With such a dry year, or actually a series of drought years, migratory birds are having a bad time on the Pacific Flyway. But with a deal brought about by Nature Conservancy, with a lot of help from Audubon and other partners, and of course the farmers, disaster for the birds may be averted.
Read about it HERE
Farmers have also been partnering to try to save habitat for the quickly declining Tri Colored Blackbird, a sub species of Red Winged Blackbird. The Tricolored is crashing, with numbers down 40% since 2011.
This is very exciting because all of a sudden there is some hope in the mix of other news. I think this will work if everything goes according to plan. Of course, as long as the drought is running, the field flooding may have to continue. There are an unbelievable number of farm fields laying fallow along the Central Coast.
When we drove up there last month we did see huge new acreages of wine grapes but there are problems ahead for those as well. Please read about water problems ahead for the vineyards HERE
Nearly all the lands the vines now occupy were formerly ranch lands. The ranch lands formed good forage for small animals on which Redtailed Hawks, Merlins and other raptors, coyotes and the occasional Bobcat made livings. Mice, cottontail Rabbits, etc, sharpened their skills of survival while dodging death from the air or from the land. But that's a different story. Despite the fact that these vineyards are another form of desert for all species of wildlife, winged or quadrupedal, there has been very little amelioration made for the habitats destroyed, and this is so even with all the additional stresses and problems made worse by drought.
THIS LINK goes to the United States Drought Monitor site for a good look at what's happening and why it is so VERY important to save bath, shower and dish washing water for watering plantings. HERE is a list called Wise Water Use PDF, and save gray water. You can water your potted plants with it. I have a lot of pots and that is how I'm doing it.
Good night, and good luck! Let's keep water out for the birds, too. I get a TON of species by just providing cover and cool water, with a bit of forage. They check out the roses and citrus every single day.
Read about it HERE
Farmers have also been partnering to try to save habitat for the quickly declining Tri Colored Blackbird, a sub species of Red Winged Blackbird. The Tricolored is crashing, with numbers down 40% since 2011.
This is very exciting because all of a sudden there is some hope in the mix of other news. I think this will work if everything goes according to plan. Of course, as long as the drought is running, the field flooding may have to continue. There are an unbelievable number of farm fields laying fallow along the Central Coast.
When we drove up there last month we did see huge new acreages of wine grapes but there are problems ahead for those as well. Please read about water problems ahead for the vineyards HERE
Nearly all the lands the vines now occupy were formerly ranch lands. The ranch lands formed good forage for small animals on which Redtailed Hawks, Merlins and other raptors, coyotes and the occasional Bobcat made livings. Mice, cottontail Rabbits, etc, sharpened their skills of survival while dodging death from the air or from the land. But that's a different story. Despite the fact that these vineyards are another form of desert for all species of wildlife, winged or quadrupedal, there has been very little amelioration made for the habitats destroyed, and this is so even with all the additional stresses and problems made worse by drought.
THIS LINK goes to the United States Drought Monitor site for a good look at what's happening and why it is so VERY important to save bath, shower and dish washing water for watering plantings. HERE is a list called Wise Water Use PDF, and save gray water. You can water your potted plants with it. I have a lot of pots and that is how I'm doing it.
Good night, and good luck! Let's keep water out for the birds, too. I get a TON of species by just providing cover and cool water, with a bit of forage. They check out the roses and citrus every single day.
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I’m going through some stuff but I will peek in now and then and will be back when it’s over..