Sometimes when I’m birdwatching
Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/183728196026.
Posts Tagged ‘Carpinteria Salt Marsh’
Sometimes when I’m birdwatching
Tuesday, March 26th, 2019lies: One of the neat things about being a birdwatcher (also,…
Wednesday, July 5th, 2017lies:
One of the neat things about being a birdwatcher (also, granted, Pokémon Go player) is that it gets you out in the world, visiting interesting places. Yesterday I was walking through the marsh when another marsh enthusiast (Kim; I’m sorry I don’t know her last name) told me about a big bird that was flopping around in the bushes next to the Franklin Creek channel. I checked it out from across the creek, and could see that it was an adult osprey. It appeared to be attached by the legs to a length of fishing line that in turn was tangled in the bushes. The bird would try to fly, making loud alarm calls, then fall down into the bushes and lie there looking upset.
Kim was calling everyone she knew trying to find someone who could help; I started calling everyone I knew. Because it was a Sunday it was hard to get someone, but eventually Kim got through to someone who got through to Niels Lameijer, a Carpinterian who works with the Ojai Raptor Center as part of their rescue and rehabilitation program, and shortly thereafter he was on the scene. Here’s some video I shot of Niels rescuing the bird.
Warning: Includes a closeup toward the end showing the bird’s bleeding leg, impaled by the hooks of a fishing lure. So if you’re squeamish about that sort of thing maybe best not to watch.
In thinking about it, I think the likeliest scenario is that the bird dove onto the lure while someone was fishing with it, mistaking it for an injured fish (which, after all, is a lure’s goal). Presumably the human at the other end of the line then either cut the line or it broke, allowing the osprey to fly away.
I don’t want to think badly of the fisherperson(s) involved without knowing more about what happened. It’s possible they were fishing legally and just didn’t realize the osprey was interested in their lure. It’s also possible, though, that it was someone fishing inside the marsh, which is illegal, though I’ve sometimes seen people (usually kids) doing it along the nearby Santa Monica Creek channel. I’ve tended to turn a blind eye to that in the past, but if I see it in the future I’m going to be more vocal.
Niels sent an email today saying that the bird is doing well, and should soon be released back into the wild. I hope to see it flying over the marsh again soon.
Reblogging myself with the followup video of the bird being released in the marsh the next day (Monday). Nothing icky-looking about this one; just a beautiful raptor going back where it belongs.
Reposted from https://ift.tt/2thmIts.
One of the neat things about being a birdwatcher (also, granted,…
Monday, July 3rd, 2017One of the neat things about being a birdwatcher (also, granted, Pokémon Go player) is that it gets you out in the world, visiting interesting places. Yesterday I was walking through the marsh when another marsh enthusiast (Kim; I’m sorry I don’t know her last name) told me about a big bird that was flopping around in the bushes next to the Franklin Creek channel. I checked it out from across the creek, and could see that it was an adult osprey. It appeared to be attached by the legs to a length of fishing line that in turn was tangled in the bushes. The bird would try to fly, making loud alarm calls, then fall down into the bushes and lie there looking upset.
Kim was calling everyone she knew trying to find someone who could help; I started calling everyone I knew. Because it was a Sunday it was hard to get someone, but eventually Kim got through to someone who got through to Niels Lameijer, a Carpinterian who works with the Ojai Raptor Center as part of their rescue and rehabilitation program, and shortly thereafter he was on the scene. Here’s some video I shot of Niels rescuing the bird.
Warning: Includes a closeup toward the end showing the bird’s bleeding leg, impaled by the hooks of a fishing lure. So if you’re squeamish about that sort of thing maybe best not to watch.
In thinking about it, I think the likeliest scenario is that the bird dove onto the lure while someone was fishing with it, mistaking it for an injured fish (which, after all, is a lure’s goal). Presumably the human at the other end of the line then either cut the line or it broke, allowing the osprey to fly away.
I don’t want to think badly of the fisherperson(s) involved without knowing more about what happened. It’s possible they were fishing legally and just didn’t realize the osprey was interested in their lure. It’s also possible, though, that it was someone fishing inside the marsh, which is illegal, though I’ve sometimes seen people (usually kids) doing it along the nearby Santa Monica Creek channel. I’ve tended to turn a blind eye to that in the past, but if I see it in the future I’m going to be more vocal.
Niels sent an email today saying that the bird is doing well, and should soon be released back into the wild. I hope to see it flying over the marsh again soon.
Reposted from https://ift.tt/2tJKsYq.
It’s my day to lead the docent tour at the salt marsh….
Saturday, September 3rd, 2016It’s my day to lead the docent tour at the salt marsh. Lately it’s been hit-or-miss; sometimes there are attendees, sometimes there aren’t. I hope I get at least one person. I’ve learned that’s all I need to have a fun time.
I do the tour each month and have been doing it for years, so I’ve learned which months are my favorites. September is a really good month. The chaparral mallow is still in bloom, and the coyote brush has started flowering, with the yellow male flowers out in profusion and the white female flowers beginning to do their thing.
There’s a decent high tide (5’) at 11:30, which is right around when the tour will be ending (if it happens at all). The marsh full of water is the best.
I’ll have a nice time if no one shows. But I’ll feel sad that I didn’t get to share it.
Reposted from https://ift.tt/2bLUMIa.
Construction Projects, Before and After
Sunday, February 1st, 2009I drive a ridiculous amount during the week. When the weekend comes, I really appreciate that I live in a town small enough that I can get around without driving. I also appreciate that William is the kind of kid who, when I ask if he wants to walk downtown for lunch, will answer, “Sure.”
I’ve taken a couple of walks with him lately that took us past some interesting building projects. One is the Lavender Court condos on Carpinteria Avenue. This project is the reason I’m on the planning commission, more or less. After I wrote a letter about Lavender Court on behalf of the Carpinteria Valley Association, Mike Ledbetter and the other city councilmembers gave me the chance to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, by appointing me to the commission.
One thing I mentioned in my CVA letter was the way the project blocks mountain views along Carpinteria Avenue. Here’s the artist’s rendering that was used in ads promoting Lavender Court. This same rendering was on display in the front row when the project’s developer came before the planning commission recently seeking changes in Lavender Court’s conditional use permit:
One point I made in my CVA letter is that the rendering is misleading, because it shows the tops of the Santa Ynez Mountains as being visible above the buildings. Here’s a shot I took on my walk with William the other day (you can see our shadows at the bottom):
See the mountains above the rooftops of the project? Um, right. You can’t.
You can view a few more shots that I took if you click through to the Flickr photostream. Looking at those shots, and at the artist’s rendering, I can see both sides of the issue. The rendering is accurate, in the sense that if you viewed that project from a little ways south of the street — which apparently is the viewpoint the rendering is using — you’d be able to see the mountains over the top of the buildings. But the reality is, the view that the public sees is more like the one in my photos, with the mountains hidden. In hindsight, I think the mountain views along Carpinteria Avenue — which the city’s general plan specifically calls for preserving — were harmed by Lavender Court.
I wasn’t on the planning commission when Lavender Court was approved. But even if I had been, I doubt I would have said anything about the mountain views. The rendering makes it look like a non-issue. Also, city staff argued at the time, and the planning commission and the city council agreed, that there would be no negative impacts, since views would be maintained through the driveways, and on either side of the buildings.
Live and learn.
On the way back home from a recent walk, William and I detoured to the salt marsh, which meant walking along Dorrance Way. We passed the site of a project that has come before the planning commission a few times during the past year; the owners had to go back and forth with the city a bit before getting approval to demolish an existing single-story bungalow and replace it with a two-story house.
As we passed the lot, I saw that the bungalow is gone. Here’s the picture I snapped through the chain link:
I’m looking forward to seeing what the finished house looks like.
One more piece of construction we came across during our walk was this new entrance to the salt marsh. It’s down near the north end of Ash Avenue, so people visiting the marsh from that side can enter without having to hop the fence, or having to walk farther down Ash toward the beach.
