Mardi Gras in the Swamp

The sun continues to shine at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  Although the temperatures remained in the 60Fs, spring is in the air for the resident plants and animals.  Trees like Redbud (Cercis canadensis) are blooming and Red Maples (Acer rubrum) have gone to seed.  Bald Cypress, which are usually some of the last trees produce leaves, are greening along with the rest of the forest with Dwarf Trillium (Trillium pusillum) and Butterweed (Senecio glabellus) set to bloom.  Today's song of the Northern Parula (Parula americana) begins the countdown for the return of the Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) at the end of the month.

Over the last few days there have been numerous reports of Common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) moving about in search of a mate, Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) on logs near #1, and numerous Yellow-bellied Sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta) in and around Goodson Lake.

With chicks to feed, Barred Owls (Strix varia) are increasingly visible as they perch low above the water hunting crayfish.  The images below show one individual with a crayfish in its talons and then in its beak.  It did not immediately eat the crayfish as it had consumed another only moments before catching the latest crayfish.  However, before we departed the crayfish disappeared into the owl and the owl flew to a near perch over the shallow creek channel.

Being accustomed to people on the boardwalk or unwilling to depart their sunny spot, animals around the boardwalk are photogenic this time of year.

Images by Mark Musselman

Barred Owl Nest

Barred Owls (Strix varia) are frequently observed from the boardwalk at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  We have witnessed one owl take a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) from a tree, but usually the owls are seen hunting, catching, and eating crayfish.  This week was no exception.

Almost everyone coming off the boardwalk reported seeing a Barred Owl.  Many saw owls catching crayfish.  However, we were able to see an adult owl catch, declaw, and carry a crayfish to the bird's nest within a Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) cavity.

On a previous trip around the boardwalk, we observed an owl hunting crayfish near the edge of the swamp by #3.  Once the owl had captured a crayfish, we watched it fly to two separate perches within nearby trees, each perch slightly higher than the last.  Eventually, the owl flew up high into a Bald Cypress, but out of view.  By the time we were able to move to a vantage point with a clear view of the tree's east side, the owl had flown in the opposite direction.  We took note of where we were standing.

This week, we saw the owl in the images, watched it catch a crayfish and prepare it for consumption by another individual.  Knowing where we needed to be, we quickly moved to the point with the best view of the suspected nest tree while the owl cautiously worked its way higher up the nearby trees.  Right on cue, the owl flew to the cavity opening and delivered the crayfish meal to its mate or possible one of its offspring!  Look closely at the arrows and you will see that more of the cavity is visible by the right arrow.  The owl is present at the left arrow and blocks a portion of the cavity, but the owl's color and pattern camouflage its presence.  The entire tree (in the distance) is shown in the right image.

Images by Mark Musselman

Crayfish Video

You may or may not see a crayfish when visiting the Audubon Center at the Francis Beidler Forest.  However, you can watch one in the video below as well as in the next version of our boardwalk-specific iPhone/iPod Touch app that we released last week.  On the app note, today marked the first time visitors arrived with the app already loaded to their iPhone.



Video by Mark Musselman