Birdsong Nature Center
 |
Wildlife Management Notes | |
Birdsong Nature Center
Wildlife Management Notes
Wildlife Management Notes and Observations
February 8th, 2002
Woodland pond at Birdsong.
Weather It's been mild, it has rained, and there are early signs of spring everywhere. In the garden all the azaleas are in full bloom, the yellow jasmine is flowering and we're seeing blossoms on one of the heirloom daffodils given to us by John and Linda Van Beck a few years ago. We have even seen cloudless sulphur butterflies checking on the azaleas. Wildflowers, too, are showing early: quaker ladies, purple and white violets, and Carolina jessamine. Thanks to the rains and our December burn, the Gin House Field is bright green, covered with a blanket of crimson clover sprouts. This is wonderful winter food for deer, turkeys and other wildlife. We've experienced several nice cold spells, but mostly it has been a very pleasant winter, and the rains have been very welcome.
Land Management We're beginning our winter burning this week, starting with the House Pasture, a broomsedge field behind the Barn. When things dry out a little more we'll burn the Big Bay Field as hot as possible in our ongoing effort to control shortleaf pine encroachment. We'll then continue to burn the rest of the property to create a mosaic - staggering the burns and varying their location so there will be a patchwork of areas of cover and open burned sites greening up over the next eight weeks. This will give our wildlife both the shelter and the feeding areas they need. Another benefit of recent rains is our creeks and drains are now full of water, creating reliable fire breaks. Makes burning with our sometimes - small crews much less stressful.
Bluebirds Our bluebird population is very busy, with many pairs being seen feeding and courting throughout the pecan grove, House Pasture and Gin House Field. The males are singing constantly, dressed in full courtship regalia - their bright blues are stunning. Many pairs are investigating nest boxes now, however we don't usually see eggs until mid to late March. The bluebird monitoring team has it's hands full this year, with monitoring 40 boxes every other week. If you can help on a Thursday or Saturday to check boxes, count eggs and babies, and collect other valuable data for this long-term (>18 years) project please call the office and we'll connect you with either Larry Herring , Saturday team leader, or Alice Honea, Thursday team leader.
Purple Martins Four purple martins were first recorded on February 8th and appear to be claiming and roosting in the upper three gourds on the nesting pole. The gourds were prepared and the pole was set up by our bluebird team leaders and volunteers on January 19th in anticipation of the martin arrival. Their return is always a source of delight, particularly to Betty, who has welcomed them back to Birdsong every year since 1940. Their appearance often coincides with Betty's birthday (on January 29th, she turned 88), so late January/early February is always a time for celebration at Birdsong. It is wonderful to see them again. I always wonder how many of them were actually raised in these same gourds, were fed on Birdsong dragonflies and how many years they have been returning to their home place, traveling hundreds of miles back and forth to Brazil. Their presence, along with that of other migrants, really puts us in touch with how everything in nature is connected and how our actions relating to the environment have far-reaching effects.
Birds and the Bird Window I cannot recall a year since 1985 that we've seen so few birds at the Bird Window this time of year. We assume it is because of the relatively mild winter and the tremendous amount of wild food produced last fall due to the breaking of the three year drought. On these mild days we are even seeing grasshoppers flushing from their grassy roosting sites, so the birds are enjoying the natural abundance of berries, seeds, nuts and insects still available.
Birds recently seen at the Bird Window include white-throated and chipping sparrrows; solitary, white-eyed, and blue-headed vireos; yellow-rumped, pine, palm and black-and-white warblers; hermit thrush; ruby-crowned kinglet; catbirds; goldfinch; yellow-bellied sapsucker; ground dove; and cedar waxwings. Year-round residents such as titmice, chickadees, jays, cardinals, mockingbirds, and carolina wrens also visit the seed, suet, and water.
There are large flocks of robins cleaning up remaining dogwood, cherry laurel, privet, and mistletoe berries; smaller groups of waxwings whistling in the mistletoe; numerous pileateds calling wildly through the garden and pecan grove; yellow-bellied sapsuckers in the pecans; catbirds in the pittosporum and jasmine. No sign, so far, of the unusual red- shafted northern flicker that spent the winter in the Gin House Field last year.
Bird expert Michael Bell and some of his colleagues for the Atlanta Audubon and Georgia Ornithological Society counted an exceptional 29 Henslow's sparrows, five grasshopper sparrows, one LeConte's sparrow, and five Bachman's sparrows, and two sedge wrens on a recent morning visit on January 25. Most were found in the Big Bay Field and the House Pasture, right behind the Barn.
Big Bay Swamp Big Bay Swamp is one of the most beautiful and intriguing places on Birdsong. Right now it is a showplace of early spring courtship and nesting for a variety of birds, frogs and other species. A visit to the Listening Place is a must. Great numbers of woodducks, males now in their splendid courtship plumage, are now paired off. They can be seen and heard intensely involved in their noisy and boisterous courtship activity. There are three pairs of anhingas, also in striking courtship plumage, on nests that can be seen from the Listening Place, and two great blue heron nests high up in water tupelo trees, easily seen from the slope near the water.
To the west of the Listening Place is a dead tree being actively excavated by pileated woodpeckers - the large males with their red crests and red moustaches illuminated by the sun are impressive to watch at such close range.
Beavers are once again active in the Bay, blocking flowing water from leaving the swamp at the wooden spillway. We assume they still inhabit their lodge, built last year, only 25 feet from the spillway - handily located to repair any work we humans do to keep the water flowing.
This time of year the swamp is beautifully open. With all leaves off the trees we can witness all this nesting activity in great detail. The winter sunlight on the water, expanses of lilypads, rings of buttonbush, the sight and sounds of all the different birds, the sandy/apricot - colored broomsedge on the other side of the Bay....a trip to the Listening Place is a very rich experience this time of year.
The Woodrat Nicholas the eastern woodrat continues to remain reclusive within the confines of the bathroom walls. A fastidious and well-meaning employee cleaned out his area under the sink, including the "day bed", so Nicholas, in the fur, has not been seen for some time. He is still nesting inside the walls, and he occasionally does leave a pecan or acorn shell memento on the restroom floor - so we know he's still there. He is also likely to be the one responsible for breaking the little vase containing a camellia in the ladies room. Throughout this fall he ate whatever flowers were placed there - he had a distinct fondness for pentas and lantana blooms.
To Members and Visitors Consider this a personal invitation to come out and enjoy Birdsong at an interesting and beautiful time of year. So much is going on with the day length and angle of light changing, the wildlife and birds and plants responding to our changing place in the universe, our changing relationship to the sun. We feel it too - we are an integral part of it all and Birdsong is here for you to enjoy that important connection.
From Betty
Come out and enjoy all the miracles.
Nothing but beauty and questions!
Praise and thanks!
Blessed be.
- KDB
"Wildlife Management Notes" appears regularly in our bi-monthly Newsletter. Below is an index of links to previous wildlife management articles:
| Birdsong Home | Hours ~ Location & Map | Calendar of Events | Current Newsletter |
| Mission and History | Wildlife Management Notes | Membership Form | ...future features... |
Birdsong Nature Center
Copyright © 1999, Birdsong Nature Center
Revised -- April 7, 2002