The ponds of spring and early summer are alive with insects, amphibians and reptiles. Here are a few from yesterday’s pond survey. The California red-legged frog is listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and is classified as Threatened. http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=D02D Each pond has tadpoles, sometimes just tree frog and other times tadpoles of red-legged [...]
Archive for the ‘Endangered species’ Category
Springtime Ponds
Posted in Endangered species, wildlife management, wildlife, amphibians, California Tiger Salamander, California red-legged frog, California newt, insects, Threatened species, tagged California tiger salamander larvae, California red-legged frog on May 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
April Weekend at the Ranch
Posted in California newt, Coyotes, Endangered species, photography, reptiles, snakes, wildflowers, wildlife, wildlife conservation, wildlife management, tagged Wildlife photography on April 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
It was a good weekend to be in the hills. Here are a few of the photos I was able to take while traveling around the ranch. (Click to enlarge.) Surprise. It’s unusual for ranch road coyotes to pose for a broadside photo. Another rarity, only in spring will you see two great [...]
Spring in the Altamont
Posted in amphibians, bird watching, birds of prey, burrowing owl, Endangered species, outdoors, raptors, snakes, special status species, wildlife management, tagged Burrowing Owl, California tiger salamander larvae, King Snake, Pacific Tree Frog Tadpole, Seine Netting, Swainson's Hawk on April 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Joe spotted a couple Swainson’s hawks gliding high overhead. Red-tails were hanging around a stand of eucalyptus trees and a ferruginous hawk was spotted on the horizon. Joe also found a young king snake under a board. We took quite a few photos of the willing snake. Burrowing owls were in their usual [...]
Mending Fences – with Distractions
Posted in Endangered species, Hunting, Mountain lions, Scat, turkey, wildflowers, tagged Ohlone Preserve wildflowers, Rio Grande Turkey on April 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The pace of work changes when you spend a couple days in the hills. It’s really hard to get in a hurry and there are many distractions. The main event- mending fence. The sub plots – turkeys, wildflowers and other photo ops. (Click photos to enlarge.) When you’re working on a project that looks overwhelming, [...]
Night Search for Salamanders
Posted in amphibians, California red-legged frog, California Tiger Salamander, Endangered species, wildlife, tagged Amplexus, California red-legged frog on February 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Searched for California tiger salamanders in the middle of the night last weekend. Took my daughter Betsy along for company. Her question, “Does it make you nervous walking around in the dark at night?” My answer, “No, except when I don’t know where I am.” Darkness is a fun adventure when you’re in you [...]
A Walk Around a Revived Pond
Posted in amphibians, California newt, California red-legged frog, California Tiger Salamander, Endangered species, wildlife, tagged California newt larvae, California red-legged frog juvenile, California tiger salamander larvae on August 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Two summers ago we repaired the dam on one of our best ponds. It was also filled with bass and bluegill, something that gave use pleasure on many occasions. However, as we prepared to make this parcel ready for a conservation easement for endangered species, we were required to remove the fish. We pumped the [...]
Are Wildlife Management Programs Going Astray?
Posted in "take", California Tiger Salamander, Endangered species, habitat manipulation, hunting heritage, tule elk, wildlife, wildlife conservation, Wildlife habitat, wildlife management, tagged "take", Endangered Species Act, wildlife managment on July 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Traditional wildlife management is based upon an assumption of consumptive use. With consumptive use as a goal, habitat is managed to produce a healthy wildlife population with some species targeted for harvest. Healthy habitat produces a surplus of the targeted species, the ones desirable for human use. The surplus is available for consumption, with [...]
Conservation Culture Wars
Posted in Endangered species, hunting heritage, Land Ownership, landowner political issues, wildlife conservation, tagged conservation banking, consumptive uses, Endowment Accounts, HCP on June 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
There’s a war going on. It’s a conservation culture war. Traditionalists believe hunters and fishermen have been major supporters of wildlife and there is plenty of evidence to support that claim. Those who oppose consumptive uses would like to find a way to supplant that financial underpinning for wildlife habitat. This is nothing new, but there are [...]
