Wildlife Odds and Ends

I walk often, usually traveling short distances on local trails. Late Spring is a wonderful time to do this because there’s so much going on in the world of wildlife.

Wildlife populations are approaching their annual peak as new recruits arrive daily!

Juvenile Red Squirrel

Goslings

Songbirds are in various stages of nesting: some are building nests, some are sitting on eggs, some are feeding young. Regardless of the species, males can usually be heard singing on the nesting territories.

Chestnut-sided Warbler above a dense thicket of shrubs and young trees

Great Crested Flycatcher nesting in a “Bluebird” box (1 of 3)

Reptiles and amphibians have come alive in the summer-like heat. This American Toad has claimed my compost pile as home.

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Forget-Me-Not!

Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis) is a small plant that occurs just about everywhere, from wetlands to untidy lawns. Despite the tiny flowers, a dense patch in filtered light is lovely.

Most flowers are blue, but I often find a few pale pink ones in the mix…which I can’t resist!

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Tree Leaves and Flowers

The emergence of new foliage on deciduous trees is a beautiful process and signature event in the spring season.

Quaking (Trembling) Aspen, 5/20/2016

Red Oak, 5/22/2016

And the Wild Apple trees are in full bloom too!

Wild Apple trees, 5/22/2016

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Mammal Encounters

Surprise encounters with the wonderful world of mammals must be shared, even if there is no particular theme to tie it all together!

Serious birders know that a slice of orange attracts orioles to backyard feeders. My orioles are still singing and foraging in the tree tops!

Cottontail at rest in the protective cover of a fencerow thicket

This groundhog was caught off guard and didn’t have a clear path to its den. It hid under a log, then came out to see if I was still a threat. Had I been a fox or coyote, it would have been dinner.

The gestation period for White-tailed Deer is about 200 days. This doe will soon be giving birth to a fawn or two. The lush herbaceous vegetation of stream bottoms is preferred habitat for fawning.

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Swallow Activity

Tree Swallow activity in mid May is an absolute joy to observe. In just a few minutes time mated pairs can be seen nest building, battling intruders, feeding on the wing, resting and preening. They’re also quite vocal and the continuous twitter chatter is fascinating in and of itself. The focal point of all activity is a nest box on a post, located in a field or open area (the steel post used as a perch in these images is the anchor for a nest box that is just out sight). Enjoy!!!

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Mid May 2016

This past week saw the rapid expansion and growth of Sugar Maple foliage,

The fading of some early spring wildflowers,

Marsh Marigold

And the fresh blooms of new arrivals in the sequence of bloom,

Painted Trillium, the last of the 3 native trilliums to bloom

Wild Apple tree

Plants within a species don’t bloom simultaneously, an adaptation that helps avoid catastrophic losses due to environmental extremes. There is a frost warning for tonight, but only 10 – 20% of the wild apple trees have started to bloom. Hoping we get through this with plenty of blossoms …and apples… to enjoy!

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Nest Building 101

I received these instructions from a cavity nesting songbird, one that serenades me while I’m  working in the garden: the common House Wren.

Step 1.In the absence of a hollow tree, find a small box with a hole in it. Stuff the box with tiny twigs (about 600, give or take a hundred). Leave some room at the top for bedding and the kids. Oh, and in your spare time, stuff every other nest box in sight with twigs to discourage the competition.

Step 2. Scavenge some soft material for bedding (you don’t want the kids flying around with a stick up their butt). Fragments of insulation from a nearby dog kennel work well.

Step 3. Sing loud and often to let the world know what you’ve done. And that you own it.

My biological control strategy for insect pests!

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Grosbeaks!

The spring songbird migration coincides with with the explosion of floral and vegetative growth in deciduous trees and shrubs. It’s a thrilling dynamic and wonderful time of year to become immersed in the great outdoors!

New foliage on a maple in early May

Change is rapid, every day a new palette, and “here today, gone tomorrow” describes my experience with many migrating songbirds. Two days ago there were vibrant colors and sweet songs everywhere. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were low and at the feeders, Baltimore Orioles high above, foraging in the tree canopies.

Cornell, on its “All About Birds” website, describes the Rose-breasted Grosbeak as an “exclamation mark” at feeders. So true – for the brilliant male! However, females are easily overlooked or miss-identified, especially when the huge bill isn’t clearly visible.

I was amused to see that a bird with a massive, seed- and fruit- crunching bill would be interested in the smallest of seeds at the openings of the goldfinch tube feeder.

Some of these grosbeaks will remain while others will continue their northerly migration and search for summer nesting habitat. The low woody vegetation of young forests and forest edges is their target.

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

 

Early May Highlights, 2016

I’ve captured a sample of early May in Central New York, often dodging rain drops in the process. My mother had more than a passing interest in nature and would have loved this post.

She liked flowers, cultivated or wild, didn’t much matter.

Fading glory: Red Trillium in a moist ravine, past peak bloom

Willow (one of many species of wild willow shrubs)

Wild Juneberry (also Serviceberry, Amelanchier or Shadbush)

She kept a bird feeder and enjoyed her backyard visitors. Early May was peak migration and full of surprises.

Goldfinch perched near a Nyjer seed feeder

Of course everyone loves babies. These family photos would have been plastered all over the wall (and the real family photos pushed aside)!

Family of Canadian Geese (there were 8 goslings in all, just a few days old)

Bald Eagle, tearing small pieces from a kill to feed her 3 youngsters

Raising young is a team effort: parent #2 arrives with a duck in its grasp (determined from another image in the sequence)!

Happy Mother’s Day

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

 

Spring Colors

A continuous cycle of rainy, cold weather has made it difficult to enjoy the flush of new growth and vibrant colors that define early spring. A welcome exception to these dismal conditions is the presence of goldfinches swarming around the Nyjer seed* feeders. Their bright breeding plumage has a florescent glow in the drizzle and fog.

*Nyjer seed: a trademarked name for the seed of African yellow daisy, grown commercially in African, India, southeast Asia

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.