hiflier Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 In light of the recent discussions regarding the nesting structures as related by Derek Randles and the Olympic Project I though taking a closer look at huckleberries would be prudent. The nests were reported to have been constructed of using the shoots and branches of these plants by breaking them off at a height of 4-5 feet. The area of broken plants was quite extensive and was on the ridge above the nesting area. This prompted a research effort into this berry-bearing plant to see if there was any significance to why this particular plant was chosen as opposed to some other type of branch either from a tree like a hemlock perhaps or some other understory shrub. Is there a reason anyone can think of as to why there is an apparent selectivity of nesting material going on? My research is in process looking at things like huckleberry locations, elevations, degree of slope preferences, range of dispersion, preferences regarding the direction a slope faces if growing on a slope, what happens after a fire, when the berries ripen and where, nutritional value, and many other points of interest. I think there's something to this plant and it's relationship to Sasquatch seasonally as well as being one of the factors causing population movement either territorially or in the area of possible migration. Different varieties, all edible, have different requirements like location etc. and grow from Alaska all the way down the West side of North America to Arizona and East into Idaho, Montana, and in at least three counties in Michigan. Any thoughts about this discussion? Important? not important? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasfooty Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Why do they call them nests? It seems demeaning, IMO. Birds make nests. Primates make dens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiflier Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) Off Topic. But I agree with you on the point Sasfooty Edited May 19, 2016 by hiflier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKH Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) Nest building is the proper terminology for mammals, as well as birds, etc. From the wiki: At the most basic level, there are only two types of nest building: sculpting and assembly. Sculpting is the process of removing material to achieve a desired outcome. Most commonly this entails burrowing into the ground or plant matter to create a nesting site. Assembly entails gathering, transporting, and arranging materials to create a novel structure. Transportation has the greatest time and energy cost so animals are usually adapted to build with materials available in their immediate environment. Versatility in use of construction material may be an adaptive advantage (less energy used to gather materials) or a disadvantage (less ability to specialize construction). It seems availability along with quantity are the factors involved in assembly, they'd necessarily need a lot of materials. Was going to leave a link in the other thread about nest construction being a known, studied behavior of the BFs. More information is available courtesy of BFRO. One example at this link. http://bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?ID=48746 Edit to add older discussions on the forum. Cool stuff, I remembered the guy saying they're always under trees, etc. http://bigfootforums.com/index.php/topic/46905-sasquatch-feces/page-3?hl=nest#entry831976 http://bigfootforums.com/index.php/topic/9601-wondering-if-bf-tears-down-a-den/page-2?hl=nest#entry111411 Edited May 19, 2016 by JKH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasfooty Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 We're mammals, so why don't we call our houses "nests"? It's like calling the hairy ones animals. Technically, they are, (and we are), but we don't, as a general rule, call ourselves animals. Sorry about the off topic-ness, Hiflier. I'll run along & bother somebody else now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiflier Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 Thanks, now...about those huckleberries. Not all ripen at the same time, nor at different elevations and locations. I'd be happy to work with everyone in determining the overall huckleberry pattern in a sort of 3D idea that might include some different factors. Sun position might be the driving force for the timing of berry production as well as things like rainfall. Some species seem to do well even if drought conditions are present. That tells me that in quantity the berries could be an emergency water source for animals and birds in drier conditions. Just one of the advantages the wild may benefit from. For a creature requiring an 8.000 calorie a day diet though? If they only eat huckleberries they would need to consume 60 lbs. a day. Back on the idea of ripening patterns though would elevation and therefore temperature create a sort of ripening wave from lower levels up to mountain ridges. These are of course questions that won't be so cut and dried but generally things may reveal some interesting things. Eastern slopes vs. Western slopes for instance. Or northern slopes vs. southern slopes. Those kinds of dynamics should be fairly easy to determine through common sense one would thing but there will be other factors impacting the picture as well. I think looking at things more generally might be an OK way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKH Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Our nests are called beds, sheltered by houses, but I get what you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiflier Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 Ah but Sasfooty you are welcome to stay and give your thought on the subject Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKH Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Plants can have many purposes. I'm sure they eat them, but in this situation, they're not food. They are evergreen, very bushy and I can see how they'd form a good mattress. Have a bunch in my backyard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiflier Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 Of course they eat them. Everything eats them although they are not a favorite of birds. And not all are evergreen. This topic is for taking the huckleberry past the nest aspect and looking further down the timeline. Besides, there are lots of evergreen things to make nests out of right? In other words, there might just be more to this than choosing huckleberry twigs for making bedding. This thread is for exploring that as well as working out if Sasquatch movement and sightings are related to the huckleberry cycle up and down Western North America. I doubt if anything definitive would result from the discussion but it's part of the process of looking at all avenues which can only increase our knowledge until discovery. It may even help the discovery endeavor more directly than indirectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIB Posted May 19, 2016 Moderator Share Posted May 19, 2016 Why do they call them nests? It seems demeaning, IMO. Birds make nests. Primates make dens. Did you look at the pictures? Nests is what comes to mind visually. MIB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiflier Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 http://ugallaprimateproject.com/projects/nesting Can we get off the nest term usage debate now? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DWA Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 They're "nests," like the ones that, wait for it, other higher primates make. Nest is a word reserved for a particular kind of structure, not the Perceived Superiority of the being making it. To consider "nest" demeaning is to consider man Above All and The Supreme Dignity, which I can assure you all we most certainly are not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted May 19, 2016 Admin Share Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) Because they look like a nest???? Huckeberries here grow maybe 1-2 ft high. Are we sure we are not talking blackberries? Edited May 19, 2016 by norseman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveedoe Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 I spend time every year going after the delicious huckleberries. I start early going after the low elevation evergreen huckleberries around the Olympic peninsula, and by the end of summer going up around 4000 ft elevation. For me just another reason to go on a field trip and be rewarded for the time out in the NF. Here is an interesting link to some different types of huckleberries. http://berrygrape.org/information-on-huckleberry-plants/#anchor3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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