One of the best things I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in, for the past few years, is the Raptor Monitoring program of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP.) With conservation efforts, raptors have been recovering in Colorado, and even the re-introduced Peregrine Falcons (PEFA) are gaining in numbers. Volunteers (like me) monitor the nesting area weekly in order to determine territory occupancy, and reproduction productivity.

Field Notes with iPad and iPhone

I’ve been visiting my assigned location for a few years now, and never cease to be amazed by how much I enjoy it. I think of each trip as “another beautiful day in paradise” and it certainly is. I get to watch the change of the seasons, from late winter when the birds return to the area, to deep into summer. The changes of spring are quite thrilling to experience, and each year I feel a little more connected to this place.

I’d barely seen peregrine falcons in the wild, but now I’ve watched the peregrines select their scrape site, mate, incubate their eggs and raise their chicks to fledglings. I’ve heard and seen the awesome PEFA stoops, watched territory disputes, seems PEFA consume their prey, and become party to a wide variety of behaviors. I’ve gone from barely knowing these birds, to feeling somewhat connected. I feel honored.

I carry a pack on each of my monitoring session, and in it I have a notepad and pen in order to record notes. I’ve never cracked open that pad. For some reason I began taking notes in my iPhone, in Apple’s Notepad app, and kept on doing so. It’s taken me a few years to finally get sufficiently frustrated with typing on that keyboard, entering (and re-entering due to typos) times, and spending too much time looking at the phone and not admiring/observing the birds.

I finally wrote this application in order to make taking timestamped field notes a lot easier. I’ve used it on the past few weeks of observations, and it allows me to both record more and observe more. More time watching the PEFA is a good thing.

I took a wander down the mountain this morning. With all the snow we’ve had I’ve not been as active as normal, and I made a rookie mistake and forgot my camera (these are iPhone photos), although luckily I had my binoculars.

I went looking for mountain lion (I can dream ) and once the sun started coming up I decided to check for Elk. The Elk were everywhere this morning. The deeper snows have led the Elk to find pockets of sun/slope dried grazing. (Notice Elk in the trees there? Oh for my camera, both sunrise through the fog and Elk, could’ve been a fun photograph.)

Apart from some beautiful views of Colorado, and some enjoyable Elk watching, I was treated to a Coyote and a few car-length icicles on the cliffs above. No mountain lion, but a wonderful morning.

I stopped by and took a few photographs. The location is 39° 44′ 24.72″ N 105° 13′ 9.60″ W. (aka 39.7402, -105.219333)

This is the technology-enabled wildlife crossing; notice the overhead lights that increase the visibility in this area. Notice the big yellow warning signs, and the flashing lights (currently off) above and below them.

Elk’s Perspective

This is the only break in the high elk fence along this section of the road. Elk/deer soon learned to cross here.

Sensor

The sensors detects a large body entering the crossing; at which point the system engages the flashing warning lights.

Elk

My daughter felt this posting was not complete without sharing a photograph of Elk. Here is an awesome one by Ranger Shaina (Shaina Niehans.)

Elk on a Beach

Update: This wildlife crossing has been recorded.

It has become increasingly clear that dog waste  is harmful to the environment in many ways (especially in the quantities left by large numbers of regular visitors.) Not only should we bag it, but we need to dispose of those bags.

It is great to see people communicating that message with a sense of humor:

Credit for this goes to the folks at the Coalton Trailhead.

Recent Popular Species

• Great Blue Heron — Ardea herodias
• Short-eared Owl — Asio flammeus
• Red-tailed Hawk — Buteo jamaicensis
• Northern Pintail
• Aleutian Cackling Goose — Branta hutchinsii leucopareia
• Coyote — Canis latrans
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Northern Cardinal — Cardinalis cardinalis
• Common Kestrel — Falco tinnunculus
• Elk — Cervus elaphus

Recent Popular Places

• Bisset Park, Radford, VA
• Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, OK
• Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, MO
• Deerfield Trail, Blacksburg, VA
• Izaak Walton Park, Christiansburg, VA
• Northwood Park, New Hope, MN
• Yellowstone National Park
• The Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center, AR
• Willow Lake, Prescott, AZ
• New Jersey Wildlife and Game Refuge, NJ

Recent Popular Encounters

• Slug Love – Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, CA by sniehans
• A Fish Toss By This Great Blue Heron – Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, OK by screek
• Snowy Owl – Columbia, MO by lfelliott
• Now I am Stalking A Coyote by screek
• Ending the Year with a Bang! – Prairie State Park, MO by ShowMeNature
• Brown Creeper – Chenango Valley State Park, Chenango, NY by mydigitalmind
• The gang is back… – Coal Creek Canyon, CO by adam_jack
• Red-Tail Hawk’s New Years Brunch by Rickbischoff
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Eyeing Me – Bisset Park, Radford, VA by KerriFar
• The Hovering American Kestrel – Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, OK by screek

Elk moving down from the hills around Golden Colorado have had suffered a roadkill problem for a while. These negative human-wildlife interactions cause significant vehicle damage (even injury/death) for the human, and even more significant injury (almost hopefully quick death) for the wildlife.

Signs didn’t work (enough)

For years there have been “massive signs” saying watch for wildlife, but still the number of Elk carcasses (and presumably damaged cars) piled up. It was a very sad situation. Then, some smart folks at C-DOT brought technology to play…

The Elk Crossing (Solution)

Along both sides of the road a high Elk fence was built, and it had the (relatively new) “exit ramps”. These exit ramps slope on the inside (road side) but drop straight down on the outside. Elk/wildlife outside would not “climb a wall” to get in, but wildlife on the inside would be able to get out. Very nice. That said, the amazing part is the “elk crossing”…

At a high/visible (and newly well lit) place a crossing was designed and designated with gaps in the fence. Motion sensors at each gap detect if a large animal (e.g. an Elk or Deer) were at the gap, and the crossing lights (flashing “slow down” signs) would engage for a few minutes. How excellent! Day or night these lights would alert drivers to an immediate and present danger. Not just some “Wildlife might be here some time” but “caution: wildlife are here/right now!”

I’ve been fascinated by this experiment since I first noticed it, and I cannot believe I’ve not blogged about it before. For starters, every time I want to discuss it, I need something to link folks to so they can “see” (or read about) the crossing, with it’s neat design. I don’t have them now, but I’ll find photos (and/or stop take some) to illustrate the design and post them here.

Since this wildlife crossing as been active I’ve noticed a dramatically reduced number of carcasses. In fact, only one (and sadly on the crossing implying the technology or driver didn’t react fast enough) … but one is a massive reduction in damage. I suspect this system pays for itself in terms of reduced pain/suffering/damage for the people/property, and not to mention how it helps the Elk/Deer.

I do hope to see more of these in years to come.

Update: I found this paper on “advances in wildlife crossing” that has some good diagrams/explanations.

 

Snowy Owl by Show Me Nature Photography

I should be feeling for the lemmings and not just the Snowy Owls because a population decline in one, becomes a tough time for the other, and so both are suffering. The up side for humans, is an irruption of big beautiful birds “down south” in North America.

One of my goals of 2012 is to make the extra efforts to live my wildlife life. Today that meant getting up at 4:45a.m. driving over an hour to the “flatlands” (the plains) and visiting Barr Lake State Park. I do not chase birds, but word on the Colorado Birds mailing list was that this might be as much as a 40-50 year irruption. Snowy Owls have been spotted for the past few weeks, and much as I’d hate to stress and already stressed species, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see such an amazing creature. I could keep my distance, and still get an amazing experience.

I arrived at the fields where a darker (and perhaps younger) Snowy Owl had been spotted, and I arrived in the dark. I was driving slowly down a dirt road when all of a sudden the owl materialized in front of me, big white bird in the dark, and a big wide white wing span. Oh my gosh, I had but arrived and there was the bird. I pulled over, turned off my lights/car and sat. Not pleased I had come closer than I intended, but hoping to minimize any interruption. It was pitch dark but the bird was just ahead on a short post. It didn’t seem bothered by me (now) and I was blessed with a sunrise slowly illuminating this beautiful bird. We must’ve sat there for 20 minutes or more.

The bird flew north over the field, presumably still hunting, but oh so low … even a northern harrier would be hard pressed to fly like that. I  watched the bird fly low across the field, land on a post, sit, then repeat. After a while I noticed the bird land in the middle of a field, and seemingly just hang out. (Most photos I’d seen of Snowy Owls had been atop power poles, and it was fascinating to see how low this one was happy to be. I now know to check fields and low perches for the birds.)

I moved on, hoping I’d kept my distance sufficiently (after the initial unintentional encounter) and went for a hike at Barr Lake. There I saw Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Harrier and a bunch of Buteo and American Kestrels.

A morning most definitely worth losing sleep for…

Amazing Amphibians

Beautiful Birds

Interesting Invertebrates

Marvelous Mammals

Rocking Reptiles

Wonderful Wildflowers

Dandelion Frost Flowerets by robinclifton

A Common Dandelion by screek

Yellow Mandarin by USWildflowers

‘Sea’ Poppy blazes yellow on a roadside in the Camargue by dustygedge

A Sunflower by screek

Wild Iris in the Meadow by pianamon

Orange Agoseris by pianamon

Mariposa Lily at Caribou Ranch by pianamon

Happy 1st Day of Spring by preskittgurl

Shooting Stars in the Rain by robinclifton

Western Blue Flax at Wonderland Creek by pianamon

#NPOD: Canada Violet #Nativeplants by USWildflowers

Spiderwort (Tradescantia sp) by Bodark

Wild Rose in the Forest by pianamon

The Season’s First Pasque Flowers by pianamon

My Favorite Images / Pink & White Trillium Wildflowers by NatureWurks

Common Blue Violet (Viola papilionacea) by Bodark

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) by Bodark

Woolly Locoweed at Walker Ranch by pianamon

Queen Anne’s Lace ~ Wildflower Elegance by KerriFar

Balsamroot Wildflowers on the Snow King Summit by cavaroc

A Weed By Any Other Name by akanaphoto

Autumn Lace by KerriFar

Limonium sp, Sea Lavender by Pescalune

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium by Pescalune

Red Columbine, Aquilegia formosa

Jewelry of Nature by KerriFar

Yellow Fumewort (Corydalis flavula) by Bodark

Henbit Dead-nettle, Lamium amplexicaule by Pescalune

Dandelion by NaturalVisionPhoto

Signs of Spring by robinclifton

Violets! by robinclifton

Morning Dew Drops by KerriFar

Landscaped Nesting by ShowMeNature

A Belted Kingfisher On A Foggy Day by screek

A Bluebird Trying To Figure Things Out by screek

The mightiest owl of Australia – #birds #nature #wildlife – high in a tree in the Royal Botanical… by dustygedge

American Avocet by BeverlyEverson

Great Blue Heron On The Green Carpet by screek

Ever Vigilant by JKissnHug

Photo of the Day: Northern Flicker by MaineBirder

Mésange bleue (Cyanistes caeruleus) , Blue Tit by Pescalune

Tufted Titmouse Posing for Me by KerriFar

Don’t Bug Me by preskittgurl

Momma Looking For Lunch by akanaphoto

Boat-tailed Grackle by MickiP65

Tawny Frogmouth by dustygedge

Clark’s Grebe by sniehans

Photo of the Week! A Loon with Open Wings! by NaturalVisionPhoto

Day 314: Double-crested Cormorant by MickiP65

Photo of the Day: Common Grackle by MaineBirder

Dusky Wood Swallow by dustygedge

Snowy Egret by NatureWurks

Baltimore Oriole by MaineBirder

Kookaburra – Royal National Park, NSW by dustygedge

A Pileated Woodpecker Feeding On Berries by screek

Tiny mocking bird, big attitude by rangerous

Black-capped Chickadee by BeverlyEverson

Sharp-shinned Hawk with fresh kill by robinclifton

Hovering Hummingbird by MaineBirder