Birth of Snakes

Several weeks ago, we were asked, "Which of the snakes in the swamp bear live young?" We were not sure, but we looked up the answer. Of the five snake species commonly seen from the boardwalk at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, all but the Greenish Rat Snake bear live young.

Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata fasciata) 15-20 live young in late summer, larger females can produce up to 50 young!

Red-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster) 11-30 live young in late summer

Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota) 20-60 live young in late summer

Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus) 3-20 live young every 2-3 years

Greenish Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta x quadrivittata) 8-20 eggs laid from May-early July in humid subsurface chamber or buried beneath decaying plants matter.

The Southern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor priapus) can be seen from the boardwalk in the drier sections between the nature center and the swamp or along the swamp's edge. Like the Greenish Rat Snake, it lays eggs (36 in early summer, hatch late summer to early fall) and is added here simply because we have some new images. What appears to be a Southern Leopard Frog is shown slowly becoming a meal for the snake. Contrary to the species name, the snake does not constrict its prey, but swallows it alive!

Fortunately, humans are not on the menu for any of these reptiles and will all flee our presence if given the opportunity.

Images by Jeff Mollenhauer

Mepkin Abbey

The Charleston-area Master Naturalists will be meeting at Mepkin Abbey on September 12th for a tour of the grounds along with instruction regarding Global Positioning System (GPS)basics. Father Guerric will lead the tour with GPS basics being taught by Mark Musselman, education director at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.

Yesterday, we made a visit to Mepkin Abbey to plan the GPS portion for the upcoming field trip. Below is a SMALL sample of what we saw on the grounds, which are open to the public from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (closed Monday).


Little Blue Heron

Unknown "hunchback" insect

Halloween Pennant

Gulf Fritillary

Golden-winged Skimmer - Mark Musselman

Silver-spotted Skipper

Field and fig

Cart formerly used to transport eggs - Mark Musselman

Eastern Pondhawk - Mark Musselman

Unidentified and tattered dragonfly

Slaty Skimmer - Mark Musselman

Four-spotted Pennant - Mark Musselman

Luce Gardens

Sculpture carved from oak felled by Hurricane Hugo

Osprey with fish - Mark Musselman

Images by Mark Musselman

Low Water

Today's rain, especially in the upper portion of the Four Holes Swamp watershed, will help boost the water level along the boardwalk at Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest. We took some images of the low water during yesterday's Project PROTHO observation walk.

Although the Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) are becoming more difficult to locate, we did see several unbanded males along with two of the banded birds (A052 and A047). Both birds had little interest in us and remained in the area only long enough for us to make positive identifications.

Later, we saw the only snake of the day. The small Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota) was only partially out of the hollow cypress knee that likely is its shelter during the night. Brown Water Snakes are non-venomous and dine on fish, including large catfish once the snake has reached adult size.

Just beyond the second rain shelter, we spied a Barred Owl (Strix varia) perched on the boardwalk handrail. Based on its size, we suspect it to be one of the owls hatched this season. From its perch on the boardwalk or later on a branch over the water, the owl can see crayfish crawling under the shallow water. The crayfish has no chance once the owl's powerful talons penetrate its exoskeleton.

Although today's rains have kept us inside, the few hearty visitors that have toured the boardwalk have reported seeing a fawn, a cottonmouth, the alligator, a variety of small birds, several White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), and a Barred Owl.

Images by Mark Musselman

Back on the Boardwalk

The purpose of yesterday's walk around the boardwalk at Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest was to collect sighting data in support of Project PROTHO. We briefly spotted A004 and two unbanded males. Not being banded, we don't know if these two birds are from locations elsewhere in Four Holes Swamp or if they are from points farther north and already into their migration. What we do know is that Prothonotary Warblers will eat Red-femured Spotted Orbweavers (Neoscona domiciliorum)!



After watching the Prothonotary Warblers, we turned and spied an Eastern Cottonmouth swimming down the extremely-shallow creek channel. Recent rains have only stalled the drop in the swamp's water level. The snake caught scent of something, raised its head and remained alert for several minutes before continuing down the channel.


Just before reaching the nature center, a moth flew across the boardwalk and disappeared. After a brief search, we spotted the moth on a nearby tree. Check out the camouflage of the Ilia Underwing (Catocala ilia).

Images by Mark Musselman

Project PROTHO Funded for Second Year!

In 2009, with help from TogetherGreen, Audubon South Carolina successfully initiated Project PROTHO, an innovative citizen-science project which is helping us learn more about the breeding biology of Prothonotary Warblers within old-growth forested wetlands at Francis Beidler Forest while educating visitors and students about their habitat requirements. Last year, we requested funds to build a foundation for Project PROTHO, this year we will restore 103 acres of Prothonotary Warbler breeding habitat within Four Holes Swamp. The innovative nest box design we are to use will be constructed from recycled materials. This year's summer campers created nearly one hundred nest boxes out of recycled ½ gallon milk/juice cartons.

Our target is the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), a vibrant yellow, cavity-nesting bird that breeds in forested wetlands throughout the eastern United States. Point counts conducted in Beidler Forest during 2008 suggest that we may have as many as 2,000 pairs of Prothonotary Warblers breeding within the sanctuary. Due to its striking plumage and high nesting density along the boardwalk at Beidler Forest, the Prothonotary Warbler has become one of the bird species that most visitor’s associate with our sanctuary.

Prothonotary Warblers are neotropical migrants with wintering grounds from southern Mexico to northern South America. These birds are listed as yellow on the Audubon WatchList and as a high priority species on federal conservation plans for the southeastern United States. Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data suggest that Prothonotary Warblers have declined in number by nearly 40% since 1966. Prothonotary Warbler population declines are likely a result of habitat loss and degradation. From 1960 to 1990 nearly 7.5 million acres of forested wetlands were lost in the United States, a decline of nearly 13% (Tulloch 1994). There are precious few forested wetlands left in the U.S. that support old-growth forest, the ideal nesting habitat of the Prothonotary Warbler because of its abundance of nesting cavities.

On their breeding grounds, the highest densities of Prothonotary Warblers are often found in mature forests, where there are abundant tree cavities. However, it is well-documented that Prothonotary Warblers will use nest boxes, particularly in areas that lack natural cavities.

Two hundred nest boxes will be placed on 69 acres of disturbed wetlands within the Francis Beidler Forest, while one hundred nest boxes will be placed on 34 acres of disturbed wetlands on private lands within the Four Holes Swamp watershed. While Beidler Forest contains 1,700 acres of old-growth, bald cypress-tupelo swamp, most of the remaining forest has been logged during the last 100 years. In these young forested wetlands, the natural nest cavities that Prothonotary Warblers require for nesting are less abundant than in the old-growth portions of the swamp. Studies have shown that installing nest boxes in these areas will increase nesting density and reproductive success.

Twenty five to fifty volunteers from the South Carolina Master Naturalist program will help us install the nest boxes at the five sites within the Four Holes Swamp watershed. A Project PROTHO intern will be hired to monitor the boxes throughout the nesting season. Upon conclusion of the 2010 breeding season, we will hold a meeting for private landowners in the Four Holes Swamp watershed to recruit additional landowners to participate in the nest box program and restore Prothonotary Warbler breeding habitat in 2011.

Images by Mark Musselman

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