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Wildlife Management Notes

December 18, 1998

Control Burning Our main concern through October, November, and December has been getting the Gin House Field burned as we had visualized - in three sections so we can compare the growth of clovers and see optimum results and the effect of temperature and time of year. We’ve had no rain but the grasses have been so green and lush that even with low humidity and high temperature and correct wind we just couldn’t get it to burn! It took us four tries on the Lewis field to get the patchy burn we did.

We had more fortunate results as we tried the north segment of the Gin House on December 5th. We had a steady south wind and a very hot temperature. (We could have used those ice cubes in our hats!) Along the north edge the mowed hay clippings in the fire lane (which would have been a great help with a head fire) gave us a lot of smoke trouble as we had to back fire. But once around to the south edge, the head fire gave an excellent clean burn with very little effort around the rest of the field. Thanks for impromptu and steady assistance from Wendy Loquasto and Anthony Morgan.

We decided to try using the water tank on the tractor on the subsequent burn. We worked out a technique of hosing down the back firing line and following carefully with the drip torch. We were very pleased with the results and will experiment further with the idea. Two gallon sprinkling cans helped in clearing starting places and putting out trees and may make mopping up easier. The three of us (Betty, Kathleen, and Kris) did the whole burn in two hours. We made such a column of smoke that we blocked out the sun and created clouds of shade and lowered the temperature. Later, we had gorgeous displays of a huge bright red ball of sun and a lovely sunset in the sky with a long line of gentle back fire on the earth. So we got a wonderful varied burn creating ideal different wildlife habitats. All kinds of birds came in on the still-smoking burn to feed on the bounty -"manna from heaven". The next day we saw 100+ crows fly up from the burn. They must have found the three consecutive burns extra attractive and called in the whole tribe. Stan Rieger saw the column of smoke from Meridian Road on his way home from work and dropped by to check on us.

Next planned burns: we need a northwest wind to burn the northwest area of Upper Pond while the pond is at its lowest level in many years. Also need a northwest or northeast wind for the Letz Mill area while we have the Gin House as fire break. Then we’ll burn for the martins’ arrival in late January. If its very cold they will be as responsive as the crows on staggered burns: it would be ideal for them if we could burn every few days once they arrive.

Water Levels Only the siphon on Farm Pond is moving water now, the water is so low. The beaver had constructed a big 15 foot dam below the Farm Pond dam near the chestnut oak and smaller ones down stream. Effect on gentians? Still unknown. We lowered the Big Bay dam to the maximum to prevent beavers digging into the dam. Will raise it now to increase wood duck shelter.

Bluebird House Clean and Winterizing Thanks to Larry Herring’s crew and cub scouts group. Last season 95 bluebirds fledged. Varying the mowing on terraces supplies abundant grasshoppers, spiders, etc. But overall the hot dry weather this year put the birds under stress and set records for the hottest and driest month in history every month.

Big Pecan Clean Up The remaining trunk of the Big Pecan fell this August and we’ve gradually been cutting and moving as much as possible out onto the south vista. Would like to burn it and scatter the ashes around the whole perimeter of the trunk where it drew sustenance since 1855 and contributed so many bird records from Birdsong. Lillian’s poem summarizes so much.

Butterfly Garden Thanks to our wonderful volunteers’ weeding, trimming and mulching - visiting butterflies were well supplied with nectar although the deer periodically did their share of pruning and cut down the flower supply. Volunteers were happy to see the large pile of mulch left by the power line tree cutting project - the county agreed to bring several truckloads of chipped branches to the garden - there is enough to satisfy all the gardeners’ needs. Roy Strickland sniffed it and said it smelled like potpourri - it is full of fragrant shredded pine. Native people would have used it for purifying smoke.

Live Oak Hammock Stan keeps working away at releasing and pruning the live oaks - the hammock is very attractive now and fun to imagine in the future - 10, 20, 50, 100 years. The old terraces weaving through the hammock will make good places for some distinctive and interesting trails.

Acid Flatwoods Blair bush-hogged the area again mainly to cut back the wax myrtles, etc., and he left good flammable grassy areas and the forb/herbacious plants so they can seed out. Blair was excited about the clouds of lycopodium spores. He collected some of the spore heads and we tossed them into a flame - these were a source of original fire works and used for light effects on stage. If you didn’t know, they contain nitroglycerine - wonder if they were used medicinally for heart problems? This area is now ready for a February burn and we’ll begin landscaping here to develop a bog garden in memory of Ann Barber.

Bird Window We’ve seen fewer all over birds with so much natural food in the wild but the pool and mist sprayer has attracted many "1st records" for watchers. Gail Menk recently made the largest list using both eyes and ears: titmice, red-bellied woodpeckers, blue jay, chipping sparrow, brown thrasher, yellow rumped warbler, chickadee, catbird, goldfinch, flicker, fish crow, white eyed vireo, phoebe, and house wren. Others have added the solitary vireo or blue-headed vireo, orange crowned warbler, song sparrow, pileated woodpecker, sap sucker, hermit thrush, and towhee.

Praise and Thanks!

Blessed Be -bbk

P.S. Reflection on control burning:

"The wind bloweth where it listeth,

and thou hearest the sound thereof,

But canst not tell whence it cometh,

and whither it goeth."John 3:8

P.P.S.

December 15: We are now getting the control burning weather that we’ve been wishing for for two and a half months.

"Wildlife Management Notes" appears regularly in our bi-monthly Newsletter .

Copyright © 1999, Birdsong Nature Center
Revised -- May 2, 1999