A Sign of Spring--Frog Eggs

Yesterday we stopped at a desert spring to look for frog eggs. Every March, Columbia spotted frogs (and northern leopard frogs) lay eggs in waterbodies in our valley. They are very picky about where they lay their eggs--the water has to be the right temperature, depth, and velocity. 

We looked around the edges of this spring. It has just warmed up, the trees are still bare, and we haven't seen many migratory birds, so it seems too early for frogs to be going about mating and laying eggs, but that's what they do.

We looked and we looked. In some places the algae was really thick on top of the water.

Eventually, we found some Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) egg masses. The egg masses can have from 150 to 500 eggs in them. One pair of frogs lays each egg mass, so the egg masses provide a good estimate of how many frogs are in the area--just count the number of egg masses and double it.

The black embryos develop into tadpoles in a few weeks, and then the hundreds of tadpoles swim out into the spring. Mortality is really high for the little tadpoles. They are a tasty snack for fish, birds, and garter snakes. Yet enough survive to keep the frogs thriving at this spring.

Columbia spotted frogs are known for their affinity to water. When they get spooked, they disappear under water. What is amazing about this spring is that it is a long way off from any other spotted frog locations, at least ten miles. So have the frogs here survived since much wetter times (like 15,000 years ago, when there was a huge lake that covered the valley bottom)? Or do the frogs get frisky and hop across the desert from time to time?

Migrating Snow Geese

Despite the snow covering the mountains, more signs of spring are appearing, including the annual migration of snow geese (Chen caerulescens). I recently saw some at the Snow Goose Festival held in Delta, Utah, but they were a little camera shy so I didn't get any closeups.

This medium-sized goose breeds in the arctic, so it's on the leading edge of migrating birds. It doesn't mind a little snow and cold weather on its journey. They travel in families from southern North America to the arctic and back each year, and the geese mate for life. Snow geese need to eat as they travel, so they spend a lot of time in fields, nibbling on vegetation.

Most of the snow geese are all white with black wings, but there is a dark morph where they appear with white heads and dark bodies (sometimes called a blue goose). At the beginning of the 20th century, snow geese were in decline, but now they are surviving in high numbers, so high that their breeding grounds are becoming overcrowded. 

One of the best things about the snow geese is listening to them. They make a nasal honking sound, and when tens or hundreds fly overhead, they can be really loud. 

Prairie Falcon

Outside our house are some tall trees that the birds just love. The other morning I saw a small, crow-sized raptor fly up to the top of one of the Lombardy poplars. I ran back in the house to get the camera, because I instantly knew it wasn't a red-tailed hawk by its size and shape. With a closer look, I saw that it was a prairie falcon.

The prairie flacon has yellow feet, a mottled belly, darker back feathers, and interesting stripes on its face. The stripe that goes across its cheek is called the mustache--even for the females. 
Usually I spot prairie falcons low to the ground, not on the tops of trees. That's because prairie falcons fly low to surprise small mammals or other birds, their favorite prey. Prairie falcons are known to be aggressive birds. Their preferred habitat is open country, but apparently once in awhile they don't mind a change of scenery.

Animals Eating Dead Elk

A few weeks ago, I did a post about an elk that was killed by a mountain lion. A camera was set up to document what came and fed on the elk. Finally the photos came back, and today we're going to look at what feasts on a huge dead bull elk. Before you look at the photos, take a guess. What do you think eats a dead elk?

A mountain lion showed up. This wasn't much of a surprise, because it was a mountain lion that killed the elk. An elk will provide food for almost a week for a single lion. For some reason the photos came out double-exposed, so that's why there are some extra shadows in there. One of the nice things about the wildlife cameras is they will provide a date and time stamp so you know when the creature walked in front of the camera. I enhanced these photos since they were taken at twilight.

Here's the lion again. You can just imagine the power in those legs, and the stealth of the cat as it took down the much bigger animal. 

I went on this trail the other day, and when I got in the area of the elk, I just kept on a'movin', hoping the lion didn't look at me as easy meat. Most likely the lion has moved far off, but you never know.

There's something about not being the top of the food chain that makes me feel a little more alive. Really.

It was cold, as you can see by all the snow, so the elk meat was frozen. I bet it's not as tasty frozen as when it's warm just after the kill. I'm just guessing here, I have to admit I haven't done any taste tests. Nor am I planning to. (You weren't thinking I would, right?)

You have to look closely at this photo to see what's feasting on the elk now. It's night, and a nocturnal animal is in the body cavity. It's black and white with a bushy tail.

Here's a better shot of the spotted skunk, successful in grabbing a piece of the meat. Spotted skunks are rarely seen in this neck of the woods, so it was exciting to get a picture of it.

Now it's daylight. (I cropped the picture if you wondered what happened to the date and time stamp.) What's the blue thing next to the elk carcass? Does it have feathers?

Sure enough, it's a bird, a Steller's Jay to be exact. Okay, I definitely wasn't expecting a Steller's Jay to be posing on the elk carcass.

The camera took more photos after this set taken in late December, so it will be a matter of time to see if any other animals made use of this "free" source of food. And that's all for today. I need to go make some food. Yum.

Great Backyard Bird Count Results

This past weekend was the Great Backyard Bird Count. I did two counts; the first was when I took Desert Boy for a sled ride down the road. We didn't actually see the Canada geese pictured above during the count, but we saw them a little later in the day--hundreds down in the feed yard. 

On our walk we saw a bald eagle, ravens, American robins, northern flickers, and European starlings within a half-hour time span. One of the advantages of birding in the winter is there aren't so many birds around, so it's easier.

Later during the weekend I went up on the mountain and did some cross-country skiing. The snow was relatively deep, so there weren't too many birds around. But I found several red-breasted nuthatches hanging out in a white fir, eating the little seeds. There was also a mountain chickadee, a Townsend's solitaire singing its repetitive whistle, and a raven. Not too much, but they are still hardier than I am, being able to hang out so long in the cold and snow! 

It won't be too long until the migratory birds start coming through. One of the neatest things about birding is that you don't have to go anywhere to see bright and colorful birds come and visit from a whole bunch of different states and even countries. 

Desert Destination: Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas on Highway 93, was established in 1963 to provide habitat for migratory birds, especially waterfowl. The 5,300-acre protected area contains lakes, marshes, and meadows, all of which are rare habitats in Nevada. It is part of the Pacific flyway, an important migratory route.

Pahranagat has two lakes, Upper and Lower, along with two marshes, North and Middle. The mix of vegetation and water depths provide food and shelter for more than 230 species of wildlife. The water component of Pahranagat is essential for most wildlife species, and comes from sources further up the valley, such as Ash Springs.

When we went by in early February, Lower Pahrangat Lake was covered with birds--thousands of them. 

This is the shallower of the two lakes, so it is often covered with dabbling ducks--those ducks that tip over with their tail feathers high in the sky as they reach down to eat aquatic vegetation and insects that are slightly below the surface. Easily identified dabbling ducks are mallards and green-winged teals.

It looked like the most common birds were American coots--small black birds with stubby white beaks. They were bobbing along on the waves in the windy afternoon.

A highway parallels the lakes and marshes of Pahranagat NWR. You can see that it's winter by the leafless cottonwoods. A couple old roads run between the highway and the lakes, allowing you to enjoy the view at a slower pace.

One of the first things to see at the turnoff to Upper Pahrangat Lake is this bird blind, built by a Youth Conservation Crew in 2008. There are a couple benches inside, where you can hide out and let the birds forget you and get closer.

Besides wildlife watching, hunting and fishing are popular activities at the national wildlife refuge.

Further down the road is the Visitor Information Center, a tiny building. An information kiosk is next to it to provide an orientation to the 32,000 visitors who get off the highway to visit the refuge. The full-time staff of Pahranagat NWR consists of two employees, so needless to say, they are always looking for good volunteers and interns.

There's a nice picnic area with a shelter over it near the visitor information center. 

One of the attractions of Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is free camping. About a dozen campsites are located right next to the lake. They are simple, with just a picnic table and grill, so you have to bring all your amenities (including drinking water). The view is spectacular, especially considering the price!

If you don't want to camp, there's a three-mile long trail around Upper Pahranagat Lake. There's also a wheelchair accessible fishing pier at the south end. Winter is obviously not a good time to try fishing from the pier.

However, winter is an excellent time to visit the refuge, especially if you like birds. Thousands of water birds use the lakes as wintering areas, including hundreds of tundra swans. The upper lake is deeper and is used by many diving ducks like canvasbacks and lesser scaups. The diving ducks have their legs further back on their bodies and are heavier than dabbling ducks, so when they take off from the water, they have to run on it first to get up enough speed.

The day we visited, there was only one person camping and no one else visiting the refuge. Even though it's right next to a highway, it's a beautiful spot to take a break and feel like you're far from everyone. To find out more, visit the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge website.

Great Backyard Bird Count

Want to do something a little different this President's Day Weekend? From February 13-16, you can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. The great thing about this bird count is you can do it anywhere, including just looking out your kitchen window and noting the birds you see for at least 15 minutes on any of the four days. 

The Great Backyard Bird Count has the most participants of any bird count. It's held in February to find out where birds are in winter before spring migration begins in March. If you'd like to learn more, check out the Great Backyard Bird Count website. I'll post what we see in a few days. Happy birding!

Capturing Deer in Mojave National Preserve Part II

Yesterday we went through the steps of what a deer capture entails. Today we'll fill in some more of the details. Although I didn't get to ride in the helicopter in the air, they let me get in to pose for a photo. I can imagine that being the gunner would be a very interesting job--but also a cold one. Most mornings when we started, the temperatures were below freezing, and a cold wind blew all day.

After the nets are deployed, they are collected and brought back and have to be repacked. The first step is to lie them flat and get all the sticks and cactus spines out of them.

Then they are held in a special way so they can be packed into the little orange box, which fits the net gun.

The final step is to put some masking tape over the top. Then the net is reloaded and ready to go.

We captured deer at three locations, and our second location was next to an outcropping of granite rocks. While I was waiting for a deer, I scampered around the rocks and managed to get this fun picture of the helicopter flying out in the distance.

Here's a view of the helicopter bringing  in a deer next to the outcropping. The rocks provided a bit of a windbreak, and they soaked up the sun so we could find a few warm spots next to them. Although the Mojave Desert is warmer than the Great Basin Desert, it can still be quite chilly in winter!

This is a view of the processing area from up on the rocks. The tarp that's stretched out is where we took the deer.

At the second and third locations, we were able to release the deer from the processing sites. This was probably the most dangerous part of the operation for us on the processing teams, because the deer could be unpredictable. For the release, three people held the deer, one at the head, and two on the body. The feet were unhobbled, the blindfold removed, and on the count of three, the deer was released.

As the people moved back, the deer bolted upright.

This particular deer was very energetic, and after bouncing up, bounced back down.

But then she found her balance and was running off.
She ran until she was out of sight. The video shows a release from our third site, which was in a Joshua tree forest. 

Capturing Deer in Mojave National Preserve

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Mojave National Preserve and learn about capturing deer. They are in the second year of a ten year  project to learn more about where mule deer go in the preserve and what water sources they use. This year, 30 deer were slated to be captured and outfitted with radio- and satellite-tracking collars. 

The project involved a lot of people: the National Park Service, California Fish and Game, University of Nevada-Reno, and University of California-Davis. We started with a safety briefing and a description of the overall project. We were also assigned tasks. Some people have been doing this for decades, while others are brand new. I was assigned to one of the deer processing teams.

To capture the deer, the gunner uses this specialized net gun to shoot a net from about 20 feet over a deer while hanging out of the helicopter. There are lead weights on the four corners of the net, which ensure that it billows out to be more likely to trap the deer.

Here's the helicopter in action, with the gunner out on the skids. The mule deer were most often found near juniper or joshua trees.

After deer had been netted, the helicopter returned to get the baggers. These were two experienced people who removed the net, hobbled and blindfolded the deer, and prepared it for transport.

The deer was transported in a canvas bag and then lowered into the back of the truck. The truck drove a short distance to the processing area.

On this trip, two deer were transported, one in the yellow bag and one in the blue bag. 

The first processing step was to weigh the deer. The ones I saw weighed between 55 and 62 kg. Only does were captured.

Next the team took the bag off the deer. Most of the deer were relatively calm during this process. Once in awhile the deer was more agitated and got hot and had to be cooled off with water.

Here are the two deer, being processed next to each other. The deer's length, girth, and metatarsal (part of the leg) were measured. The teeth were assessed to determine the general age. Pellets were removed for fecal analysis, and a rectal temperature was taken. A hair sample was collected, and heart and respiration rates recorded.

Here is a vet administering lidocaine in the deer's mouth. A tooth was pulled to determine the exact age.

Three shots were given: penicillin, vitamin E, and selenium. Some areas are naturally selenium deficient, and the shot helps keep the deer healthy. The vitamin E helps temper the selenium shot, and the penicillin fights off possible bacterial infection.

The collar has two parts: a VHF transmitter and a GPS transmitter. The deer can then be tracked by satellite and by using an antenna.

The collar is carefully sized so as not to interfere with the deer's movements and to allow for growth in younger animals.

All the does had an ultrasound performed to determine body condition and to detect how many fetuses she was carrying. Most were carrying twins.

Finally it was time to take the doe back. It was loaded on to the canvas carrying mat and taken to the truck.

The blindfolds help keep the deer calmer. This deer is ready to head back home.

And to get home, it goes in style--by helicopter.

This is a quick overview of the whole process. Come back tomorrow for more photos and even a video!