Banding Burrowing Owls

Most people are pretty familiar with at least a few types of owls. Big, nocturnal birds, nesting high in trees or maybe barns. But did you know not all owls nest above ground, nor are all owls nocturnal?

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to help band several burrowing owls. As the name suggests, these owls nest in underground burrows. They are also one of the few owls that can often be seen during the day.

And they aren't very big. One birder compared them to the size of a pop can, which is pretty accurate.

Most of the owls we were able to capture and band were juveniles, just hatched this year, but the adults aren't really much bigger.

Burrowing owls don't dig their own burrows. They use existing burrows, either naturally formed, or excavated previously by another ground dwelling animal, such as a badger. They will also readily use man-made structures, such as underground nest boxes.

To trap the young, we placed a "live trap" in the entrance of the burrow with entrance flaps that only open inward. So as the owls emerge from the burrow, they walk right into the cage but can't get back out.

Once trapped, we carefully remove them one at a time.

Each owl is carefully given a leg band, and then weighed.

Receiving a leg band

Recording banding information

Weighing

Weighing

The purpose for banding the owls is to monitor their migration, lifespan, nesting success rate, etc.

They also make good candidates for photographing.

Simple Focus

I always have such big ideas about blogging, and getting my blog up and active again. Okay, maybe not big ideas, but ideas, nevertheless. Sometimes big.

I make token efforts from time to time. Those efforts succeed to varying degrees. I've always wondered why that is. There is so much to write about. So much to discover and explore. Especially now, working and living out here on Antelope Island 4 days a week. Antelope Island and Great Salt Lake are treasure troves of natural discovery.

And then it hit me. The abundance of opportunities to explore and discover, and then the desire to write about those things has overwhelmed my ability to do just that. There is so much to blog about I actually feel overwhelmed and inadequate to do any of it justice. And so it has actually made my mind go blank with regards to blogging. I think I want to do too much, say too much, go into such great detail that I end up feeling overwhelmed and not writing anything.

So I'm making a mental change of focus. Rather than thinking I need to be all eloquent and full of wisdom, I simply wish to share some of my experiences with nature in short, simple ways.

So here you go:

I was out with a school group on a short hike out to Lady Finger Point. The day was incredibly windy and little chilly. I expected to see few if any wildlife, maybe a few birds, and if lucky a rabbit. We did see one rabbit, and a few birds. But we also had a nice surprise by a visit from a somewhat cold, and slow-moving Gopher Snake.

I carefully picked it up and talked about some of the ways you could tell it was a gopher snake, and non-venomous. Then the only girl in the group wanted to hold it, while the boys took turns being nervous, then relenting to touch it.

After a minute, we let the snake go into the bushes, and continued on our way.

That was a highlight for my day.  I'm a simple girl.

Athena - The Goddess of Wisdom

Yesterday a co-worked and I had the chance to visit the Kennecott Nature Center of Murray. The director there is a good friend of ours, and she invites us both down once a year to do a presentation for visiting classes and then we all go out to lunch to celebrate our birthdays. :) It's just a fun excuse to get together, do some fun programming, eat and chat.

Yesterday was especially fun for everyone, as we had a new co-presenter.

Athena

 This is Athena, a Great-horned Owl. My co-worker houses and takes care of her because she is non-releasable. Her wing was broken several years ago and it didn't heal right which limits her ability to fly. So now she gets to live her life as an education bird.

Me and Athena. Those fun necklaces are part of our birthday celebration. :)

This was the first time I'd met her personally, so Kathy,  my co-worker let me do the handling. We are both permitted to handle education birds through the State of Utah and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Teaching kids about owl adaptations.

Kathy also houses a Peregrine Falcon which I've handled several times. And let me say, Athena is so much heavier than he is. Okay, maybe you wouldn't think 3.5 lbs is heavy, but just try holding it up for a while. It is. :)

Female birds of prey are about 1/3 larger than males. She's a big, beautiful girl.

She did great. Kathy said she never hoots, but to our great wonder, at one point she tried to fly off my arm and in the process let out a few low "hoo-hoo-hoo"s. It was very cool. The kids loved her. Who wouldn't? I mean, she's an owl after all.

I have a pretty good job.

It Stinks Today

There is a brisk, 30+ mph wind blowing from the east, right across the shallowest part of the lake. It's stirring up the dead and decomposing matter from the lake and sending those smells right to us. Oh, so pleasant.

When most Utahns think of Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake, they think of a hot, dry, stinky place. Well, it is dry, and it can be hot, but the stink, well, yes, it's there too. However, generally that lovely decomposing smell is only noticed on a day like today, with wind whipping the lake up, or for just a brief moment as one drives across the 7-mile causeway to the Island. Once on the island, the smell is gone.

Unless of course it's today. Then those winds are bringing that smell right to us.

We've Got Fire

Yep, Thursday night about 9 pm I looked out my front window, and there it was. Burning a nice doughnut shape in the field above the Bison Corrals.

It didn't take long after I called it in for an army of fire-fighters to show up, along with other Park personnel.

I helped evacuate the campers, and then was available for questions, running around, what ever.

The fire burned pretty close to my house, so two fire trucks were stationed there to handle that. It turned out just fine.

In the end about 660 acres burned along with some of the corral fence. But no structures were damaged.

The Island is pretty dry right now, so I suspect that won't be last fire we have this season.

And I'll be there to spot it when it happens. 

Living on the Island

Last week was my first week living in the park house out on Antelope Island. My mom came with me to help clean and get things ready to move the little furniture in that I have. She did most of the cleaning - three bathrooms (that needed a lot of work) and then she and I cleaned the kitchen and dining room from top to bottom. It is finally livable. I still have rooms to paint which will come little by little.  But it's coming together and feeling like a home.

Being out there full time gave us the chance to witness some of the most incredible sunsets you could imagine. The golden light of the setting sun reflecting off the water and scattered clouds was amazing and so relaxing. It is quiet on the island other than the occasional bird call and the buzz of insects.

To someone who may just be visiting the island for one day, driving through the park for an hour or two, or just stopping in to the visitor center, there may be some question as to what this island has to offer. What's all the hub-ub about? To these individuals, I would say the beauty is in the details. In the little things. It's in the millions of birds that take refuge here. It's in the wonder of seeing a pronghorn, bison, coyote, a bird of prey soaring over the grassland, a black-tailed jackrabbit. It's in the wonder of watching a column of midges dancing along the shoreline. In the discreet growth of native grasses, flowers, shrubs and other vegetation. It's in the smell of the salt water carried by the wind.  It's in the expansive views of the lake. In the sunset, the sunrise and the thousands of stars at night.

I'm looking forward to getting to know the island better.

Fremont Island

There are about 10 islands on the Great Salt Lake. I say about because nobody can agree on a set number. I guess it depends on how you define island, and how full the lake is.

But anyway, there are some that everyone can agree upon as islands on the Great Salt Lake - Antelope, Fremont, Stansbury, and a couple of others. Antelope Island is the largest of the islands, and certainly the most well known. Fremont Island may be one of the least well known, simply because it is privately owned, and not many people have the chance to venture forth onto it. I lucked out during my first week on the job at Antelope and was able to join a group of people who got permission to go out there as part of a "Summer of Salt" journey. One of the draws to the Island lies in what is known as Kit Carson's Cross. When Kit Carson was out exploring with John C. Fremont long, long ago, he ventured onto Fremont Island. He apparently got kind of bored with things and went exploring and carved a cross on one of the higher rock outcroppings. It's still there.

So we all loaded into two State Park boats to head on over.

Once we arrived on the Island we began our search for the cross. Others in the group had some information about where it was (in general), but nothing specific. So off we went.

There isn't much wildlife on the Island. We did see some domestic seep, but not much sign of anything else. As far as I know, there is only one fresh water spring on the island. That could be why there isn't much wildlife.

Finally after hiking longer than we anticipated, and enjoying a bit of rainy weather, we finally found the cross. It wasn't as big or prominent as we were expecting, and we almost missed it. But there it was. After all this time.

Kit Carson's Cross on Fremont Island

Our group gathered at the rock outcropping where the cross is located.

For more information about this trip, check out this great summary by one of the participants. And here is a great video that was taken while we were out there. If you pay attention, you will see me here and there. And yes, while it was a memorable experience, it was wet.

Checking out the Trail

Last week my boss asked me to take a walk along one of the trails to see if and to what extent the trail and bridges had been damaged by the ever increasing spring run-off.

I was happy to oblige.

 Here's the river. It's gone up quite a bit since I took this.

My mission was off to a good start...

And then...

 Arrowleaf Balsam Root

 Broad Tailed Hummingbird

... I got distracted.

Utah State Parks

I work for a great organization, if I do say so myself. The Utah State Parks are beautiful and valuable, and the employees are terrific. To showcase some of what we do and the opportunities available in Utah State Parks we have created a Parks Blog. 

There are a few authors for this blog, which I like, because it represents better what our parks have to offer. It adds a unique perspective to the blog.

I encourage you to check it out and discover a bit more about Utah's great State Parks!

Oh, and I guess I should mention that I am "Wasatch Wendy". :)

Okay, I know I'm kinda strange...

but this just makes me happy.

In case you don't know what you are looking at - that is my gloved finger pointing to a tiny little Ermine dropping. Ermine dropping - shaped like the animal who left it - long and skinny.

I saw this little Ermine (a.k.a short-tailed weasel) bounding around the snow near an old building in the park. I stood very still and watched it as it bounded here and there, checking out this and that, disappearing beneath the snow and reappearing again a few feet away.

After it disappeared from sight, I followed it's little tracks.

Perfect little Ermine tracks.

Cutest little foot prints. 

 Hop, and down under the snow it goes. 

 Perfect little Ermine hole.

 And off into the shrubbery it goes.

Red-tailed Hawk

This picture was taken well before the snows began to fly. But I just love it, so I wanted to share it with you.

Red-tailed Hawks are the most common hawk in this area. In fact, if you see a hawk, but aren't sure what kind it is, you have an 80% chance of getting it right if you call it a red-tail.

Red-tailed hawks are majestic, powerful birds. I've had the opportunity the past 10 years or so to work with several birds of prey, including red-tails, for educational purposes.

They are impressively large birds. Based on size alone, they look like they could weigh between 10 and 15 lbs. Here's a picture of me and a co-worker with a couple of hawks.

Oh wait. That's the wrong one. Those are owls. Silly me. :)

This is it.

 Wow. I'd forgotten how long ago this picture was taken. 

I'm happy to say the uniforms have gotten a bit better. But I still have and wear that belt buckle.

There are two different kinds of hawks in this picture. A red-tail on the left held by my co-worker, and a swainson's hawk on the right held by me. They are pretty similar in size, and both weigh about the same. So again, even though they are about the size of my cat who weighs 10 lbs we must remember that size alone does not determine weight. 

Consider what a hawk is made of. Feathers and hollow bones. Well, and some pretty powerful muscles. So take all those things and put them on a scale, and you have a red-tailed hawk that weighs in at a hefty 1.5 - 2 lbs! 

There you go. A little bit of information on one of my most favorite things. So keep your eyes to the skies and watch for those hawks.

Ruts

"If not, well, I'll really have to muster some hidden energy to get out of my current rut."

:::Mustering hidden energy:::

Dang cute!

My sister did just have a cute little boy earlier this week. And he is dang cute. But this post is not about him. This post is about someone I think is dang cute, but others, for some strange reason, don't agree. I don't get it. Oh well.

Perched just outside one of the side doors of the visitor center was this little guy:

For those who may not know, I adore bats! For so many reasons. And now, with White-nose Syndrome claiming the lives of millions of these guys in the east and mid-west, seeing one is even more fantastic to me, because the day may come when they are all but extinct.

The last time I saw a bat alive in the park was along the nature trail. And it turned out that bat was probably stuck, and ended up dieing there in the bushes. I felt so bad that I hadn't tried to move it that day. With that in mind, I considered the goo that the maintenance staff had applied to the upper part of the eves of the visitor center to keep the swallows from nesting. It was very likely this bat had tried to land higher up but got stuck in the muck, and now couldn't move.

I put on a pair of leather gloves, and gently touched it on its wing and side. To my relief it gently dropped off the building flew around the corner. I followed it to a large dog wood bush.

I watched it try and settle in against the softly gusting wind. It finally secured itself, and seemed quite content to just sit and wait there.

It even had a leaf pulled up over its face. It's probably just how it landed, but it almost looked like it was using the leaf to protect itself from the wind.

I can't decide if this is a Big Brown Bat, or a Little Brown Myotis. I'm thinking Big Brown. But without getting a closer look at its tail, I can't know for sure. Maybe some other expert on bats can figure that one out.

Chorus Frogs

I took a hike today to find frogs. I not only wanted to see them, but I wanted to get to them at a time when they were chirping. Western Chorus Frogs are tiny little things, only about 1" to 1 1/2" long. And they blend in very well. But they make a wonderful sound that carries over quite a distance.

For example, can you spot the chorus frog in this picture. You can click on the image to enlarge it.

I made it easy for you by centering it.

Here's a closer look.

I spent about 45 min to an hour just waiting, listening and watching for these little fellas. They would chirp when I was a fair distance from them. As soon as I began moving in their general direction, they stopped. Finally I got close enough to where I thought if one started chirping, I could spot it. I really wanted to see it puffing it's throat out to call. I knew I was close, but for the life of me could not see it. Then finally it began to chirp.

Patience does have its rewards. Look at that air sack!

Here's a little sampling of how loud these little chirpers are.

Seeing Red in a Snowstorm

I had just arrived back to the office after spending the morning teaching 4th graders about the water cycle, and was trying to catch up on the ever growing "to do" list when the phone rang.

It was one of my volunteers. "Hey, Wendy. I have this bird in my yard and I can't figure out what it is. It's all red."

"Really? All red? Do you see any black anywhere on it?"

"No, not really. Well, its wings look like they might have a slight hint of black. It's head is shaped like Kramer's hair, on Seinfiled."

"It has a little crest on it?"

"Yes"

"But no black on the face?"


"No, its all red"

"I'm coming over!"

I arrive at his house about 10 minutes later, and there was no sign of his red bird. We watch sparrows, lazuli buntings, doves, one black-headed grosbeak, some magpies. I knew as soon as I left it would show up again. So instead I pulled up a chair and hung out near the window.

"There it is!" he shouted from the winter in the other room.

And sure enough, there it was.

The pictures do not do it justice. These were taken from about 250- 300 feet away, out a window on a bla day, with my 12x zoom.

But sure enough, it is a summer tanager. Right up here in Midway.

Listed as rare in Utah, this is the only one I have ever seen.

Behind the tanager is a lazuli bunting and something else that I can't quite identify.

Like I said, the pictures don't do it justice. This bird was a stunning, gorgeous red!

Thanks to an observant volunteer, I had the opportunity to see a great bird today.