As a habitat land manager, you have to think of a million different things. The other day I drove past the tree remains that are shown on the adjacent photo. I stopped and looked it over, wondering if it could fall when a field worker leaned against it or was even walking past it. Or even a strong wind, which took out an entire tree about 50 yards from this location six years ago. I thought about it being a good perch for raptors. But then realized I hadn’t ever seen a raptor perch on it, so, what was its use? The next day, of course, I drove past it and saw what’s pictured in this photo. It was of some good use to this hawk. I decided we keep the tree stump.
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Photo taken by Conservancy staff on a Conservancy preserve, 2024. It’s often difficult to view, but part of the Conservancy’s job is to see that wildlife has access to sustenance on the preserves. Here, a Snowy egret (Egretta thula) manages to nab a quick lunch on a Conservancy owned and …