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So far this week has been very long but much more interesting. For the first time since we started doing wildlife inventory everybody is working plots in the south. 
Our plot is an aspen stand and is much cooler than the sage brush since it is at a higher elevation and we get shade all day long. However, there is a trade off, the aspens can get very thick which makes it hard to walk through them to set mammal traps and 
walk vegetation transects. There is even one part for about 50 meters in which we have to actually fight our way through. Even with all this trouble I would not trade it for the sage again. We are finding a much more diverse wildlife here such as many kinds of vegation some included are the flowers I am posting. I don't know the names of them but I think they are very pretty. Also we are getting more than just Deer Mice and Voles. 
(Today we got Deer Mice, Voles, Yellow Pine Chipmunks which are not supposed to be here) and a short-tailed weasel that jumped on my head. It was quite funny and things like this are what makes this job so much fun. Utah was holding the weasel so I could get a picture since we aren't supposed to measure them cause they are too feisty, when it jumped onto my camera then onto my head and off into the aspen. It was quite comical. We have to take pictures of the chipmunks int the bags because they are too quick other wise. 
We still have to go into the northern Jarbige area every day or every other day though because that is where our reptile arrays are and today one of the plots was 102 degrees F but we did catch a baby Western Whiptail Lizard just 52 mm. And that is ok with me because if we moved the arrays to the south too we probably wouldn't catch any reptiles. Reptiles in the north and mammals in the south. Lots of driving but I'm not complaining since we usually get to take naps on the drive and still get paid for it, it just makes for some long 14 hour days. Oh and by the way I put a picture of what I believe is a Western Kingbird feeding her babies on here too. I'll try to get some good pictures of the new mammals and put them up.
Our plot is an aspen stand and is much cooler than the sage brush since it is at a higher elevation and we get shade all day long. However, there is a trade off, the aspens can get very thick which makes it hard to walk through them to set mammal traps and 
walk vegetation transects. There is even one part for about 50 meters in which we have to actually fight our way through. Even with all this trouble I would not trade it for the sage again. We are finding a much more diverse wildlife here such as many kinds of vegation some included are the flowers I am posting. I don't know the names of them but I think they are very pretty. Also we are getting more than just Deer Mice and Voles. 
(Today we got Deer Mice, Voles, Yellow Pine Chipmunks which are not supposed to be here) and a short-tailed weasel that jumped on my head. It was quite funny and things like this are what makes this job so much fun. Utah was holding the weasel so I could get a picture since we aren't supposed to measure them cause they are too feisty, when it jumped onto my camera then onto my head and off into the aspen. It was quite comical. We have to take pictures of the chipmunks int the bags because they are too quick other wise. 
We still have to go into the northern Jarbige area every day or every other day though because that is where our reptile arrays are and today one of the plots was 102 degrees F but we did catch a baby Western Whiptail Lizard just 52 mm. And that is ok with me because if we moved the arrays to the south too we probably wouldn't catch any reptiles. Reptiles in the north and mammals in the south. Lots of driving but I'm not complaining since we usually get to take naps on the drive and still get paid for it, it just makes for some long 14 hour days. Oh and by the way I put a picture of what I believe is a Western Kingbird feeding her babies on here too. I'll try to get some good pictures of the new mammals and put them up.
posted by Gliterwolf at 10:25 PM
5 Comments:
Yep, looks like a Western Kingbird to me, too. Notice the white stripes on the tail. I don't think flowers are vexing. I kind of like them and the ones in your pictures are rather pretty.
Gramma is tying her best. She commented this morning and it didn't take
This is the third time, I only wanted to say that the red flower looks like bottlebrush and that the white flower looks like Chinese garlic blooms.
hey cool pictures! it looks like you're out in the wilderness...did you ever see any bears? :)
There was a cookbook with the rice cooker! I think you could put lots of neat stuff in the steamer basket, too.
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