Holly Strand, Author at Wild About Utah

July 19, 2012December 24, 2017

A Modern Day Phoenix

Click to view the larger image of Phoenix, an immature Golden Eagle burned in a wildfire. Image courtesy Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (WRCNU.org) — “Phoenix,” an immature Golden Eagle
*Aquila chrysaetos*
Courtesy Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (WRCNU.org)

Elk Bath
From a 2000 fire in the
Bitterroot National Forest in Montana

Courtesy Wikimedia &
USDA Forest Service
John McColgan, Photographer

Click to view the larger image of Elk Bath, From a 2000 fire in the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana. Courtesy Wikimedia, the USDA Forest Service and John McColgan, Photographer — “Phoenix,” an immature Golden Eagle
*Aquila chrysaetos*
Courtesy Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (WRCNU.org)

Elk Bath
From a 2000 fire in the
Bitterroot National Forest in Montana

Courtesy Wikimedia &
USDA Forest Service
John McColgan, Photographer

Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

You may have heard about the golden eagle nestling that was badly burned during a recent Utah wildfire. Its nest was totally destroyed, but the little eagle had fallen to the ground and survived. After the fire, he was found by Kent Keller, a volunteer for Utah’s Div. of Natural Resources, who had banded the young eagle a month before. The eagle was dehydrated—his feathers, face, and feet were badly burned. So Keller obtained a permit from wildlife officials to intervene. Now in the care of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah the eagle is recovering rapidly. Even so, it will take a while for the damaged feathers to be replaced by healthy new ones. Phoenix–as is he was aptly named–won’t learn to fly for at least another year.

With this and other fire-related stories in the news, I‘ve been wondering about the fate of animals caught in wildfires. Scientific observations of animal behavior during fire events are rare. But by conducting post-fire surveys, and comparing results with unburned areas, some researchers have been able to piece together an idea of who survives, who dies and who thrives.

Obviously, faster and more mobile animals have the advantage. Birds can fly away and most mammals can outrun the spreading flames. Spring fires can be disastrous, destroying birds who haven’t fledged –like Phoenix– or mammals who are still too immature to escape. Fortunately, fires are more frequent in mid to late summer when little ones have matured.

If a fire moves through an area quickly, without superheating the ground, dormant animals or those hiding in burrows can survive. The surrounding soil provides plenty of insulation. Soil also protects most soil macrofauna and the pupae of many insects.

Animals that live their lives totally or partially in the water may not suffer at all during a fire. However, smaller bodies of water, such as streams, can quickly heat up fairly quickly. Oxygen loss is a problem as well. And fire-fighting chemicals dumped from the air can end up in water, killing fish, frogs and other animals.

Indirectly, the alteration of habitat by fire can also restructure animal populations. Interestingly, there are quite a lot of animals that benefit from post-fire habitats. For example, the insect population above ground may plummet during a fire, but then increase above pre-fire levels when fresh young plants start to grow back. Burned trees are attractive to certain beetles as breeding sites. An increase in beetles is a windfall for the woodpeckers that devour them. Swallows and flycatchers use burned dead trees as perch sites. They survey from on high and then swoop to catch their insect dinner. Seed eating birds like Clark’s Nutcracker, gobble up conifer seeds when cones open in response to fire.

Among mammals, ground squirrels, pocket gophers and deer mice generally increase after severe fires. Even large herbivores such as pronghorn or deer may benefit from the increased food and nutrition on recent burns. In turn, predators of these creatures enjoy a bumper crop as well.

For images of Phoenix the recovering golden eagle and a link to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah go to www.wildaboututah.org.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy Wikimedia, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Gavin Keefe Schaefer and Dave Menke, US FWS images.fws.gov
Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading:

Baker, William L. 2009. Fire ecology in Rocky Mountain Landscapes. Washington, DC: Island Press.https://islandpress.org/ip/books/book/islandpress/F/bo7019409.html

Bradley, Anne F.; Noste, Nonan V.; Fischer, William C. 1992. Fire ecology of forests and woodlands in Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-287. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_int/int_gtr287.pdf

Hutto, RL. 1995. Composition of bird communities following stand-replacement fires in northern Rocky-Mountain (USA) conifer forests in Conservation Biology Volume: 9 Issue: 5 Pages: 1041-1058 https://www.fsl.orst.edu/ltep/Biscuit/Biscuit_files/Refs/Hulto%20CB1995%20fire%20birds.pdf

Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah https://wrcnu.org/

June 21, 2012March 28, 2018

Looking for Nightjars

Click to view the larger image of Common Nighthawk. Courtesy Wikimedia and Gavin Keefe Schaefer, Photographer — Common Poorwill (foreground)
*Phalaenoptilus nuttallii*
Dusky Poorwill
*Phalaenoptilus nuttalli californicus*
Courtesy Wikimedia and
Louis Agassiz Fuertes (artist, 1874-1927)
US Copyright expired

Common Nighthawk
*Chordeiles minor*
Courtesy Wikimedia and
Gavin Keefe Schaefer, Photographer
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Common Nighthawk
*Chordeiles minor*
Courtesy US FWS and
Dave Menke, Photographer

Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

Citizen Science networks are proliferating across the globe. These networks conduct important research that could not otherwise be accomplished –And they do it using nonprofessional, mostly volunteer labor. An army of civilian data collectors can capture more data over a larger area at a relatively small cost. Aside from collecting data, participants can generate ideas, and help coordinate various aspects of a particular program. Many citizen-driven networks collectenvironmental data at prescribed locations. Wielding Smartphones with GPS receivers, anyonecan instantaneously and accurately determine their geographic coordinates to submit along with their observations.

The Audubon’s Society Christmas Bird Count is one of the oldest and most successful examples of citizen science networks. Since 1900 volunteers have been collecting information about local populations of birds. More recent examples include FrogWatch USA (for observing frogs and toads) Project BudBurst (for observing the leafing and flowering of plants in relation to changing weather patterns) and the World Water Monitoring Challenge (for observing water quality indicators).

One project that recently piqued my interest is the US Nightjar Survey Network coordinated by The Center for Conservation Biology in Virginia.

“What in the world is a nightjar?” you might ask. “Is it something you take camping so you don’t have to get out of the tent?” No. A Nightjar is a medium-sized plump-looking bird withlong wings, a broad head and a very short bill. Nightjars have short legs in relation to their bodies. So they aren’t great at walking. They are exceptional fliers though , catching moths and other insects in mid-flight.

Nightjars are very hard to see because of their camouflage plumage and because they are mostly active after sunset and before sunrise. Thus, you’d want to memorize their very distinctive calls if you are going to try to find them.

Two nightjars breed regularly in Utah. We have the common poorwill which sounds like this…[INSERT 3 CALLS OF POORWILL] . That’s the eastern whippoorwill without the whip. Another Utah breeder is the common Nighthawk which sounds like this …[INSERT 3 CALLS OF NIGHTHAWK].

The nightjar survey for Utah and other northern states begins June 27 and runs through July 11, 2012. Individual surveys are easy to perform and do not take more than two hours to complete.Surveyors work at night, when the moon is at least half full. You need to drive, stopping at 10 points along a 9-mile route. At each point, you count all Nightjars seen or heard during a 6-minute period.

To participate in a survey you can sign up for a Pre-existing route or design your own route. There are still many routes left in all parts of Utah.

For pictures of these extremely interesting birds and a link to the remaining Nightjar Surveyroutes go to www.wildaboututah.org

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.
Credits:

Images: Courtesy Wikimedia, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Gavin Keefe Schaefer and Dave Menke, US FWS images.fws.gov

Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading:

Cleere, Nigel. 2010. Nightjars: A Guide to Nightjars, Nighthawks, and Their Relatives. Princeton University Press. https://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300074574

National Geographic Education Encyclopedic Entry: Citizen Science. https://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/citizen-science/?ar_a=1

[Accessed June 21, 2012]

Woods, Christopher P., Ryan D. Csada and R. Mark Brigham.2005. Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: https://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/032

United States Nightjar Survey Network (Center for Conservation Biology), https://www.nightjars.org/about/center-for-conservation-biology/

Utah Nightjar Survey Routes (Center for Conservation Biology), https://www.nightjars.org/about/center-for-conservation-biology/

Bird Song Recordings:

Common Poorwill links from WildSoundscape.org recordings collection at the University of Utah

Common Poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttallii : Nathan Pieplow, XC11631. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/11631

Buff-collared Nightjar links from WildSoundscape.org recordings collection at the University of Utah 3 selections

Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor ; Andrew Spencer, XC14400. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/14400

May 17, 2012March 1, 2018

Ring of Fire

Click to view the original NASA page showing an annular solar eclipse captured by Hinode, Hinode, a Japanese mission in partnership with NASA, NAOJ, STFC, ESA, and NSC — The Hinode satellite
captured this image of
an annular solar eclipse

Hinode is a Japanese mission
in partnership with NASA,
NAOJ, STFC, ESA, & NSC
Photo Courtesy NASA

Annular eclipse path for May 20, 2012
Courtesy Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC

Click to view the original image of the Annular eclipse path for May 20, 2012. Courtesy NASA/GSFC, Fred Espenak — The Hinode satellite
captured this image of
an annular solar eclipse

Hinode is a Japanese mission
in partnership with NASA,
NAOJ, STFC, ESA, & NSC
Photo Courtesy NASA

Annular eclipse path for May 20, 2012
Courtesy Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC

Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

On Sunday afternoon and early evening, the US mainland will experience its first solar eclipse of the 21st century. And Utahns will have first row seats.

During a total eclipse, the Earth, Moon and Sun are in perfect alignment with the Moon in the middle. For the Earthlings experiencing it, the sun’s surface is totally blocked by the moon and the sky darkens. However, sometimes the Earth-Moon-Sun alignment occurs when the moon is near its greatest distance from earth. When this happens, the moon has a smaller apparent size that is not large enough to cover the entire disk of the sun. Instead, a fiery ring of sunlight remains visible around the lunar edge. This is called an annular eclipse from the Latin word “annulus” meaning ring. And this is what some Utahns will see on Sunday.

To experience a total or annular eclipse you must be located within the eclipse path which is defined by the eclipsing moon’s shadow. The path of this Sunday’s eclipse is a 150-180 mile wide swath that begins near Hainan Island in southern China at sunrise on May 21. The center line of the eclipse path curves northeast, passing between Yokohama and Tokyo, before continuing across the Pacific. SW of the Aleutians the path traverses the International Dateline where suddenly it’s the day before- May 20. Then the path curves south and eastward striking the United States near the border of California and Oregon. Arching down through Nevada and Utah the path slices through the southwest before disappearing with the sunset in Texas.

The eclipse path encompasses the entire SW corner of Utah. Visitors to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and Lake Powell will experience full annularity. As will the inhabitants of St George, Milford, Kanab, Cedar City, Escalante and many other southern Utah towns. Don’t despair if you are outside the full eclipse path. Anywhere in Utah, you will still experience a very impressive partial eclipse.

Even though an eclipse is an amazing sight, it is not for human eyes! Most eclipse-burned retinas belong to children or young adults so be vigilant with young ones around. The common way to experience an eclipse is with a pinhole viewer with two pieces of stiff white cards. Punch a hole in one of the cards and– with your back to the Sun–hold the card up so that light falls through the hole, projecting the eclipsed sun’s image on to the other card. Do not look at the Sun through the pinhole!

If you have some shade trees, look at the images of eclipsed sun coming through the holes formed by the leaves. You may see little rings of light in the shadows. If the leaves have little bug holes, they will also act as pinhole projectors.

If for some reason you miss this Sunday’s show, you don’t have to wait long for another…in astronomical time anyway. For on August 21st 2017, North America will experience a total solar eclipse. The path will be just to the north of Utah in central Idaho and Wyoming. Total eclipses can draw a huge number of visitors from around the country and abroad. If you think Jackson hotels are expensive now just wait ‘til 2017!

For pictures, maps of the eclipse path and advice on viewing go to www.wildaboututah.org

Special thanks to Michelle Larson, astrophysicist at Utah State University, for her help with this Wild About Utah episode.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:
Images: Courtesy NASA https://www.nasa.gov
Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading

Fred Espenak’s Eclipse Web Site:
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html

Interactive path of annularity or eclipse path of the May 20th eclipse.
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012May20Agoogle.html

Map of May 20 eclipse path in Utah
https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~jander/ase2012/US3.png
See also the home page: https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~jander/

Enter a geographic location to find out about past and future eclipses: https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JSEX/JSEX-NA.html

How to view:
https://earthsky.org/space/view-may-20-annular-eclipse-and-june-5-transit-of-venus-safely

April 19, 2012December 31, 2016

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

In January, a movie called “the Grey” briefly flashed across theater screens. The plot pits man against nature: after a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, 7 men struggle to return civilization. In the process, the group is whittled down one by one, victims of ferocious and hungry wolves.

Author Barry Lopez says the wolf as human predator is a theme that runs deep into the human psyche. Thus, this movie is just the latest in a long line of wolf eats man stories. Little Red Riding Hood maybe the most famous example. Aesop’s fables are full of wolves with questionable intentions. The tale that chills me the most is a flashback within Willa Cather’s My Ántonia. Riding sleds in a snowstorm, an entire wedding party is attacked and then devoured by a pack of hungry wolves, the bride screaming in terror until she is taken down and finished off….. Ugh.

On the other hand we have legends and accounts that praise the wolf as noble and even familial. Many native American groups revered the wolf for its strength and survival skills.

The founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus were supposedly raised by wolves, as was Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book. In 1963 Farley Mowat published Never Cry Wolf, which led many people to see wolves in a more sympathetic light.

So how do wolves regard humans? Are we a creature to be avoided or are we dinner entrees?

Not long ago, a team of researchers examined the data on wolf attacks from a handful of European countries plus North America. From these records they drew the following conclusions:

The majority of attacks on humans involve wolves with rabies.
Among non-rabid attacks, most victims were children, and to a lesser extent, adult women.
When wolves lose their fear of humans, attacks increase dramatically.
Wolf–dog hybrids are innately less fearful of humans, making them extremely dangerous.
And lastly—and not surprisingly—provoking a wolf is likely to incite an attack. Cornering a wolf or entering a den with pups is not a good idea.

The study also confirmed that the number of attacks on humans has dropped dramatically in the last century. This is not just because there are fewer wolves. It’s that the situations leading to attacks are not common anymore:

For instance, the incidence of rabies has dropped dramatically in North America and Europe.

And we no longer send our children out alone to tend sheep or other livestock, an invitation for a wolf attack.

Another factor is that legislation has curtailed the breeding of wolf-dog hybrids. Now 40 U.S. states effectively forbid the ownership, breeding and importation of wolf-dogs, while others impose some form of regulation upon ownership.

In summary, the consensus of wolf specialists is that under normal circumstances people aren’t on the wolf’s menu. Bears, cougars, tigers and other large carnivores are more likely to attack humans.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy US FWS https://images.fws.gov
Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading:

Carnahan, Joe. Director. 2012. The Grey https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1601913/

Linnell, J.D.C., R. Andersen, Z. Andersone, L. Balciauskas, J.C. Blanco, L. Biotani, S. Brainerd, U. Breitenmoser, I. Kojola, O. Liberg, J. Loe, H. Okarma, H. Pedersen, C. Promberger, H. Sand, E. Solberg, H. Valdmann, P. Wabakken. 2002. The fear of wolves: A review of wolfs attacks on humans. NINA Oppdragsmelding: 731:1-65. https://www.lcie.org/docs/damage%20prevention/linnell%20nina%20op%20731%20fear%20of%20wolves%20eng.pdf

Löe J. and E. Röskaft. 2004. Large Carnivores and Human Safety: A Review. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment Aug 2004 : Vol. 33, Issue 6, pg(s) 283-288

Lopez, Barry. 2004. Of Wolves and Men. Twenty-fifth anniversary edition, Scribner.

Mech, L. David. 1991. The way of the wolf. Voyageur Press, Stillwater, MN

Palamar, Colette. A History of Attitudes Toward Wolves. University of Idaho.

https://www.class.uidaho.edu/kpgeorge/issues/wolves_history/history_symbol.htm [accessed April 18, 2012]

Silver, Marc. 2012. Would Real Wolves Act Like the Wolves of ‘The Grey’? National Geographic interview of Daniel MacNulty, Utah State University. [accessed April 18, 2012]