Vacation

We are now back in South Carolina. Tomorrow, we will return to work at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest and this blog will return to its regular schedule.

Yeah, Like You Blend!

 

If you’ve seen the movie My Cousin Vinny, then you know the title of this blog entry is one of the movie’s classic lines.  We are currently experiencing this part of the movie in reverse as we travel away from the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  Instead of being a couple from New York visiting the South, we are South Carolinians visiting New Jersey.  A combination of grandparents without Internet and a tree limb taking out our other hosts’ cable has prevented our blogging from the road.

 

Try as we might, we do not blend into the environment of the Northeast.  We’re heading to Washington, D. C. tomorrow, so we’ll have a better shot.  However, topic of blending reminded us of several recent events.  First, was the nearly-invisible Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) that we discovered along the low boardwalk during summer camp.  The snake is camouflaged in the leaf litter as it waits coiled in an ambush position for prey to wander within striking distance.  Secondly, there is an article in this month’s National Geographic Magazine entitled “The Art of Deception: Sometimes Survival Means Lying, Stealing, or Vanishing in Place.”  Many of the species noted in the article inhabit rain forests around the world.  However, there are several fine examples in the old-growth swamp at Beidler Forest.  In fact, Jeff Mollenhauer, director of bird conservation for Audubon South Carolina, was able to capture digital images of the predator-prey deception game.

 

In the first image, we’ll give you a clue…the predator is the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea).  Can you spot the prey?  The second image is a closer look and both predator and prey are in view.  Clue #2: 


















The prey is an insect and in the third image you can tell that the bird has spotted his meal.

 

 

Not sure where the bird found the caterpillar.  Glance back at the previous images and see if you can find the small twig that disappeared.

 

 

Obviously, no camouflage is foolproof, but a good camouflage scheme undoubtedly decreases one’s chances of being detected and possibly eaten!  That reminds me, when they ask if I want to go halves on a pie, they mean pizza and not pumpkin.  Blending is harder than it sounds.

Images by Jeff Mollenhauer

Fire Line Birds

In the past couple weeks, there have been a number of interesting sightings along the fire lines behind the barn at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest. The early-successional upland forest continues to impress us with a high density of breeding Swainson’s (Limnothlypis swainsonii), Kentucky (Oporornis formosus), and Hooded (Wilsonia citrina) Warblers. During the past few weeks there have been sightings of early migrants or post-breeding dispersers:

Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla): Captured at banding station on 6/29/09.
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla): Female or immature seen on 7/22/09.
Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorus): Adult seen on 7/6/09 and 7/22/09.

We suspect that the Worm-eating Warbler may be breeding in or near the early-successional upland forest because it was in the same area this spring. Louisiana Waterthrushes have never been seen or heard during the breeding season at Beidler Forest. We suspect that American Redstarts breed in other parts of Beidler Forest, based on bird surveys, but have never seen or heard them during the breeding season anywhere near the fire lines.

We have also seen two species of birds in the early-successional upland forest that bred nearby in wetlands (Prothonotary Warblers) or mature forest (Wood Thrush) and then dispersed into the early-successional upland forest after breeding.

Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea):

• 1 adult male captured at banding station on 6/29/09.


• Banded female, A063, was seen on 7/2/09 and 7/6/09.


• Banded female, A002, was seen on 7/8/09.


• Also, 5 - 10 unbanded Prothonotary Warblers have been observed using the early successional upland forest.

Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina): 3 fledglings captured at banding station on 7/6/09.

Images by Jeff Mollenhauer

Get Out Your Life List

While you were sleeping, you became one bird farther away from completing your life list. An article on yesterday's BirdersWorld Magazine page and an article on today's BirdLife International page describe a new species of bird discovered last December in Laos.





"Scientists named it the Bare-faced Bulbul (right) because of the lack of feathers on its face and part of its head." --Matt Mendenhall, BirdersWorld.com



You won't see the Bare-faced Bulbul at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, but you can see plenty of life-list birds along the 1.75-mile boardwalk!


Image by Iain Woxvold

Molting Mess!

Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) continue to be seen along the boardwalk at Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest, although they have become much quieter and are now more difficult to see. Many of the warblers that have been spotted in the past couple days are showing signs of molt. Several of the males spotted along the boardwalk did not have any tail feathers. You may also notice the color of the bill is changing from a jet black to straw-colored. It is a surprise to many that during the winter months Prothonotary Warblers do not have a black bill, but rather it is straw-colored.

The images show birds prior to molting and during the molting process.

Many adult birds molt their feathers at the end of the breeding season before heading south for the winter. Prothonotary Warblers only molt their feathers once per year and it typically occurs between early June and late August. In this way, the birds will have a fresh set of flight feathers for their long journey to Central or South America. Some of our Prothonotary Warblers have probably already embarked on their southward migration and most will have left Beidler Forest by the end of August.

Molting is not a pretty process, but it is critical and helps ensure that the Prothonotary Warblers of Beidler Forest will complete their migrations and return in the spring to provide additional data for Project PROTHO.

Images by Jeff Mollenhauer

460A is Finally a Daddy!

The last two weeks at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest have been filled with summer camp, so the blog has not been updated as frequently as we would like.

With time now available, we would like to update you on some of the stories from this first year of Project PROTHO. The season is rapidly drawing to a close and the Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) of Beidler Forest will be migrating south to their wintering ground in Central America and northern South America. Stay tuned...with the birds now banded, we may find out exactly where on the planet the Beidler Forest Prothonotary Warblers spend the winter.



Previous blog entries highlighted the banding of 460A (March 31, 2009 & April 9, 2009) and his subsequent shift toward the less-desirable territory at the edge of the swamp. The map image shows several territories with 460A's being the bright yellow near the first fork along the boardwalk. His territory expanded slightly during the season. 460A was almost always the first Prothonotary Warbler visitors would encounter. He would come close to the boardwalk and seemed to always be singing. We commented that with all the effort 460A was investing in the breeding ritual, despite his less-than-stellar territory, he should have attracted at least one female. As other Prothonotary Warbler pairs were taking their fledglings out of the swamp to the habitat of the adjoining higher ground, it appeared that 460A would end the breeding season alone. Not surprisingly, we were wrong.

Although other pairs began the process of reproducing their species earlier than 460A, many of those nests failed or fledged fewer chicks than were hatched. Some of the attrition was due to predation, but some was the result of parasitism in the form of a Brown-headed Cowbird chick (see story here). The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has published an article on why some songbirds may tolerate cowbird chicks in their nests, "Extortion Rackets and Egg-Farming by Cowbirds."

In the end, 460A found a mate and they made a nest behind the interpretive sign at #3. Three chicks hatched and were banded once their legs had reached their adult size. Observers have seen the parents feeding two of the fledglings, including caterpillars found hidden within curled, brown leaves.

We look forward to next spring and the return of the banded Prothonotary Warblers. What else will they be able to teach us?

Images by Mark Musselman

Funky and Fearsome!

The beauty of working at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest is that no two days are the same. Today, even with two summer camp sessions under our belts, we discovered some funky and fearsome residents.

Here are a few images from the last two days:

Along the boardwalk, a crayfish threatened to take on 19 humans ranging in age from 5 1/2 to 45.

A pair of Barred Owl (Strix varia) siblings preened each other.

A Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona domiciliorum) waited for an insect to drop by for a meal.

A species of Robber Fly dines on a fellow insect at the edge of the powerline during our insect studies.

A blue wasp with red antennae hovered near the edge of the powerline during our insect studies.

A species of writing spider rested on a small web between the blades of grass in the powerline right-of-way.

A large Timber Rattlesnake remained in its ambush position along the low boardwalk as both groups of summer campers took pictures and made sketches on their maps! Can you see it?

A very old Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) that appears to be blind in the left eye.

Images by Mark Musselman

Bird on a Hot Shingle Roof

Summer camp session #3 is full and underway at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest. Although the temperatures have been mild for all three camp sessions and campers would try to avoid the heat if conditions were different, some animals actively seek out the hottest spots in the swamp!

The forest canopy blocks most of the sunlight from reaching the forest floor. However, where there are gaps in the canopy due to fallen trees, holes (deep, ever-present water preventing tree growth), or buildings, birds and reptiles take advantage of the ample solar heat. Obviously, reptiles use the solar energy to help regulate their body temperature, but what are the birds doing on the hot, shingle roof?

The shimmering images of the trees beyond the center attested to the heat rising from the nature center's roof. However, all afternoon we watched out our office window as Great-crested Flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus), Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor), and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) flattened or contorted their bodies onto the roof to maximize their exposure to the hot shingles. Birds will take dust baths in order to encourage the evacuation of parasites from feathers and body. The birds themselves likely can stand the heat of the shingles longer than any parasites can survive or remain.

Wasn't it Tennessee Williams that said, "If you can't stand the heat, get off the roof!"

Images by Mark Musselman