Unexpected Consequences

 No one predicted that bringing the wolves back to Yellowstone would be good for beavers. But that is exactly what happened. As the wolves thinned out some elk herds and dispersed others, willow began to re-grow in stream beds and the beaver had food to eat once again. Now, for the first time in decades, beaver are making a come-back in the Park.

On a much more local level, we did not foresee the changes that would come about when ravens decided to move into our yard this spring.

The biggest loss has been the daily sightings of the golden eagle. It seems the constant harassment was just too much and so the big bird has decided to hunt elsewhere for the time being. We will see, now that the baby raven has fledged, whether the eagle makes his way back to his old stomping grounds or not.

The other unexpected consequence of having the ravens was that they chased most of the magpies away from the area of our house. This is not a bad thing. Magpies are brutal in their destruction of nests of smaller birds and we have seen one example after the next over the last few years of birds building nests and laying eggs only to have the eggs or even the baby birds killed and consumed by marauding magpies.

 One of the small birds I am thrilled to see return this year is the rock wren. They have a nest in our garden - 10 feet from the back door - and it is such a treat to watch them fly in and out all day long.


They are pretty, they have a beautiful voice and they eat bugs. What's not to love!

The rabbit brush is starting to turn yellow.