Hi everyone, I decided to re-start my blog since it's springtime and I'm coming out of hibernation and into the great outdoors once again. I will be starting my new job as a biologist with Arcadis on May 5, and I'm sure I will go on all kinds of crazy adventures jet-setting all over the country on a quest to make sure that environmental laws are followed. But right now, I'm still at the Forest Service and have only been out in the field twice. We have done a couple of dawn surveys to find out where goshawks are nesting so that we can make sure their nest sites are protected. This means I've had to get up at 3 in the morning to be in place before the sun rises. See, goshawks are very secretive once they're incubating their eggs, so the best time to find them is when the male and female are still going through their goshawk love rituals. And they like to do this before the sun comes up. The first time we went out, a pair of goshawks decided to talk to each other as soon as we got there, so that was the end of that survey. The second time, we heard hardly a peep and so we had to sit there for an hour and a half. And sitting still for an hour and half when it's 28 degrees out and there's still three feet of snow on the ground--we're at 8500' elevation, remember--is COLD. Stupid quiet goshawks. Don't they know that we're there to help them? For those of you who don't know, this is a picture of a goshawk (picture from Tanya Dewey of the Animal Diversity Web, educational use only):
In other news, Matthew and I found a den of foxes right by our house. Which means I have BABY FOXES living practically next door to me!!!! And it is a scientific fact that baby foxes are just about the cutest thing in the world. This particular den has several babies and at least four adults associated with it. Of course, the babies always seem to know when I have a camera and will not show themselves when I want them to, but here are some pictures of mama and daddy fox keeping a close eye on me:
Here is what their den looks like; they have multiple entrance holes all over this abandoned property:
Foxes are messy creatures. Near this den entrance I found various bits of trash, fur, and a package of hotdog buns that had been ripped open and strewn everywhere. Did I mention that these foxes live a block away from downtown Louisville? I just think it's so cool that there are carnivores in our midst, keeping the natural balance of things. Like controlling the local population of, uh, hotdog buns.
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