Visiting the Potato Fire

The Potato Fire was completely out by wednesday, so on thursday a group of us went out to take a look. We have seven days from containment to complete an initial Emergency Stabilization & Rehabilitation plan if needed. Our main issue will be keeping cattle off for three years. Fortunately, there was already a drift fence in place, but we're planning to repair and extend it. There is some cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) along the perimeter; evil, invasive stuff, but there's not much we can do. Hopefully natives will be able to reestablish themselves, particularly away from the edges. We will monitor the vegetation for three years to see how it recovers.

walking the perimeter	sage-grouse pellets just outside the burn area

Here There Be Grouse

When they're not strutting around the lekking grounds, sage-grouse can be difficult to find. Fortunately, they leave sign behind so we can tell if they've been using an area.

Winter scat is composed entirely of sagebrush leaves and, in keeping with the theme of food descriptions of scat, has been described as shaped like a Cheeto. The leaves of sagebrush are covered in glands that contain monoterpenes and sesquiterpine lactones. Whew ! The chemicals likely deter herbivory from most species. The monoterpenes give sagebrush its characteristic smell. The sesquiterpene lactones are indigestible to sage-grouse and are excreted in pasty, black cecal tar. Both types are shown in the photo below.

grouse sign

a cool caterpillar

Greater Sage-grouse Field Indicator Guide (pdf via ftp)

For (lots) more on sagebrush and its role in sage-grouse diet:

Rosentreter, Roger. 2005. Sagebrush identification, ecology, and palatability relative to sage-grouse. In: Shaw, Nancy L., M. Pellant, S.B. Monsen, comps. 2005. Sage-grouse habitat restoration symposium proceedings; 2001 June 4-7, Boise, ID. Proc. RMRS-P-38. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 3-16. (pdf)

Chuckling Chukar

When I headed back out to replace the dataloggers, I spooked a group of chukar (Alectoris chukar). This video isn't the best, but if you turn up the volume you can hear their amusing calls as they scramble away.

Chukar are native to southern Eurasia and were introduced to the US from Pakistan as a game bird. Despite being hunted, they are quite successful and no doubt benefit from the artificial ponds at the spring. (A note to California chukar hunters...)

The dataloggers I replaced really are neat little devices. They record temperature and light intensity at set intervals. Even at a 15 minute interval, they have enough battery life and storage for three months!

datalogger weighted down with a rock

frisky damselflies

Potato Fire

Fire Information Report for Potato
Wildland Fire Incident
Report Date: 26-JUL-10
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Burnt Area: 610 Acres
Location: Mono County, CA (Potato Peak, about 7 miles E-SE of Bridgeport, CA)
Cause: Lightning
Incident Team Type: IMT Type 3
Team Leader: Chris Stevens
Containment Status: 60% contained)
Expected Containment: 27-JUL-10
Fuels: Sagebrush 300000.00 159
---------------------------------------------------------
Fire report information is based on the most recent Incident Management Situation Report (IMSR) provided by the National Interagency Fire Center and is subject to change. The USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center is not responsible for the accuracy of this information.

We Got One !

There's a bit of a debate in the office, but I'm convinced that this is a pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). We know there are pygmy rabbits in the area because of the proliferation of tiny scat, but there are also cottontails. This rabbit is far smaller than an adult cottontail, but there are babies around this time of year. To me, the eye appears proportionally smaller than that of cottontails, and the ears are rounder and furred. Plus, it's just too cute !

A Tale of Tui Chubs

Today Joy, our other wildlife biologist, took me out to Mule Spring at the base of the Inyo Mountains outside of Big Pine and told me a tale of the tui chub there.

The Owens tui chub (Gila bicolor snyderi) is a Federally endangered fish only found in the Owens Basin. It is threatened by habitat degradation, non-native fish, and introgression with the Lahontan tui chub (Gila bicolor obesa), introduced as baitfish. In the early 90s, BLM and DFG biologists wanted to locate sites to establish new populations of Owens tui chub. A granite mining company with Mule Spring on their claim agreed to cooperate, and an artificial pond was created from the spring's outflow. Tui chub were introduced from a pool at Cabin Bar Ranch near Olancha and owned by Budweiser to provide water to their Van Nuys brewery.

The tui chub did well in their new man-made home, and the biologists decided to double down on endangered fish and introduced Owens Valley pupfish as well. On a later visit, the pool was teeming with pupfish, but tui chub were nowhere to be found. The pond was drained and three tui chub were rescued. Apparently the much smaller pupfish (2-3") were so fiesty that they outcompeted the 10-13" tui chubs ! A second pool was created for the pupfish, and the surviving tui chub were allowed to remain in the refilled upper pool. A visit to Cabin Bar Ranch was made to collect more fish to augment the decimated population, but the pools were dry and no fish remained.

As tenacious as the pupfish were, the introduction into Mule Spring turned out to be a good thing. A number of bass were introduced into Fish Slough by well-meaning but uneducated fishermen, and that population of Owens Valley pupfish was virtually eliminated. The bass were removed and pupfish were moved from Mule Spring back into Fish Slough. Talk about managed species !

As if this story wasn't convoluted enough, recent genetic work on the tui chub of Owens Valley determined that the fish of Mule Spring and (formerly) Cabin Bar are actually a genetically distinct subspecies, dubbed toikona tui chub (from the Paiute name for tui chub, ‘‘toikonanishu,’’ which means ‘‘standing in the cat-tails"). Whew ! This is why I prefer birds to fish. Then again, birds can often fly away from adversity, but there's something so desperate about fish only found in rapidly disappearing pools...

tui chub pool reflecting the Inyos

tarantula hawk on Asclepias fascicularis narrow-leaf milkweed

Want excruciating detail on the recent genetic work? Check out:

Chen, Y., S. Parmenter, and B. May. 2007. Introgression between Lahontan and endangered Owens tui chubs, and apparent discovery of a new tui chub in the Owens Valley, California. Conservation Genetics 8:221-238.

Volcanic Tableland Petroglyphs

Only a few miles north of Bishop is the Volcanic Tableland, a landscape of Bishop Tuff rock, formed by super-heated ash spewing from the Long Valley Caldera 750,000 years ago. Around 8,800 years ago, predecessors of the Paiute-Shoshone peoples seasonally inhabited the Tablelands and left petroglyphs throughout the area. Four areas are marked and easily accessible from Fish Slough Road and Highway 6. We spent just a short time at each site, but I'd like to return when the weather is cooler. The mid-day lighting wasn't the best for taking pictures, but I hope these few shots give you a feel for the mystery of the sites. Clicking on the thumbnails may help you make out the petroglyphs in some of the images.

The Fish Slough Petroglyphs encompass a small site. Mortar holes are ground into the rock beneath an overhang, providing shade for the milling of seed or pinyon nuts. Ducking beneath to feel the change in temperature, I came across a desert spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister) apparently doing the same thing.

	bisected circle a common design
	a celestial or map?
	desert spiny lizard Sceloporus magister
	zebra-tailed lizard Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus

The Chidago site contains more images covering a jumbled pile of rock.

The Red Canyon site impressed me the most. The images were the most varied we experienced.

The Chidago Petroglyphs were in a paler rock along a wash. It's impressive that they remain at all. We spooked a poor black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), but I snapped a quick picture before we went to find shade like he did.

Because we were in the area, I took Brent to see the Owens pupfish and took this picture of a happy fishy face.

Tuolomne Meadows, Yosemite National Park

I visited Tuolomne Meadows for the first time, entering Yosemite from the east. Even right along Tioga Road the meadows were beautiful, filled with patches of differently colored wildflowers. Most striking were the pale pink swathes of Dodecatheon jeffreyi (Jeffrey's shooting-star).

We took a hike to Elizabeth Lake, below Unicorn Peak, 4.8 miles round-trip with 1000' elevation gain. Although we started at 8600', it was still warm and unseasonably humid, making it difficult to catch our breath. I hadn't thought about it before; humidity may make the air feel more dense, but since water is displacing air the density of air is actually thinner. Because it got cooler and less humid as we went higher, it actually got easier to breathe. Weird !

The trail passes through a forest of lodgepole pine and mountain hemlock, alongside and crossing small streams. As the topography flattens out, the ground is wetter, supporting lush green groundcover...and mosquitoes ! Entering the meadow surrounding Elizabeth Lake, the little buggers were intolerable. We quickly wound our way to the lake's edge, snapped a few pictures, and retreated down to a lower and drier spot for our lunch of Schat's sandwiches. I highly recommend the turkey salad !

Birds were the usual suspects: dark-eyed junco, western wood-pewee, Steller's jay, American robin, brown creeper, yellow-throated warbler, mountain chickadee, Cassin's finch. But we did experience some neat behavior moments ! First, a junco snatched up an insect from a tree trunk just a couple feet in front of us. I guess the tastiness of the snack outweighed our proximity. In the trees above, I was hearing a call that didn't sound quite familiar... it turned out to be a very demanding fledgling yellow-rumped warbler. We watched for a while as its tireless parents flitted around and returned with morsels for their obnoxious offspring. Still, it was kinda cute...

Lupinus breweri Brewer's lupine

Triteleia ixioides pretty face

Castilleja lemmonii subalpine paintbrush (with buddy !)

Elizabeth Lake beneath Unicorn Peak

Dodecatheon jeffreyi Jeffrey's shooting-star

Lembert Dome from Tuolomne Meadow

Half Dome from Olmsted Point

Tenaya Lake from Olmsted Point

Assessing a Burn (with bonus toads !)

On thursday, we went out to a portion of a grazing allotment that had accidentally been burned two years ago. We set up a long-term transect for monitoring plant cover and composition so we can observe how the area recovers from the fire. Following a line-point intercept method, we measured cover every meter along each of three 50m transects. You can do this by dropping a pin flag and looking at what it touches, but we're fortunate enough to have a slick laser with a bubble level that we can use. The method is quick and will allow us to make calculations and reassess the area in a few years.

Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland, and Savanna Ecosystems (Vol. 1) (pdf)

transect 1

using the laser

Since we were in the area, afterwards we visited the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) site. First Jeff, our range con, wanted to make sure I saw the "frogs" in a pool filled by an artesian well. They turned out to be cute little toad metamorphs, but I didn't realize until I looked them up that they're Great Basin spadefoot toads (Spea intermontana) ! They don't have any special status in California, but spadefoots are really cool. They spend 7-8 months of the year underground, aestivating in summer or hibernating in winter. This makes the adults difficult to see, but the little toadlets weren't ready to venture out of their birth pool yet. Next year I'd like to visit the pool again and see if I can catch the males calling, which is described sounding like "a flock of ducks slowed down". The well is currently connected to a trough which isn't being used, but when it is the level of the pool lowers. Jeff is interested in altering the setup to disconnect the two and perhaps increase the size of the pool. That would certainly help out the toads!

As we poked around looking at the different pygmy rabbit burrows, we were surprised by the amount of "tic-tac" scat piled around, diagnostic of the species. We even flushed a few, getting pretty good looks at their apparently tail-less behinds as they scurried away. We set up a camera with an infrared trigger outside of a burrow that appeared to be recently used. Even in our modern, digital age, the setup that's believed to be the best is a film camera with flash. I can't wait to find out if we get anything !

Great Basin spadefoot toad metamorph

camera setup outside a pygmy rabbit burrow

Antelope Mountain Avian Point Count

On wednesday, I filled in for our other wildlife biologist completing an avian point count on a ridge with a proposed wind power project along it. It's a challenge to do in a new area where you know maybe half of the bird songs and calls, but I managed. I only had five points to complete, so I had time after each one to chase down any questionable performers.

Species observed: rock wren (+ fledglings), mountain bluebird, spotted towhee, mountain chickadee, northern flicker, mourning dove, blue-gray gnatcatcher, black-headed grosbeak, brown-headed cowbird, blue-throated gray warbler, chipping sparrow, western wood-pewee, juniper titmouse, Clark's nutcracker

PRBO Point Count Protocol (Word doc)

The habitat was different than I'd been in so far. Antelope Mountain is 7618' in elevation, covered in pinyon pines and full of volcanic rock (hence the prolific rock wrens). The drive up passes through a sandy deserty area, with cacti and lots of lizards. Just driving down the road, I scared 4 species: western zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus), Great Basin whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris tigris), long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), and a pretty, pale southern desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum). At the top were Great Basin fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis longipes), dark to match the volcanic rock. I didn't realize until then how few lizards I'd seen elsewhere.

the habitat	vertical baby rock wren
mountain chickadee	blue-gray gnatcatcher
blooming cholla	horned lizard

Seeds of Success

"Convince me that you have seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." - Henry David Thoreau

In cooperation with other agencies, municipalities, and botanic gardens, BLM coordinates the Seeds of Success (SOS) program. SOS was established to collect and conserve native plant seeds. Seed collections are either held for conservation or used in restoration and research projects. Seeds are collected when and where the plants are abundant.

Yesterday, I helped Martin collect the seeds of Crepis occidentalis (western hawk's-beard). The unassuming plant, looking not too unlike a common dandelion, is apparently quite tasty to sage-grouse. While the grouse can and do eat sagebrush, the chicks start off on insects and forbs in the spring and early summer. We'll be able to use the seeds for restoration in the event of a fire.

Seeds of Success Program

Crepis occidentalis gone to seed

success !

I started my day doing the second willow flycatcher survey at Dogtown. Still no WIFLs, but here are a couple pictures of other cool stuff.

Sidalcea oregana bog mallow

spotted towhee nest

I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Towhee for allowing me to snap the quick picture of their babies. They were awfully mad at me, but I couldn't resist...their little ones are so cute !!!

Incidentally, I just learned that a group of towhees is a "tangle" or a "teapot". You learn something new every day !

You know you're a biologist when...

...when someone leaves poop on your desk and you get excited !!!

I am yet to see pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis), but my coworkers came across a few, and Casey left me this inspirational note.

Pygmy rabbits are the smallest North American rabbit and are the only rabbit in the United States that dig their own burrows. They are found in the sagebrush habitat of the Great Basin and are dependent on sagebrush for food in winter. The pygmy rabbit is currently under review for listing as an endangered species.

Next time I hope to have pictures of the rabbits themselves...not just their poop, described by experts as "similar to what a Tic-Tac looks like end-on" haha !

Pygmy Rabbit Identification Worksheet (pdf)

Draft Pygmy Rabbit Survey Protocol (Word doc)

Sabrina Basin, John Muir Wilderness

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out until sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." - John Muir

So reads the sign at the Sabrina Basin trailhead that leads into the John Muir Wilderness of the Inyo National Forest, a 20 minute drive up my street. Brent and I headed out on the trail for a single night backpacking trip. The trail begins just below the Lake Sabrina dam at 9,125' elevation and follows the lake through aspen and willows, becoming sagebrush scrub dotted with conifers and covered with wildflowers this time of year. Continuing higher, you pass through lodgepole pine forest and the trail steepens with switchbacks cut into the granite. We finally reached Blue Lake, only 3 miles in but at 10,400', had lunch, and decided to set up camp there. After a refreshing nap, we set out much lighter and followed a trail to Emerald Lakes, giving us stunning views of the peaks surrounding the Basin and more alpine wildflowers.

We spent a nice evening at camp alongside Blue Lake, enjoying dinner and swatting mosquitoes. It rained in the night, making the extra weight of our tent fly worthwhile. After breakfast, we headed back down the trail, much easier in this direction and minus three meals. We plan to return, probably as a day hike, and explore more of the lakes deeper into Sabrina Basin.

Aquilegia pubescens alpine columbine

Aquilegia formosa x Aquilegia pubescens

Sedum lanceolatum narrow-leaf stonecrop

Castilleja linariifolia long-leaved paintbrush

crossing Lake George's outlet

lodgepole chipmunk (Tamias speciosus) shows the way

golden-mantled ground squirrel Spermophilus lateralis, SPELAT

Phyllodoce breweri red heather

Mt. Haeckel from Emerald Lakes

yellow-bellied marmot Marmota flaviventris

Thompson Ridge, Blue Lake

clouds reflected in Blue Lake

Bird list: song sparrow, yellow warbler, brown-headed cowbird, dark-eyed junco, mountain chickadee, Clark's nutcracker, red-breasted sapsucker, brown creeper, Cassin's finch, dusky flycatcher, yellow-rumped warbler, golden eagle, Steller's jay, western wood pewee, olive-sided flycatcher, northern flicker.

More pictures are available here. Enjoy !