Stinky Bug
Whenever the outside temperatures start warming up, we will get many flies and ladybugs around the house. Living in the woods for the past three years has introduced me to a new resident living with me over the winter months. I had always called this a “stink bug” because whenever someone accidentally steps on one or grab it quickly the bug will produce an unpleasant odor. It has only been recently that I started to investigate the proper identification of this insect. I am proud to introduce you to my new room mate Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis).
Salamander Migration
Spring is a magnificent time of the year when nature does so many wonderful things. This is when I find myself on a set routine waiting for the next major natural event to happen (and it normally happens right on schedule). My biggest and most favorite activity to participate in is the migration of the Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum).
Bluebirds, Phoebe and Osprey
There have been soooo many “nature” things going on and I don’t even know where to start. I got back from Massachusetts on Sunday and realized that all 4-5 inches of snow had melted. These are the wonderful turning points in the weather where I could be spending all my time focused on the critters (but I need to work to pay the bills). I quickly opened all my windows so my kitties could get some fresh air and there was the “wonderful” sound of Eastern Bluebirds down near my bluebird box. Monday morning the Bluebirds were actively adding nesting material to the box and I plan on trying to get a video clip of them once I get a little more time.
Day Four – the Return
Woke up in the morning to find some snow on the ground. I really did not want to leave Cape Cod and drive the 9 1/2 hour trip back to Western New York. I did finally get everything packed up and started heading home. This is always where you start to reflect the many adventures that happened on the trip. (more…)
Day Three – The Meeting
I woke up extra early to visit Nauset Beach at Cape Cod because there had been talk that this would be the best location for finding some Harlequin Ducks. I ended up not taking the required turn and found myself at this very cool dead end road (and probably where I shouldn’t have been). Not only were their a zillion birds swimming around but on one of the rocks was a harbor seal. It was not too cooperative in letting me get a close photo but I did squeeze in a few pictures before it disappeared in the water. I really have to appreciate everyone who has the opportunity in seeing these guys on a daily basis. (more…)
Day Two – Exploring the Cod
I started my morning by heading to the farthest point of Cape Cod in a town called Provincetown. There had been talk of Northern Gannets near Race Point and I was dieing to find this bird since it would have been a life for me. I was very pleased to locate some fellow bird banders already there but we all found ourselves scratching our heads. In theory; everything would have been perfect for locating the Gannets except for the fact that the fog had rolled in. We hiked out to the waters edge (was low tide) but still had a hard time identifying the Red-breasted Mergansers that were only a few hundred feet away. Looking hard, we found something very unusual floating in the water. I pulled out the spotting scope and realized that it had whiskers. (more…)
Day One – The Trip
After being out on the road for 10 long hours, you start to find yourself doing some 65m/hr nature watching. My adventure started at 5:30 this morning with a few mammals like the Deer, Raccoons and an Opossum. Further down the highway it started looking a bit like large snow flakes in the air! Nope, to warm for snow but there were many little moths that were attracted to my headlights. Finally the sun came up and I started seeing many of those common roadside birds like the Canada Goose, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow and even a few American Kestrels. I did happen to see many Turkey Vultures flying around which is a species that I have been looking for my first for 2007 list! Finally – CHECK. (more…)
Road Trip
Tomorrow morning I am off to Cape Cod for the weekend. I am expecting to get some lifers since I have never done any east coast ocean birding before. The hotel will have wireless internet in it, so expect some updates while I am out on my trip. I will leave everyone with these Tree Sparrow photos that I captured this morning. (more…)
Spring Dusk Birding!
This evening I went searching to see if our American Woodcocks have arrived. Not long after sunset, one of the Great Horned Owls started vocalizing (only one individual this time). It wasn’t long and I saw this silhouette of the Great Horned Owl fly across the sky! I had only wished my camera wasn’t sitting in the truck. I continued to watch this silhouette fly from tree top to tree top looking for something to eat (or a good place to sit). I sure hope they are not hunting my woodcocks??
While leaning up against my truck, I was starting to believe the American Woodcocks hadn’t arrived yet …… but then I hear it ….. Peent…… Peent ……Peent… (CHECK, first of the year) few minutes later I hear a second bird .. Peent……. Peent ……. Peent … Peent…..then they starting doing their twittering flight display way up into the sky! I was lucky able to follow two of their flights up into sky! What joy this is watching such wonderful birds on the beginning of spring. I continued listening to three different birds doing their display till almost twilight (then there was silence again). They were too far away from the road to capture any video clips/pictures. Once I return from my conference, I plan on hiking through the snow and get some up close video clips of them doing their display (I promise).
BTW: I had a major scare this morning. Pulled the 400mm lens out to try and capture a few pictures of the Fox Sparrows. Hmm, error!! Hmmm still erroring! Hmmm ….. I can’t seem to be able to take any pictures!! hmmm (ok, now you can start changing the hmmm’s with words that I should be typing)! I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t able to capture any photos with my 400mm!! Kit lens, no problems! Hmmm, after many hours assuming my lens died just before my big trip to Cape Cod something came to me by a fluke. I realized that my manual f-stop ring had moved. In digital SLR’s your older lenses irises need to be opened up all the way before the body can properly register the lens….. YEAH!! Mystery solved! Once again I am to take pictures again and the world hasn’t come to an end!
Equinox
Depending on where you live in the world, March 20th or March 21st is your official Equinox with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. To celebrate this important “natural” holiday you can make many wonderful camping style treats for your Equinox party. The dessert called “DIRT” is one of my favorites:
DIRT DESSERT
3 pkgs of instant vanilla pudding *
4 ½ cups milk *
1 u oz pkg Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 carton Cool Whip (room temperature)
1 pkg Oreo Cookies (frozen)
Gummy Worms
Mix vanilla pudding, milk and cream cheese together. Fold in cool whip. Chop cookies in blender or food processor. Layer (starting with cookies and ending with cookies) one of cookies, then pudding mix, then cookies, etc. Top with Gummy Worms.
*1 large pudding and 3 cups milk can be substituted.
It is always good to see dirt after a long winter. I figured this Dirt Dessert would be right up everyone’s alley. Don’t forget your gummy worms!! Happy Equinox and I have a ton of things to write about but very little time to get it posted. I am trying to get ready for my Eastern Bird Banding Association conference at Cape Cod this weekend (well leaving on Thursday). Lets hope that the big “Salamander Migration Night” doesn’t happen while I am at the Cod!
BTW: Had my first Fox Sparrow of the year today!! CHECK!
Dark-eyed Junco Behavior and Vocalization
You can learn a great deal about a bird once you begin watching their behaviors. There is no better time to start observing these behaviors than during the spring months when the birds are just starting establishing their territories. The Dark-eyed Junco or also known as the Slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis) is one of Allegany State Park’s early species that are just beginning to sing. Before we learning their song, here is a video for you to become better familiar with two of their calls. (more…)
Happy Furry/Feathery Friday
I ended up finding the birds very active around my window feeder today and it was probably due to the St. Patrick’s snow storm hitting us. So, I decided to capture some wonderful up close videos of the birds interacting together. I am very excited to add these to the blog but I first want to figure out how to make them educational (so they should be posted soon)!! I began to review them on the computer and something wonderful happened (and I quickly grab my camera)!
Although this was a test with my cats self control; the real birds outside quickly refocused their attention elsewhere. Do note that I edited out the 5 minutes of Phoebe studying the screen and showed you the two cat’s breaking points. It was very cute to watch.
Happy Furry and Feathery Friday everyone.
Such a Warm Stinking Flower
As promised, I have finally gotten around to writing something about Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus). My interest in this flower started late last week when two of my friends were posting pictures of their first of the year wildlfower; Jennifer photo 1, photo 2, and photo 3 & Salamanderdance photo 1 and photo 2. But, after thinking about it, this isn’t my first wildflower for 2007. In January before the 2007 “Ice Age”, I saw dandelions growing out on the lawn. So, this really is my 2nd flower species for 2007 but, does very much feel like my 1st flower also this year.
You might ask why this is a remarkable wildflower? (more…)
Change of Plans!
I first intended this post to include a wonderful in-depth discussion on Eastern Skunk Cabbage!! But, things just continue to occur which has kept me from writing it (high school friend called, cat puked, ect…)! So, I have decided that instead of writing a half ass post that I am going to hold off till tomorrow. I hope this White-tailed Deer video clip that I captured on Sunday will make up for my laziness.
Although, I am pleased to report more signs of spring are still becoming apparent! Today I saw my first Red-shouldered Hawk this season displaying high up in the sky. CHECK – Great part is that I didn’t see one, but three different males displaying in three different locations here in Allegany State Park! Even though they wouldn’t allow me to photograph them, they are still my favorite of all hawks!
Things you find at dusk!
This evening I went out searching for some early arrivals of the American Woodcock here in Allegany State Park. My searching started close to dusk where I almost stepped on a caterpillar while getting out of my truck. Not exactly sure which species of caterpillar this is but looks like it could be in the dagger family (See photo below). Finding this little fuzzy caterpillar had encouraged me to continued searching for little things on the pavement. It didn’t take long before I located another caterpillar called the Woolly Bear. But, this one wasn’t photographable because it was about as flat as a quarter. You can only find on so many dead Woolly Bears on the pavement before you start focusing your energy on something else (like unusual sounds).
Didn’t take long before I heard my first sound of the night …. Could it be the twittering sounds of the woodcock during its display?? …. (more…)
Sunny Sunday
Today was a perfect day to do some bird watching and I was happy to locate 29 species of birds. Although most of the waterways were frozen over, there were 6 species that were first of the year sightings for me (which include the): Pied-billed Grebe, Woodduck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Killdeer, and Song Sparrow. Other great sightings for the day included the Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Wild Turkey, Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead and a Red-necked Grebe! I spent extensive time watching the Red-necked Grebe with hopes that I might be able to see a band on it. I even tried to shoot some video threw my spotting scope and this evening I reviewed all the video clips frame by frame. Here are two good clips of the Grebe that I captured through my spotting scope (most others were too wobbly): (more…)
Could spring be near?
Rumor has it that spring temperatures will be around for this next week and there have been many signs that just maybe spring is finally starting to get close. Yesterday I heard one of those familiar signs during my walk around Red House Lake!! (more…)
Going back to my roots!
I remember back when I started college that one of my professors was telling me “your life is like a tree … but it is up to you to decide which branch of the tree to sit on …. some branches might break …. you might get a little bored sitting on some branches ….. some branches might hold you strong forever …. but it is up to you to decide where to sit!”. Looking back to my past, I now seem to better understand his points that he was trying to get across to me. (more…)
Wordless Wednesday (ok a few words)
Goldfinch visiting me just outside the Administration Building here in Allegany State Park, NY
Took the Wordless Wednesday idea from Barbara. Wait, have I said too much already?? Darn!
What is a Naturalist?
Photo of a visit to Costa Rica by an old friend and great naturalist.
What is a naturalist? If he makes systematic observations, keeps careful records, and tries to interpret them, he is certainly a scientist, yet he differs profoundly from other scientist, even from other biologist. Many a scientist is never happier than when he can bring into his laboratory whatever phenomenon he is investigating, isolate it, and study it under controlled conditions. His triumph is to summarize his observations in a neat graph or a mathematical formula. He lives in middle-class comfort like any other professional man. To the true naturalist, the concrete experience of living things in their natural setting is at least as precious as any generalization or “law” that he can derive from his observations. To gain this experience, he is willing to endure discomforts and privations in far places. (more…)
Finding things on the snow!
While coming home from work yesterday, I accidentally flushed a Red-tailed Hawk doing something behind the house. You know that look on a child’s face that something just happened and there is no way that they are going to tell you? Well, this was the same feeling I had with this Red-tailed Hawk who took off carrying something in its talons. I would have loved to follow it for a good photo opportunity but I needed to get the cats fed and get ready for the Kenn Kaufman talk. I did hiked through the deep snow for CSI – TOM to investigate those fallen remnants from under its perch (before I rudely interrupted is dinner). (more…)
Kenn Kaufman at RTPI
Kenn Kaufman spent the evening talking to many guest and members of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) in Jamestown, New York. Kenn is the fourth author who has been invited to speak at the Distinguished Speaker Series at RTPI (funded through the Johnson Foundation). Kenn is best known as the author of the book Kingbird Highway and his Kaufman Focus Field Guides. Tonight was the official release date for his newest Focus Guide on the Insects of North America and it looks like a very useful guide for any nature enthusiast (I know its going in my library).
Grebe Update
Picture taken two days ago at the released
Yesterday, while heading into town; I checked two times and didn’t see the Red-necked Grebe anywhere along the Allegheny River. Although I did see many ducks swimming around like the Common Merganser, Black Duck, Mallard, Canada Goose, Common Goldeneye and a Long-tailed Ducks. It was very possible that the Red-necked Grebe was down stream (where I didn’t have access to look). (more…)
Grounded with no where to go!!
This morning a fellow employee came into the office saying “Tom, we have an injured bird in the snow!!” He told me how “a bird watcher found this bird and asked if he would go get some help”. I agreed to help out and while looking for a box; I started asking questions like “how big was it?”, “what was it doing” etc.. I quickly realized that the bird being described was probably a grebe species. I went down the hall and asked “Randy” a fellow naturalist to give me a hand with the bird. (more…)
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 