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.

Species of the Month

Winter returned with a vengeance this week as the temperature dropped to single digits with a wind chill in the minus zone. Arctic air pushed down and along with icicles and dreams of tropical paradise, it provided the inspiration for the species of the month, the Arctic fox. This cunning critter enjoys a polar vortex much more than I do!

Arctic fox (Environment and Natural Resources, Northwest Terr.)

Scientific name: Vulpes lagopus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Carnivora (carnivores)

Range: Circumpolar- Canada, Alaska, Greenland, northern Europe, northern Asia

Habitat: Arctic tundra

Lifespan: 3-6 years on average

Diet: Small mammals, birds, eggs, insects, berries, carrion, dung

Predators: Red fox, humans

Conservation Status: No special protection

Arctic fox (USFWS)

Other Information: Arctic foxes, unlike other canids, have furry feet. In the cold north, that is a valuable asset. Colors change seasonally, from a summer coat of gray to a white winter coat. They live in a family group in a den with multiple openings and a tunnel system. A breeding pair and a female offspring from the previous litter, plus the new pups, make up the family group. The older offspring helps raise her younger siblings as a tradeoff for food and shelter. This behavior is also seen in some bird species, and that female has been statistically shown to have a higher survival rate of her own future litters. Arctic foxes are opportunistic feeders, eating anything that comes along. Carrion feasts have been known to include seafood such as fish and seals. A favorite small mammal meal is the lemming. They are hunted for fur and as a livestock pest in Iceland.
This week's information once again comes from University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web.

This is a Crappy Subject

Now for the dirtier side of nature. Pretty much every living thing on this planet exists to be someone else’s meal. If you’re unlucky enough to become lunch, the next step is you become poop. No one likes to talk about it, look at it, or smell it. Even though it’s gross, it’s an essential element of the environment for a couple of reasons.

Raccoon scat

The most important function of poop, or scat as we call it in the science world, is a key role in the nutrient cycle. Every living thing needs an assortment of minerals in order to function properly. Minerals are absorbed from the soil by plants, then absorbed by herbivores that eat those plants, then absorbed by various levels of carnivores up through the food chain. Some minerals are present in the ground in rocks; others are returned to the soil through decaying organic matter (plant or animal) or through scat.

Nutrient cycle (from Exploring Nature.org)

Another important impact scat has on the environment is negative, and it goes beyond getting on your shoe. Nitrates and phosphates are common in scat, and also happen to be active ingredients in fertilizer. Excessive nitrates and phosphates in storm runoff causes high nutrient levels in lakes, streams, and even the ocean. Those high levels can cause an overgrowth of algae. Too much algae, even though it produces oxygen, can cause dead zones of little to no oxygen when the algae dies and decomposers feasting on it suck all the oxygen out of the water.

Algae bloom (Michigan Radio)

A third way scat is important is as a research tool. It allows people like myself who rarely observe animals in the wild to see what animals have been down the trail before. DNA samples can be pulled from scat, and population biologists can estimate population by counting turds. Ecologists can study an animal’s dietary habits from looking at scat.

The coyote that dropped this deuce ate a bird

Deer scat

Now that you’ve seen the usefulness of animal scats, maybe you will look at it in a whole new light on your next foray into the woods. Like anything else in nature (except maybe spiders), if you can overcome your aversion, you can learn to appreciate it.

Bats and White Nose Syndrome

Bats are a misunderstood and unreasonably feared critter. Some species rid our skies of pest insects, while others pollinate crops and other plants. Bat poop (guano) is a rich fertilizer. Attitudes are changing as people begin to appreciate the ecosystem services bats provide but now they face another threat, White Nose Syndrome.

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a fungal infection that is destroying bat colonies at an unprecedented rate. The fungus Pseudogymnoscus destructans was likely introduced from Europe inadvertently. It thrives in the cold strikes bats when they are hibernating. Bats hibernate to conserve energy when their food source (insects or fruit) is unavailable, but the infection causes them to wake from hibernation. Being awake increases metabolism and other bodily functions, and the bats starve to death because of burning through whatever energy they had stored to make it through the winter. To answer your next question, “How does being awake kill a bat?”, most of the calories you need in a day are just to keep you alive- breathing, circulation, and the biggest energy consumer- temperature regulation.

WNS spreads from direct contact with an infected bat or from surface contamination inside a bat cave. People can transport the fungus from cave to cave, so spelunkers must decontaminate clothing, shoes, and equipment in between caves. 

Bats infected with WNS (National Park Service photo)

WNS has killed millions of bats in the eastern parts of the US and Canada is spreading west. Last year the first case was discovered here in Washington. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted a bat count a few weeks ago at Northwest Trek as the beginning of an effort to monitor bat colonies and WNS. A follow-up count took place this past weekend and I took part.

The goal is to count the number of bats seen leaving and entering the nest. Exits minus entries is the total number of bats seen. The tricky part is seeing them as it gets darker. I did OK with this until about 9:20. The freaky part is not seeing the bats until they are inches from your face, then they turn away at the last second, mostly to my left. I could their wings flapping as they passed by my head.

By establishing a baseline this year the state hopes to track population trends that could indicate colonies in trouble. This can be tricky, though. Bats sometimes tend to not roost in the same location night after night. For example, the site I counted was unmonitored in the previous count. The only reason I was posted there was because on the way into Northwest Trek we heard the bats making sounds inside the park entryway. My total for the night was around 60 bats. Other sites inside the park had a lower count than during the previous survey. It is possible that my site had an increase since the last survey, but that is unknown since no one counted there the first time. 

Me counting bats

In just six years since its introduction, WNS had killed millions of bats with a mortality rate up to 100% in some colonies, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Fighting back will be a long process, but the key first step is monitoring. I am glad I had a chance to take part in the beginning of what I hope will be a successful fight. WNS info this week comes from the National Park Service, one of many partners in the search for a cure.

NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/what-is-white-nose-syndrome.htm

USFWS: http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/USFWS_WNS_Mortality_2012_NR_FINAL.pdf

Still Hungry, Bearly Full

Time for a look at one of America’s most charismatic critters, the bear. We have three bear species (not Papa, Mama, and Baby). They are the black bear, which is the most wide-ranging, the grizzly, and the polar bear.

Grizzly bear (UNAGB)

Polar bear (Scientific American)

Black bear (ABC News)

Bears are omnivores, meaning the eat plant and animal products. Always the opportunists, they won’t hesitate to raid a dumpster or campsite. One of the reasons wildlife managers discourage you from feeding the bears is because they will learn to equate people with food. Once bears start looking for people, problems arise.

Processed bear food

Bears are very large, so it takes quite a bit of food to keep them going. Grizzlies and black bears sleep through most of the winter (called torpor- not all of them hibernate all the way through) and that helps them by not eating when food sources are most scarce. The rest of the year, they are eating to make up for their long winter’s nap. Sometimes bears will strip the bark from a tree and power up with sugary sap when they first emerge from torpor.

Tree sap breakfast nook

From then on, they are pretty much fattening up for the winter. In the Northwest (including Alaska and Pacific Canada), bears get a big boost of tasty fat in the form of salmon, which return to spawn just before bear bedtime. In the Rockies, an infusion of migratory moths makes an easy treat for the bears that know where to look. The salmon and moths giving the bears a goodnight kiss is another example of nature’s perfect timing.

Photo credits: 

Grizzly: United Nations Association of Great Boston https://unagb.wordpress.com/tag/grizzly-bears/

Polar bear: Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/polar-bears-diverged-from-brown-bears-fairly-recently/

Black Bear: ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-black-bear-takes-break-rests-hammock/story?id=23940797

Species of the Month: Eastern Cottontail

Peter Cottontail is hopping down the bunny trail with April’s Species of the Month. The eastern cottontail rabbit is among the most common wildlife. I frequently saw them in my grandparents’ back yard and was a little jealous that rabbits didn’t come to my house. Although they almost never reach six feet tall at the ears, they are closely related to the Easter Bunny (Lepus pascha). Rabbits in general are associated with Easter because they symbolize abundant new life. For more on that topic, keep reading to see just how abundant these little critters can be. Once again, this month’s facts come from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web.

Scientific name: Sylvilagus floridanus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares, pikas)

Range: Eastern and central Canada south through eastern and central US, Central America, and northwestern South America

Habitat: Interface between wooded and open areas; meadows, orchards, farms, hedges, and second growth forest areas

Lifespan: 3 years

Diet: Herbivorous. Grasses primarily during spring/summer, with some clover and garden plants. Winter diet consists mainly of woody plant parts. They must ingest feces to reabsorb nutrients that were broken down during initial digestion but not absorbed completely. 

Predators: hawks, owls, foxes, coyotes, weasels

Conservation Status: No special protection

Other Information: Rabbits really do multiply like rabbits. Females can have as many as 7 litters of up to a dozen bunnies in a single year. The next litter is usually born just after the last litter leaves the nest. Reproductive age is 2-3 months. A first-time mother could conceivably become a grandmother or great grandmother the same year her first litter is born. Eastern cottontails molt twice a year. A spring molt leaves a short summer coat of brown fur, while a fall molt produces a thicker gray coat. Deer have the same seasonal coloration. Babies are born hairless and blind, in contrast to hares, which are born hairy (good way to remember the difference) and with open eyes. They receive little care, weaning between 16 and 22 days old. The litter disperses at around 7 weeks old. Cottontails avoid predation by freezing or flushing, the zigzagging leaps you’ve probably seen.

UM Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.org/

Marsh Madness

One of the most important habitats is wetlands, where the only buzzer-beater you’re likely to find here is when you swat at a mosquito or fly. Among the most productive of all ecosystems, wetlands provide food, water, and shelter for a dazzling array wildlife. Additionally, wetlands benefit people too. Besides recreational opportunities, wetlands provide flood control and water filtration. Not only are there freshwater and saltwater wetlands, but different varieties of each.  

Salt marshes are wetlands that flood with salt water at high tide. Obviously, they are found in coastal areas. They are a common feature in estuaries, areas where salt water mingles with fresh water. They are important habitat for seafood, including salmon, shrimp, and crab. The food our food eats is what draws them there (and the young salmon acclimate to the salt water), but they draw the critters that eat them. Salt marshes are important habitat for resident and migrating shore birds.

Saltwater marsh, Puget Sound

Saltwater marsh, Puget Sound

Freshwater wetlands are more varied. They include bogs, swamps, fens, and seasonal wetlands. Even shallow ponds are considered wetlands. The pond where I conduct my amphibian egg survey is considered wetlands.

Shallow pond freshwater wetland

Freshwater wetlands perform the important ecosystem services of flood control and water filtration. Wetlands do this by impounding rainwater and slowly releasing it downstream or absorbing it into the soil. They filter water by allowing sediments and pollutants settle out. Low water velocity lacks the necessary energy to carry those particles.

Like their salty counterparts, freshwater wetlands host a diverse community. In my pond, I have found two species of salamanders; three species of eggs; one species each of fish, freshwater shrimp, and snake; a river otter; insects galore; and birds too numerous to count. I have also seen deer and elk, coyote, and raccoon tracks and scats near the pond. I have no doubt that these critters are drinking from the pond.

Wet meadow wetland, Mount Rainier National Park

Just this morning I found myself in wetlands once again. This time the focus was on remove protective plastic tubes from trees that were planted three years ago. This site is in Washington’s Ohop Valley. The wetlands are seasonal freshwater, and since this is the rainy season the lands were wet. I didn’t notice much wildlife since I was looking down, but I did happen to see a ton of spiders and elk tracks and scats. The trees are important because they will shade out the invasive reed canary grass (which is swallowing everything) and cool the water temperature in the stream for the salmon. Water tolerant species such as willows were the most common tree I saw, and there were some others I didn’t recognize without leaves in the higher and drier areas.

Next time you drive past a soggy area, don’t be repulsed. Thank a wetland for your seafood and drinking water. Give a hoot and help protect our wetlands! Salt march information comes from our friends at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while Washington State Department of Ecology provided information on freshwater wetlands ecosystem services.

NOAA (salt marshes)

WA Ecology (water filtration)      

Urban Ecology

When most people think of nature, they think of pristine wilderness or a patch of woods somewhere in the country. But nature is all around us, even in cities and towns. Large chunks of the natural world often go unnoticed simply because they are so familiar as to become invisible. This week Nature Minute introduces you to the wonderful world of urban ecology. For ecology purposes, "urban" refers to any developed area, not just inner cities.

            Most of the wild mammals you meet in our neighborhoods are considered a nuisance. Raccoons are infamous scavengers that thrive on garbage can buffets, while mice and rats make our homes their own.  Even charismatic animals like deer (eating our gardens and crashing our cars) and bears (raiding or trash cans and generally being scary) are a nuisance when they leave “the wild” and come into our communities.

Black-tailed deer in my back yard

            Then there are the animals you don’t meet. Crows and pigeons are all over the place yet we overlook them because they are so common. Coyotes have adjusted to our cities and towns, yet remain under the radar, earning them the name “ghost dogs”. I see their scats all the time, but I’ve only seen three coyotes in ten years.

            Squirrels, chipmunks, and many species of songbird live in our yards, but they live so close to our homes many people don’t even consider them when thinking of examples of wildlife. They may be used to being around people but they certainly aren’t tame.

Eastern gray squirrel outside my apartment

            Insects and plants also fall into the realm of the wild, though very few people would ever call a beetle, worm, or shrub wildlife. However, these organisms are the base of the food chain and in the absence of garbage, sustain the larger critters that share our neighborhoods.

Baby barn swallows nesting in a hole in wall of my house

            How can you make our urban areas more hospitable to wildlife? The National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program is one way to start making a difference. Turn your yard into habitat by providing food, water, shelter, places to raise young, and using sustainable practices. In many areas, habitat is severely fragmented, and by turning your yard into a habitat island you can help wildlife move from place to place. Learn more at www.nfw.org or by asking me!

Amphibian Egg Mass Surveys

One of the things I do in my spare time (for self-serving fun and career development as well as stewarding my planet) is volunteer with Northwest Trek and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conducting amphibian egg mass surveys. No, I don’t go door to door asking questions about egg masses. I go to a pond and look for the eggs that several species of amphibians left behind following breeding.

            First, what is an amphibian? It’s a critter that leads a double life as both a terrestrial and aquatic animal. Unlike a reptile like an alligator that must surface to breathe, amphibians can breathe above or below water. The word amphibian comes from the Latin amphi bios meaning two lives.

            There are 27 species of amphibians in Washington, but WDFW only has us looking for the eggs of 8. They are Oregon spotted frog (state endangered, federally threatened), red-legged frog, American bullfrog (invasive to the Northwest), Pacific tree frog, western toad (candidate for listing as federally threatened or endangered), Northwestern salamander, long-toed salamander, and rough skinned newt.

            The pond I survey is in Eatonville. In and around, I have found eggs, tadpoles, or adults of four of those species. There were Northwestern salamander, Pacific tree frog, and red-legged frog egg masses; adult Pacific tree frogs, a red-legged frog, and American bullfrogs; and some tadpoles that were too fast to be able to identify.

American bullfrog

Red-legged frog

Pacific tree frogs

            To conduct a survey, I go into the pond with my partner Roger and slowly walk around looking for eggs. It seems like a challenge at first, but the egg masses are very obvious in most cases. Northwestern salamander egg masses are a huge solid ball of jelly, about the size of a grapefruit. They are likely to be attached to a pond lily stem. Pacific tree frog masses are smaller balls of jelly attached to smaller aquatic plants in most cases.

Northwestern salamander egg mass

Pacific tree frog egg mass

            When we find egg masses, we mark the location on a GPS and take a picture. It also gets logged on a tracking sheet. Last March the batteries in either the GPS or camera died and the spare batteries in our pack were also dead. It was a little frustrating switching batteries from one device to the other, especially because that was the day a river otter was helping us. It would’ve been great to get a shot of that little guy! As a consolation, we found a pile of his poo.

River otter scat

            Gently cleaning our waders before and after conducting a survey is a thoughtful way to help prevent the spread of invasives from one pond to another. It can also help reduce the spread of chytrid fungus, which causes disease in amphibians.

            The data we collect gets sent to the state to help biologists determine habitat conditions and species trends. Amphibians are an indicator species (species that can indicate trouble in an ecosystem by absence or presence) because their thin skin makes them very sensitive to environmental changes. By identifying trouble early on, biologists can analyze and correct the situation.

            Now you have a glimpse inside the working world of a nature guy. I’ll be back in the pond for a third season of egg mass surveying, starting this week. Weather permitting, of course. Don't forget to like Nature Minute on Facebook!