been fascinated by bats and recently became involved in being in charge of the bat program where I work. I have attended bat workshops and am working with other bat biologists and experts in my area. I do bat surveys on a regular basis using equipment that records bat calls, and bat frequencies. I use night vision goggles to try and see flight patterns, size, color, and any of clues as to their identification. I survey at roost sites as well and doing open air surveys. I also have a good population of bats where I live, so can often be found testing out my bat equipment literally in my own backyard.
I am now learning to access bridges and freeway overpasses for the possibility of bats using it as a roost. I am also educating myself about bat boxes and their placement as we now have people interested in our organization installing bat boxes for them. I am constantly researching and learning new things about bats and would love if people here would also share their knowledge of bats with me as well. If you come across any articles, news stories, good websites, etc..please feel free to email me.
Helpful bat websites below:
http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=122
http://www.batworld.org/main/main.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~cmsquare/batfacts.html
http://dnr.state.il.us/conservation/naturalheritage/bats/bats.htm
http://www.wbwg.org/