Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum

(Apr 6, 2020 05:07 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: [ -> ]I have lived close to the Niagara River for over 16 years. I've driven and walked along the Niagara Pkwy hundreds of times but in all that time I would say I've only seen a handful of Kingfishers. This morning they were back in my tree again and there's now four of them. They seem to like to perch there. Either I have two nesting pairs in property behind or it's 3 males and 1 female. There is constant bickering and fights. I'm tempted to let the local Birdwatcher's Society Club know of the location but I'm afraid if I do then the birds will leave because of the attention. Land is owned by a developer but new housing starts have been practically non-existent so I think the bird's will not be disturbed, especially now with corona work shutdowns in place. I would hazard to guess that the nesting site would be a bird Mecca for watchers. Property is easily accessible from a road close by. I'm happy to sit on my deck and put the binoculars on them. Very cool, have not seen anything like this before and it's live and in colour . I always thought they lived along waterways and built nests in trees. It's a total surprise to me to witness them using the side of the hill (an old excavated edge) as a nesting site (had to look that up) and 200-300m from river.

I didn't know they nested in burrows of all things, either. Apparently they're heavily territorial during the winter when food is scarce, but breeding pairs may share landscape during the summer. I guess spring is a transitional period: Tentatively encroaching upon each other's space, scuffling, incrementally slacking off on defending it.

Whereas bluebirds are just the opposite. Need at least a football field between them during the summer, but are gregarious during the winter (especially for warmth in the boxes).

(Apr 6, 2020 05:07 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: [ -> ]

(Apr 6, 2020 02:06 AM)Magical Realist Wrote: [ -> ]No..I live on the west coast in Oregon. Mainly crows, bluejays, ducks, and sparrows round here.

Is it the Stellar Jay? Saw them at my daughter's house in Burnaby BC and along the coast there. Pretty spectacular looking bird.  Not like our local jays. 

I have lived close to the Niagara River for over 16 years. I've driven and walked along the Niagara Pkwy hundreds of times but in all that time I would say I've only seen a handful of Kingfishers. This morning they were back in my tree again and there's now four of them.  They seem to like to perch there. Either I have two nesting pairs in property behind or it's 3 males and 1 female. There is constant bickering and fights. I'm tempted to let the local Birdwatcher's Society Club know of the location but I'm afraid if I do then the birds will leave because of the attention. Land is owned by a developer but new housing starts have been practically non-existent so I think the bird's will not be disturbed, especially now with corona work shutdowns in place. I would hazard to guess that the nesting site would be a bird Mecca for watchers. Property is easily accessible from a road close by. I'm happy to sit on my deck and put the binoculars on them. Very cool, have not seen anything like this before and it's live and in colour . I always thought they lived along waterways and built nests in trees. It's a total surprise to me to witness them using the side of the hill (an old excavated edge) as a nesting site (had to look that up) and 200-300m from river.

We just have the regular blue jays out here. I used to feed birds and squirrels peanuts in the park and found the blue jays very good at spotting a peanut in the grass. It must come from their finely evolved color vision which makes their feather coloring more attractive for mating.

If you're looking for something refreshing to watch, that is both educational and entertaining...try this:

https://deadline.com/2019/07/netflix-oce...202646815/

This documentary was absolutely mesmerizing. There literally exists a magical wonderland of sorts in the depths of the seas, and this documentary captures it in a very powerful way. Clearly a big budget production, but well worth it. I can see the allure of scuba diving, now.

Give it a watch.

Thanks, wegs! I'll check it out. 

There's a new one coming out soon that you might like, as well.

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I'm getting tired of staying at home, though. I couldn’t stand it any longer. So, I snuck out again, but this time, I went alone. My best friend is starting to get more paranoid about the virus and doesn’t want to leave her house.

I couldn’t go to the more remote areas alone, though. It’s too dangerous. So, I went to a couple of local state parks. I didn’t run into any cars along the way and the parks were as expected, absolutely deserted.

I’m a bad person, I know-I know, but I couldn’t resist. I was concerned, however, that someone might damage my car out of spite. The parking lot was blocked off. So, I parked around the corner.

I admit that it was rather creepy knowing that I was the only person there. I kept thinking about CC’s topic about animals invading deserted cities and I did come across a few tracks that looked a little suspicious. I couldn’t tell if they were dog tracks or cougar tracks. What do you guys think?



I kept hearing this strange bird sound, too. When I got home, I looked up sounds that mountain lions make. I highly doubt that I’ll be going back there by myself anytime soon.

Mountain Lion Chirping

@Secular Sanity
I don't think that "sneaking out" is a bad thing if you are purposely avoiding people. I'm not sure what your state's ruling is, but as long as your not actively endangering yourself (For instance if you fell rock climbing you'd need to go to a hospital which is likely already dealing with enough problems) and avoiding trying to congregate somewhere with a bunch of other people, It shouldn't be an issue.

The main concerns out there are people that don't identify they are suffering symptoms passing it on without people being aware. (It's not like people place a mark over their door etc if they have a suspected case)


On the subject of out and about though, a local food factory that usually has a sweet aroma emanating from the back of it has now turn "savoury". I assume they've been busy making noodle packets and possibly soups, which isn't something they usually do. Why would this be relevant to wildlife? well right nearby the factory is a slip of land that I walk passed that is usually covered in wild plants/flowers/brambles. It tends to get a large number of butterflies appear during the summer. I always considered that the "sweet sticky" steam output from the factory was likely contributing to the plants growth in the area (boosting sugars in flowers etc) so was likely contributing to the wildlife bloom. The change to savoury however might actually alter the plants in the area and it could well reduce the wildlife that usually flocks to it. It's one of those things that will be observed by summer.

Yeah, it's interesting. There's quite a few restaurants that are offering groceries now, too. One cool thing is that here and elsewhere, they're letting us order cocktails and beer for pickup or you can have it delivered to your home during the pandemic. Never thought that would happen.

I don't know if I would get fined or not for being in a state park. I haven't had a chance to look it up.

(Apr 9, 2020 04:56 PM)Secular Sanity Wrote: [ -> ][...] I couldn’t tell if they were dog tracks or cougar tracks. What do you guys think?



I kept hearing this strange bird sound, too. When I got home, I looked up sounds that mountain lions make. I highly doubt that I’ll be going back there by myself anytime soon.

Mountain Lion Chirping

Not sure I'd even go back with a companion. Thanks for pointing out something that may not be brought up much: How dangerous woodland trails, remote work areas, and wilderness tourist spots have potentially become now that they're people and equipment silent. (For areas with bears and wild felines, anyway. Not sure how intimidated alligators and invasive pythons are to begin with along the Gulf.)

- - -

Cougar (bobcat arguably similar, but smaller)

Usually no claw marks

"Front" toes are uneven

Inside of toes are rounded

Front of heel has two lobes

Back of heel has three rounded lobes

- - -

Dog (coyote arguably similar)

Claw marks are usually visible

"Front" or foremost protruding two toes are even

Inside of other toes are angular

Front of heel has one lobe

Back of heel has two lobes

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(Apr 9, 2020 06:19 PM)stryder Wrote: [ -> ]On the subject of out and about though, a local food factory that usually has a sweet aroma emanating from the back of it has now turn "savoury". I assume they've been busy making noodle packets and possibly soups, which isn't something they usually do. Why would this be relevant to wildlife? well right nearby the factory is a slip of land that I walk passed that is usually covered in wild plants/flowers/brambles. It tends to get a large number of butterflies appear during the summer. I always considered that the "sweet sticky" steam output from the factory was likely contributing to the plants growth in the area (boosting sugars in flowers etc) so was likely contributing to the wildlife bloom. The change to savoury however might actually alter the plants in the area and it could well reduce the wildlife that usually flocks to it. It's one of those things that will be observed by summer.

On the flip side, some are hoping that monetary cuts for municipal mowing will bolster untamed flora.

Coronavirus: Lockdown 'could boost wild flowers'
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52215273

(Apr 9, 2020 04:56 PM)Secular Sanity Wrote: [ -> ]I kept hearing this strange bird sound, too. When I got home, I looked up sounds that mountain lions make. I highly doubt that I’ll be going back there by myself anytime soon.

Mountain Lion Chirping

Mountain lions aren't much to fear. They are accustom to taking down prey quickly. So as long as you can protect your neck and fight back, they give up quickly. I would be more worried about pack hunters.

Cute chirping though.

(Apr 10, 2020 12:40 AM)Syne Wrote: [ -> ]Mountain lions aren't much to fear. They are accustom to taking down prey quickly. So as long as you can protect your neck and fight back, they give up quickly. I would be more worried about pack hunters.

Cute chirping though.

I don't know, maybe, but that's not my idea of a good time. They look pretty scary to me. The trail follows along the bottom of a steep cliffs and they’re extremely stealthy. They can leap 40 feet and jump as high as 18 feet. I wouldn’t have a chance. They weigh more than I do. That mountain lion that guy killed with his bare hands was just a cub that weighed less than 40lbs.

Wow! The fine is a thousand dollars, imprisoned for six months or both. That’s a little steep for hike, eh? They’re enforcing it with a light touch though. I hope that means that you’d get a verbal warning first but you never know. The social pressure has been odd, that’s for sure. People are wearing masks even when they’re by themselves driving in a car. In the rural areas, they’re wearing bandanas, which looks a little creepy. One rural coastal town had road blockades and someone taped cardboard over their town sign that said, "Town Closed-Locals Only".

Quote:The order says it is enforceable under Government Code section 8665, which states that anyone who “refuses or willfully neglects” to obey a lawful order is guilty of a misdemeanor and could be fined up to $1,000, imprisoned for six months or both.

Thursday Newsom said the order will likely not be legally enforced except in counties that have said they will do so with their own local shelter-in-place orders, such as Sacramento and many counties in the Bay Area.

"I don’t believe people need to be told by law enforcement" to stay home, Newsom said, adding that he would rely on “social pressure” to keep people away from gatherings as much as possible.

What California’s ‘Stay At Home’ Directive Means For Residents

Yesterday, I headed off into the national forest. Way out in the middle of no man’s land, there was this memorial. It was a firefighter from Utah that came here to help us. He died when a tree fell on him. He left behind a wife and a little boy. Sad, huh?

(Apr 10, 2020 04:15 PM)Secular Sanity Wrote: [ -> ]

(Apr 10, 2020 12:40 AM)Syne Wrote: [ -> ]Mountain lions aren't much to fear. They are accustom to taking down prey quickly. So as long as you can protect your neck and fight back, they give up quickly. I would be more worried about pack hunters.

Cute chirping though.

I don't know, maybe, but that's not my idea of a good time. They look pretty scary to me. The trail follows along the bottom of a steep cliffs and they’re extremely stealthy. They can leap 40 feet and jump as high as 18 feet. I wouldn’t have a chance. They weigh more than I do. That mountain lion that guy killed with his bare hands was just a cub that weighed less than 40lbs.

She fought hard ... first fatal wild cougar attack in Oregon history (2018)
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/m...-592297477

The medical examiner's office said Bober's injuries were consistent with that of a cougar attack. [...] "She had a sharp object she used, " Alison Bober said. "She had mace, she had a stick so the evidence is clear she fought hard."

Very few attacks (below), highly unusual occurrences. EDIT: But again, humans may normally frequent some of their habitat, going back centuries to indigenous peoples (add today's technological noises). Thus familiarizing the cats with us and what we pose. A regularity much diminished now during these weeks/months, perhaps especially educational for juvenile puma. Certain adult Asian tourists and recently naturalized citizens would be the size of older Western children, fer sure.

List of fatal cougar attacks in North America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fa...th_America

A total of 125 attacks, 27 of which fatal, have been documented in North America in the past 100 years. Fatal cougar attacks are extremely rare and occur much less frequently than fatal snake bites, fatal lightning strikes, or fatal bee stings. Children are particularly vulnerable. The majority of the child victims listed here were not accompanied by adults.

Expert confidence in humans not contracting plague from cougars seems to revolve around the extremely rare incidence of encountering them personally and up close. Just applies to Yellowstone, too, not northern California cougars (though I assume they've never been tested - difficult, expensive, and no motivation).

Study finds plague in nearly half of tested Yellowstone cougars
https://www.livescience.com/cougars-plag...stone.html