Always a Journey

GBRNS—Great Basin Raptor Nest Survey, UT

Can you see the nest? Go get the pole and start walking.

If you read my blog entry A Glimpse of a few Golden Eagle Nests you already know I cannot write about the nest pictures below due to singing a sensitive data agreement with HawkWatch International (HWI).

For those who have not, HWI Conservation Director Steve Slater (my immediate supervisor) has allowed me to showcase some of the nests JC, ZH (coworkers) and I visited while conducting surveys this spring and early summer (’10) for the Great Basin Raptor Nest Survey (GBRNS). Thanks again Steve! If you have not read the past two blog entires HWI has been conducting GOEA and Ferruginous Hawk (FEHA) surveys in Northwestern Utah for ten years and the amount of data compiled about each nest is impressive along with how it is organized. If you are interested in reading more about the study or learning about HWI click here GBRNS / HawkWatch International.

Ferruginous Hawk (FEHA) nests are not located in rock escarpments like the GOEA nests. They are found in Juniper trees and occasionally atop a power line pole. The nests are equally easy and equally difficult to locate as the GOEA nests. It all depends on the density of the Juniper trees, size of the nest, viewing angle, and viewing distance.

Our task is to drive around in the West Desert of NW Utah visiting nurmouros nests our supervisor has predetermined to be active and record if the nest is still active, or has become inactive. A nest is deemed active either by seeing an adult FEHA in the vicinity of the nest, an adult in the nest incubating, or there are chicks in the nest bowl. If there are chicks we record how many there are, age them by their plumage, and move on to the next nest. Simple enough. However, occasionally my coworkers and I would have to pole a nest due to the inability to see into the nest bowl while using a spotting scope and/or binoculars, or we can see into the nest yet there appears to be no activity when previously there was.

The pole used to view the inside of the nest is telescoping, around 12′ to 15′ long when fully extended, has a 4″ x 5″ mirror attached to one end, and its weighs next to nothing.  So walking towards a nest with no visual activity allows my thought process to be led into believing there are no chicks in the nest bowl, thus no adults should be in the surrounding area—wrong way to think.

Hearing the screech of an adult FEHA informing its chicks of danger while warning me not to get any closer to the nest tree for the first time stopped me dead in my tracks. And still does to this day. It is amazing how  my body tightens up when hearing this call. Logic and  common sense at this point tells me to stop and not to proceed any further. Basically turn around and go back the way I came immediately. Well, my position as a nest surveyor dictates otherwise. So for the sake of the study and needing to know the status of the nest I continue forward throwing out all logic and common sense to turn around while wondering when, not if, I will get raked by the talons of the perturbed FEHA.

My supervisor insured my coworkers and I that his experience poling FEHA nests has shown that adults get within 60′ – 100″ above the nest area, circle, and screech. He has never had a close call  and supposedly the possibility of being raked is low. Just pay attention. At least this is what I got while he described his experience poling nests. Great, it sounds simple enough, right?. Well this may be the case for a seasoned raptor biologist who has numerous polings under his belt, yet not for a newbie like myself. Each time I approached a nest to pole and a FEHA was circling above screeching I would catch myself walking in a crouched position thinking how insane it was to be walking towards an active nest. It felt as if I was poking at a bee’s nest with a stick wondering if anything would happen. Nevertheless, I was not raked nor did I have the experience of a close call and glad not to. My experience was the fright of uncertainty and a breif glimpse into the world of a few FEHA chicks. Enjoy.

Nest 1

Nest with chicks.

Nest 1a

Two chicks can be seen in the nest bowl. Remember, there is an adult overhead screeching.

Nest 2

Nest 3

View from underneath the nest.

Nest 4

Nest 5

Nest 5a

This is a deteriorating nest and is not in use this year. It could potential be used nest year with some reconstruction. Notice the rocks.

Nest 6

Nest 6a

Nest 7

Can you see the nest? This is why we need to pole.

Back view of a FEHA skeleton.

This skeleton was found at the base of a power line pole. Its nest was located on top of the pole. The FEHA may have been electrocuted or it could have been pushed out of the nest by a sibling and died (obligate siblicide).

Front view of FEHA skeleton

Leg and talon of a FEHA.

(ZH 2010)

Horned Lizard (ZH 2010)

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GBRNS—Great Basin Raptor Nest Survey, UT

The Salt Flats and Mountains of NW Utah

Unfortunately I cannot write much about the pictures below due to signing a sensitive data agreement with HawkWatch International (HWI). However, HWI Conservation Director Steve Slater (my immediate supervisor) has allowed me to showcase some of the nests JC, ZH (coworkers), and I visited while conducting surveys this spring and early summer (’10) for the ongoing Great Basin Raptor Nest Survey (GBRNS). Thanks Steve! HWI has been conducting GOEA and Ferrugounous Hawk surveys in Northwestern Utah for ten years. The amount of data compiled about each nest is impressive let alone how it is organized. If you are interested in learning more about the study or HWI click GBRNS / HawkWatch International.

When viewing the pictures below visualize driving to within a quarter of a mile or so of the rock outcropping / cliff face, placing the work truck in an ideal viewing position, looking at the data sheet to see where to begin looking for the nest—sometimes there are 2 or 3 nests, placing your binoculars to your eyes with the anticipation and excitement of finding a nest with fluffy grayish chicks, and begin scanning.

Sometimes it takes a few seconds to find the nest and other times it takes 5-15 minutes. If it is a difficult nest to locate it may take up to 30 minutes. This has happened 3 times to me this season. One would think searching for a large nest on the side of an escarpment would be relatively easy to spot. Think again. Occasionally I would have to reposition the truck so I could have the right angle to see the nest. Enjoy.

GOEA 1a

GOEA Nest 1b

GOEA Nest 1c

GOEA 2a

GOEA Nest 2b

GOEA Nest 2c

GOEA Nest 3a

GOeA Nest 3b

GOeA Nest 4a

GoEA Nest 4b

GOEA 5a

GOEA 5b

GOEA6a

GOEA Nest 6b

GOEA Nest 6c

GOEA Nest 7a

GOEA Nest 7b

GOEA Nest 8a

GOEA Nest 8b

Consider for a moment you are in my shoes and find yourself on this hillside looking for a GOEA nest. The proverbial needle in the haystack—right? 3 different observation points and 30 minutes later I cannot find the nest Steve has sent ZH and I out to locate, photograph, and collect data about the general area. I begin to ask myself, “Where am I not looking?” A question I learned to ask myself when tracking the radio-marked Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep ewes of Poudre Canyon in Colorado. And once again it worked.

GOEA Nest 9a

Where would you begin to look?

GOEA Nest 9b

How about now?

GOEA Nest 9c

Bingo!

GOEA 9d

You can ask the question, “How?” I continue to ask myself the same question.

Silver Island Mountains

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Flammulated Owl Survey, Ashley National Forest, UT

Flaming Gorge Reservoir

The first week of training ended and  ZH and I would make our way to the Ashley National Forest north of Vernal, UT to begin the pilot project surveying for Flammulated owls (FLOW) in mixed conifer forest. JC would go back into the West Desert continuing to conduct Golden Eagle (GOEA) and Ferruginous Hawk (FEHA) nest surveys. Each tech will spend two-10 day shifts conducting FLOW surveys and one-10 period in the West Desert conducting GOEA and FEHA surveys. If ZH and I only new what the forest had in store for us we probably would have given serious thought about resigning.

When interviewed by our present supervisor for the tech position, I along with the 2 other technicians hired had a picture painted for us of what the FLOW work would consist of. It sounded extremely easy. The work would require 5 to 6 hours of relatively easy walking in mixed conifer forest while navigating to a predetermined transect that consisted of 16 points. Each point was 250 meters apart from one other. Each tech would have 8 call stations to visit, conduct a vegetation analysis (2 hours maximum) during the day, and then call for FLOW’s at night (3-4 hours maximum). Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong.

The transects consisted of blow downs from purgatory and ranging from 1 to 4 feet in height. Imagine Paul Bunyon uprooting acres of Lodgepole pine trees, throwing them up into the air, and having them land on the ground in a hap hazardous fashion. Then put in the variables of steep slopes, stream crossings, and rock outcroppings and you can get an idea of what the walking conditions were like. There were many instances when my feet did not touch the forest floor for many meters. It was frustrating to look down at the GPS and see that 0.1 km had been covered in the past 10-15 minutes. It did not matter if one was walking uphill or downhill, both directions had their own difficulties.

Then add insult to injury, when not walking or climbing over blow downs the forest produced dense sections of Lodgepole pine saplings 5 to 6 feet tall and obstructing my field of vision. This made walking difficult and slow because I had to slowly move through the saplings so not to bash my shins or trip over any down trees hiding. Regardless of how careful I was my shins bore the brunt of many encounters with fallen down trees. I have never cursed so much at a job in my life, and I have had some tough menial jobs.

So the workday/work night lasted from 12 to 14 hours. Quite a reality check from the expected 5-6 hours mentioned in the job interview. After the first couple of transects the thought of working 10 days straight did nothing for my moral or ZH’s. There were times ZH and I would look at each other and wonder out loud if we could continue this grueling schedule. We also wondered if there would be any skin left on our shins after ten days of hiking through this madness. The end of our 10-day stint could not come fast enough.

Calypso Orchid

There were two evenings were we could not conduct FLOW surveys due to high winds. Any wind over a 4 on the Beaufort wind scale (11-16 mph) and the survey is placed on hold. It was a nice and well-needed respite. During the day we continued the vegetation analysis, and I was impressed how flexible lodgepole pines are. The treetops would sway several feet in any given direction while making creaking sounds from the stress placed on them from the strong wind. Occasionally a dead tree would make a clanking sound while rubbing against another dead tree. At times a tree would fall 30-40 meters from where I was walking or sitting. I then realized it was dangerous working in the woods. However, commonsense did not prevail on those days. I continued to work so I would not have to do a vegetation survey and a FLOW survey in the same 24-hour period. Thus making the workday shorter and somewhat easier for me.

Having fun in the woods. (ZH 2010)

Finally day ten came around. ZH and I we were tired, sore, dejected and ready to head back to Salt Lake City to lick are wounds and recuperate for 4 days. Arriving at our last transect we were pleasantly surprised to see it was relatively flat and open. While conducting the vegetation survey I could not believe I was walking on relatively flat ground with no blow downs to negotiate. Walking was effortless and it took 10 minutes or less to get to each call station. I thought to myself, this is what all the transects should be like. I finally had a smile on my face and looked forward to actually conducting a FLOW survey.

Transect from Heaven

Arriving at the filed house in Salt Lake City at 3:30 a.m. was a joyous occasion after the 3-hour drive home. ZH and I quickly unpacked the truck and went to sleep. The next 4 days were spent recuperating. We were so whipped that we could not recreate let alone ride our bikes until the our third day off. That is how bad it was. I have not had my derrière kicked this bad since hiking in the Barranca del Cobra of Mexico.

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First week with HawkWatch International

Wasatch Mountains from the West Desert

The 2010 summer filed season has started, and I find myself in Salt Lake City, UT conducting raptor nest and owl surveys for HawkWatch International—an NGO (non-government organization). My position will last until the second week of July and consists of visiting Golden eagle (GOEA) and Ferruginous hawk (FEHA) nests to see if they’re occupied with either brooding raptors and/or chicks and document the success rate of each occupied nest. The first week of work my two supervisors, and I, along with two other field technicians went to the west desert in the NW corner of the state and learned the study protocol for the Great Basin Raptor Nest Survey (GBRNS–pronounced G-Burns) project.

Study Area (HWI (2010)

It basically consists of locating previous found nests and observing if there is any activity. The project has been on going for 10 plus years and has located and documented what appears every GOEA and FEHA hawk nest in the west desert of Utah. Imagine knowing where every robin and sparrow nest is for the block you live on and then extrapolate that to a corner of the state you live in. It’s impressive and boggles my minds as to how many hours were spent locating these nests. Our team spent the majority of the week looking at GOEA nests due to the difference between the initiation dates of the two species. GOEA begin in early February to late March and FEHA begin in mid March to mid April.

GOEA Nest--look closely

A GOEA can have up to 4 or 5 nests in a given territory and may be scattered within the same rock face or amongst several different cliffs within its territory. FEHA nests on the other hand are usually atop pinion pine trees or occasionally atop a utility pole. My job is to visit an assigned territory, document if the territory is occupied, what nest(s) are occupied, and if there are any chicks in the nest. If there are chicks we need to age them, which I find difficult to do.

Sometimes my partner and I have waited an hour at each nest to confirm activity or inactivity. The reason for this is, if the assigned nest is occupied by a GOEA or FEHA and we cannot see into the nest bowl using a spotting scope to confirm activity the theory is there should be some type of activity at the nest within an hour. One of the adults will either get up to rearrange the eggs, repositioning its body, or exchange brooding duties. Once the waiting game has been played each nest is ranked for its overall condition and potential use of poor, fair, good, or excellent. Ranking a nest is relatively easy after viewing 8 to 10 nests.

When a nest is occupied it is relatively easy to tell because there will either be adornment atop and/or constructed into the nest bowl (fresh material compared to sun bleached material), whitewash, a head of the brooding raptor or chick can be seen. GOEA chicks are adorable looking with their large black eyes, dingy colored down, large body, small wings, and head. Their body reminds me of a Cornish hen.

Focusing the spotting scope on a nest I noticed a chick laying in a prone position an inch or two away from the nests edge waiting out the minutes to its next feeding while not appearing alarmed that the desert floor is 2-300 ft below.

Days away from the field we are allowed to stay at the field house located in the Sugarhouse neighborhood of Salt Lake City. It was one of the first places in the U.S. where sugar was extracted from sugar beets. There is a large porch to seek refuge from the sun and it overlooks a blooming rose garden. The backyard has 3 mews (cages for raptors) where an American kestrel, Red-tailed hawk, and a Swainson hawk are housed and used to educate the public about raptor conservation. Each bird has its own story as to how it came to HawkWatch and why it can no longer be released into the wild.

To my surprise the two hawks and kestral are fed everyday except Sunday. They are fed small mice and usually receive at least 4 – 6 mice per bird. Watching the kestral eat I was surprised by how effortless and quick it was for it to sever the mouse’s head from its spine. It is similar to how a human pinches off a dandelion head from its stem. It then dropped the head and began to feed. For some reason the kestral does not like to eat the entrails and pulls them out and discards them. I was told by the volunteer that the hawks do the same thing when eating the mice given to them.

Silver Island Mountains and the salt flats of the West Desert

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Saved by the dimensions

of a piece of paper

and possibly its perception?

These are the dimensions of a Colorado State University Wildlife Biology degree,

8.5” x 11” x 0.0095”

Not having this piece of paper in hand may have saved my life.

Think what you may, however, it is difficult for me not to think, what if…

Please, read on.

Last fall (2009) I came across a job posting for a Science Aide position with the California Department of Fish & Game in Fresno, CA. The posting read,

The duties appeared challenging yet not out of the ordinary for similar positions I’ve held. And being 20-miles away from a great college friend could lead too potential wild-life experiences outside the field. So I applied, hoped for the best, and 12-days later, I was having one of the best interviews I’ve had in my life. It appeared I had the skill set the biologist was looking for. He just needed to contact my references. Hanging up the phone, I thought to myself, I would make the next round of cuts if not a job offer.

A few days later I received an email requesting I contact the biologist. We talked for 15 minutes and I find out I am one of two candidates for the position—great I thought. However, the biologist could not offer me the job due to the other candidate having a degree. The biologist continued to express how difficult the decision was for him to make and how impressed he was with my field experience and references—alas. Nonetheless, he wanted permission to pass my resume to other biologists who may be hiring in the near future. Chapter closed, right—so I thought.

March 23, 2010, I received a response from an email I sent 4-days prior asking the same biologist if he new of anyone hiring for the 2010 field season. A week later I received this sobering response,

If I did have a degree, I would have been in that helicopter with a shit-eating grin from ear-to-ear, enjoying the view, and counting deer while living my dream.

Not having a degree may have helped me in the bigger picture of life. How? I really don’t know other than I am still above ground and hopefully somehow enriching someone’s life.

Tom Stolberg was the applicant to receive the Scientific Aid position (Click).

Cause of the helicopter crash (Click).

TV Coverage of the accident (Click).

Again, think what you may, however, it is difficult for me not to think, what if…

and

What is God’s purpose for me? All I can do is wonder…

“Peace, blessing, and heart warm smiles”

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