Species of the Month

As the snow disappears from higher elevations in the west, mountain hikes are once again becoming possible. That's where you'll meet our Species of the Month, although you are more likely to hear it than to see it. The American pika, though it looks rather mousy, is actually related to rabbits. Living high up in the rocky slopes of the Cascades, Sierras, and Rockies, it lets out a high pitched squeal as an alarm call when it spots a potential predator or passing hiker.

Pika adding to its cache of food (NPS)

Scientific name: Ochotona princeps

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Lagomorpha (hares, pikas, rabbits) 

Range: Mountains of western North America from British Columbia south to New Mexico

Habitat: Talus fields within mountain meadows

Pika on the rocks (NPS)

Lifespan: Up to seven years, average is three years
Diet: Grasses and forbs
Predators: Weasels, coyotes, raptors, martens, foxes, bobcats
Conservation Status: No special protection, though seven subspecies are considered vulnerable
Other information: This little critter looks like a big, chunky mouse or a rabbit with short ears. They are active during the day, gathering plants during the summer for immediate consumption and also to stockpile for the long winter ahead. Pikas build haypiles of grasses and forbs, selecting plants with the highest protein content they can find. Haypiles are kept outside during the summer to dry, then moved to the den for winter. Pikas do not hibernate; they remain awake in a tiny cave within the rocks and under the snow, eating their way through that haypile. Like other lagomorphs, they frquently consume their scats. Food is not totally digested, so they eat the scat to absorb more nutrients. Eating it a second time more fully breaks down the plant material. Pikas communicate though alarm calls and scent marking. Scent glands are on the cheek. They rub their cheeks on rocks to mark their territory.

Pika (NPS)

Look for pikas at Mowich Lake in Mount Rainier National Park. This week's information once again comes from the good people at UM's Animal Diversity Web.

A Dove Affair

A little over a month ago, I was having a normal morning until I thought a mourning dove was about to crash into the dining room window. He pulled up and landed in the flower basket. Then I noticed he had pine needles in his mouth and passed them to his mate. They were building a nest. I was about to become a bird uncle!

Mother dove feeding one of the babies

I don't know for sure when the eggs hatched, but about three weeks later I got my first look at one of the babies. By then the flowers in the basket were dead and brown, perfect camouflage for the doves. A second baby was in there too, I just didn't notice it for another week. By that time, the babies were almost adult sized. They were up on the edge of the basket flapping their wings, getting ready to fledge the nest.

Baby dove

The last time I saw one of them it was on the edge of the basket flapping during a severe thunderstorm. Through the glass, I was trying to convince it to not try flying in such nasty weather. The next morning, it was gone. A few hours later I watched as the second baby flapped at the edge of the basket, then took off and flew into the neighbor's tree.

The children are getting older

It took less than a month to build a nest, lay eggs, hatch them, and fledge the nest. I was sure my little friends would be around at least until summer. Every now and then I'll look out the back window and see a pair of doves in the yard, or perched on the fence. To me they all look the same, but I can't help thinking it's the same ones I watched grow up.

Have the prodigal doves returned?

Hurricane!

With the beginning of June, the northern Atlantic is officially in hurricane season. Tens of millions of people along the East , and in Central America and the Caribbean are at risk from these monster storms annually. Let's have a look at where they come from.

Hurricane! (NOAA)

Hurricanes begin as a low pressure system that gains strength from warm ocean water in or near the tropics. The air moving in to the low pressure area rises, cools, and condenses into clouds. The low pressure continues to draw in more air, and the system begins spinning and forms an eye.

Hurricane formation (NASA)

Wind speeds increase as the storm grows. Despite winds that can exceed 150 miles per hour, most damage is caused by water. As the hurricane approaches land, the wind pushes the water ahead of it. This is called the storm surge. Once the hurricane makes landfall it rapidly loses strength without the warm ocean beneath it. As it moves along, it dumps tremendous amounts of rain, which can cause catastrophic flooding.

Where hurricanes form (NASA)

Thanks to the miracle of satellite radar, we know well in advance of when and where hurricanes will strike. If you are in a hurricane area and are earned to evacuate, please do. Information came from NASA this week.