[obol] Re: Quiz for the Day, what is this Great Blue Heron Eating
- From: Stephanie Hazen <stephaniehazen17@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2015 15:42:52 -0800
I researched on line that the bill length of a GBH is about 6 inches long ( I
thought it was longer) and a Townsend’s Vole is also 6 inches long.
As I look at the video the mammal looks to be about as long as the bill of the
GBH, so those who think it is a vole may be right! A gopher is larger
than a vole.
Stephanie
> On Feb 4, 2015, at 2:27 PM, Stephanie Hazen <stephaniehazen17@xxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> 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
OBOL archives: www.freelists.org/archive/obol
Manage your account or unsubscribe: //www.freelists.org/list/obol
Contact moderators: obol-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Other related posts:
