Page 20 - Sentinel August 2017

WILD SIDE Continued from page 18 ing a gene pool bank. And if you are having difficulty sleeping
the spotted, and some ones in-between have been prolific in one night reach for the Boreal Toad Husbandry Manual.
guaranteeing the continuation of their kind. And, man, are they
strutting it! They are the first to the bird bath when it is freshly Crows – those Futuristic Planners
filled, flicking water everywhere as they splash with abandon, Corvids, or members of the crow family like ravens, and, well,
making the most of their baths. And then it is off to Hubby yes, crows, along with rooks, jays, magpies, and nutcrackers
Dave’s hot chili pepper and marigold garden to eagerly await in these parts can and do plan for a rainy day. These birds are
the sprinklers to be turned on for more play time. Then on to carnivorous, preferring carrion, which is high in their dietary
the breakfast table where once again they literally throw seed to requirements like protein and stinky breath. But they do us a fa-
the wind with their rambunctious scratching, trying to uncover vor in cleaning up road kill. However, Tasmanians (Australia)
some savory bugs. After watching them, I feel like taking a post highway signs warning motorists to watch for slow-flying
nap. crows, its most prevalent road kill. So Tasmanian devils and
kangaroos out-perform crows on the road. Hmmmm...
After I submitted July’s wildlife article, much of it on bull
snakes, Karen Dale, the Sentinel editor, told me that she “need- Anyway, carrion is not always available and does not last long,
ed to cut out the deadwood (voles) in my junipers—came whip- so to survive crows must plan for the lean times. So, they rely
ping up the walk, clippers in hand, only to face a LARGE bull on hoarding. They must plan what to store, where to store it,
snake stretched out on the walk. Back to the garage, back to the and when to store it. It’s almost like our financial planning.
house...those junipers don’t need clipping this year. And maybe
he’ll get a vole or two.” Crows have long been known for their ability to acquire, make,
and use tools to dig food out of cavities or obscure places. Re-
And a couple of days later, we found a four-foot long snake skin searchers have found that crows can retrieve the right tool from
outside the front door. One scaly dude was obviously prepar- its cache of tools in order to perform the necessary job. Now,
ing for expansion after consuming a few fat voles. And voila! we are not talking Ryobi or Craftsman, but simple pliable twigs
There was one running across the front garage apron daring the to pieces of wire that they bend to make a hook. The hook
bull snake to take it. Our Ollie pooch added to his kill score, is then used to dig juicy grubs out of old logs, for example.
catching a fat pocket gopher in the field. They will maneuver the hook or tool to more easily retrieve
their prize. Check out this fascinating video on youtube.com:
Last week I caught a glimpse of a highway caution sign on a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtmLVP0HvDg
local news program. This sign said to watch for boreal toads.
Say what? With all my years in Colorado, I have never seen And amazingly, they can remember where their caches are at,
or heard of such a critter. So back to my Funk and Wagnall’s using landmarks. Their caches also contain shiny objects to
(Google these days.) which they are attracted like your car keys or my missing tennis
bracelet. And they are clever enough to use your car key to turn
Boreal toads are about palm-sized and can be found from 7000 on the ignition to the car. Fortunately, their legs are too short
feet altitude to 12000 to reach the pedals.
feet. Their diminish-
ing populations have Short Takes...
placed them on the en- Have you noticed the wide variety of colors of our resident lady
dangered species list bugs? Brilliant red, red-orange, yellow, tan, and shades in that
here in Colorado and spectra.
also in New Mexico
due to an aggressive Now that the brown-headed cowbirds have populated the nests
fungus and lack of of unsuspecting other bird species, it is time for them to pick up
habitat. They occa- and leave Dodge. Whew. Now there will be less crowding at
sionally can be seen in the seed feeders.
the Henderson Mine area. Efforts at translocation (implanting *****
tadpoles at various locations) have had mixed results. The site That’s all, folks, for this month. Gotta run – time to put out the
at Cameron Pass appears to be successful. If you encounter one, fifth hummingbird feeder at our house. The rufous population
please leave it be. Take a photograph and contact the Colorado has arrived at the Peters’ oasis to pig-out during their migration
Parks and Wildlife to report your finding. Although they do not to their winter digs. And the young-ins of the broadtails and
have a current study going on, they do partner with other or- the black-throated hummers are getting into the feeding frenzy
ganizations including an effort at Colorado State University to while the grownups scrap over who owns which feeder.
research aquatic life in Colorado. Yeah, I know, toads are only
aquatic when it is breeding time. And the Department also How to Contact Me: Email is best at susan@larskpurconsulting.
has a facility called the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Native com. Alternatively, call my cell phone at 303-725-6868 or send
Aquatic Species Restoration Facility (NASRF) that hosts over a short write-up to 2255 Quartz Mountain Drive.
700 adult boreal toads for translocation, research, and maintain- Boreal toads photo credit: Brandees

Page 20 - August 2017 Perry Park Sentinel