I've been meaning to write post Colorado, but have been caught up in a variety of things. Thanksgiving was wonderful all around. Delicious non-traditional food and good company kept away homesickness. I love that Sheri and I both are content laying about reading for hours at a time books meant for readers much younger than ourselves. As pleasant as the trip away from Lubbock was, I have run into a string of bad luck that has been severely dampening my spirits. Mere days separate my return to Chicago and I hope with it comes a change in my disposition. A healthy dose of holiday festivities should do the trick, along with a much-needed visit with Taylor in Florida.
On a happier note, I volunteered to compile my classes notes on David Attenborough's "Life in Cold Blood" (a book on reptiles and amphibians) which will place me as lead author of a review published in Herpetological Review. I'm excited to finally see my name in print. As I'm a bit distracted, I will end this update with an uplifting view from garden of the gods in CO springs.

Bird's the word

Lately I have been feeling...tense. Alot of it has to do with Taylor's departure and trying to re-accustom myself to life minus his calming presence. I also realized that the lack of naturalness (think I just made up a word) in Lubbock is contributing to my chronic anxiety. This irritating state of mind first materialized when I moved back to Chicago post-Utah. Once I experienced a taste of the wild places that still exist in this patchwork country of ours, I couldn't bring myself to live in a place where development is lord and master. So, how do I assimilate a sense of nature into this chain-store ridden, three-lane street paving, conformist urban wonderland? Well, it just so happens Texas is an ideal place for spotting migrating birds in fall and winter. And Lubbock just so happens to contain a variety of man-made ponds and even a few natural wetlands from which these birds can be spotted. So, with binoculars and bird book in tow, I made my way to one of these aforementioned ponds. In two days time I have identified more species of water birds than I've ever encountered, even while working in wetlands in Lockport for two years. Most are species I've seen before but there were a few that were brand new to me. Either way I was thrilled to sit back and observe such a diverse group of birds coexisting in the same scrap of water. To give you an idea of the variety, here's a list of what I saw:

American coot

double-crested cormorant

great blue heron

green heron

black-crowned night heron (adults and juveniles)

great egret

pied-billed grebe

hooded merganser

mallard

green-winged teal

gadwall*

Northern shoveler*

American widgeon

redhead

wood duck*

canada goose

common snipe

greater yellowlegs*

killdeer

*= first time I've seen in wild

combined for a total of 19 species! I'm going to check out another place this weekend. I'm hoping to add common goldeneye, northern pintail, ring-necked duck, lesser scaup, bufflehead, eared grebe, and snow goose to the list by the end of the year. I hesitate to admit getting caught up in birding, but what's a reptile lover to do in winter?

Housemates

We took these pictures awhile ago at an open mic night. I just wanted to introduce you to two of the best roommates ever, Bekah and Amanda...

Yes we can

What a couple of weeks it's been. There's alot to cover. Let's get started:
After all the anticipating and counting down, Taylor finally arrived! In the next few days I showed him around Lubbock, cooked him food, and showed off my line-driving skills in our 16-1 softball victory! We drank wine, we watched movies, we reconnected and remembered why we're willing to put up with the heart-wrenching ups and downs of a long-distance relationship. But nothing compared to when we high-tailed it out of Lubbock and made for the mountains of West Texas (there are mountains in Texas, believe it!). Here, we were back in our element. Hiking and camping, seeking out wildlife...it's this shared passion that really connects us. It was the greatest weekend I've had since we traveled back to Utah this past Spring. We climbed peaks, walked along washes full of fall colors brilliant enough to rival Vermont, encountered rare and new creatures (birds and reptiles alike), saw springs forming an oasis in the desert, explored the overwhelming caves of Carlsbad and ate enough New Mexican food to satiate our post-hiking hunger. It couldn't have gone better. Click here to see all the pictures from the trip. And as sobering as the return to Lubbock was, we had the election to look forward to. Champagne was had as we witnessed an event that will most likely stay with us for the rest of our lives. After all these years of cynicism and doubt regarding our country's stability and place in the world, to have people come together like they have behind Obama and his vision for our future is inspiring. How lucky we are to be part of this election.

the general aspects of my research

Multi-scale Habitat Selection of the Texas Horned Lizard in Central Texas

Historically, the Texas horned lizard ranged across the state with a few exceptions in the far Eastern counties. In 1992 and '99, researchers conducted statewide surveys along with an examination of historical records and collections that led them to conclude lizard numbers are sharply declining and populations are becoming more fragmented, especially in the Eastern and Central portions of their range. This species is now thought to be absent from 30% of lands it once inhabited in Texas.

The state took measures to protect the species: declaring collection illegal in 1967 and listing the Texas horned lizard as threatened in 1977. Initially collection was a major contributor to the decline, but after legislation banned the practice, researchers began to examine additional causes. Habitat loss and alteration, widespread pesticide use, road mortalities, and the influx of red imported fire ants are all suspected to have detrimental effects on horned lizard populations.

Slowing or even reversing the decline is a top priority for conservation of the species. The Texas horned lizard fills a unique and valuable niche in this landscape. As a specialist species (75% of their diet is comprised of harvester ants), it has been suggested that horned lizards are more vulnerable to changes in the environment and therefore can be used as an indicator of the general health of terrestrial ecosystems in Texas. The residents themselves have shown a positive response to conservation of horned lizards which is crucial considering a large portion of their range is controlled by private land owners.

My research will be focused on two populations located on sites in Central Texas. Camp Bowie is a Texas National Guard training facility and Blue Mountain Peak Ranch is a privately owned ranch managed for outdoor recreation and conservation. As I mentioned earlier, Central Texas is one of the areas experiencing the largest declines but has been the least studied of the regions. Because the range of the Texas horned lizard contains a variety of habitat, it has been shown that the behavior and ecology of the lizards themselves vary as well from region to region. Although a number of previous studies have been published on populations of horned lizards from Southern and Western portions of the state, what was found to be true for those populations may not be true for our lizards in Central Texas.

There are a number of things we wish to learn from studying these horned lizard populations. First, we want to obtain basic ecology information: specifically, growth rates and home range sizes to add to the collection of life history data that already exists for horned lizards from other regions. The main focus of the study however, will be determining patterns of habitat use at two scales: the larger scale of home range selection and the smaller scale of microhabitat selection within the home range. This data will be used to formulate a habitat model for predicting presence of Texas horned lizards on other lands in Central Texas and identifying possible sites for re-introduction of the species. In addition to habitat composition, I will also examine both fire ant and harvester ant distribution in relation to our lizard locations. What I hope to discern is whether horned lizards are restricting their home range due to prey availability or if habitat suitability is exerting a stronger influence on their distribution. All aspects of this study will be useful for developing land management suggestions that will be beneficial to the Texas horned lizard. If private land owners are willing, their participation in the conservation of this species will be paramount.

The leaves aren't turning, but it feels like fall

My posts have been sparse as of late. I attribute this mainly to a lack of interesting things to share with you fine people. School has been picking up, I have a test and a presentation coming up this week and next which I have no complaints about. I've embraced any and all distractions from counting down the days until Taylor's arrival in Lubbock (12 days now). The weather has finally cooled off and clouds and rain have appeared in a patchy manner. It has been a welcomed change and my free time activities have shifted in accord with the fall atmosphere. More baking, more movies and more soft blankets have worked their way into my schedule. Sadly, white sox baseball departed earlier than I had hoped but it was an exciting conclusion to the season nonetheless. Plenty to look forward to as the months roll along: Taylor's visit of course, but also a trip to Colorado to see Sheri during Thanksgiving break, being home for Christmas and then a very possible trip to Tallahassee to spend time with Taylor and his folks, whose company I enjoy immensely.

As for today being Columbus day, let me rant for a moment. Taylor brought up a good point, saying Columbus is not exactly the kind of historical figure that should be heralded as the poster boy for Italian pride. Personally, I nominate Galileo or Leonardo Da Vinci as two of the most brilliant Italians to have ever graced existence. (speaking of Da Vinci that reminds me, I've been meaning to read the book "The Science of Leonardo"...it will have to wait until I'm done reading "The World Without Us.")

As far as updates go, I'm spent. I'll post a snippet from my presentation here next week. Be prepared to learn more about Texas horned lizards than you ever cared to.

BLACKOUT!

Boy do I love October!

Decided to get away this weekend and boy was I glad for it. Two hours North is a State park called Palo Duro Canyon, which is supposedly the second largest next to the Grand Canyon (where I have been as well). To be honest, I preferred Palo Duro but that could be because my time at the Grand Canyon was short lived and the 10,000ft elevation sickness I felt was needless to say an unpleasant sensation. You may think camping alone to be...well, lonely. Personally, I prefer a quiet, reflective hike as opposed to socialization. I focus on my breathing, my movement, the surroundings...there's too much stimulus without adding an additional need to hold a conversation. In light of this thought, let me allow you to peruse this weekend's photos as I bid a fond adieu.

Mangia!

I've mentioned that lately cooking has been my self-prescribed therapy for loneliness. And let me say, it has been incredibly effective; plus, there's a delicious meal at the end! I mainly depend on recipes except when it comes to tomato sauce, then I just go all out. So far I've made things like gnocchi with peas in a mushroom cream sauce, strawberry balsamic grilled chicken and brown rice, a tofu stir-fry with peanut sauce, and last night was homemade whole wheat pumpkin ravioli and roasted asparagus in a wild mushroom broth (the tastiness in the picture). This one was really fun to make and seeing as I put so much work into it, I shared it with my roommates. I've decided to take pictures from now on because even if I'm eating alone, I still fuss over the presentation. Might as well capture the display via camera.

Street tubing: it's the next big thing!

My return to scholastic living is well underway. But thus far, there is still time for diversion. I took a weekend to join the Texas Herpetological Society and become familiar with the herp life of a Texas shortgrass prairie. Met a fellow from Lockport, IL of all places! He too was familiar with Lockport and Romeoville Prairies, which is about as close as you can get to a natural oasis in the concrete jungles of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge similarly was a breath of fresh air compared to the surrounding areas. Here is what this lovely area provided for us: (I apologize to those whose eyes might start to glaze over, but be thankful I'm not using scientific names) North American porcupine, yellow mud turtles, prairie rattlesnakes, corn snakes, a coachwhip, checkered garter snakes, a larval tiger salamander, lined snakes, Texas horned lizards, an exensive prairie dog town, woodhouse's toads and there's probably a few others I've forgotten.

Other than that weekend, it has been business as usual. Classes are fine, I finally have keys to my office and my roommates are amazing. Kickboxing twice a week is ridiculously fun: a great tension reliever and I've found cooking healthy, semi-involved meals to be therapeutic as well. All useful remedies for keeping my mind off missing Taylor. I give props to those who deal with long-distance relationships (Sheri, my heart goes out to you especially). My situation is frustrating at times, but not completely unbearable.

The only other update I have is in regards to the very unusual weather. Hurricanes have been causing intense rain in Lubbock which unfortunately has the worst draining system I've ever seen (or maybe I should say 'not seen'). I watched in fascination yesterday as our street progressively turned into a rushing river. Had we a tube, there most definitely would have been some street tubing occurring. Class was canceled due these extraordinary circumstances, so I should probably utilize this time and get some necessary reading done. adios

"thanks but no thanks"...I do love Bill

oh where to start...
As of Tuesday of last week I have departed Arnold, CA and embarked on the journey to Lubbock, TX. On the way, there was too brief a night spent in the Mojave National Preserve (it kills me to stay in a place and not explore), some delightful thai lunch in Flagstaff and an Albuquerque Isotopes game, grand slam victory and all. Then things got a tad hectic as I arrived midday in Lubbock, unpacked, stocked up on groceries, and packed for a weekend of camping in the field. A mere 5 more hours in the car and I was tracking Texas horned lizards by friday afternoon. Met quite an interesting fellow on Saturday who is allowing us free passage to search for lizards on his 800 acres of land, which is inspirationally being restored out of his own pocket. Things died down and I've been getting to know the layout of Lubbock, the five floors of books at the TTU library (score!) and their massive rec center (double score!). The DNC has kept me company at night, along with my very awesome roommates and Bella the american bull dog. I don't have my own functioning computer yet but once I do, pictures will follow. Missing everyone of course, especially Taylor but I'm happy to have alot to keep me occupied and my brain stimulated. I'll post as updates come.

Been a long time since I rock n' rolled

Actually, it's just been a long time since I've blogged...and rolled. I don't really roll. Anyway, things have been busy, busy as usual. Let's get right down to it...

Had a week of mom getting six months of motherliness out of her system. I tried to adequately give her a sense of mountain living: wine, food, bears...yes, bears. We surprisingly came across a mother and two cubs while driving out of my work site. It was the first bearage I've ever encountered, even with backpacking in the Smokies at the height of bear season. Needless to say we were both excited.

My favorite part was exploring a grove of giant sequoias that Taylor and I had yet to visit. Mom couldn't get over the giant cones from the sugar pine (Ironically, the giant sequoia has comparatively tiny cones). After all the fun and foot breakage (Taylor is starting to heal nicely), mom went home and work ensued. Last weekend we cut loose by heading to Mammoth lakes for the beer and blues festival. Then Patrick and I started a forest fire...

Ok, we didn't start it at all actually. We went hiking at Sherwin Lakes and discovered the beginnings of what appeared to be a small fire started by some ignorant people. When we left, the fire crew was on their way up the trail and we thought that would be the end of it. Lo and behold, I look up online just moments ago and discover the fire became a raging inferno, burning over 250 acres. See Patrick, you really could have been a hero!

Now, after another weeks work, things are boiling down in the world of Goshawk surveys. We have very little left to do, which is superb because I have moving to deal with. On the 19th, I shall be packing up the little focus that could and heading to Lubbock, Texas to start grad school. But not before having a final weekend hurrah in San Francisco. Once I do move though, I should finally have a working cell phone so expect some calls and catching up.

update time...High Sierra was a blast. The weather was infintely better than last year (the forest fire smoke was horrendous though). Alot of good people were there and alot of new bands being discovered. I was really enjoying the blues/funk/jazz vibe coming from some New Orleans bands. Again, the afternoon sets were my favorite except for Trombone Shorty on saturday night. We danced, danced and danced some more. Whereas last year the four days seemed a tad too long, this year it was far too short.
But exciting news awaited me upon my return home. A grad school project working on Texas horned lizards that had suddenly appeared to the tune of glorious trumpets sounding has become my best prospect for this fall. I await official acceptance but it looks as if I will be Texas-bound come August. That doesn't leave much time for getting myself situated, but I'm pretty confident I can manage the quick transition. The worst part will be parting from Taylor for an unknown amount of time. But it's the kind of situation that you just have to let play out and hope for the best. I think I'm better prepared for it than the first division-by-landmass last summer.
The summer is really flying by now. Get to spend a week showing mom what mountain life is like starting this Saturday. Then it's goshawk transect cram time which will culminate with a trip to Oakland to see the White Sox! Can you think of a better way to end a season? (some of you don't answer that!)

"I'll infect you with the back of my hand!"

oh Sealab never ceases to crack me up...

so seeing as I won't be around until after the 4th, how's about a brief update:

Past couple weeks have been full of labor intensive work, a co-worker bbq , road trip to vegas, and more labor intensive work. Taylor and I even scored some free tickets to a concert last night and danced the night away. It's all been tiring but fun (except the poison oak...not fun). After another 4 days of camping and morning-til-night surveying, Taylor and I will be off to Quincy for 5 days of the High Sierra Music Festival. I'm psyched for many reasons: having a chunk of time off to let my body recouperate, music and dancing, and reuniting with friends from across the country. Other exciting news regards my plans for the rest of the year. I'm awaiting feedback from an interview for grad school in New Mexico starting this fall and also have applied to a wildlife gig in Tallahassee, FL as a fall-back option. I'd be glad to land either one, but the bright, shiny glory of higher-degreeness beckons me. The life of a wildlife tech is a fascinating one, yes, but it is a life of financial struggle. A master's degree and a permanent position with state wildlife management would be the doorway to at least a meager amount of stability. Either way at least I have spending time with this --> to look forward to.

"It's better than bad, it's good!"

(I've had the Ren and Stimpy log commercial song in my head for days)

I'm a little behind on posts seeing as the Sierra foothills do not offer wireless internet. Now with work in full swing, four days of my week are spent camping and hiking in the mountains. It's challenging work and I'm already back in tip-top shape and feeling good. Unfortunately, we haven't been finding any hawks. Most of the day is quite enjoyable with some great scenery along my cross-country surveys (no pictures though b/c my digital camera is still out of commission). Certainly not enough reptiles though, save for the one Gilbert's skink I saw the other day.
I've been checking the rocky, open spots regularly for snakes and lizards but to no avail. There's also the occasional collision will fallen braches and trees, leaving for some nasty bruises and scrapes (typical by-product of any field job). I've also declared the Manzanita my sworn enemy...a particularly scratchy bush that grows in large clusters through which I must navigate very slowly...the frustration it causes is only matched by that of a thick phelaris patch in the marshes of Lockport. Other than these disappointments, the job has been pretty swell. Another curious observation I've made while at home is that although we are at full capacity with 6 crew members, it's almost as if Taylor and I live here alone. Everyone else retreats to their respective caves/bedrooms and only emerge to forage occasionally. The socialization is lacking, making me eager to spend my weekends elsewhere. Two weekends ago was the mendocino trip. And come tomorrow morning, I will be on my way to sin city for a rendezvous with familiar faces from Chicago. It couldn't come at a better time. Tensions have been building and I'm longing for a dose of the midwest. Even the long drive through the desert should prove clarifying. There's nothing like an expanse of seemingly empty desert to bring things into perspective. Now if only I can manage to find some herp life at the red rocks preserve, I think I may reach a breakthrough.

Domain of the mole people

Time for day-off shenanigans. Today we took a trip to Mercer Caverns and 16 flights of stairs later we found ourselves in stalactite heaven. Being my first time in a cave, I camera-ed it out and took pictures of every interesting formation I could point the lens at. The folded waves (4th picture) remind me of many a Georgia O'Keefe painting.

Puff the magic spotted owling

Here's a few mostly clear owl shots taken by my crew leader Jay from our recent nest check. And what is that hiding amongst the leaves and branches? It is one of two hatchling owls which are being diligently watched over by their momma (who posed ever so nicely for us). She was so determined to get the mice we had with us to feed her babies, she practically flew right into me.

And of course, this strapping young biologist is Taylor (for those of you who haven't met him). Now that goshawk surveys are starting up, this summer will fly by. Weeks will be filled with campouts and the kek-kek-kek! call of the goshawk, weekends will be full of various adventures including a trip back to the mendocino coast, long drive to vegas to meet up with much-missed Chicago friends, get together at the high sierra music festival for 4th of July weekend, a visit from my momma!, blues and beer fest in august and another weekend in San Fran watching the white sox at AT&T park. Phew, that sure does sound like alot.

Owl Night Surveys, Round 2

This week we visited our spotted owl site for another round of night surveys. This time proved to be less stressful due to melted snow and ease of travel (last time we had to navigate snowmobiles in less than desireable conditions). It was even enjoyable riding the ATV's (pow, pow, power wheels!), especially since the weather warmed considerably. For those of you who really have no clue as to what I'm doing, let me break it down for you.

My job consist of two parts: spotted owl surveys and goshawk surveys. The goshawk part has yet to begin. For spotted owls, we have designated call points throughout our survey area (various locations in the forests of the Sierras). Before sunset we travel via snowmobile, ATV, truck or by whatever means necessary to reach these points. Once the sun sets we can start our survey which consists of imitating the spotted owl call at each point and listening for a response. If we are so lucky to hear back from our feathered friends, the next day we return to the spot pre-sunset and seek them out. The fun part is feeding them mice. The fate bestowed upon the mouse tells us whether the owls are nesting or not (male gives a mouse to a female, or female brings mice to juveniles...obviously nesting). If we find a nest, we'll check up on it throughout the season to determine its success (whether or not there are fluffy white baby owls inside). Best part of this week was finding another nesting spotted owl pair. Unfortunately the pre-sunset light doesn't lend itself to clear pictures but you'll get the idea.

I like the last one...the female is eyeing the mouse on the branch moments before snatching it. The nest they've chosen allows for quite a bit of privacy, but the male decided to poke his head out and check us out. Supposedly this is a pretty unique nesting spot. Considering I've only viewed two nests thus far, I'll take Jay and Taylor's word for it.

Devil in the White City

With the recent discovery of the Arnold library, I have begun reading at a voracious pace. My first victim is "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson, recommended to me a ways back by Jess. It is a must for any Chicagoan. In fourth grade I did a report on the World's Columbian Exposition (the fair is the focus of the book) and naturally, I didn't remember a thing about it except that there was the first and largest Ferris wheel ever built (seriously, what else would a kid take away from that?). But now, despite my aversion to history in general...I've found the story behind the fair remarkable, and I'm ashamed that alot of the information was new to me. Many of Chicago's present-day features are due largely to this fair. SO, it's time for me to get nerdy again...

Anyone recognize this building? It is one of a few buildings out of the over 200 built for the fair that are still in existence. In 1893 it was the Palace of Fine Arts, today it is the Museum of Science and Industry. Another fair-remnant now houses the Art Institute.

And not to mention a few other choice rennovations the city underwent just for the occasion:

-The L, then called the Alley L was built solely to accommodate the influx of visitors into the city and bring them to and from the fairgrounds

-the reversal of the flow of the Chicago river meant to clean up the drinking water and keep breakouts of cholera and other illnesses low

-the nickname "the windy city" was conjured not because of the gusts we are so familiar with, but instead referred to the boasting the city did when pitching for the role of fair host

-The post-fair City Beautiful Movement lead to an aesthetical clean-up of the city including the rise of city parks, fountains and anything else pleasant to contrast the dark and dingy city of the early 1900s

Considering the atmosphere created by team of artist and architects, who would want the city to go back the way it was? Nothing of this magnitude has been established in Chicago or anywhere in the country since. And this concludes your history lesson for the day. Be sure to complete your question and answer workbook for tomorrow.

oh and fun fact: Pabst Blue Ribbon is thus called b/c it won best beer at the Fair