Anyway, much gratitude to Dan Adamski for sharing the story of this rooftop-nesting bullbats with us, and here's hoping that both youngsters make it successfuly to the tropics, and return to the Buckeye State next year.
A romp through the diverse flora and fauna of Ohio. From Timber Rattlesnakes to Prairie Warblers to Lakeside Daisies to Woodchucks, you'll eventually see it here, if it isn't already.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Common Nighthawk update
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wood Storks!
Ground zero for the Wood Storks. The small wetland they are frequenting is outlined in red. This site is several miles south of Coshocton, in southern Coshocton County. Township Rd. 145 goes east-west between State Rtes 83 and 93. This road travels along low-lying and oft-flooded Wills Creek, and there are interesting wetlands galore in the area.
This is the stork habitat. Those three white dots are our birds. As Bruce Glick had noted in a posting to the Ohio Birds listserv, this area has a very Floridian feel to it, with plenty of swampy ground. The storks must feel right at home. I can't wait to get back and do a bit of botanizing. In my short trip, I saw a number of interesting and unusual plants, some of which are often indicators of other good stuff. Should be lots of dragonflies in the vicinity as well.
Three juvenile storks. If their bills were above water, which they seldom were, you would see that they are pale ivory-yellow - a character of young birds. Storks feed in large measure by feel. The tips of their bills are sensitive and they feel around in mucky water where it is often too cloudy for visual prey detection.
A better view of one of the birds, albeit head still submerged. This morning was very dark and misty - not good conditions for photography of birds, and I didn't manage many good shots of the storks standing upright.
Most of the prey that I could see them catching appeared to be crayfish, perhaps some snails, and other small aquatic life. This one lucked into a big Longear Sunfish, and had fun wolfing it down. Once he got it headed the right way, it wriggled down the gullet fairly readily.
Wood Storks are big, impressive beasts. Their overall robustness was especially apparent when they would flap their wings. I've seen many of them in the south, but like most Ohio birders, never in Ohio. In fact, this bird was #356 for my state list, but who's counting :-)
This was at least the sixth Ohio record. The first came from July 23, 1909 in Clinton County, and oddly, the second record came from very near the first locale on May 5, 1946. The next documented record came from Ashtabula County on July 1 & 2, 1955. An amazing seven birds were seen in late June of 1966 in Hancock County, and became short-lived local celebrities. The last record was from Portage County on September 9, 2001. There are other records that were probably correct, though, such as two birds in Ottawa County on August 4, 2004.
Wood Storks are well known for post-breeding dispersals northward from the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina breeding colonies, and there are many records from the Midwest. So, while the appearance of these birds is not unexpected, it is still a great record. So far, while seemingly oblivious to the hubbub they are creating, these three storks have been observed by dozens of birders.
I hope that everyone who wants to see them gets over to Coshocton County.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Some Cape May birds
Speaking of plants, it was somewhat depressing to see how badly non-native species have taken over some of the habitats in Cape May. Weeds like Porcelain-berry, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, and Japanese Knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum, cover vast swaths of great migratory bird habitat. Anyone who doubts the ecological damage that these vegetative pests can do need only pay a visit to a place like Cape May.Beachfront Cape May with the famed lighthouse off in the yonder. This area is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and is one of the best remaining oceanside habitats.
Royal Terns abound on the beach. Here, a squawking juvenile begs for food. Like Caspian Terns, the young of this species follow the adults around long after being fledged, demanding handouts from the long-suffering adults.It was nice to see these diminutive little Fish Crows, and hear their odd laughing snorts. American Crows were also about; the size difference between the two is conspicuous. Fish Crows are coastal in distribution, ranging up the Mississippi Valley. They should eventually be turn up along the Ohio River in Ohio. This one had a cheese puff or something probably equally unhealthy. Crows are not noted for discerning palates.
Plenty of Black Skimmers were around. The Nature Conservancy protects large areas of beach, to improve nesting success of this species along with Piping Plovers and Least Terns.
Black Skimmers are wild-looking birds. They even attract the attention of non-birders. While photographing them, I was approached by some people who wondered what they were. They kind of look like little street toughs, wearing hoodies pulled down low over their eyes. Their bill is a marvel of evolution. Skimmers skim: they fly along the water's surface, dipping the lower mandible in as they course along, thus snatching up tasty aquatic morsels.
Hope to share more on The Cape later.
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Gloom of Night
Since the incomparable Cape May, New Jersey is only about three hours off to the east, I'm planning on going there Sunday. If it works out, I'll have some cool stuff to share, I'm sure.
Anyway, I just got some really cool stuff for my camera. They are mega-macro lenses, and are awesome! It's like shooting photos through a microscope. A bit of a learning curve to figuring out light settings, apertures, and that sort of thing, but I had my first self-taught lesson last night. A few photos follow...This tiny little beast is one of the treehoppers, and several dozen of them could pack onto a quarter. During the day, they often wedge into the axle of a leaf, blending remarkably well with the plant. At night, they become more free-ranging, although when spooked by giants with flashing lights, still tend to retreat to the junction of a leaf and stem, where they at first blush look remarkably like a stipule.
This tiny cricket is a Say's Trig, I believe. It is a quarter-inch or so in length. You've heard trigs. They produce low trills that are an oft-present background noise. This species makes a musical, silvery trill that carries well, considering the miniscule size of the musician.
As you can imagine - or may not be able to imagine - I was quite pleased to find this big katydid. It produces an interesting and very distinctive song that sounds a bit like a raspy frog - ree-dip! It's an Oblong-winged Katydid, and like the rest of their ilk, can be very hard to find. Nearly impossible during the day, when they sit around in the foliage looking just like leaves. I heard this one, and finally located him sitting low on the leaf of a Giant Ragweed. Like nearly all katydids, they are nocturnal and sing at night. Keen of senses, they'll clam up when a person draws near, increasing the challenge of finding the songster.
A closer view of its upper body. We know it's a male, one, because it was singing, and two, because of that traingular brownish patch. That is the stridulatory area; the parts that he scrapes together to produce his song. These raspy melodies are known as stridulations. Katydids are beautiful and fascinating insects, but certainly underappreciated. Few people ever see them!
A closer view of the base of the Oblong-winged Katydid's wings. These insects are essentially doing what male birds do - singing to attract mates. The singing insects start to come on strong just about the time that our breeding birds are waning, having already fledged their young. For birders, learning the insect vocalizations can be terrific practice for keeping one's ears in tune. From mid-July til frost, you'll have a bounty of challenging new subjects to learn.Monday, August 18, 2008
Battle of the Titans
Here we have two of the beastliest beasts in their respective worlds. On the right, a giant eight-legged venomous fanged wolf spider. You've seen 'em; they are massive, fast, and hairy, and race around overpowering prey. On the left, a large ferocious-looking spider wasp, with the specific name Entypus unifasciatus. Two critters that could understandably give one the creeps, and both are near the high end of their respective food chains. What happens when they meet?
Well, it must be quite a clash! We, unfortunately, happened along soon after the battle, and thus didn't witness the takedown. But what essentially happens is this. The wasp, one of seven species in its genus, ranges throughout eastern North America. It specializes in capturing wolf spiders. Not any old wolf spiders - the BIG ones. Wolfspiders are quite formidible in their own right: full of venom, a bunch of good eyes, and eight powerful legs that make them agile and fast.
The wasp wants the spider badly enough to take it on face to face. It patrols suitable habitat, and when a wolf spider is spotted, it tries to maneuver itself into a position where it can successfully sting the spider, filling it with a powerful toxin. A bit tricky, this business, because the big bad spider does not want to get stung by a large wasp and filled with a powerful toxin.
In this case, all worked out well for the wasp, and not so well for the spider.The spider is now subdued - alive, possibly aware of what's going on, but almost totally paralyzed. Every now and then a leg would twitch in an involuntary spasm, but otherwise it was putty in the wasp's hands, so to speak.
So when we came along, the wasp was methodically dragging the spider over the ground. Where? It will have previously excavated a burial chamber in the soil, and that's where it's headed with the victim. Upon reaching the burrow, it will pull the spider in, lay one egg on its body, and seal it in. When the young wasp hatches, it will begin consuming the soft edible parts of the spider. The neurotoxin injected by the adult wasp keeps the food alive, so Junior has fresh meat to snack on upon emergence. After feeding and growing, the wasp will pupate in the burrow, and emerge as an adult next summer, starting the whole savage cycle over.
I warned you.
Thanks to Janet Creamer for spotting this drama and bringing my attention to these beasts.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The First, and Still the Best
The cover of Bird Watcher's Digest's first issue, September 1978, featuring a young red morph Eastern Screech-Owl. I am proud to say that I was one of the original subscribers and still have this issue sitting on my shelf, along with many others. Over the years, many of our leading ornithologists and birders have taken pen in hand for BWD, writing stories and columns for its pages. Luminaries like Roger Tory Peterson, Kenn Kaufman, David Sibley and many others.
The most recent issue featured another nocturnal species closely related to the screech-owl on the first cover; the Whip-poor-will. I still am amazed that I now write for the mag occasionally, and am very flattered by the opportunity - the whip cover story in the last issue is mine. I would not have guessed at this turn of events when I was sixteen and devouring those original BWD issues.
We recently had a meeting at BWD corporate headquarters in Marietta, Ohio, and I took the opportunity to lure everyone outside for a group photo. This picture is cool because in addition to all of the wonderful folks who make BWD go, the two founders, BT2 and Elsa, are here as are BT3, Andy, and Laura. From L to R: Bill Thompson III, Helen Neuberger (trying to hide), Susan Hill, Jim Cirigliano, Laura Thompson Fulton, Elsa Thompson, Bill Thompson (the good-looking one), Ann Kerenyi, Andy Thompson, Linda Brejwo, Claire Mullen, Jamie Tidd, Emily Breen, and out front Pokey the Wonderdog. Customer service reached an all-time low while this photo shoot was being set up!
If you don't get the mag, and you like reading about birds, I'd recommend a subscription. In fact, I will make an unadulterated and unabashed plug. Go right here.
Congratulations to BWD!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
More orchids
Following are two very cool orchids that we found over the weekend.
Ghostly pale spires of flowering Cranefly Orchid, Tipularia discolor, thrust forth in the dappled light of an oak forest. This is not an in-your-face orchid, and even plants in full bloom would be quite easy to pass by. Tipularia refers to a genus of craneflies: long-legged gangly insects that look like mosquitoes on steroids. The flowers of this odd orchid are reminiscent of these insects.
Closer view of the spindly flowers with their long spurs. Cranefly Orchid is easier to find in winter. In late fall, long after the flowering stalks have faded, the plants send up evergreen leaves that are dark green above and dark purple below. These leaves overwinter and photosynthesize, providing energy to the roots. By late spring, the leaves have withered into nothingness, and in mid-summer these strange flowering shoots jut above the leaf litter. The flowers are pollinated by night-flying moths in the Noctuid Family. The orchid's flowers are noctodorous - they issue a fragrance only at night, to attract their nocturnal pollinators. The oddly asymmetrical flower arrangement ensures that the moth's fuzzy eyeballs will be forced into contact with pollen, which will then be transported to the next orchid. It's an odd and wacky world out there.
Thanks to the sharp eyes of Kevin Bradbury, we found a much showier representative of the Orchidaceae in this powerline right-of-way.
This one can't be missed. It's the threatened Yellow Fringed Orchid, Platanthera ciliaris, which is only known from three small regions of Ohio. There were over 100 plants growing in this sunny opening; one of the better populations known. These orchids were a real hit, and nearly every group stopped by to pay homage.
Few plants have the shock factor of Yellow Fringed Orchids. The color alone is enought to stop one in their tracks, and even plant-haters would feel some admiration for it, I suspect. Many orchids are highly dependent on disturbance, whether it be mowing, fire, or soil disturbance. This powerline was probably mowed last year, stimulating a healthy emergence of orchids this year.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Moths, moths, and more moths
Rosy Maple Moths, Dryocampa rubicunda, are abundant generalists but always crowd pleasers. Their color scheme of pink and yellow is something not too often seen in nature, at least in these parts.
Thank again to Dave Horn for the experience!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Appalachian Butterfly Conference
One of the real highlights was this Golden-banded Skipper. It was a "lifer" for many. They are not common, in spite of the fact that their host plant is Hog-peanut, Amphicarpaea bracteata. This little vining member of the pea family is everywhere.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Amazing Cloudless Sulphur photos
Not anymore. These large, beautiful butterflies that look like flying lemon wedges have become quite regular, their numbers definitely increasing. Variable numbers occur every year of late, and sometimes big numbers. Their common host plant is Wild Senna, Senna hebecarpa, and Cloudless Sulphurs regularly now reproduce here where the plant occurs.
John Pogacnik, who lives on the shore of Lake Erie in Lake County, gets scores of butterflies in his yard. To encourage butterflies, John has planted flora that are attractive to them, including Wild Senna. With great results, as we'll see.
The following series of amazing photos were taken by John in his yard recently.Gorgeous Cloudless Sulphur. This is a male. These are massive in-your-face buttery-colored sulphurs tinged with green. WAY bigger than the common Clouded Sulphurs that one sees everywhere.John's amazing shot of a pair, male above, female below. They are preparing to make more Cloudless Sulphurs.
The result of their coupling: an egg laid on a Wild Senna plant in John's yard. As he says: "plant it and they will come".
Eventually the egg hatched into this resplendent yellow-striped lime green caterpillar. After a period of fattening on the leaves of senna, it will transform into one of the lemon-yellow adults.
This species is one to watch. There seems to be a clear increase in southern/tropical butterflies (and dragonflies) north. Cloudless Sulphurs' normal range is the Gulf states and south into Central America. Their northward expansion is telling us something about the environment.
Thanks to John Pogacnik for providing these wonderful photos.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Bullbatlets Enlarge
Today, Dan sent along photos that he took just this morning, and here they are for our viewing pleasure. Thank you very much Dan, for sharing this experience with us. It's not every day one gets to monitor the progress of young bullbats.
Mother Nighthawk. August 5, 2008, Toledo, Ohio. Look closely.
In a bit tighter, and you can see the approximately nine day old chicks huddled under the adult. In Common Nighthawks, females do all the incubation and brooding; males hunt and deliver food. A closer view of the youngsters. In the first post, we could see only one young. Dan must have found the nest right after the first egg hatched, and the second had yet to spill forth the baby bullbat. Both are in fine form now, and growing like weeds. Seems pretty late in the year for nesting; most nighthawks nest in early to mid-June around here, I think.
According to the wonderful Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds by Paul Baicich and Colin Harrison, Common Nighthawks begin making their first trial flights at 23 days. By my reckoning, they should start imitating the Wright Brothers in about two weeks.
I'll look forward to photo updates from Dan, and will share them when I get them. Thank you Dan, for letting us enjoy these nighthawks!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Downy Rattlesnake-plantain orchid
One reason flowering Goodyera may be missed is due to the wheres and whens of their blooming. On Saturday, August 2, the plants that we saw were just coming into bloom. This is a hot time to be exploring what at this season are rather uninteresting habitats, botanically. Along with the relative lack of blooming associates in the shady woodland habitat, and heat, come plenty of biting insects. People tend to shun midsummer woodlands, thus missing this beauty.
Almost all orchids have interesting flowers, at least on close inspection, and Downy Rattlesnake-plantain is no exception. Check a woods near you soon, and maybe you'll catch it.