Hi Tweeters. I thought this may be of some interest given the news coverage
of these fires. As soon as I can visit the burned area, I will comment on
new bird life.

Rick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Howie" <rick.howie at Shaw.ca>
To: "Syd Roberts" <sydbev at shaw.ca>; "Sandy MacDonald"
<sandy_macdonald at telus.net>; "Ralph Heinrich" <rheinric at bccf.com>; "Rachel
McMillen" <maquinna at telus.net>; "Phil Heal" <pgheal at uniserve.com>; "Mike
Hanry" <missy at mail.ocis.net>; "Ian Barnett" <i_barnett at ducks.ca>; "Bob
Scheer" <bob.scheer at telus.net>; "Andy Raniseth" <ran at mail.ocis.net>; "Ralph
Ritcey" <rritcey at shaw.ca>; "Wayne Weber" <contopus at telus.net>; "Katharine
Shewchuk" <ka_shewchuk at telus.net>; "George Gardner"
<gardner1961 at hotmail.com>; "BCINTBIRD" <bcintbird at egroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2003 11:59 PM
Subject: Firebirds


> Since the big Strawberry Hill fire adjacent to my community of Rayleigh, I
> have not been unable to enter the burned area to see what birds and
critters
> might be doing. The area is still too hot and fairly well scorched.
Unlike
> the devastated people of Louis Creek near Barriere, our fortunate
community
> was spared any fire damage.
>
> The hot fire drove a few birds out of the bushes before they were
> barbequed. I almost never see Chukars this far up the North Thompson, but
do
> occasionally hear them. Now that their grassy home is charred, I saw 12
> along the highway yesterday in one of the only green patches. Western
> Kingbirds and Kestrels still hunting the charred edge but slim pickings I
> suspect unless they like baked bug. They are having more action on the
> unburned side of the highway.
>
> Other people have reported grouse, bears, deer and other odd birds out
in
> adjacent
> hayfields. I rescued a nearly catatonic juvenile Saw-whet Owl perched in a
> carport a couple of days ago. People walked by it at less than 2 metres
for
> hours as movers filled a van. I walked up to it and literally placed my
face
> to within 0.5 metres of his/her face. Hand capture was anticlimactic .
>
> It will be interesting to watch the repopulation of the area by wildlife
as
> the habitats recover from a dramatic shift. 3-toed woodpeckers moved in
> quickly the last time this are4a burned. Part of the fire ran over an area
> that from my back deck, I have watched burn on 4 different occasions. This
> works out to a fire return interval of 5 years over the past 25 years,
> although the area hit so frequently is not that large. All fires but one
> were caused by humans.
>
> Some of the sage grassland that was burned had a fairly high sage
component.
> The fire was sufficiently intense that in many areas, you are hard-pressed
> to see any shrub skeletons. With all of the fire suppression activity,
fire
> guards and the ultimate revegetation with non-native grasses, it will be
> fascinating to see what the new grassland community will be composed of.
On
> the last major fire in this area, the native bunchgrasses had become quite
> lush and seemed to be resisting knapweed invasion. All of the access roads
> and dozer trails ultimately grew thick with white clover and other
> perennials common in disturbed areas.
> On a recent walk of about a kilometre upslope in the area before the fire,
I
> tallied 47 species of obvious plants, and ignoring the squinny little
ones.
> So the diversity in the old fire of about 10-12 years ago was quite good.
>
> Since the start of the fire, the ornamental trees in the subdivision seem
> busier than usual with
> passerines, although it is zugenruhe time. However, I have the feeling
that
> some birds have been forced down into the lower, remaining green places
> along the North Thompson River.
>
> Cheers
>
> Rick Howie
> Kamloops, BC
> rick.howie at shaw.ca
>