Zebra Swallowtails

Zebra Swallowtail butterflies have been seen at various locations on March 30 and 31. Several other species of butterflies were in flight today....Mourning Cloak, Cabbage White, Spring Azure, Eastern Comma / Question Mark. Expect to see the Falcate Orangetip soon.

Still looking for the Louisana Waterthrush - I expect that they are here but have not yet confirmed that. Steve Willson reported singing Henslows sparrows on Saturday, March 28.

Woodcock Watch

Each spring brings about the extraordinary courtship displays of the American woodcock, a shorebird that inhabits the wet woodland and brushy areas of Ohio. March begins these acrobatic flyers courtship rituals that consist of tight spirals reaching over 300 feet into the sky and a zig-zag descent, resembling a falling leaf. Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve is home to these splendid sky dancers who are giving display to those that wish to observe.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves will be conducting a free educational program on the American woodcock at Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve on Wednesday, March 25 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to participate as professional naturalists offer a presentation on the amazing life history of the American woodcock and the opportunity for first hand observation of the courtship rituals of these birds.

The program is free, suitable for all ages, and will be held at Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve, 209 Hawk Hill Road, West Union, Ohio. GPS coordinates are N38°50.422’ W083°34.427’. For more information about the program, call 937-544-9750. To learn more about Ohio’s state nature preserve system visit www.ohiodnr.com/dnap.

Micro-Botany Expedition

On Saturday, March 21, 2009, five of us, Janet Creamer, John Howard, Jeff Huxmann, Cheryl Harner, and Jessica Huxmann, got together for a micro-botany trip through the Preserve. We located several species of Draba, including the endangered Draba cuneifolia, (upper left), stone crop (Sedum), as well as some of the spring wildflowers reported by Lucy Miller, Randy Lakes, and Rich McCarty.

couple of flowers blooming

on a midday trip around the edge preserve today, helen black, ann geise and i saw snow trillium, skunk cabbage, hepatica, and rue anemone blooming. celadine poppy and cut tooth wort were setting bud.

Oh, its sprung all right!

This morning Lucy left early to go to a meeting in Dayton (about 6:00 am). About 7:00 she called me back to say to be careful driving down our road (Brush Creek Rd.) it is alive with critters! She reported over 30 brown snakes (upper right), a toad (upper left), spotted salamanders (center) and unknown numbers of red efts (lower right) crossing the road. I soon left and found that she was in fact correct. I had to drive 5 to 10 miles an hour to avoid them all! Now this is a seasonal thing that we look out for and it happens a bit when it rains but this was exceptional. The brown snakes seem to be synchronized so they move all at once but normally we see them in the fall, when they are going up the hills so it is unusual to see them heading down. The salamanders we start seeing them in December when they are laying their eggs in frozen or near frozen ponds. The toad was a little early as we have heard the peepers in great numbers these last few nights and would expect the toads shortly after that. Now the red efts, who knows what they were doing? They are actually young red spotted newts (lower left), they rise from eggs in the ponds as land dwelling creatures and they then go out on an American version of the Australian "walk about" for about 2 or 3 years. After that they grown slimy skin, gills and a flat tail and crawl back into the water to remain to breed and die. An interesting little bugger.

So watch out in the early mornings don't just be looking for deer (though not a bad idea also), the toads may be spotted with other lives, for goodness snakes. Remember the newt you save may be an eft!

Pete

signs of spring

A Great Blue Heron rookery along Ohio Brush Creek has several occupied nests! Birds appear both sitting and standing on nests on this 70 degree day. This is potentially an early record for GBH breeding activity in Ohio and confirms that we should begin to pay attention to the spring arrivals - both plant and animal. It was reported on Thursday, March 5 that the Snow Trilliums were in full bloom.

The often unseen

As I made my way to work this morning I saw a dozen Common Mergansers on Ohio Brush Creek along Waggoner Riffle Road. They are beautiful birds and we do not often see them. My last sighting of Common Mergansers was over five years ago near the mouth of Ohio Brush Creek at the Ohio River. The bold black and white color was easy to see against the green of the water.

There is another, often unseen occurence that could be easy to see if looked for now. As part of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II effort to gather data about Ohio's breeding birds, I would encourage all to look for large nests that may be used by hawk or owl species. While we all see Red Tailed Hawks, and other hawk species, regularly in our area, how often have we seen one on the nest? How commonly, or uncommonly, do Red Tailed Hawks nest in our part of the state? Great Horned and Barred Owls will also be taking advantage of large stick nests in late winter / early spring. We can gather valuable information on raptor nesting even in the cold days of winter. It is a great time to scan the forests for large stick nests.

Once a nest has been located, try and determine if it being used. One obvious way to determine if a nest is active is to look at / into it to see if a bird is sitting in it. Often you can look onto/into a nest with a spotting scope or binoculars from some distance away. If the nest is visible from home or work, pay attention to how often birds are near it. Are birds carrying nest material to the nest? Are birds paired up near the nest? If you discover a nest and determine that it is being used by one of our hawk or owl species, please let us know. With directions from you about the location of the nest, we can report the activity in the Atlas effort and improve our knowledge base of Ohio's breeding birds.

First Blooms of Spring!

Well, Here we are the first week of March and while walking around, I spotted my first blooms of Spring. Technically these flowers: Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) and Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) are not true natives. They are both native to Europe and Asia Minor and have been brought over to the United States where they have been naturalized. Some of the true natives that you should be seeing now or shortly include the Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), and Harbinger of Spring (Erigenia bulbosa). Snow Trilliums (Trillium nivale) have been seen poking out of the ground, but not quite blooming yet. Spring, even though the windchill is around 0°, is really not far off!!!!!

The Sap Is A Flowin'

It is the time of year when the days are starting to warm up and the nights are still chilly. Everyone is experiencing some sense of cabin fever and they want to get out and start moving again. It is the same for Maple trees. After their long cold winter, they need to get their "juices" flowing again and when that happens, everyone knows it is maple syrup time! It is actually not very difficult to do, just a little time consuming, but in my opinion, it is well worth it. However let me warn you it can be very addicting. A couple of friends of mine who started tapping trees this year are already planning on having a bigger operation next year!

For more information on how to tap the trees, collect the sap, and make the syrup, I would suggest contacting your local county Ohio State University extension office or reading http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0036.html

Enjoy!!!!!

A New Perspective?????

As I sit here and reflect on the work that I (and others) have done over the past few weeks as a result of the ice and snow and wind storms that have hit Adams County. Anticipation comes to mind. An anticipation of what might happen as a result of these series of storms. Let me explain.

As I am writing this I am looking at a series of brush piles that I have cut and placed along the edge of my drive. Will the tangle of branches and sticks provide enough cover for the rabbit to hide and possibly nest this coming spring? Or will the tangles help keep the wrens, sparrows, and towhees away from the eyes of the neighborhood Great Horned Owl and the various hawks that fly overhead.

What about the old oak whose top was blown over in the storms. Would the snag one day be home to the Eastern Gray and Fox squirrels that I spot performing their tightrope routines in the limbs up above? Or is it big enough for an owl or maybe a raccoon to use as a daybed or even nest in? Would these storms spell the beginning of the demise of that tree? Would I see insects start to make their home there, burrowing deep in the exposed weathered wood? And would the woodpeckers soon follow endlessly pounding to find that needed nourishment? If that all happens, I know it won’t be long before other cavity nesters start moving in: the Flying Squirrels, the Eastern Screech Owl, the Opossum, and the Little Brown Bats. Would Wood Ducks, Carolina Chickadees or White-footed Mice nest in these new cavities? Is it possible that one day a Prothonotary Warbler find the cavities and sing it’s sweet song at the edge of the nearby creek?

What about the trees that were uprooted by these storms. Now they just lie like random matchsticks thrown in the air and strewn across the forest floor. How long would it be before the massive roots are invaded by a skunk trying to dig a den to have it’s kits? Maybe it will be the Red Fox whose tracks I see disappearing on the trail ahead. Would a Ruffed Grouse use a log to drum and attract it’s mate? Or would an Wild Turkey hen scratch it’s nest along a log using it’s cover to hide it familiar silhouette from the wandering Coyotes. How long would it be before the trunk is covered in mosses and fungi attracting numerous other insects and the predators that follow them? Would the salamanders and skinks that I spot scurrying along the ground and up the tree trunks hide beneath the bark which is covered by mosses and lichens?

What about the trees that fell into the pond and the lakes? Would the branches that are underwater protect the sunfish and bass fry that will hide in there? Will the numerous snapping and painted turtles pull themselves out of the water and sun themselves on the trunk on the first warm days of Spring? Would these same trunks be a fishing spot for the Great Blue and Green herons that frequent the shoreline? Would the eagles and osprey that migrate through in the Spring and Fall one day use the branches reaching out of the water as a resting place while scanning the waters for the ripple which could be their next meal? Would the Wood Ducks and Teal utilize the cover of the branches as a shield from the watchful eye of the Gray Foxes that run through here frequently? Would the Canada Geese place their nest along the root ball or the muskrat use the trunk to hide the entry to it’s den buried deep within the bank?

And then there are the open spots on the forest floor from the falling of the trees. Are these clearings now big enough for the Woodcock to perform his aerial display in the waning light of dusk and dawn? Would the seeds that have lie dormant for many years now feel the warmth of the sun and the nourishment of the rain suddenly spring forth from the leaf litter? Would trillium and hepatica suddenly appear where I have never noticed them before? Would Morel Mushrooms shoot up next to the Beech tree over there after all of these years of fruitlessly searching for them? What kind of jewels that have been hidden by these trees will now be exposed? What kind of flora will I now need help identifying because i have never seen it before?
I will admit that when I first saw the aftermath of the storms that came through the area, I was heartbroken at the destruction. But now that I look at it and really think about it, maybe these storms were a blessing in disguise. I guess it is just a matter of time and perspective!

Is Spring on it's Way??????

While working on my place over the past weekend, I noticed a few signs of spring. Although the calender says the 2ND week of February, Mother Nature is broadcasting other signs. Red-Winged Blackbirds have started showing up. There have been reports of Woodcocks beginning their Spring Display Ritual around the state. Driving around the county i saw several groups of Wild Turkeys were males were strutting and displaying for the females in the group. Canada Geese are starting to pair up and stake their claim on the lakes around the area.

Around the flower front, I have seen Daffodils and Snowdrops pushing their green spears through the semi-frozen ground. Within a couple of weeks they will be blooming unless another hard cold spell delays them a little longer. The shrubs and the trees are starting to get buds and the grasses are starting to show just a touch of green at the base.

According to notes from previous years all of this seems a little earlier than normal. Only time will tell. But I am guessing Mother Nature knows what is best!

Check your Feeders

With the recent string of ice and snow that has come upon our area, it is a great time to watch your feeders for some of the more interesting migrants that might appear. Some of the commonly seen migrants include Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Pine Siskins, and Red-breasted Nuthatches. As mentioned in some of the earlier blogs, there have been numerous reports around the state of White-winged Crossbills, Red Crossbills, Common Redpolls, and even Snowy Owls. There are even some birds that normally migrate south that have been seen around the area. Just last week on Wheat Ridge Road, at one feeder along with the usual visitors there was a Common Redpoll and a Lincoln's Sparrow. As Jessica wrote in her blog a couple of weeks ago, just keep the feeders cleaned and filled and see what shows up and start a yard bird list. You might be surprised at the results!

Cute Redheads

Two Redhead ducks, Aythya americana, spent the day diving near our dock in Wrightsville today.  They were joined for a time by six Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris.  A goose, either a Greater White-fronted or a domestic Greylag goose, has been hanging out near the dock for two days as well.   A Red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus, landed in a tree long enough to have these pictures taken.

River Ramblers

Icy weather, power outages, and phone disconnections caused many of us to hunker down last week.  The upshot was that we were able to bird-watch from our living room (we live near the Ohio River).  Here are some pictures of the highlights.

Winter Bird Feeding

Birds sure have it tough in winter.  Think about it: bone-chilling temperatures, no insects, frozen water sources, snow-covered vegetation... not to mention stark white backgrounds against which predators easily spot their tweety meals.  Because of these hardships, many people choose to feed birds during the winter months.  Bird feeding stations provide energy and nourishment to many species of Adams County birds.  Our simple sunflower, suet and cracked corn feeding station drew fifteen species today.  They were:

Mourning Dove

Carolina Wren

Grackle

Blue Jay

Cardinal

Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch

English Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Goldfinch

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Eastern Towhee

Setting up a feeding station is easy.  The trick is keeping the station stocked with appropriate foods throughout the cold months.  Birds require good-quality feeds, such as sunflower and thistle seeds and suet.  Feeding birds items like bread and popcorn fill their bellies while doing little to nourish their bodies.  The birds feel full, but they may actually become weakened due to the lack of sustenance contained in these foods.  

Cleanliness is the next most important consideration for a feeding station.  Any large group of animals - or people - that congregates in one area day after day are capable of passing viruses to each other.  It is important to clean feeders with a dilute bleach solution every few weeks (a quarter cup of bleach per 2 gallons water).   Also rake away hulls and other leftovers on the ground to avoid trapping diseases near the feeder.

Above all, enjoy your feathered visitors!

Adams County Amish Bird Symposium

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!  On Saturday, March 7th, 2009, bird lovers from all over southern Ohio will flock to Adams County for the Sixth Annual Amish Bird Symposium.  Join Cincinnati Museum Center, The Nature Conservancy, and the Adams County Amish Community for a day-long celebration of birds that features speakers, vendors, and activities.  This year, presentations will be given on everything from farming with grassland birds in Ohio to studying birds on the West Indies' island of Dominica.  Registration to this unique symposium has already begun, so call Cincinnati Museum Center today at 1-800-733-2077 (press zero for the operator) to sign up.  Cost is $20.00 per person.  Children 12 and under free.  Includes drinks, an Amish-made lunch, and Miller's Bakery doughnuts and coffee.  Hope to see you there.

Finally pine siskins!

Well from all the chatter about them on the bird listservs about all the pine siskins being see all over the state we finally got some. I had 15 at my feeder yesterday and maybe more today. Now we are just waiting for the redpolls and crossbills. Who knows? This may be the disadvantage of living soo far south. We have to wait for the northern guys. Beautiful snow today, hope we don't get the freezing rain they predicted.

Photo: Bill Hull

The Nesting Season Begins

Here we are in the middle of Winter with snow and ice all around. Most people would never think about hiking and exploring the woods to see what is new. That is more of a Spring, Summer, or Fall activity, yet now is the good time to observe the cycle of life that begins again.

Head out into your nearest woods and look into the fork of a tree for a big nest that you would think would be abandoned at this time of year. Or maybe try to find a big cavity or possibly a snag of a broken off tree. Take binoculars and look at it very closely. There just might be a Great Horned Owl or Barred Owl in it. Don't just assume that nothing is in the nest because it is covered with snow or ice. I have been staring at a nest covered in snow thinking that it is unoccupied when all of the sudden I realized that that are two dark eyes staring right back at me from the snow.

Late January is the beginning of nesting time for Great Horned Owls with Barred Owls following shortly after then. Now is one of the best times to observe both of these species. First while the owls are on the nest incubating the eggs and then during the fledging period that follows.

Great Horned Owls typically have a clutch size of 1-4 eggs with an incubation period of 26-35 days. Once hatched the owlets will be fully fledged about 5 -7 weeks later.

Barred Owls on the other hand typically have a clutch size of 2-3 eggs. Their incubation period is 28 -33 days with fledging coming about 6- 7 weeks later.

Great Horned Owls seem to prefer sites with a mix of mature deciduous and coniferous trees that are adjacent to waterways and open zones suitable for their hunting. The trees provide the owls with high, concealed day-time roosts and also potential nesting sites. The great horned owl does not, however, build its own nest. Instead, it typically appropriates a suitably sized nest from other owls, crows, hawks, herons, or eagles

Barred Owls prefer deep moist forests, wooded swamps, and woodlands near waterways. The habitat is sometimes characterized as heavy mature woods with nearby open country for foraging. These can vary from upland woods to lowland swamps usually near creeks, lakes or river valleys. The area should include densely foliated trees for daytime roosts, conifers or deciduous trees with year-round leaves for winter roosts, and the presence of large trees with suitable cavities for nesting. It prefers to use cavities for it's nest.

Always remember never get too close to the nest or the cavity or stay for a lengthy period of time. Like all nesting birds you do not want to make them too nervous and overstay your welcome. The best advice is to watch for a while, take note of the location and date, and return a few more times throughout the nesting and fledging period.

So if cabin fever is starting to affect you, don't fight it. Maybe that is just Mother Nature's way of telling you it is time to go out and explore!

Cold Weather sightings

It is officially cold in Adams County on this fifteenth day of January. Most of us have made plans to work indoors as temperatures were in the single digits on our way to work this morning. Even as cold as it is, there are things outdoors that are worth stepping out to see. There were multiple rafts of ducks on Ohio Brush creek this morning. Species included American Black Ducks (29), Hooded Mergansers (16) and Mallards (+/-12). Pete reported a large flock of Purple Finches (150+) working the pavement on Brush Creek road. The birds stayed put for a couple of hours at that location. Unusual to see a flock of Purple Finches that large that staying together at a site for that long. Most surprising, a juvenile Golden Eagle was spotted above Ohio Brush Creek along Waggoner Riffle Road today. The bird was slowly soaring south and might hang out near the Killen station along the Ohio River.

Pay attention to your feeders as this cold weather may bring in some unusual birds. A Common Redpoll was seen at a feeder in Pike county this morning along with several Pine Siskins. Most unusual, a male Baltimore Oriole has been seen several times in the Columbus, Ohio area. Pay attention during this cold weather and share the cool or unusual stuff that you see out there.

Hey Folks - We have been negligent in our postings! This season is just getting to be interesting. There seems to be a hiatus between fall and winter when things are just leaving and nothing is showing up yet from the north. We hear about the crowds of siskins coming down (none seen at my feeders yet!) and the redpolls, white-winged and red crossbills heading this way (again not at my feeders). However, in the last two weeks I have seen two merlins in West Union (chasing pigeons) and have heard that some of our field staff saw one heading over the creek towards my house (must be eating those siskins, crossbills and redpolls!). Regardless, the winter finches, sparrows, hawks and owls should be on their way. Good birding!

Pete