[obol] Re: Quiz for the Day, what is this Great Blue Heron Eating
- From: Lillian <lillian.e@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Stephanie Hazen <stephaniehazen17@xxxxxxxxx>, OBOL Freelist <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2015 15:16:26 -0800
Hi Stephanie...
Thank you for another entertaining and educational Quiz for the Day!
Those of us who are Birders and Gardeners need to remember the dangers of
second hand poisoning when our yards are troubled with "varmints"... Besides,
messy yards are always more attractive to birds. I have been "birdscaping" for
years and it is always surprising how many birds visit our postage-stamp-sized
suburban yard even when the feeders are empty...
Lillian
________________________________
From: Stephanie Hazen
Sent: Wednesday, February 4, 2015 2:27 PM
Subject: Quiz for the Day, what is this Great Blue Heron Eating
https://picasaweb.google.com/101700670573128910486/WhatIsThisGBHEating?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJbC-dy4_paO_QE&feat=directlink
Thank you to all that participated in the Quiz for the Day!
Click on link above, to see screen shots I took from the video. If you magnify
the screen shots on your
home computer you can see more details.
By doing this magnification trick, I think we have a pocket gopher judging by
the large size of the animal and its head shape. I do not
see the large feet of a mole, nor do I see the refined features of a vole, nor
the skinny nose of a mole. The one pocket gopher I saw
up close and personal last summer seemed to be the size of a guinea pig. I
think the animal in the video is that size.
We all take pocket gophers for granted. If you view this website,
you will find that Mazama pocket gophers are actually endangered.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/gophers.htm
Because I made this film at Ridgefield NWR in Washington, I think this was a
Northern Pocket Gopher,
although it could have been a Mazama pocket gopher.
Gophers, voles, and moles have an important niche in our ecology by serving as
food for birds, mammals, and reptiles. They plow our fields, redistributing
nutrients in the soil. They allow for better drainage of water through the
soils. They make holes in the ground which serve as homes for ground nesting
bees
and snakes.
So….encourage your friends to go easy on these ground dwelling mammals!
Cheers!
Stephanie
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