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Daily Nature Observations From Your Place 2018
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message 101:
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Pam
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Apr 08, 2018 06:47AM
Spring has been teasing us and Winter torturing us here in Northeastern Vermont. The ground is still frozen with patches of unmelted snow here and there. But the changing cast of characters at the bird feeder and the prints in the snow of fox and mink waking up and hunting let me know that Spring will come! Meanwhile I start many seedlings. Some are practical head starts on the vegetables that wouldn't make it in our short season but that we can't live with out - tomatoes, peppers, basil. Some are for the fun of it; seeds collected from roadside barns and friends flowers and nut trees. These small greet sprouts begin to cover every sunny surface of my house promising that there will be a garden soon!
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My yellow-purple iris have just begun to bloom.
I saw my first blue butterfly today while I was walking the dogs in the lower fields.
Deep spring but a very green one this year.
Comments on recent visits to Amnicola Marsh, near my home, can be found on my blog: https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/th...
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Very nice Ray-- thanks for sharing this. I thought I might read about cranes, but it was herons and egrets. :) I wonder if you will see them again next year?
Sher wrote: "Ray wrote: "Comments on recent visits to Amnicola Marsh, near my home, can be found on my blog: https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/th..."Very nice Ray-- thanks fo..."
The Herons will be there year round. It is hard to say about the Egrets. They are still present as of yesterday. Sightings of Great Egrets are increasing in southeast Tennessee as are sightings of White (River) Pelicans. Very interesting.
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Very nice Ra..."
We have the white pelicans here on the refuge outside of Burns Oregon where the standoff was--. I LOVE to watch them in flight!
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What is happening in your natural landscape during late spring????
I'm sure there's lots happening but I've been trapped inside writing reports for what feels like centuries...the only nature I've been seeing is on TV at night. Love the sound of white pelicans!
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Love the sound of white pelicans!"
Oh my goodness Storyheart-- you need to get out. :) I wish for you a lunch break on a park bench where you can see chipmunks chewing with their cheeks very fat, glowing pigeons toddling around, and a surprise peregrin falcon flying over head. That is the city scene I wish for you.
Thank you! PS: My husband did have a close encounter with a very fat and fine skunk on his walk home last night.
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PS: My husband did have a close encounter with a very fat and fine skunk on his walk home last night."
Wonderful ! But I hope he did not get sprayed. I think we would be amazed to knowhow many skunks and coyote are watching us at night. :)
We went on a guided bird walk today in honour of World Migratory Bird Day and learned that the colony of herons near our place has started deliberately nesting next to an eagles' nest even though the eagles eat heron eggs and babies. Apparently the eagle pair drive away all other eagles and birds of prey so it's an advantage to the herons to only have to drive off one eagle pair. I thought that was really cool. Any of you planning on coming to Vancouver for the International Ornithological Congress in August? There will be a BirdFest for the public running concurrently and it sounds like it will be quite fun.
http://www.vanbirdfest.com/events/
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Thanks for sharing the Vancouver festival too.
I've been away for 4 days, so I need to look around tomorrow and see what is happening here on the farm. :)
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What is June like for you at your place?
My observation deal with plants specifically cheat grass , foxtails, and every kind of barbed grass you can imagine. We have had a long cool spring and early summer. The grasses here are still green in many areas, which is unheard of this time of year. Usually all the grasses are golden by now and moderate height. This year there's a lot of green left and the grasses are very high throughout the region. When the dogs run through the grasses, the foxtails explode , and the dogs come back from one short romp loaded with foxtails in between their toes, in their ears, and everywhere on their bodies. It's horrible, and the worst case of barbed grasses we've seen in ages. Normally the shorter dogs are affected, and this year the vets says all the big dogs are getting cheat grass in their ears. I can attest my 70 pound tall male-- for the first time ever is having problems. So, all three dogs are on lead, and they can't run on the farm. It is a terribly restricted situation for them and for us!
Aldo Leopold titled one of his essays, "Cheat Takes Over."Don't have it here in Tennessee.
It has been cool and rainy all summer, but now we have temperatures in the 80s. Cool nights, hot days. August will have day after day of 90 + weather with a few days exceeding 100.
Yikes burr grass is no fun especially not between ones toes!It’s been cooler than normal this year which isn’t a bad thing considering the two odd 90degree days out of nowhere a month ago after 40degree temperatures. Spring has brought a night song bird to Brooklyn. I hear him (I don’t know why I assume it’s a male) singing sometime as early as 2:45 a.m. I wonder why he isn’t over a mile or so to the park and away from majority of traffic.
Also spring has brought medium sized black ants who have been coming around the invading the house. They’ve slacked up a bit now but they were in the bed room and living room making pests of themselves and completely ignored the kitchen.
Here’s hoping it stays cooler this summer than last but I have a feeling that is going to be a scorcher. I am enjoying the reprieve while I can.
Mod
Don't have it here in Tennessee.
It has been cool and rainy all summer, but now we have temperatures in the 80s. Cool nights, hot days. A..."
And Ray _ I am thinking this is really, really hot when you say in the 90s or 100, because of the moisture, humidity. We will have many days in the 90s and up to 110 in August, but it is dry heat. I should wait until this is all over to read Leopold's essay. :)
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It’s been cooler than normal this year which isn’t a bad thing considering the two odd 90degree days out of nowhere a month ago after 4..."
Well, at least three of us have had cooler than normal weather. :) So far. The ants are puzzling, we get them in spring, but they only come around food sources such as cat food. Odd to be free roaming without focusing on food sources.
They seem to be a bit disoriented this year as they left the cat food alone.
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Smile. :)
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She hasn't done that for several years, so I'm intrigued at her "cycles". From the (minimal) research I've done, they usually lay eggs every year, so I don't know why she's opted out the last few. In addition, I don't think she actually laid anything - she just dug some holes. Will she come back later (at night, early morning?) to actually lay?
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I am curious about what your reflections are this summer about your property - its birds and animals, the weather etc... And, if not specifically your property but your neighborhood in general.
Have you noticed any differences in animals or birds visiting? More/Less? I have some observations to post ...
I will say I have felt pretty sad these last two days to know that our thickest ice on our planet is breaking up.
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I admittedly wasn't paying much attention in my preteen and teen years to climate discussion, but...how could they have been so wrong? Weren't there already repercussions from industrialization showing up in 1977? It seems like such a short amount of time passing between "the next Ice Age is upon us!" to talk about the greenhouse effect and CFCs.
Any ideas why the dramatic shift in thinking?
I am certain that there is documentation somewhere as to what evidence they had. I could not say offhand where, though I remember a comment that warming due to CO2 was offset by cooling due to increased particulates in the air and some scientists were uncertain as to how this would be resolved.
Transcript of notes from August 21A Visit to Amnicola Marsh, Chattanooga
Transcribed from Field Notebook, August 21, 10:00 AM
Location and Route: Amnicola Highway Entrance (near Fire Training Center)
Followed paved walkway west and then south. Returned by same route.
Weather: 76 degrees F, Mostly Cloudy, Relative Humidity 80%, Barometer 30 and Steady, Visibility 10 Miles.
Habitat/Vegetation: wetland with extensive snags and dead trees. American Lotus plentiful, some blooming and some with early stage seed heads. Surrounding vegetation second growth forest.
General Comments: droning of cicadas very noticeable. One bird gave me some difficulty with identification. It was a small white heron, but the feet and legs were not clearly visible due to distance. Later observation from the far side of the marsh revealed the greenish legs of an immature Little Blue Heron, not the black legs and yellow feet of a Snowy Egret. Reports on the tn-bird electronic mailing list (freelists.org) indicated prior sightings of immature Little Blue Heron. The Hibiscus is no longer blooming. Plant names used herein conform to those used in Wildflowers of Tennessee Horn et.al. Bird names are verified on the All About Birds web page of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology which conforms to the style sheet of the American Ornithological Society.
Noted Species
American Lotus: As noted
Buttonbush: Blooming
Partridge Pea: Blooming
Golden Rod: Blooming (species not determined, Solidago sp)
Ironweed
Joe Pie Weed
Honeysuckle: Blooming and abundant
Gray Squirrel
Canada Goose
Immature Little Blue Heron
Eastern Kingbird
Red-winged Blackbird
American Robin
American Crow
August 21, Chickamauga Dam, 12:30 PM
Weather 81 degrees F, Wind SW at 8 MPH otherwise as in entry for Amnicola Marsh
Habitat: a riverine environment with no noticeable aquatic vegetation.
General Comments: River running high and fast. The rocks across the river, normally above the surface and forming a small island are submerged. These rocks normally have several roosting Double Crested Cormorants. Only one was visible today, on this side of the river and drifting downstream fast. Body submerged, with only the head and neck visible. Surfaced briefly to change course and continued drifting.
Other Species
Seven Great Blue Herons line the rocky shore on this side, none on the bridge.
Two Osprey circling over the river.
August 21, Greenway Farm, 1:00 PM
Weather: 80 degrees F, Barometric Pressure 29.9 Steady, otherwise as noted for Amnicola Marsh
Habitat/Vegetation: Wooded with second growth forest, well drained, some mowed fields, hard packed trails. South Chickamauga creek provides a riparian environment with some noticeable aquatic vegetation.
General Comments
The old cabin and the garden provide numerous photographic opportunities.
The canoe launch provides creek access, Like the Tennessee River, the creek is running high and muddy.
The old quarry very photogenic, with blue-green water and vertical rock faces. Sneezeweed (Helenium sp.) prevalent along the path.
I remember finding some interesting Paleozoic fossils here in past years, primarily Crinoids, Bryozoans, and Brachiopods. I would imagine that it is well picked over by now.
Species
Goldfinch at gardens
Eastern Bluebirds at gardens
Numerous unidentified butterflies
5 Lined Skink at quarry
Unidentified salamander at canoe launch – very skinny, coloration makes Red Backed Salamander a possible guess.
Mod
Also that the media got involved and really went about the ice age information.
https://www.lenntech.com/greenhouse-e...
Bruce recommends The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World
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A Visit to Amnicola Marsh, Chattanooga
Transcribed from Field Notebook, August 21, 10:00 AM
Location and Route: Amnicola Highway Entrance (near Fire Training Cen..."
Hi Ray
Thanks for the view into an area near you. Does Hibiscus actually bloom in the wild there? Is there wild Hibiscus in TN?
Overall - have you noted any differences in climate or birds this year?
Sher
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Also that the media got involved and really went about the ice age information.
https://www.lenntech.com/greenhouse-e......"
Fascinating reading, Sher - thanks!
Becky
Sher wrote: "Ray wrote: "Transcript of notes from August 21A Visit to Amnicola Marsh, Chattanooga
Transcribed from Field Notebook, August 21, 10:00 AM
Location and Route: Amnicola Highway Entrance (near Fire ..."
Hi Sher
Hibiscus are plentiful, here, but I have primarily seen them around areas that formerly had homesteads, so the question of wild vs. introduced is complicated. The USDA pant database https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/ lists them as both introduced and native for our area.
Climate - we have had unusually hot summers. Three or four years ago there was an very hot summer with extensive forest fires in the area. I could smell smoke outdoors every day, with occasional ash falling in the area. The fire in Gatlinburg got national attention because it got into the city and damaged 1000 buildings. There were several fire related deaths. This was however, only one of several fires in the area. One in North Georgia destroyed nearly 30,000 acres of trees.
The fires were set by vandals, with the possible exception of one that may have been caused by lightning, but quickly got out of control due to dry conditions.
Bird species remain abundant, but I would want to look at the Christmas bird count records for trends.
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A Visit to Amnicola Marsh, Chattanooga
Transcribed from Field Notebook, August 21, 10:00 AM
Location and Route: Amnicola Highway Entranc..."
Ray:
Thanks for the details. I don't think of fires when I thin Tennessee, but our area has been ravaged by fires the past 4 years. It is the new norm. Ash falling- thick smoke in the sky -- all a new norm for the West. I am in Oregon.
Also, I have 500 plus narrow leafed milkweed plants on the farm, and this year-- I saw only 3 Monarch butterflies. and Few other butterflies. Certain species of birds are down - kingfisher, Lewis' woodpecker, northern flicker, W bluebirds. It is true that bird numbers vary from year to year, but these numbers have been down for multiple years. Lesser Goldfinch and America Goldfinch way up! :)
Who knows why- all so interconnected.
Here is another take on changing weather. Inuit elders who have watched the skies and predicted the weather for centuries say that the stars have changed position, the rising point of the sun has shifted, and the sun rises higher than in the past. These are all observations from their perspective. https://moon-child.net/inuit-elders-a...This is possible since the location of the magnetic pole and the geographic pole have shifted relative to the pole star in the past. During the Egyptian dynasties, Thuban was the pole star.
http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/t...
Thanks for posting your nature log, Ray! Sounds like a really nice trip out amongst the birds and trees. Living in Brooklyn without a yard and not a lot of direct sunlight mixed with a voracious plant eating cat, I appreciate all the trees planted in my neighborhood. I would give my eye teeth for a wee cabin in the woods like a lot of folks I know have. The importance of being out in nature cannot be overstated. We city dwellers don’t realize just how essential it is to commune with Mother Nature and I find that time sorely missing. I have been meaning to join the Brooklyn Botanical Garden so I could go over and just sit in nature more often. Thanks for posting about in Inuit people talking about the changing of the Earth’s axis. I had heard/read a year ago some kind of new age-y predictions about the poles shifting so maybe there was some validity to it after all. There is so much to learn about our planet!
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I've uploaded several in our photos section here: https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...
For those of you who know your seals...I'm fairly confident the majority are gray seals, but are there also harbor seals in the mix?
Thanks!
Becky
Becky, your photos are beautiful. I just discovered that section. Thank you for taking the time to share these.
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Thank you, shira!
Thank you for sharing those Becky. I especially loved the frigate bird in full puff.
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You're welcome! :)
We're having lovely, golden fall weather so I went to do some 'forest bathing' in the park yesterday. I saw two fighting kingfishers and a really gigantic pileated woodpecker who flew into a tree right next to me. He was acting in an unusual way (to me), hanging off branches and pecking at the fleshy cones that magnolias form in the autumn. The cones are quite sticky so I'm guessing they attract insects?
Amazing what you can see if you sit really still for a while.
Mod
I saw two fighting kingfishers and a really gigantic pileated woodpecker who flew into a tree..."
Hi Storyheart- I love this idea of 'forest bathing'! Thanks for sharing that wonderful slice of time seeing the kingfishers and the pileated woodpecker.
Our fall here has been especially colorful and lovely - although our water levels throughout this region In Oregon are low. Another neighbor's well has gone dry, and we are also having some issues with lower water. We all wish for rain.
The big excitement here two nights ago involved a bobcat pushing into the trap door of my fireball roller pigeon loft. The cat killed 17 birds. I have 4 birds left. I have never had an animal like this get into one of the bird lofts. It was very dramatic, and a loss for that bird, because the fireballs were developed in 1900 and they are quite rare now throughout the US. The old man who I got my original birds from is no longer keeping them, so I probably will not search far and wide to get more. needless to say the past two days we have rebuilt the pigeon loft in a way that the bobcat should not be able to get back in.
I had this happen years ago when a marten got into a loft and killed twenty birds. Catastrophic carnage.
Sher, So sorry to hear about your birds! I can only imagine how upsetting this must be for you. I picked up two books on forest bathing in the pre-release review section. I think they’re both available now though. “Forest Bathing Retreat” by Hannah Fries and “Forest Therapy” by Sarah Ivens. And “The Nature Fix” by Florence...somebody; I can’t remember. But you can find it in the read section of my books. They all talk about forest bathing. The first book is more of a gift book; square, artsy with quotes poems and beautiful pictures, but nice none the less. The others are more reading material. I really enjoyed The Nature Fix and it gave me a lot to think about.
Hope things get better and you can build your bird population back up.
Sarah.
So sorry to hear about your birds, Sher. Was there at least a mix of males and females in the survivors?
Storyheart wrote: "We're having lovely, golden fall weather so I went to do some 'forest bathing' in the park yesterday. I saw two fighting kingfishers and a really gigantic pileated woodpecker who flew into a tree..."
Woodpeckers are known to eat seeds, but I have mostly heard of it in regard to the Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Mod
So sorry to hear about your birds! I can only imagine how upsetting this must be for you. I picked up two books on forest bathing in the pre-release review section. I think they’re both ava..."
Hello Sarah:
And thank you. I didn't realize that forest bathing was a "thing". I thought Storyheart coined that word herself, and I just imagined she meant soaking in the forest experience! For one second I thought she as actually soaking in a pond of some sort. Anyway, thanks; I will check those books out and then term.
Mod
So, two of the survivors are very young birds, and one I think is a male. I mean the young birds I am not not sure about, because they have not expressed any behaviors yet. But, I do know the 4 remaining birds, and 1 of those I took back from a friend are from different parents -- so that is a good thing.
We'll see how it goes. I am not trying to get new birds any time soon. I'm sitting with it for awhile.
Nature Literature
Books mentioned in this topic
The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World (other topics)A Thousand Deer: Four Generations of Hunting and the Hill Country (other topics)
The Road (other topics)
