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!