Field Notes
Endangered Species
Energy
White House
Bird Conservation
Tribute
Dispatches
All the Forest’s a Stage
Tails, You Win
I Am a Dorito Bandito
Disarming Cats
Body Makeover
A Stunner
Rockin’ Robin, Tweet
Illustrations by Greg Mably
All the Forest’s a Stage
The flying adder’s clear, veined wings hover as its yellow-dotted abdomen briefly brushes the stage. Then this dragonfly—or, rather, this child meticulously costumed as one—leaps to an enormous maidenhair fern and glides it across the floor as fairies dance to Felix Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Premiering last October in Portland, the new production by the Oregon Ballet Theatre took its stylistic cue from Opal Creek, a rare, pristine ancient forest of damp moss and massive Douglas firs nestled in the Cascade Mountains. Before the show was staged, costume and set designer Sandra Woodall spent a day at Opal Creek with her sketchbook and camera. As a result, the fairies wear subtle silk-blend costumes that look like “a piece of fabric just blown across the body, like you are running through the woods and a spider web just sticks,” says Woodall. Costumes for the production’s mortals lean on more intense colors meant to reflect character: Oberon leaps in the reddish and purple browns of yew bark, and Titania is draped as a rosy fringe cup. The backdrop—scrim and painted—dapples the light, re-creating the silhouette of trees against the sunset that Woodall observed at the end of her day at Opal Creek.
“I said to myself, ‘There, see that? I hope it looks just like that.’ ” (For more on Woodall's costumes, see “Designing from Nature.”)—Kristin Phillips
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Tails, You Win
Who knew squirrels were so fierce or clever? In a recent study, Aaron Rundus, at the time a graduate psychology student at the University of California, Davis, found that a ground squirrel defending its pups will wave its tail frantically when snakes get near. But this is no ordinary wagging. Using an infrared camera, Rundus discovered that the squirrels might actually heat up their tails through increased blood flow when facing down a rattlesnake. The rattlers have an organ that detects the infrared glow given off by warm-blooded species, which is what allows them to locate prey at night. In the case of the tail-flagging behavior, however, the snakes are more likely to be on the defensive, knowing they’ve been detected. In the study, rattlers even reacted defensively to a stuffed squirrel with an artificially heated tail. At the same time, when the squirrels face off with gopher snakes, which lack infrared perception, they don’t bother to heat their lashing tails. The researchers chalk this up to co-evolution: As rattlesnakes developed infrared perception, squirrels adapted in a way that helped them protect their young by manipulating their own body heat to deliver an infrared signal to the snakes.—Hilda Brucker
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I Am a Dorito Bandito
In recent months workers at a newsstand in Aberdeen, Scotland, have spotted a winged shoplifter regularly stealing snack-sized bags of chips. Sam the Seagull, as he is now known, waits until the shop door is open and the coast is clear before sneaking in to snag a bag of Chili Heatwave–flavored Doritos. He then saunters nonchalantly out the door to rip the bag open and snack with his bird buddies. Sam has been pilfering Doritos since July—always the same flavor, says store employee Sriaram Nagarajan. Each bag costs approximately a dollar, and customers and tourists have taken to paying for Sam’s stolen merchandise. Shop workers continue to be entertained by Sam’s visits, and a YouTube video recently emerged, showing the clever bird swiping the chips from the bottom shelf and walking out the door with the shiny bag in his beak. Bird experts admit that Sam’s shoplifting may be entertaining but advise against reinforcing the behavior, because junk food is unhealthy
and only encourages birds to hang out in areas that are not their natural habitat, potentially putting them in harm’s way.—Shawn Query
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Disarming Cats
Wearing a bib may prevent a messy meal for humans, but for cats it may also foil the meal altogether—which would be good for the estimated millions of birds and other small animals killed each year by domestic cats. A recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation found that fastening bibs to kitty collars can reduce the number of birds they kill by up to 72 percent. Researchers suspect that like a warning flag, the brightly colored neoprene bibs alert potential prey to the presence of an otherwise stealthy cat. The researchers, led by Mike Calver, an ecologist at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, monitored the animals caught (and brought home as “gifts” to owners) by 56 western Australian cats—all known hunters—that were allowed outdoors. The area’s reptiles, frogs, mammals, and birds all fared better in the weeks when the felines donned the accessory. Still, while dressing Mr. Whiskers up may be
oh-so-cute, leaving him indoors is 100 percent effective at keeping his wildlife trophies from your doorstep.—Melissa Mahony
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Body Makeover
Last spring a female great horned owl was brought to the Lakeside Nature Center in Kansas City after it was found near a chemical overflow pool in an industrial area. The owl had chemical burns on its chest and required surgery to remove damaged muscle from its breast. “She was recovering nicely, but some of her feathers became brittle and broke—probably due to the contact she had with the chemicals,” says Conrad Schmitt, the center’s director. So rehab specialists performed a procedure known as “imping”—essentially attaching new feathers and artificial shafts with Super Glue. The staff whittled bamboo shafts to attach to what was left of the twelve tail and the six feathers on each wing, then attached feathers from an owl that died. After the hour-long procedure it was time for the test. “We didn’t expect her to fly right away, but she acted just like they were her natural feathers,” says Ruth VanWye, an animal rehab specialist who assisted with the surgery. A week later the owl was released on the banks of the Missouri River, near where it was found, and soon after paired with a mate. The researchers believe that once molting season arrives, the owl will grow a new batch of natural feathers to replace the artificially attached ones.—Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell
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A Stunner
In the war against invasive species, electrocution isn’t a common tactic. That might change now that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has successfully employed electric current to beat back the pesky flathead catfish in the Satilla River part of the state. The flatheads, native to waterways in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basins, are believed to have been introduced by sportsmen. In the Satilla, where they reach an average of 30 pounds from feasting on native fish, the flatheads have decimated populations of the sunfish favored by local anglers. In the project’s first year, from spring through fall, state biologist Tim Bonvechio and his crew were on the river, sending an electric current into the water to stun the voracious fish, then scooping them up in nets and removing them. “Preliminary analysis shows we’ve put a dent in the catfish population,” says Bonvechio. The low-amperage “stun gun” being used doesn’t adversely affect most native fish, which are protected by their scales. “You need a lot more power to shock the scaled fish, versus catfish, which are just kind of slimy,” says Bonvechio.—Hilda J. Brucker
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Rockin’ Robin, Tweet
When the instrumental rock trio Bird Show of North America (yes, that is the band’s actual name) plays in Seattle bars, it’s only fitting that its song list includes “Great Horned Owl” and “Wandering Albatross.” One member of the band is an artist who paints the song’s namesakes during performances. Bird Show of North America is comprised of guitarist Ian Peters, drummer CJ Miller, and painter Curtis Poortinga. The band formed when Peters and Miller, who have been playing together since 1997, decided they needed a theme; the bird idea came from Miller, who, like his mother, is an avid birdwatcher. Peters and Miller often write a song first, then sit down with a field guide to figure out which bird’s traits offer the best fit. “I think after you’ve assigned that bird and listened to it enough times, the song really is that bird,” Peters says. Poortinga’s paintings add a compelling visual element, and the band sells them for $20 to $40 after shows (for more on his art, click here). Last October, Bird Show of North America released its first full-length album, Murder Over Moscow. The album cover, which was painted by Poortinga, pictures a flock of crows flying over a map of Moscow, Idaho. The album is available on iTunes and at cdbaby.com.—Shawn Query
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