Comments on: Birds like cool trees when it’s hot

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 00:40:18 +0000

Hi Gary,
I no longer live in Concord, but am in Paso Robles. I still miss your column but catch it occassionally on line. Even though your column is about wildlife, I had to share a great book with you called “Marley & Me” by John Grogan. Although I am happy Marley was not in my household, I am glad he found a great home with the Grogan family. I know you will enjoy it if you haven’t read it.
Shirley Sevastacis

By: Annette

Annette — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 15:14:55 +0000

Thankfully the deck is about 15 feet off the ground, so we don’t have to worry too much about the bears from that respect. The neighbor’s dog did get into it with what sounded like a yearling bear in the spring. I’m not too sure who got the worst of it. This dog supposedly also killed a mountain lion, and has the dear no longer going through his yard. All I can say is I am glad the dog seems to know the yards boundaries and doesn’t stray down into ours. My two have adapted fairly well to the new digs, but do miss having a fenced yard to go play in. Missy has gotten out the door a couple of times, but has only once failed to return on command. She was having too much fun playing in the snow that day.

By: June Zaloumis

June Zaloumis — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 03:11:20 +0000

Hi Gary,

I have a morning dove nesting in my back yard in a planter. I have fake ivory around so it can have some shade. I don’t think that is enough. It is 116 out there right now and yesterday it was 120. What can I do to make her/him cooler? The dove(s)come back every year all summer now for 3 years, but this is the hottest it has ever been. Please help!

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 15:55:07 +0000

Better a raccoon than a black bear! /Gary

By: Annette

Annette — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 04:46:15 +0000

I no longer live in the bay area, but instead overlook the El Dorado National Forest. It is pretty cool to be driving down the canyon road to get to my house, and at the bottom of the hill see a doe sitting in the shade of a tree on the other side of Antelope Creek. I also enjoy the antics of quite a community of hummers that buzz arround the feeder, and the Steller’s Jays that fly around “inside” the pines, cedars, and madrones that cover our property. It certainly is heaven up here….except when I forget to bring in the hummingbird feeder, and my dog wakes me up at 2:00 am barking at the raiding raccoon.

By: Sara Johnson

Sara Johnson — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 18:38:18 +0000

Gary, I liked your story about the redwood room in your yard and I think I have the
answer to the temperature difference. From growing orchids and other plants with
succulent leaves, I know that the leaves will absorb heat from the air – bad for the
leaf perhaps but better for the air space immediately surrounding the leaf. If you
get enough of these leaves (needles) together they can drop the temperature
enough for you to notice the difference. Sort of like a miniature swamp cooler.
And then there is always the shade and that helps, too.

Like your column lots,

Sara Johnson