With the spring sun finally starting to impose its will on snowpack, it’s clear the Columbia-Snake River basin will be enjoying a fully stocked water supply.
Wildlife
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Most Topular Stories
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April-September Basin Runoff Predicted To Be 10th Best In 52 Years; La Nina Dissipates In April
Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Bulletin11 May 2012 | 2:23 pm -
A Springtime Walk (With A View To A Kill!)
Taking a Walk on the Wild Side3 May 2012 | 4:49 pmDragonfly on a Log It has been very rainy lately but today is proving to be an exception. Plenty of sun and record high temperatures convinced me to grab the camera and go for a walk. I wasn't expecting to see much in the way of wildlife but you just can't predict what nature will offer you. I visited a couple of ponds in hopes of seeing snakes, turtles, ducklings or goslings. Struck out on all of those, but the trip turned out to be a dandy anyways. Blue Heron walking by a pond Blue Heron spotting prey At the first pond, it seemed the dragonflies and damselflies were… -
The Fox with Five Feet
Tony McLean's East Yorkshire Wildlife Diary7 May 2012 | 1:57 pmThe problem with late Spring is that the sun rises so early. I often wish I was one of those dedicated nature photographers that could go to bed early and rise refreshed and smiling. I know dawn can often be the best time to photograph the delights of nature but truthfully, it screws up my body-clock for several days afterwards. To make matters worse, there was a sharp frost over the weekend and it felt more like December than early May. Still, perseverance has its own rewards and in my case, those rewards were some superb photographic opportunities. Thank goodness I now have a camera that…
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Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Bulletin
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April-September Basin Runoff Predicted To Be 10th Best In 52 Years; La Nina Dissipates In April
11 May 2012 | 2:23 pmWith the spring sun finally starting to impose its will on snowpack, it’s clear the Columbia-Snake River basin will be enjoying a fully stocked water supply. -
Springers Make Their Move With Big Daily Counts At Bonneville; Run Will Fall Short Of Estimates
11 May 2012 | 2:20 pmSalmon savants – those charged with predicting adult fish returns -- are having to go back to the drawing board these days with the spawners stalling, teasing, tantalizing and most recently…overwhelming counters on the lower Columbia River. -
California Sea Lion Numbers In Lower Columbia This Year Far Below 2003’s Peak Count Of 104
11 May 2012 | 2:17 pmCalifornia sea lion presence and predation activity in the waters below the lower Columbia River’s Bonneville Dam is at its lowest ebb of any year since 2002 when U.S. Army Corps of Engineers researchers began monitoring the big marine mammals to evaluate their impact on migrating salmon. -
Study Identifies Contaminants From Wastewater Treatment Plants, Storm Runoff Flowing Into Columbia
11 May 2012 | 2:16 pmHuman activities, such as industrial production, transportation, and day-to-day living, are sources of many contaminants that flow into the Columbia River. A recently completed reconnaissance study detected hundreds of these contaminants in water samples collected from wastewater-treatment-plant effluent and storm runoff from roads and other urban environments in nine cities that line the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington. -
Study Looks At Ecological, Behavioral Factors Prompting Wild Salmon To Stray From Natal Areas
11 May 2012 | 2:15 pmThe straying of wild salmon from their specific natal water can be a good thing in many cases, according to a research paper produced by University of Idaho scientists and published recently in the April edition of the Ecological Society of America’s journal, Ecology.
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Taking a Walk on the Wild Side
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A Springtime Walk (With A View To A Kill!)
3 May 2012 | 4:49 pmDragonfly on a Log It has been very rainy lately but today is proving to be an exception. Plenty of sun and record high temperatures convinced me to grab the camera and go for a walk. I wasn't expecting to see much in the way of wildlife but you just can't predict what nature will offer you. I visited a couple of ponds in hopes of seeing snakes, turtles, ducklings or goslings. Struck out on all of those, but the trip turned out to be a dandy anyways. Blue Heron walking by a pond Blue Heron spotting prey At the first pond, it seemed the dragonflies and damselflies were… -
Missing Hiker Found Alive After 4 Days Without Food
2 May 2012 | 4:22 pmAfter being missing for four days, a hiker suffering from a broken leg, hypothermia and starvation has been found alive and is expected to make a full recovery. Victoria Grover credited her medical training and faith for helping her through the ordeal. The 59 year old physician's assistant from Maine set out last week on a six mile day hike near Hell's Backbone Road in Utah's Dixie National Forest. Two miles away from the trail head, a hop down from a four foot ledge resulted in a broken leg. Unable to safely travel any further, she found shelter near a creek about… -
The Peregrine Falcon Eggs Are Close To Hatching!
30 Apr 2012 | 4:30 pmSpring is an awesome time of the year for many reasons, but to me nothing tops the list like the hatching of bird chicks. I remember as a kid finding a nest with eggs, then checking it daily and being so excited when the eggs finally hatched. For a month or so afterward, I would make daily trips to the nest to see how the chicks were progressing until they finally were able to leave the nest. Nest webcams are the rage these days and they do a great job of making it convenient for you to keep tabs on your little feathered friends. To me, birds of prey are about the… -
Is Climate Change Changing Your World?
27 Apr 2012 | 4:44 pmRecently, I read an article entitled 8 Ways Global Warming Is Already Changing The World, which if nothing else got me thinking about if climate change (I really dislike the term global warming because it has become a political topic rather than a scientific one) has really impacted my life. I do a fair amount of reading and thinking about it, but I hadn't really thought about its impact on me. According to the article, global temperatures have risen by 1.33 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 100 years, with over half of that movement happening in the past 35 years. I have seen… -
All White Killer Whale Filmed
25 Apr 2012 | 4:31 pmFor the first time ever, Russian scientists have captured footage of what is believed to be a male all-white orca. Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, are normally black and white in color, but this is the only known male that is completely white. Nicknamed "Iceberg", he was spotted and filmed twice in 2010 just east of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Bering Sea. He is believed to be about 16 years old and is a member of a pod of 13 whales. This particular pod is just one of 61 pods identified in the region. Only about five all-white orcas have been previously…
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Tony McLean's East Yorkshire Wildlife Diary
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The Fox with Five Feet
7 May 2012 | 1:57 pmThe problem with late Spring is that the sun rises so early. I often wish I was one of those dedicated nature photographers that could go to bed early and rise refreshed and smiling. I know dawn can often be the best time to photograph the delights of nature but truthfully, it screws up my body-clock for several days afterwards. To make matters worse, there was a sharp frost over the weekend and it felt more like December than early May. Still, perseverance has its own rewards and in my case, those rewards were some superb photographic opportunities. Thank goodness I now have a camera that… -
Drought? What drought!
29 Apr 2012 | 5:23 amWhat a miserable week! Watching the rain battering the windows of my home-office for most of the week has been very frustrating. I thought I was developing Cabin fever. I did manage a mid-week evening trip to Tophill Low and got soaked in the process. I tell you, it’s no fun sitting in a cold hide in a wet fleece and trousers! I thought I’d go looking for a pair of Avocets that had been spotted by several people on the reserve. I headed for South Marsh but disorientated by the rain, I walked straight past the hide. I sought shelter from the rain in the hide overlooking Watter N.R. -
Ratty
15 Apr 2012 | 4:00 amI managed to dodge some very heavy showers this week and made my way down to Tophill Low’s North Marsh hide. After a few minutes, I saw a water vole swimming about but a patrolling Coot kept it at bay. I watched patiently for an hour or so. There was very little activity elsewhere on the marsh and night-fall was rapidly approaching. I got bored and explored the surrounding woods for ten minutes. I approached the hide once more, this time on tip-toe to avoid any vibrations, and was rewarded with a great display from the vole as it munched away on the fresh green reed shoots for almost… -
Ne’er cast a clout till May is out
9 Apr 2012 | 4:26 amI should have guessed the unseasonably warm weather wouldn’t last. We’re back to cold nights and April showers. I must admit that everything now looks a lot greener. Over the weekend, a feral Egyptian Goose was present around the northern edge of the reserve. It seemed quite lost and spent a great deal of time trying to find a companion or some other geese that would tolerate its presence. Good to see that a pair Little Ringed Plovers has once again returned to Watton N.R. I’d like to post a photograph but they were a little too distant. The LRP’s were accompanied by… -
Spring is in the air
30 Mar 2012 | 9:54 amWe’re not even in April yet and the temperatures have soared. I’ve been making the most of the good weather and the longer day-light hours and I’m sure the local wildlife has too. I spotted this Red Fox the other day but it was too close to photograph its whole body with my long lens. Nevertheless, it provided me with a good opportunity to study those beautifully designed eyes. Unlike most Canids (Dogs, wolves, Foxes, Coyotes etc), a Fox has slit-form pupils rather than the usual round ones. This is thought to assist with the hunting of ground based prey. A better…
