Weather
Still hot, still dry. We’ve had a few intense storms since May 1st, providing
4.77 inches of rain. There have been a few post-front cool periods offering
relief, but the last two weeks have been unrelentingly hot. The vegetation
shows it, and the wildlife is responding. So are we.
Purple Martins
Raising young is urgent business for Purple Martins. This season the adults
have worked hard and long at raising their young, and right now there are
only three babies that have not yet fledged. This is good news, because with
heat in the 90’s like we are experiencing, babies will often bail out
of the hot gourds before they can fly. These last offspring are receiving
a lot of attention, lots of dragonflies, and much urging to get out of the
gourd and fly. Most of the rest of the colony are off teaching their young
to hunt. They can often be seen down at the Farm pond all lined up in a row
on one of the old snags. The parents’ hard work has paid off: the entire
group will be out and ready for the long migration south to Brazil by July
4th, their usual departure date recorded over many decades.
We’re always a little sorry to see them go. They give us a lot of joyful entertainment and the profound lesson that what we provide in terms of habitat makes a difference to the ecological balance of places far away: our healthy martins are off to eat insects and be a part of the food web in South America. And this is just one species. Birdsong is a nesting site or feeding site for migrating species on the move throughout the year. This 565 acres and how it is cared for and managed has significance and repercussions far beyond its geographical location and perceived boundaries.
The Frog Pond
This small pond on the southeastern corner of Birdsong is often a quiet, peaceful
place. On May 29th however it became clear why it was named Frog Pond. There
had been weeks of dry weather and the water was quite low. I approached in
the golf cart, taking notes for this article, and flushed a Great Egret. Upon
getting closer I was amazed to see activity on the surface. Lots of creatures
were leaping out of the water and falling back in with much noise and splashing.
A Little Blue Heron was hunting along the shoreline. Using binoculars I could
finally see that the creatures were gigantic tadpoles, apparently surfacing
to gulp air. The pond was so reduced through evaporation and the temperature
so high that the oxygen level must have been really low.
While scanning the pond with binoculars I also realized that there were lots
of adult bullfrogs near the edge of the water with only their heads showing.
They had bright yellow throats and wide mouths, big eyes, and their heads
were bright green. On the exposed pond banks were twenty or more bullfrogs,
just sitting or wandering slowly around. They were enormous. It was truly
an astounding thing to see. These adults and the tadpoles were obviously under
great stress with their precious pond shrinking in its size and ability to
accommodate their needs.
That night it rained a lot. I came back the next day to a much fuller pond,
very little activity at the surface, a few bullfrog faces showing at the edges,
and no adults visible on shore. The place was transformed. The Frog Pond had
again become a quiet, peaceful place. Just think, though, of all the activity
going on under the surface, the significance to all those animals of that
tiny amount of water. The Little Blue Heron and Great Egret know.
Another fascinating thing at this busy place was a pair of bluebirds that
were extremely interested in an old fencepost at the edge of the water. They
were fluttering around it and perching nearby. I had to see what they were
doing and sloshed through the water to the post. It had a hole in it and a
nest was partly constructed into the small cavity inside. We’ll keep
our eye on it. No wonder our bluebird boxes are so popular. They are the right
size, with the right sized door —made to order.
The Spring Pond
The Spring Pond is another interesting place when its water evaporates. Up
until just three weeks ago it has been home to a shy six-foot-long alligator
that enjoyed sunning on the west bank. The pond has almost disappeared so
the gator has moved on, but it is now a wonderful place to observe tracks.
The mud bottom indicates that this watering hole is very popular with deer,
raccoons, herons and an otter.
One very unusual earlier sighting, on May 12th, was a Lesser Yellowlegs. This
migrating shorebird was very busy hunting along the bank and was not particularly
concerned with the presence of a human being nearby. It was not there the
next day and has not been seen since.
Wildflowers and Interesting Plants
In the woods our lovely summer legume, the Butterfly Pea, is beginning to
bloom. We’re also seeing a lot of Ruellia or wild petunia, rock roses,
and Tephrosia. Phlox, morning glories, and rabbit bells are dotting the woods
floor. Patches of sensitive briar, with its lovely little mimosa blooms, are
also appearing. Erythrina, or coral bean, has covered the early summer woods
with its huge sprays of magenta blooms, perfect for hummingbirds.
In the trees, Spanish moss is blooming profusely, although you might not notice
it. This relative of our cultivated pineapple has a tiny green flower this
time of year — worth searching for. Wild yam vine has bloomed and is
climbing and producing its cascades of three-winged fruits. There has been
a wonderful crop of the orange milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa and we
are thrilled to have found one curly milkweed plant, Asclepias amplexicaulis,
right when it bloomed. Bernice took some marvelous photos of it — they
are in the office if you’d like to see them.
The Bog Garden pitcher plants have bloomed. Sarracenia leucophylla,
white tops; S. flava, trumpets; and S. minor, hooded pitcher
plants, all bloomed profusely and their pitchers are now collecting massive
numbers of lovebugs. Fresh stems of Lycopodium and clumps of recently-discovered
toothache grass are brilliant green. Again, Bernice has taken some wonderful
photos; do ask to see them next time you are in her office.
Some Nesting Birds
While mowing the trails Bill Parrish noticed a tiny nest suspended from twigs
on the Bog Garden trail, about waist-high. We went back later to discover
a mother White-eyed Vireo sitting on three lovely eggs. Unfortunately, going
back to check on her a week later, the nest was empty with one egg broken
on the ground. We are not sure what happened.
While burning the Shortleaf Woods in April we saw a Pileated Woodpecker fly
out of a huge hole in a dead pine. Two weeks ago a female was sitting in the
hole, apparently on a nest, and watched us go by, two days in a row.
A wren built a nest in the dryer vent at the house. We know she raised a brood
successfully because for the past week she has been emerging from the metal
vent and flying straight to one of the iron chairs near the back porch and
dropping off a baby’s fecal sac, then sitting and chirping delightedly.
She loves the chair for this important purpose, and now it is covered with
evidence of her achievement.
For such a hot, stressful early summer, it has been a very productive time
at Birdsong. (Please see Chris’s comments below on birds and butterflies.)
New life is all around us, exuberant and abundant. We are fortunate Birdsong
is here for all of us, as a place to enjoy, to be amazed, to learn and to
belong. Betty and Ed’s gift becomes more important every day. We hope
you’ll brave the heat, and come enjoy it!
-KB
Butterfly Garden and Bird Window
Our Butterfly Garden volunteers have done a wonderful job of preparing the
garden for summer. We are seeing large numbers of Pipevine Swallowtail, and
a few Tiger, Black, Zebra and Giant Swallowtail. Other butterflies seen around
Birdsong include Zebra Longwing, Mourning Cloak, Spring Azure, Red Admiral,
Variegated Fritillary, Red-spotted Purple, Red-banded Hairstreak, Carolina
Satyr, Phaon Crescent, Painted Lady, and Common Buckeye. The Silver-spotted,
Common Checkered, and Longtail Skippers have been recorded along with numerous
small grass Skippers and other small butterflies. A visiting summer camp group
was fascinated by a Gulf Fritillary laying eggs on the passionvine in the
Butterfly Garden.
The Bird Window has been very active the last two months. Many of the birds
are taking advantage of the pool and mister during this drought. Besides our
usual residents, visitors have included the Northern Parula, White-eyed Vireo,
Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Warbler, male and female Summer
Tanagers, and a male Indigo Bunting who stops by daily for a drink and some
sunflower seeds. Common residents, including Red-headed, Red-bellied and Pileated
Woodpeckers, are raiding the suet to feed their babies. Cardinals, Tufted
Titmice and Carolina Chickadees are now bringing their young to the Window.
Male and female Ruby-throated hummingbirds are feeding on the nectar and garden
flowers all day long.
| Birdsong Home | Hours ~ Location & Map | Calendar of Events | Current Newsletter |
| Mission and History | Wildlife Management Notes | Membership Form | Birdsong Pictures |
Birdsong Nature Center
Copyright © 2002, Birdsong Nature Center
Revised -- JUNE 22,2006