I was out hiking the other morning and came upon a critter I’d not encountered before. Okay, I’ve seen the species (I believe it was a red fox) however it wasn’t red, nor silver, nor white (albino/leucistic) … it was jet black!

I didn’t know such a coloration existed for a red fox, but doing some research it seems they do occur naturally. This guy was not going to hang around for me to see if s/he had a white tip to the tail, s/he ambled up the hill (with the typical fox bounce in the step) and disappeared over the rise.

S/he left quite an impression with me. A wonderful start to a hike. One more indication of how there is so much new and exciting to learn outdoors…

Black against the snow

Black, not that a Silhouette can show that

To record your wildlife encounter with WildObs all you need are the what, where, when.

• What species did you see.
• Where did you see it.
• When did the encounter occur.

Here is a short video of the process on the website:

More WildObs videos can be found here http://youtube.com/wildobservations.

Some tips & pointers:

• Everything is editable, and things like descriptions, photos, videos can be added at a later date.
• Don’t worry if WildObs doesn’t find your species or location immediately, those can be refined later (including being added to the WildObs database.)
• Tags (keywords) are comma separated categorizations. E.g. first-of-season.
• Title and Description are optional, but do enrich the encounter.
• Syndicate means “this is more than the everyday encounter, it should be published as such”.
• Public/Private allows you to  record encounters, but not share them with anybody else.

Quickest Record Entry:

Record your Encounter (with context)

Whenever you see the following link button on the top right of a page you can enter a wildobs, and information from the page you are on will be used as defaults on that wildobs encounter. This can save both typing and look-ups.

• Species page: The species (what) is defaulted.
• Place page: The place (where) is defaulted.
• Encounter page. The species & place are defaulted.
• Image page. The photograph is defaulted.

For example if you’ve seen another encounter that you’ve posted before, you can press “Record your WildObs” on that encounter to carry over most of t he details (with the time changing to now.)

Thanks for sharing your wildlife, and guiding others to nature.

Peregrine Falcon photo courtesy Boulder OSMP

This year I applied to be a Raptor Nest Watch volunteer with Boulder Mountain Parks & Open Space. I found out about the opportunity on the Boulder county nature-net mailing list (from the Boulder County Nature Association) and found myself thrilled at the opportunity to monitor nests of eagles, osprey, falcons (and other species.) Bird of prey are so spectacular, and yet other than the few standouts like the eagles/osprey so hard to identify in the field (for the non-native birder, like me.) As such, ever since I applied I’ve been excited about what I’d learn.

I was lucky enough to be accepted into the program, and assigned a nest site not too far from my home, and in a beautiful location (not that they all aren’t around here.) I was assigned peregrine falcon, a bird I hadn’t even realized was around here. I saw my first Peregrine Falcon (at least first since perhaps in childhood) when in Cornwall, UK last year. I was hiking along the clifftops and a parent/offspring duo flew past me granting me a wonderful close-up. Having them here in Colorado, near my home, wow … awesome!

I’ve never been much of a joiner, and I like my nature empty (except for wild critters, my iPhone to record my wildlife, and my dog at camp) so this application was a first for me. Amusingly perhaps I’ve joined the volunteer program that suits this preference best, since observers perform their observation duties by themselves and exchange reports via e-mail. Still, I’ve met others in the team (for this site) at the orientation meeting and on a field trip, and both times enjoyed their company. It is nice to know who they are, to understand the pleasure we all share from the outdoors, and to get and share reports on the site. Working behind the computer of a day it is wonderful to be vicariously taken outside, to connect with this wildlife location.

My first solo trip for the weekly two hour observation duty met with decent weather, and clear skies. Falcons (other than Kestrels, which are partial migrants here) are only just returning to Colorado so there is not much falcon activity, however the Golden Eagle put in an appearance high above. A pair of these massive & majestic birds rode the thermals along the ridge-line (rising, tucking wings and diving to rise again as if having a roller-coaster of fun) before resting on the rocks above. Townsend’s Solitaire were the ‘dawn’ chorus, with American Robins soon taking over as the noise makers.

All in all a very pleasant time of putting the busy world aside for a while and sitting watching the natural world while contributing to natural science. I am so grateful of this opportunity, and am looking forward to the nesting season ahead.

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Note to those concerned: I’ve checked with OSMP on what I should (and should not) post on this topic, and now and during the nesting season will limit my comments to those that do not convey more information than can be found on the OSMP website.

Use WildObs Lookout to find your nature:

• Find nearby encounter from the WildObs community (including for your favorite and wish-list species.)
• Find nearby wildlife places (National Parks, State Parks, and more.)
• Browse encounters from the WildObs community.

The latest WildObs Lookout is in the App Store:

Find your nature with WildObs Lookout

Find Nearby Encounters:

Find nearby nature with WildObs Lookout

View an Encounter:

Find your nature with WildObs Lookout

Show the Species:

Find your nature with WildObs Lookout

Map the Encounter:

Find your nature with WildObs Lookout