November has started to fade into December and things haven’t seemed to change much. While the temperature has continued to fall and now there is a fairly consistent snow on the ground, things seem to keep on going. Much more of my time has been devoted to office work, given the fact that it is actually winter. However, I have managed to get out into the field scouting for pygmy rabbits, learning the basics of fence repair, scouting out Oregon spotted frog habitat, and checking nests for eagle activity. These field days are a breath of fresh air after staying in the office for days on end.
However, I am currently writing this from home, (not Oregon home, but back in my real home in Ohio). I am working on finishing up descriptions of sensitive species to be used in later NEPA documents, and since that can be done electronically, I am able to telework. The whole process for teleworking was not too arduous, I just needed to jump through a couple of hoops, get some forms signed, and watch a training video. My supervisor and her boss were wonderful in supporting me to be able to spend the holiday with my family and to help me though the process.
In my pursuit of knowledge of sensitive species, I am currently investigating the Oregon spotted frog, and I am actually reading the paper in 1996 that found strong genetic evidence of a separate species of spotted frog that would eventually become the Columbia spotted frog. This kind of literature review can be extremely rewarding, especially once you have a finished product after organizing and compiling all of your notes. If I have to be working over the holidays, there aren’t a lot of other things that I would rather be doing.
Aside from work, I was able to get some good birding in back in Oregon, and hope to be able to do some in Ohio. There is a red-phase screech owl that seems to be roosting in a set location, so I may take a drive up there and see if I can find it and take some photos!! Recently, I was able to get some really nice photos of sage-grouse out on a wintery morning in late November, and finally got a decent photo of my frustrating barn owl.
