Bouteloua gracilis, PhD
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tarbonemountain.bsky.social
Bouteloua gracilis, PhD
@tarbonemountain.bsky.social
Wildlife biologist| 🐦🦬🌲🦃🐔 | cycling | birding| bird dogs
It's Friday and I have no motivation to work on these occupancy models. Only the time tested combination of terrable gas station coffee and built to spill will get me through this.
September 12, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Some other prairie wildflowers from this morning.

Ladies tresses, purple prairie clover, wild bergamot and prairie genation
June 29, 2025 at 11:50 PM
After a stressful week and a lot of uncertainty getting out with the dog was much needed.
June 29, 2025 at 11:50 PM
On this note, one of the consistently challenges for me using earth engine is actually exporting things in a usable format for some reason, so the fact I summarized and exported 40 years of weather data for several refuges with minimal tears feels like a major accomplishment. Dog is unimpressed...
June 19, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Where is the "I'd rather be launched into the sun" option
June 19, 2025 at 3:15 PM
At both refuges we assessed vireo were strongly associated with areas with 40-60% cover of broadlead shrubs that were less than 2 meters tall.
June 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM
The Black-capped vireo, a shrubland songbird with a breeding range restricted to OK, TX and northern Mexico was listed as endangered from 1987 to 2018 under the ESA, due to habitat loss, excessive nest parasitism by cowbirds, and over browsing by sheep and goats
June 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Great turnout out in Oklahoma City for #nokingsday despite the pouring rain!
June 14, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Interestingly I found them in an area where there isn't a lot of water, about 700m to the closest pond and a mile to a city lake.
June 11, 2025 at 12:43 PM
It's been so wet in Oklahoma we've now got snapping turtles in the prairie. Picture doesn't convey this guy/girl's size, ~2 ft carapice
June 11, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Having worked in conservation for 15+ yrs and at FWS for 2yrs it's hard to pick one picture with all the amazing animals, landscapes and people.

Pics: Cranes on the Platte River NE, grasslands on a oklahoma wildlife refuge, and banding prairie-chickens with FWS staff
May 8, 2025 at 8:25 PM
If you see this, post the most recent photo of yourself from your camera roll. No cheating!
May 7, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Big shout out to the crane trust for the tour, and all the work they do protecting and restoring the Platte River!
www.cranetrust.org
March 23, 2025 at 10:26 PM
In the past these birds would have left the river and feed on inverts and plant material in wet meadows around the river, but now make heavy use of waste grain in farm fields.
March 23, 2025 at 10:22 PM
One of the largest migrations in North America over half a million cranes will stop over on this 80 mile stretch of river in Nebraska. The shallow river. The shallow waters on the river make this an ideal place to roost during stop overs.
March 23, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to watch part of the sandhill crane migration on the Platte River in Nebraska. 🌎🧪
Hands down one of my favorite wildlife viewing experiences!
March 23, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Day 3 of no power following one of the worst winds storms to hit the state since the 50s, that thanks to drought conditions also sparked >130 wildfires on Friday
March 16, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Also me this morning after getting a fourth round of comments from a journal:
March 15, 2025 at 11:17 PM
"We would like to thank the reviewer for their comments, they have greatly improved our manuscript"

The manuscript after revision:
March 15, 2025 at 11:15 PM
New light display on the Devon tower in downtown Oklahoma City is giving a specific vibe tonight
December 25, 2024 at 2:51 AM
Show me your pet and what they are named for
November 24, 2024 at 11:28 AM
Hi all, I'm Dave Londe! I'm a zone biologist for the USFWS in Oklahoma. My job is to help wildlife refuges with their monitoring programs and to do research to help refuges better manage their resources. My current research covers bison, shorebirds, and songbirds in Oklahoma!
September 29, 2023 at 5:18 PM