Відео

@@BrianChoi-tz6sm Haha, thanks man! Spread the word. I still literally fist pump every new subscriber. If I ever get to a hundred thousand, i’m going to have a sore arm.

@@Biodiversity-Institute thanks for the suggestion. I’ll do just that. I have to admit, I had a hard time with making this episode. Trying to fill in the gaps with a storyline from their adventure. My oldest son is the reason we started a UA-cam channel in the first place, so it was fun seeing him take the lead. And I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve hijacked the channel a bit. But we are all learning from the experience and having fun while doing it.

@@Biodiversity-Institute that’s funny! My parents sometimes had mallards land in their pool. And I think even a cormorant once!

@@Biodiversity-Institute yeah, that was a fun one. The boys really enjoy exploring that pool and I think it’s a good safe spot for them as they begin to explore an interest in snorkeling. That’s what I’m really looking forward to as they get older. River snorkeling and hopefully if they still have an interest, pursuing their scuba certification. There still several years out, so in the meantime this has been a lot of fun!

@@Biodiversity-Institute Thanks for your nice comment and support. We have a lot of fun together as a family, and we are all benefiting from the ecology of the property. I think you are spot on about the ecotone. In the past we lived nearby, but 1,500 feet lower in elevation, and didn’t have any bear activity and a few different species of birds. Nothing rare or uncommon seen yet. It’s been interesting seeing the black bear activity pick up in the fall and I’m still hopeful to see a mountain lion on the camera trap. They seem to be through the area every six weeks or so but I’ve only seen tracks so far. Thanks again for your interest!

@@BackyardBiologyBoys Wouldn't be surprised if you got bobcat as well... a lot more common than people realize...also flying squirrels, they are also common, but secretive and nocturnal. When I have set up camera traps in my surveys, I will aim it at the base of tree and set up a baited station...the flying squirrels, they will come down from the top, climbing down the tree bole...they spend very little time on the ground. Depending on where you are exactly in the Sierra (sounds like central Sierra), you might also get fisher and pine martin (depending on how much human development you have around you). I've noticed that coyotes (very intelligent animals) are very shy around the camera traps (I think they think it is an actual trap, they are so heavily hunted/trapped by humans). Yes, I think for black bears, food starts to get a little scarce in the fall, so they are taking more exploratory excursions out of their typical home range (my guess). Have fun with the camera traps!

@@Biodiversity-Institute thanks, it’s been a lot of fun so far. I’m surprised too that I haven’t captured a bobcat. I’d see one or two of them a year at a past property in the foothills. So, imagine it’s only a matter of time. A marten or fisher would be amazing too, although I might be slightly lower in elevation than their typical occurrence, but I guess time will tell. A ringtail might be a good possibility and maybe a fly squirrel as well? I’ll definitely try out your suggestion method for baiting the fly squirrels, thanks for sharing that. And the coyotes have been fairly active. I’ve seen several on video and in person. The best was about a month ago when I saw one in the morning getting chased off by a doe. I guess it was getting a little too close to her fawn! But it was definitely an interesting sight to see.

@@Biodiversity-Institute thanks for the peer review. That’s great to have! And while I’m almost certain it’s a Dark-eyed Junco, you are absolutely correct in that it is indeed atypical. Which is a good reminder to me, if ever to make content like this again, I should always use typical songs. Otherwise it can be confusing or misleading. I’m going to pin your comment to the top so other viewers can see the discrepancy and look into it themselves. Thanks again for the support and possible correction. It’s very much appreciated!

@@BackyardBiologyBoys No prob. Enjoying your channel. I have six kids, took my two oldest boys with my on the Pacific Crest Trail studying bird diversity for 3.5 months this last spring/summer. I admire what you are doing with your boys by immersing them in nature/wildlife biology.

@@Biodiversity-Institute thank again for the very nice comments. I’m really hopeful to make all those dreams into a reality. I don’t want to get stuck in the dreamer phase without any positive beneficial actions, yet also don’t want to rush into anything ether that I later regret or worse, has an unintentional negative impact. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please let me know. Thanks again for joining in the community. I’ve really enjoyed your insights!

@@BackyardBiologyBoys I think I'm in a very similar phase as you, perhaps (mid-career, mid-life). I was an environmental science professor for 11 years at a small liberal arts college (no longer there now)...now starting up an environmental non-profit, and a UA-cam channel, with a vision of pursuing and leaning into my scholarship/research, which has been ongoing, on the Pacific Crest Trail, since my PhD research almost 20 years ago. At some point, we need to stop putting things on hold and pursue the vison. Just take it in steps (you are making great videos)...perhaps at some point we could collaborate as our channels grow (I've just started my channel, you are much further along than I am). I'm very knowledgeable of the ecology of your area, especially birds.

@@Biodiversity-Institute yes that would be great. I’ve only hiked the JMT portion of the PCT, and very much admired the PCTers we got to know along the way. Your work and channel sound very interesting! I’ll definitely check it out. My background since grad school has mainly focused in aquatic biology and fisheries so this has been a fun endeavor because it’s an area of interest I don’t professionally get to work in but have a personal interest in and enjoyment for the sheer fun of it. UA-cam has also been a creative outlet, in the script writing, video production, and learning curve for editing and UA-cam in general. I just hit my one year anniversary for the channel and can say it’s been fun, rewarding, and a lot of work. I’ve really enjoyed the process but it’s definitely difficult at times. Best of luck in your endeavors, and just keep plugging away at your content one video at a time; keeping a steady, realistic pace (like a marathon), and I imagine good results will follow.

@@inorganicjoe Thanks! That’s my best piece of equipment, besides an older iPhone and Canon Rebel T5i. It’s a GoPro Hero 12. I don’t have a need for a separate housing for it yet but they are waterproof to 33ft out of the box. For the sake of time, I don’t always upload videos in 4k, so the actual quality is probably better than what I have available on UA-cam. I’m pretty low budget, and don’t have any background on the video/production side of things but as an amateur, I’ve enjoyed using the GoPro for the majority of my footage.

@@maxagius8165 thanks for the suggestion! That would be fun initially catching them too. There is a local private hatchery that sells Florida strain Largemouth Bass fingerlings and Bluegill that might be worth looking into as well. Thanks again for reaching out.

@@IsabelRodriguez-nv2ue Thanks Isabel! That would be my prayer for you too, and anyone else reading this message for that matter.

@@JUMPTR00PER That’s my belief!

@@ryanbarretta3010 Thanks Ryan! It’s a pleasure to meet you, and very cool that we have a similar background. Unfortunately, yes, the fire danger is a real threat; and associated homeowners insurance rates are painfully high as a result. We have had at least one close friend move out of state because of fire concerns and associated stress from it. Pretty much during fire season, which seems to be ever longer, I’m holding my breath. It’s not a matter of if it will happen but when. And I think this is largely the reality for most of the rural west and mountain west areas because of climate change and years of fire suppression. Fire has always been an important part of a healthy landscape, so I’m excepting of it and happy to see more low intensity prescribed burns beings used in our management of forested areas. As far as our property, I just need to be diligent about keeping a defensible space, limbing up trees, and reduce fuel lows in the winter and spring with burn piles. I’m interested in trying to incorporate some fire ecology to our property, but don’t feel comfortable with any prescribed burn; maybe just experimenting with trimming down an area and spreading small amounts of extinguished leftover ash from our burn pile to perhaps fertilize a future wildflower meadow area. Doing a test plot to see if an area does better with the ash than an area without; a little experiment. I’m not totally sure, but I am always impressed and amazed by the wildflowers the form in a burn area. Let me know if you have any thoughts on that and thanks for your suggestion about the pond and wetlands overview. Cheers!

@@ClassAves-hv4ps I couldn’t agree more, and that’s half the reason why I like dogs better! But they found us. And the way I see it is we prevented 7 more community cats out on the landscape by taking them in, having them spayed and neutered, and rehoming them. The two we kept are indoor cats but the one is more adventurous and often joins us outside or escapes given the chance. Not to be graphic, but the reality is we are motivated to keep them indoors for the shared concerns you expressed for smaller wildlife and because outdoor pets don’t last long in these parts. They are part of the food web, per say, and are preyed upon by coyotes; which we have many. Thanks for sharing your comment and concern.

@@poojapawar4278 that is so awesome to hear. Thanks for your kind words and support! We are super excited to share new content from our wildlife homestead, but also plan to continue sharing our outdoor adventures. I was so bummed to have miss out on SF and Muir Woods but can’t wait for our next trip to your neck of the woods. Thanks again for being a part of our BBB community!

@@Austins0asis that’s a great idea! And maybe I could incorporate that into the design of a bee hotel or at least have them match and/or coordinate. I did a very low tech version of this in my past yard (ua-cam.com/video/BVzZtUw-0G4/v-deo.htmlsi=MRAEylO9T-DzVzXy), but this would be more fun! Thanks for sharing your idea!

@@destinyhenderson-hudgins3776 I have native wildflower seed for roughly 2,000 sq ft of meadow ready to go in the ground after our first rain. I plan to prep and plant two areas this fall and we’ll see what comes of it in the spring. And a food forest, now that’s not something I was thinking of; just more of a conventional garden. I’ll have to ponder that idea some more. Thanks for your comment and great suggestions!

@@mattheweanfeldman Awesome, sounds like plan! I have 2,000 sq ft of native wildflower seed on its way. I plan to prep and plant two areas this fall and we’ll see what comes of it in the spring in a new video. Thanks for reaching out!

@@inorganicjoe thanks for reaching out, and that’s awesome to hear. I’m hoping to get the pond survey video out next weekend! And yes, the cats…They have always been a contentious issue in our family for just that reason. That’s why I keep them indoors for the most part. However, with the boys in and out of the house, it’s inevitable that they get out. But to your point, I’m very much mindful of that reality, and for the most part I’ve only witnessed a pocket gopher mortality. I’m excited for all the possibilities including the monarch way station. I’ve enjoyed seeing them overwinter in the Santa Cruz area each year. Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks again for your interest and insights!

Coyote (albeit not that unexpected)...when I was a wildlife biologist in Fresno. We had urban coyote. It's amazing how deep into the city they get...I hear the roam the streets of LA at night.

@@Biodiversity-Institute thanks for sharing!Yeah, they truly are remarkable and adapt well to urban environments. I believe it, I’ve seen them in the Long Beach area too.

@@blessyou285 Nice work and thanks for sharing. Try telling me kids that! I think just the thought of it and the intimidation factor play into the hype. They are happy to handle them all day long, however, with the method shown. I think just the idea of getting pinch scares them, but you are right, there is not much to it.

I've caught plenty only pinched by small ones

@@saramascarenas4361 that’s exciting to hear, and glad it’s only been the small ones. My kids love to go hunting for them and we have a lot of fun doing it together. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for joining in the fun, and for the kind comment!

@@shahryarali2778 Yes, a freshwater lobster (otherwise known as a crayfish 🤓).

@@bmfilmnut yes, I came to a similar conclusion. I did, however, get more bird diversity when using it. But it took extra care to keep it up; not over loading it with feed, just enough for a day, and keeping an eye on the forecast. I’d say, depending on your location, it’s good for summer (if you put out food) and fall. I plan to use mine just in fall. Thanks for reaching out and letting us know your thoughts and experiences with them.

@@drakemallard1486 LOL. Yeah, your right! Well hopefully your dragonflies get established first and eat all those mosquitoes 😜

Mosquitoes breed the best in stillwater if it's moving and has predators not many of them are going to live. They are extremely easy to pick off. They just sort of wiggle around in the water.

Well...sometimes I've left my swimming pool unattended long enough that I developed a nearly complete ecosystem with several trophic levels...mosquito larva, dragon flies, frogs, and even a Black Phoebe was regularly feeding on the insects by my pool.

@@Biodiversity-Institute haha, that’s too funny. You know I hear natural pools are a thing nowadays! Maybe consider a conversion🤣

@@still999 I can totally see why you would think that 😊. Thanks for sharing!!!

Great question! Much like dragonflies, damselflies legs are better suited for perching and catching prey than walking. Thanks for bringing this fun topic up.

@@daz3d935 Great question! A combination of the following: 1) Use Specialized Feeders: Designed for specific bird species (e.g. a mesh feeder for finch as opposed to a platform feeder), 2) Selective Feeding: Offer seeds like safflower, and 3) Feeder Placement: if possible place your feeder near shrubs or trees for cover as opposed to a large open space. Give these a try and see if they fix your issue. If not, then enjoy the birds you do attract… if you can’t beat them, join them). Best of luck!

@@BackyardBiologyBoys nice, thanks!

Thanks for your comment! I try to share information and tips that are broadly applicable, but I understand bird feeding practices vary globally. I'd love to hear about your experiences with birds in your area and try and make our content more inclusive! Or at least the comments section more informative

As a european, i dont think you know what that word means. This is an american making an educational video for americans, of course its us centric? Non-native species can destroy ecosystems all over the world

​@@stibba4286 literally, I don't know what the point of that comment was.

Noted. Thanks for sharing your perspective

@@CasualVitality check out the highlighted video linked to this one; it has prevention tips. I also have a long format video on my channel that covers it all. But if those tips don’t work for you, I’d simply suggest following the old advice of “if you can’t beat them, then join them”. Simply enjoying the birds you have at your yard! Because having any birds is better than having no birds. This simple mindset will probably save you a lot of trouble.

Oh of course, I didn’t even think to check if there was a full video haha. Thanks for the quick reply, I’ll check it out

@@CasualVitality thanks for reaching out and hopefully you find something from it helpful.

@@marknorthrup4897 thank you! We have two cats and mostly try to keep them inside; I’d say they are outside an hour or two a day. We haven’t had any issues with them catching frogs or birds to my knowledge, it’s largely been lizards that I’ve seen them catch. I do my best to try and avoid this by feeding the cats well and keeping them inside as much as possible. Our kids also keep them busy by playing with them often, so hopefully this helps get their hunting instinct fix. If, however, I see them with a lizard, I’m quick to try and save it. Hope this helps, and thanks for reaching out!

@@jamesmonahanmusic thanks for the kind comment. I just watched your video performance of The Robin Flew Away; you both are excellent musicians!

@@evekinglehman84 those are some great observations! I’m wondering if the red dragonfly is a type of meadowhawk and the striped winged, a type of spotted skimmer? Regardless, what fun to watch! I have some fond summer memories as a kid being on the McKenzie River out of Eugene.

@@Reptile1404 Awesome, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks very much for the nice feedback.

@@Inflorescensse I agree, grackles are indeed beautiful birds and it’s important to appreciate their unique traits and role in the ecosystem. The tips I shared are aimed at managing feeder dynamics to ensure all birds get a fair chance. Balancing feeder types and space can help support a diverse bird population in your yard. Thanks for reaching out and for celebrating grackles!

@@evanherk Great point; thanks for your insights! It's true that house sparrows and starlings are here to stay. And feeding birds often benefits those species that thrive more around humans. In fact, if we are truthful, we likely feed birds more for our benefit and enjoyment than theirs; although offering winter residence and migrants some additional calories is a likely positive exception. My tips were aimed to help people balance their feeder use to support diverse bird populations in their yard. I appreciate your thoughtful perspective and thanks again for reaching out!

None. All are welcome. Even squirrels are welcome. Instead of hating on certain species, how about accommodating them? And I don't believe in invasive species, as I don't believe in weeds. Nature, in all it's glory, includes us as well. And every species was new to an area at one time.

The Devil fluffy tail tree rats!

@@andywomack3414 Thanks for sharing your perspective! It's great to hear you welcome all wildlife. While the concept of invasive species is complex, as they can disrupt local ecosystems, I respect your inclusive approach!

@@sips3812 Thanks for reaching out and the nice comment. Glad you enjoyed the information. Best wishes to you too!

Thank you very much for your nice comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s great to receive any feedback from our community but especially rewarding when it’s positive. We hope to keep it up and learn together through this community. Thanks for coming along with us.

Yeah, that was pretty bad. I can at least admit that, and laugh at myself 🤪. Glad I brought you some joy and laughter. Hopefully you still found it entertaining and maybe learned something. Thanks for reaching out, and please let me know when you see me do other goofy stuff; I’m still learning.

@@BackyardBiologyBoys I appreciated the video. I was looking for something a bit more in-depth, but it looks like the content is for a younger audience. If it is for kids or teens, more footage of dragonflies would be great, or how a kid could observe dragonflies themselves.

@@jezuzac1444 thanks, and great suggestions!

Your right! Deer, squirrels, and all sorts of other critters will love this too. So, you will need to keep an eye on it and decide if it’s right for your yard.

@@palodoxaliqua5809 Thanks very much for your kind feedback. I’m having fun with these videos, a bit of a creative outlet. But that would be a fun outcome too!

@@angelwolf5089 Right on, that’s great to hear! Thanks for reaching out, and happy birding.