The post I just sent was more of a “Rare Bird Alert” while this one is simply general interest, particularly for bug lovers – talking to you Dave.
I’ll start with birds, however. This portion is for Scott (Somershoe), our resident PINYON JAY aficionado, and certainly expert. Scott, I found some, pert near 200 (!), of the Pinyon Jays you and your extensive crew are hunting. I hadn’t stumbled on such a large flock in a VERY long time and immediately thought of you. I actually didn’t pick them up during BBS working hours, but on the return as I was hoping to confirm a couple of Clark’s Nutcrackers I thought I heard during the survey proper. This is where it gets weird. I went back to the area, listened for a while for the Nutcrackers, nothing, then the flock of Pinyon Jays took to the air at once giving their typical “laugh”, silent and undetected until then, before settling back down. During this foray, thought I heard a Nutcracker again and searched through the flock to see if they were toting one along – nope. I then heard emanating from the group while settled and feeding a Magpie, a Scrub Jay, another Nutcracker, then a fairly respectable Steller’s Jay – WTF?!? I have never heard nor read about corvids mimicking each other, just typically raptors, so the question for you Scott, what were these Pinyons doing? Not only this, I thought I heard a Scrub-Jay earlier in the morning during the survey where I had a couple of Pinyons, but couldn’t confirm (hadn’t had a Scrub in that area before), so now I’m thinking it was actually the Pinyons! Very weird.
Now on to bugs Dave (Letherman). I had another first for me on the West Slope and it probably cost me some BBS data. Was at a spot with extensive scrubby serviceberry, mountain mahogany, and scattered small pinyon/juniper. Got out to start my 3 minutes, heard a slight buzzing off in the distance, then all of a sudden a wave of sound rolled through the brush and engulfed the entire hill. Cicadas, at least that’s what I think! It got so loud I couldn’t hear the birds well at all. Having lived over here (running another BBS in the morning), I never recall cicadas being a thing other than a few in the city parks (Craig, Steamboat, and Meeker). So Dave, what gives???
The last bug thing is Mormon Crickets. Fortunately, it seems to have been relatively wet over here this year. While I wouldn’t call it recovered, soil and vegetation health seems far better than at the same time last year. With this rebound has come a bumper crop of Mormon Crickets. I have not had the chance to Google the taxonomy of these big, interesting “crickets”, but I don’t think they are actually crickets at all – again, Dave please bale me out. Over a roughly 30 mile stretch of HW 40 west of Maybell (Moffat Co.) the density of migrating crickets across the road was ~ 5-10/sq meter for much of the way, with a couple of patches so thick the dead bugs created a black slick ~ 50-100m wide!! (actually hazardous). So for those of you who have not been indoctrinated into this Great Basin phenomenon, this year seems to be one to head West. If you don’t get too creeped out by this event, then down to southeast Colorado with you for the tarantula migration.
That’s it. Always something fun whenever we get out. Please let ,me know if you’d like any other directions or information.
Good BBSing (Take 2),
Doug
PS – Joey, did my part in getting a couple of beautiful Great Basin Gopher Snakes off the road, one of which didn’t seem too grateful, hissing, and striking, and all.
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