After graduating from college with my degree in Art, I had to figure out what I wanted to do to make money. Art is great but rarely pays the bills. At 26, I decided I wanted to help animals and went out the next day and got a job cleaning kennels at Arroyo Animal Clinic in Sunnyvale. I quickly moved up the ladder and worked for 5 different clinics over a period of 25 years. It was such a rewarding job. I did learn from this job that I NEVER wanted to work for the SPCA as I could not deal with putting animals to sleep. When it happened at the various clinics, it was because the dog or cat was very old or very sick. But seeing animals put to death because of overpopulation, neglect and abuse just was something I always knew I could not handle.

As I research all these articles that I find important to make sure my facts are correct, I am running into a similar issue; I FIND IT VERY HARD TO FIND OUT ABOUT PUFFINS DYING DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING. Or opening up hunting on the Barred Owl as an experiment to try to save the Northern Spotted Owl. Or the plight of the Marbled Murrelet that I have written about. These things gnaw at me and become my focus. And I am not sure it is good for me.

I share this as I wonder how others cope with such depressing things? How do members of Green Peace go out in their small boats and tackle the killing of whales that happens right before their eyes?  How do others deal with the decline of the rain forests which so many countries continue to destroy. Or Polar Bears...and on and on. How do some people trying to make a difference do so without getting depressed about it. It seems to be a very, steep, uphill battle.

I spoke with my friend about it and think I must focus on the positives, the success stories, when someone makes a difference, that come my way. Way too much negativity if I let it in.  I find I cannot cope with short term thinking, anything for a buck, destruction of life.

I have been pondering the idea of NO CROWS. What would this mean to my garden? There seem to be fewer and fewer small birds, altho' perhaps we are between migrations. I still have all my chestnut-backed chickadees, towhees are raising a second family, but no nuthatches, few titmice, no phoebes this year, haven't seen the hooded orioles for awhile and even my beloved bushtits seem few and far between. My friend and I were thinking it was because of the crow family.
So I decided to read up on crows, members of the Corvid genus which includes Ravens and Jays as well. I have been most concerned about the Marbled Murrelet(see my article below) and the fact that the corvids could be responsible for this seabird's struggle for survival. The more I thought about the Jays and the Ravens and the Crows.....that's what got me to thinking what if they were gone? Sounded IDEAL to me and that would mean more little birds that I love, right? Well, maybe not.
Interestingly I came across this article, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/crowfaq.htm#compens . This guy is a scientist and has some pretty interesting observations about what happens when a predator is removed from a situation. Over and over science has observed that another predator would come in place of the removed predator and that very little would change. I found this whole article terribly interesting. This guy appears to love crows as well and presents a good case for them,  describing their families, their intelligence and their ability to recognize individual humans. 
I also found it interesting that a baby crow may stay to help the FAMILY for YEARS! I always thought my friend was teasing me when she said it's the SAME BABY AS LAST YEAR; year after year she has said this. I NEVER thought that it was true. Well IT IS TRUE.  

This is clever. Very clever. Sheepdogs are bred and trained to protect sheep against wolves, but that doesn't mean that their skills can't be used to protect different animals against other species of predators. This is exactly what the Maremma Project did on Warrnambool’s Middle Island, off the south coast of Australia. They took 2 Maremma sheepdogs, a breed originally from central Italy, and brought them to the island to protect a dwindling and seriously endangered population of Little Penguins from foxes.
 
The situation was dire around seven years ago when the sheepdogs were introduced: Where a colony of around 1,500 Little Penguins once thrived, only 4 breeding pairs remained. The colony was truly on the brink of extinction, at least on the island. We first wrote about this about four-and-a-half years ago,
and since then things have kept improving, surpassing the expectations of pretty much everyone involved. The last census showed about 200 breeding adults, but most importantly, not one Little Penguin has been killed by a fox since their dog bodyguards landed on the island! Here is the article
http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/sheepdog-bodyguard-protect-endangered-penguins-foxes-autralia.html

This is a pretty amazing CAM. I saw the parent and baby, very sweet.

Watch puffling Hope grow up on our explore.org live cam: http://bit.ly/11gKz7Y

What does “organic” mean?
  The term “organic” refers to the way agricultural products are grown and
processed. Specific requirements must be met and maintained in order for
products to be labeled as "organic".


  Organic crops must be grown in safe soil, have no modifications, and must
remain separate from conventional products. Farmers are not allowed to use
synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers,
and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. 
 
What are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are plants or animals whose DNA has
been altered. These products have undergone only short-term testing to determine
their effects on humans and the environment. 

In most countries, organic products do not contain GMOs.

Organic livestock must have access to the outdoors and be given organic feed.
They may not be given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal-by-products. 

Organic Consumers
Association
 
Glyphosate is a broad spectrum, non-selective systemic
herbicide.
“We are increasingly seeing more and more samples
of surface water coming up with residues [of glyphosate], and this is affecting frogs that live there,” Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food & Water Watch, an advocacy group, told IPS. “Potatoes and carrots are also picking it up in the soil – there are multiple routes of exposure.”
‪#‎Glyphosate‬ has previously been shown to be
an “endocrine disruptor”, which the National Institutes of Health has shown to
have long-term effects on reproductive health. They can be very dangerous at low
levels, thus restricting the amount allowed will not be effective.

Read
the full article:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_27826.cfm
 

I am now volunteering at the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Exploration Center across from the entrance to the Sant Cruz CA wharf. Via weekly e-mails, I receive all this really interesting information about the Monterey Bay. Here is a“This is an extraordinary year for rockfish recruitment,” says Tom Laidig, a NMFS scientist based in Santa Cruz.  An expert in juvenile rockfishes (the genus Sebastes), Laidig is excited about the prospect of not only high densities but also the variety of species showing up in 2013.  ”From our offshore survey data, this is the strongest recruitment year since the late 1980′s. Rockfishes are long-lived species (over 100 years for some species) and these episodic events are necessary for rebuilding the population sizes back toward historic levels.”

http://sanctuarysimon.org/news/index.php/2013/06/explosion-of-young-of-the-year-fishes-in-central-ca-kelp-forests/

 State officials in Oregon are temporarily restricting the use of more than a dozen pesticide products following the deaths of an estimated 50,000 bumblebees in the Portland area this month.


 
The measure, effective immediately, will last for 180 days while the Oregon State Agricultural Department investigates incidents of a mass bee die-off in the Portland suburb of Wilsonville, and a much smaller die-off in neighboring Hillsboro.

Eighteen pesticide products containing the active ingredient dinotefuran and used for ornamental, turf and agricultural applications have been banned for now.

"I have directed the agency to take this step in an effort to minimize any potential for additional incidents involving bee deaths connected to pesticide products with this active ingredient until such time as our investigation is completed and we have more information," the agency's director, Katy Coba, said
in a statement released Thursday.

"Conclusions from the investigation will help us and our partners evaluate whether additional steps need to be considered."

A pesticide known as Safari, which contains dinotefuran and belongs to a class called neonicotinoids, cause the deaths of an estimated 50,000 bumblebees in a Target parking lot in Wilsonville this month, authorities said. Crews have wrapped the affected linden trees around the lot with protective netting to prevent further deaths.

Source:
http://links.causes.com/s/clLiPF?r=uUAC

I watched a YouTube Video yesterday of the influx of Sandhill Cranes to the Platte River Valley. The most impressive part of the video was the audio; what a cacophony of trumpeting and cackle as thousands of birds were communicating with each other. My interest was sparked and I went on to read a number of posts on the internet that I will be checking out over the next few weeks. One very disturbing post talks about farmers wanting to further genetically modify corn to make it so that when the crane eats one bite of corn, they will never eat corn again. This is pretty scary. However after researching this a little further, it turns out the International Crane Foundation (ICF) is behind it and they explain it this way.

Though Sandhill Crane populations in the northern boreal forest and arctic have likely been stable for a decade or more, Sandhill Crane populations in temperate regions of the U.S. and Canada have been expanding rapidly. This wildlife success story is possible because a recovering crane population has found available wetlands to nest in and agricultural lands that are suitable for foraging. The positive relationship between crane and farmer is precarious and currently is threatened by growing amounts of crop damage caused by cranes. To help re-establish a more positive relationship between cranes and the landowners who provide habitat, ICF is helping to develop a new technique to treat corn seeds with a deterrent before the seeds are planted. In response, foraging Sandhills avoid treated seed but remain in the field to feed
non-destructively on other foods. ICF is currently collaborating with partners to make this technique available to farmers throughout the Midwest. Of equal importance is our ability to monitor crane populations for new problems that may arise. To this end, ICF sponsors the Annual Midwest Crane Count through which thousands of volunteers count cranes each April. Measuring the increase or decrease of crane populations is a critical step in fine-tuning management plans for any species. To learn more about the Annual
Midwest Crane Count, click here.    

With 85% of all corn being genetically modified in one way or another, AND the fact that we do not know how it is affecting all life forms, I have to say that this further modification does not WOW me. But it appears to be a trade-off and certainly remains to be seen. 

Then here is a link to an article about Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, that is planting heirloom, Aztec corn specifically for the Sandhill cranes.  The project’s long–term goal is: to grow enough Aztec corn seed to feed the refuge’s own birds—primarily Sandhill cranes, to supply surplus corn to other refuges and to do both with minimal environmental disturbance. This is a lot more to my liking. :-)
http://www.fws.gov/refuges/RefugeUpdate/MarApr_2012/hardycorn.html 

And here is the link to the YouTube video to hear/see the cranes arriving at the Platte River.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=sandhill+crane+video&mid=59D85D101542130C2F9759D85D101542130C2F97&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3

I have heard for years how because the Blue Gum Eucalyptus is non-native, it shouldn't be here. Many species of birds rely upon the Blue Gum in Santa Cruz County. I know who comes to my Blue Gum which we planted 30 years ago. We have year-round varieties: chestnut-backed chickadees, oak tit-mice, bush-tits, sparrows and finches. Then there are the migrant birds:
Eurasion-colored doves, ruby-crowned kinglets, red-breasted nuthatches, cedar waxwings and many warblers: Townsend, Audubon, and numerous other varieties who depend upon this area's eucalyptus and  the habitat that is created should not be taken lightly.  see article http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/news/ci_23611632
Some 50-100  cedar waxwings come each year for one or two days in the spring and take over my eucalyptus tree. It appears to be an important stop for them. They seem to enjoy the eucalyptus flowers.
They also love red berries and are like Robins in that they  end up doing crazy things....like running into windows. My lovely daughter gave me these hanging strings of little mirrors which I plan to hang in my windows. It breaks my heart to lose one of these very striking birds, any bird,  especially when it could have been avoided.
About three years ago, the Cedar Waxwings stayed for three months, using it more as a nighttime roost and taking off during the day to feed. It was an isolated instance and has not happened again. It was quite a treat!