Wednesday, May 14, 2008

On to greener meadows!

Wood River Valley wildlife on the move as snowmelt reveals sprouting hillsides


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Two Shiras moose cross the rising Big Wood River near Hulen Meadows subdivision north of Ketchum last Friday. Pausing to browse barely visible greenery, the duo made their way back and forth across the river in search of fresh springtime forage. The skin-covered nubs atop the head of the second of the two ungulates indicate he’s a male bull moose. Shiras are the smallest of all North American moose sub-species. Photo by Jason Kauffman

High on the hills and deep in the valleys, signs are finally pointing to spring's belated arrival in the Wood River Valley.

Last Friday, two jet-black Shiras moose, also known as Wyoming moose or Alces alces shirasi, were making steady progress northward up the valley near the Hulen Meadows subdivision just north of Ketchum. Browsing barely visible shoots of green sprouting off riparian shrubbery, the gangly male and female duo waded back and forth across the rising flows of the Big Wood River.

In about an hour's time, the massive ungulates had traveled nearly a half-mile up the runoff-swollen Big Wood.

Elsewhere over the past week and a half, herds of tawny-colored elk, Cervus canadensis, have been plainly visible high on the sagebrush-covered Boulder Mountain foothills just north of Ketchum. Their northward movements along the undulating, west-facing slopes opposite Griffin Butte near Lake and Eagle creeks have been as regular as the steadily waning snowbanks that no longer impede their travels.

Mule deer, which migrate southward out of the upper valley to escape deep winter snows, have returned and are already grazing hillsides in the lower Warm Springs Creek and Trail Creek drainages. Look for their white-and-black behinds scattered across south-facing hillsides in the area.

Another sign that spring has arrived in the valley are the pairs of Canada geese that can be seen nearly anywhere there's a splash of bright green grass alongside a flowing stream, river or pool of water. Pairs of Branta canadensis are said to mate for life and have a habit of foraging for food just feet from busy local roadways that have water nearby, so keep a watchful eye out for the distinctive gray-and-white-and-black-colored adults with handsome bright yellow offspring in tow.

"They like being near water sources that don't dry out quickly," said Regan Berkley, Magic Valley regional wildlife biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Just as evocative of spring are the distinctive shrill calls of red-winged blackbirds, a common presence in marshy areas this time of year. The spirited callings of the mid-sized songbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, announce their early arrival to the northern Rockies each year.

Spring is an exciting time for wildlife watching in the Rocky Mountain region. One day the mountainsides are painted in drab washes of browns and grays and in the next they've popped. Greening hillsides ablaze with cheerful springtime wildflowers seem to burst with wildlife activity. It's as if Mother Nature has waited, waited, waited, and then thrown open the floodgates to spring in just one day.

Berkley said the movements of wildlife during the spring can place them in danger when their routes cross busy roadways and populated areas.

"Do be vigilant and slow down if you can," she said.

The common denominator for these seasonal migrations is the melting of mountain snowpacks and the explosion of lush green plant life that springs up in its wake. Right now, elk, deer, moose and other wildlife species are headed upvalley as the snows continue to recede.

Berkley said that once the higher-elevation snow begins to melt out, many wild critters will begin to make similar migrations from the valley bottoms to the mountains.

"They're just following the plant greenup," she said.

About now is also when local black bears begin to emerge from their long winter naps. Berkley said she's already received reports of several Ursus americanus having emerged from their dens. No doubt hungry due to the depletion of their ample fat reserves during months of hibernation, the bears will be looking for the easiest meals available.

This means valley homeowners should wait until the morning of trash pickup to place their garbage out at the curb unless they'd prefer to clean up a several-block mess of banana peels, shredded plastic wrap, coffee grounds and other stinky kitchen waste. Berkley said homeowners should also keep garbage cans inside garages when not in use, close garage doors to keep wild animals away from trash and bring pet bowls and pet food inside once pets have been fed.

Keeping bears from becoming habituated to human food sources will help keep the bruins alive and out of trouble, Berkley said. Fish and Game officers are sometimes called in to lethally remove a bear from the population when it becomes too accustomed to people.

"A fed bear is a dead bear," she said.

A combination of deeper-than-normal snowpacks and a colder-than-average spring has contributed to what biologists believe has been a rough winter for local mule deer fawns. Over in the Bennett Hills, the low desert range south of Fairfield and the Camas Prairie, Fish and Game biologists have reported a low incidence of fawn survival this winter.

Berkley said this year's drawn-out spring has kept the early 'greenup' in check. She said the timing of the annual growing season has a lot to do with survival rates for big game, which are in a controlled state of starvation during the winter.

"They're basically trying to make it through (winter)," she said.

For their own safety, valley residents who come across moose, bear and other local wildlife should keep a safe distance between themselves and wild critters. Cow moose with newborn calves can be quite dangerous, especially if they feel threatened by barking dogs, hikers or anglers who approach too closely.

"The moose always gets the right of way," Wood River Valley Fish and Game conservation officer Lee Garwood said last year.

He said anglers encountering moose at their favorite fishing holes should "go find another place to fish that day."




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