A snowy day

Today was a superbly showy (or snowy) day. About 3-4 inches of sticky snow fell on central Ohio, blanketing everything with a white coat. Shauna and I visited Highbanks Metro Park, just north of Columbus (Ohio), and hiked three miles through the wintry landscape. Photo ops were everywhere, but it was just nice to be out in a real winter, like they should be.

Your narrator leans against some sort of large plant along one of the many miles of trails at Highbanks. Thanks to Shauna for the photo.

The last few winters have been mild, with very little snow and not much in the way of truly cold temperatures. For the next week, lows will be in the mid to low teens (tomorrow night's low is supposed to be 6 F!), and highs from the mid-teens to mid 20's. This winter reverted back to normal winters of not so long ago. I hope this trend returns for future winters.

Coyotes rescued from deplorable captive environment

 

A coyote glances over her shoulder. This animal was rescued from brutal conditions at a fur farm.

This was one of 128 coyotes rescued from an Ashtabula County, Ohio fur farm in late January. Also found at this animal hellscape, called the Grand River Fur Exchange, were 124 red foxes, 88 skunks, 52 "wolves" (wolf hybrids) and lesser numbers of several other species. They were being mined for various musks and urines (used in hunting, as repellents in gardens, and probably other purposes), for furs, and for sales to captive breeders. The coyotes and many others were in cages hardly big enough to turn around in, and often not enough room to stand upright. Numerous dead animals were found during the raid, including a gray fox (listed as a Species of Concern by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Gray fox has declined significantly in recent decades). This was animal cruelty in the extreme. No animal deserves such treatment, and similar operations need ferreted out and shut down. I have heard that many others exist within Ohio.

Fortunately, there are people like Gwen Hoogendoorn, who organized the rescue mission on the heels of law enforcement raiding and shutting down this monstrous operation. She also (with permits, of course) took four of the coyotes to much more capacious housing. I was able to visit these four coyotes the other day and admire the tough survivors. Thanks Gwen and everyone else involved in this rescue operation. There were numerous partners, and I don't know who they all are. Or I'd list them all. But the operation was originally spurred by the Humane Society of the United States, who were tipped to the conditions at the operation. Gwen was tapped for her leadership due to her logistical and organizational abilities, and widespread contacts within the wildlife rehabilitation community. The Ohio Wildlife Center played a role, as did Nature's Nursery and many other individuals and organizations.

Bobcat Talk: Next Saturday at Cedar Bog

 

A Bobcat (Felis rufus) pointedly ignores the photographer. I made this image last October, in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. After a bit, the cat stalked off in the insouciant manner that only a cat can muster.

Shauna Weyrauch, who teaches at Ohio State University's Newark Campus and does research involving Bobcat den sites and is an authority on Ohio's only remaining wild cat (Lynx and Mountain Lion once occurred), will speak on these fascinating felines next Saturday, February 8 at 10 am in the visitor's center at Cedar Bog. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Shauna, along with wildlife photographer Dutch Gordon, recently published a book entitled The Boy and the Bobcat. It's geared towards kids, and I doubt the kid exists who wouldn't be interested in Bobcats. Shauna will have books on hand ($20), and her talk will be of interest to the younger set. Please feel free to bring any kids you have or know.

After the talk, Shauna, myself, and Cedar Bog volunteers will lead a foray around the boardwalk. Cedar Bog is one of Ohio's most remarkable natural resources and is chockful of rare species. Bobcats have been documented there, and though our odds of connecting with one are slim to none, we will see oodles of other interesting stuff. Skunk-cabbage (Symplocarpos foetidus) abounds, and I won't be surprised if some plants are already in flower. Located just south of Urbana, Cedar Bog is easily accessible from Columbus and anywhere else in central Ohio.

Hope to see you there!

 

A female Slightly Musical Conehead (Neoconocephalus exiliscanorus) rests on someone's heavily used field bag. Note her extremely long, sword-like ovipositor. It's not there to stab enemies. She uses it to inject eggs deep into plant tissue where, safely ensconced, they are safer from predators.

The group of katydids known as coneheads (long before Saturday Night Live came up with the skits of the same name) are charismatic, and mostly LOUD. While many of the orthopteran singing insects create quite pleasant songs (by rapidly scraping their wings together), melodious is not a word most would apply to many conehead species. Some of them sound like an electric line that has shorted and is loudly buzzing.

The mildly pejorative "slightly musical" in the case of this species is somewhat justified. While not as abrasive as some other conehead songs, it is not a song that one would put on the same plane as a Baltimore Oriole, or Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Nonetheless, it has a pleasant soft buzzing quality, albeit a tune that could easily be overlooked among the scads of singing insects in late summer and fall.

To hear a Slightly Musical Conehead for yourself, now, visit the Songs of Insects website, RIGHT HERE. This site, and the book that it is based off, are the works of Wil Hershberger and Lang Elliott, two of the most knowledgeable naturalists and best recordists of natural history sounds in North America. The accompanying video at the website linked above features a video of a singing male (only males sing) showing how it rubs its wings together (stridulates) to create its song.

I've been attempting to catch up with archival of images shot over the last year, and this conehead came from a trip to a wonderful new Arc of Appalachia acquisition in the Killbuck Valley region, in Holmes County, Ohio, aptly named Killbuck Swamp. A group of us visited there last August 8 to participate in a bio-blitz of the property. Scads of interesting organisms were found. Seeing the image of this conehead made me long for warmer days. We've gone through what - in modern times - has been a pretty frosty, snowy winter. But the days are getting longer, birds are increasingly singing, and it won't be long at all until the first Skunk-cabbage is blooming.

More sparrows, and a sparrow talk!

 

An American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) plunders seeds from a Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) plant this morning. The bird may only weigh 20 grams, but it is tough as nails. It was minus 2 F when I made this shot early on the morning of January 19. We walked a fair bit through a large prairie remnant north of Columbus and saw dozens of tree sparrows. They were unfazed by the frigid temperatures. There was plenty of Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) at this site, and the sparrows were also feasting on that.

The plucky sparrow in the act of plundering seeds from the mountain mint. A major goal of mine is photo-documenting birds interacting with the native plants that they rely on. 

Sparrows are utterly dependent upon plants and are largely vegan for much of the year. I'm giving a talk about sparrows and their ecology at the Midwest Native Plant Society's "Creating Living Landscapes" conference near Dayton, Ohio on March 29. Registration is open and all are welcome. There are a number of other speakers presenting on interesting topics, and it should be a great time. The event website, with full details and registration info, is RIGHT HERE.

Hope to see you there!

Birds eating native plant fruit

 

A gorgeous White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) perches on the leafy stalk of a tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima). This seems to be a great winter for them in Ohio. I've had up to a dozen at once in my backyard and have seen/heard scores of them on nearly every field outing, no matter where. This individual is of the white morph, which in my experience, in this part of the world, is greatly outnumbered by the drabber tan-striped morphs.

In spite of the frigid temperatures of late, the jaunty little sparrows are already tuning up their voices. I hear the mournful whistled songs daily now, even in single digit temps. Lengthening daylight is stimulating the males to hone their voices. I miss them when they return to the north woods to breed.

I should note that when I made this image, in late October in Champaign County, Ohio, several dozen White-throated and White-crowned sparrows were gorging on the seeds of tall goldenrod (often referred to as Canada goldenrod, but that's another story) and various asters. These native plants are a vital source of food for seed-eating birds and should be conserved whenever possible. There are about 37 native goldenrod species in Ohio, and perhaps 46-47 native asters, a number of which are available in the native nursery trade, and any of them are great additions to the yardscape for those interested in spiking biodiversity. Leaves for Wildlife Native Plant Nursery, Scioto Gardens, and Monarch Meadows Native Plant Nursery are good central Ohio sources for native flora.

A White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) feasts on tall goldenrod. It and its comrades were also snacking on the fruit of purple swamp aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum), which is an utterly stunning plant when in bloom.

An American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) plunders seeds from the capsules of a senescent common evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis). This native likely will pop up in your yard with no assistance. If it does, consider yourself fortunate and protect it. This primrose is also alluring to some very cool moths, including the spectacular primrose moth (Schinia florida). Read about that marvelous insect, along with an interesting photo, RIGHT HERE.

More fun with Southern Flying Squirrels

 

Yesterday dawned crisp and snowy, but plans were afoot to join Professor Don Althoff of the University of Rio Grande and other squirrel enthusiasts to conduct research on one of our most interesting mammals, the Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans). The temps were in the low teens when Shauna and I departed Columbus early that morning, and it was probably about 20 F when I made this image in northwestern Athens County. Our squirrel "lab" was those distant woods.

The meadow above is dubbed the Dennis Profant prairie and is part of Hocking College's land lab. Dennis was a professor there, and a real jack-of-all-trades when it came to the natural world. A true natural philosopher, with an especially keen interest in moths. We lost Dennis in 2015 - far too early - and this prairie is a fitting memorial to him. HERE IS a short piece that I wrote about Dennis.

This was our crew on this snowy, blustery day. Almost all 14 of us. Our fearless leader, the indefatigable Dr. Althoff, took the photo. Almost everyone here has been on at least one of these Southern Flying Squirrel (SFS from here on) box checks. I think it was my fifth, time, Shauna's second, and some of these people have been far more times than that.

Our leader, Don Althoff, scales the 35 lb. ladder that must be lugged over rugged terrain. One of the large boxes that the squirrels use for winter roosts - and nest sites in the breeding season - is in front of him.

Don has 16 squirrel trails in about a half-dozen southeastern counties, and each has 25 of these boxes. My iPhone recorded a distance of about 1.5 miles to get around this one. Not far at all, but throw in the hills, fairly deep snow, and the equipment that must be hauled along, and it's a pretty good workout (at least for the equipment-haulers).

This was cool, and highly unusual. As Don placed the ladder and began scaling the tree to this box, I noticed something in the hole. A SFS! The curious beast was peeking out to see what was going on. Such behavior is very rare as I understand it. Normally the squirrels are all sacked out at the bottom of the box, but either this guy wanted a peek at the winter wonderland, or he heard our approach and wanted to see what was happening.

One of the 16 SFS that was captured that day. One box had nine SFS inside! Althoff has had boxes with 15 squirrels on a few occasions. Why so many (there is almost always multiple squirrels roosting together)? SFS are highly social, but heat plays a big role in the formation of these squirrely scrums. Pack three, five, nine, or 15 squirrels in a box and its warm as toast in there, or at least far warmer than the outside air temperature.

All Don's gear is specially designed for the squirrels and expedites their safe and speedy handling and release. Each is weighed, sexed, and given an ear tag with a unique number that allows it to be positively identified if recaptured. Other data is collected as well, and over the nearly three decades that Althoff has studied SFS, he's generated a mountain of information on this little-known completely nocturnal mammal. Oh, squirrel releases are possibly the coolest part of the process. the SFS is placed on a tree trunk, and usually as soon as its handler lets go, it races upwards, 20-30 feet or higher. Then, oftentimes, it launches into an incredible glide that must be seen to be believed. Winglike flaps of tissue extend between forelegs and hindlegs, and when stretched taut form wings. The squirrel cannot fly, in the sense of sustained flight, but the furry aerobats are quite dexterous and jig and jag around trees and branches. While rare, these flight/glides can be 150 feet or more, although one-third or so that distance would be much more common. When the SFS lands, it flips its broad, flat beaverlike tail upwards. This sends the animal's head upward and slows the airspeed considerably, allowing for an easy landing. Almost invariably the newly alit squirrel dashes to the other side of the tree. That's likely an adaptation to thwart would-be predators such as owls, that may have been following it.

The following is a quote from the book Mammals of Ohio, by Jack Gottschang (1981): "Perhaps because of its nocturnal and secretive habits, this squirrel has escaped close investigation by all but a few mammalogists; no one has studied it in detail in Ohio."

Gottschang's words are now sorely dated, and I'm sure he'd be glad of it. Because of Don Althoff's remarkable tenacity in studying the difficult to access SFS, we know FAR more about them and their life history.

HERE IS a link to another piece that I wrote about Don and his work, this one from my Columbus Dispatch column, Nature, dated January 1, 2018. I've got a few more posts about SFS on this blog, with many more pictures. Just type "Althoff" into the search box at the top upper left corner of the blog.