Swamp Potpourri

With school drawing to a close, it has become quite busy at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest. We have not had time to blog regularly, so today's entry is a potpourri of items from the last week.

Insects, like the damselfly and dragonfly shown below, continue to emerge from the water where they have been for years.

Blue-tipped Dancer (female, Argia tibialis)

Great Blue Skimmer (female, Libellula vibrans)

The Great Blue Skimmer shown above recently emerged from a smaller version of an exoskeleton like the one shown below.  The nymph will emerge from the water, usually at night, and crawl up a structure (tree, plant, boardwalk).  The adult form will emerge from the back of the exoskeleton and crawl to a nearby perch to allow the wings and abdomen to expand, dry and stiffen before it can fly away.  During this time, the adult insect is vulnerable to birds, lizards, and any other predator searching for a meal.  In fact, the Great Blue Skimmer in the image was only able to muster a slow, loopy flight and would have been easy prey for a passing bird.

The fallen log in the image below apparently had sufficient prey items to keep the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) occupied in the the same spot for several hours.

Beavers (Castor canadensis) continue to maintain their network of dams.  While checking the smaller lodge and the damage caused by beavers and the standing water behind their dam...

lodge

dam

...we discovered a White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn hidden in a fallen log.  The female has not abandoned the fawn, simply parked it safely somewhere that the female's scent would not disclose her young's location.

Finally, today we were able to add another prey item to the list of things we have seen a Barred Owl eat.  Near #146 on the boardwalk on the way to Goodson Lake, we saw an owl tearing pieces from a small turtle, which was likely a Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta).  However, we were not able to get an image of the meal.

Images by Mark Musselman

Grant Brings GPS Units to Beidler Forest

The education department at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest has received a $1000-grant from the South Carolina Geographic Alliance to purchase GPS units in support of a program to get Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology into the classroom.

 Image by Garmin

Part of the GPS/GIS program will involve students learning to use GPS technology while at the Francis Beidler Forest (FBF) as well as on their school campus.

Image by Mark Musselman

Once students are familiar with how latitude and longitude coordinates mark unique points on the globe, the next phase of the program will involve students using their school computers and free GIS reading software to analyze FBF-supplied species-sightings and research data.

Species Sightings

Where do Prothonotary Warblers nest?  How large are their territories?  Why are some much larger than others?

Prothonotary Warbler Territories

Why are Brown Water Snakes not seen on the western half of the boardwalk...

Brown Water Snake Sightings

...when Eastern Cottonmouths can be seen all around the boardwalk?  What are the habitat preferences for the two snake species?

Cottonmouth Sightings

Let us know if your school would like to participate in this technology-based program!


Maps created by Mark Musselman

Owl vs Duckling Video

The last blog entry described how Barred Owls (Strix varia) were hunting Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) ducklings near the boardwalk in the old-growth swamp at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  We were also able to capture a few minutes of video.

The Wood Ducks can barely be seen as they swim through the swamp, but the hen can be heard calling.



Images and video by Mark Musselman

Boardwalk Assassins

No, Boardwalk Assassins is not the title of a new movie based on a best-selling novel.  The title refers to the experience we had last night while waiting for darkness and the arrival of Dr. Brian Scholtens from the College of Charleston.  Tomorrow's blog entry will cover what we learned during Dr. Scholtens' visit regarding the insect community here at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.

Having been in the building all day running the front desk, we needed to stretch the legs before the evening insect activity.  We've learned to take along the camera, even if the light is rapidly diminishing, because one never knows what will be seen in the swamp.  Each trip onto the boardwalk through the old-growth, cypress-tupelo swamp is guaranteed to be a different experience and frustration is seldom greater than not being able to capture a rare sighting.  The saying in the education department is, "If you don't have a picture, it didn't happen."  Turn away now if you do not want to see owls killing ducklings, because we have the pictures.

Wood Ducks on an earlier day in the power line right-of-way

Walking at a rapid pace along the return side of the boardwalk loop near #15, we heard a female Wood Duck continuously calling.  Usually, the only sightings we have of a Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) during the breeding season are by chance as she silently paddles away with her ducklings.  This hen was making a racket!  It soon became apparent that the cause of her stress was a pair of Barred Owls (Strix varia) perched low over the creek channel in which the ducks were moving.  This is not unusual owl behavior in the swamp as owls frequently hunt crayfish in the shallow water.  Tonight, however, the adult owls were serving ducklings to their young.

With each pass of an owl, the Wood Duck hen rose out of the water, flapping her wings and calling loudly.  The owls were unfazed and simply maneuvered around the hen and snatched a duckling.  After each attack, the ducks moved on with the hen continuing to protest.  Hearing the begging of its own young, the adult owl would carry a captured duckling to its offspring.  The lulls between attacks were only as long as it took the young owl to consume the duckling.  Once the begging began once more, the adult owl would reacquire the ducks and begin another attack glide.  Immediately, the hen would increase the volume and frequency of her calls and rise up to defend her young.  Each time the owls succeeded in removing a duckling from the group.

Eventually, the Wood Duck hen took her remaining ducklings out of the creek and into the forest where the Dwarf Palmettos appeared to offer some cover from the avian predators.  The results did not change for the duck, but once an owl had a duckling on dry land, American Crows began harassing the owl in hopes that the duckling might be dropped.

There is a reproductive strategy for having large numbers of young.  Not all will survive, but enough will survive to ensure the species continues to exist.  Today, the cells of growing Barred Owls along the boardwalk near #15 are being fueled by Wood Ducks, which previously received their energy from plants...and life goes on.

Images by Mark Musselman

Birds From the Office Window

Although we would prefer to be outside, the windows at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest never fail to provide us with an opportunity to vicariously experience nature.  Previously, we have reported our sightings out the office window, but yesterday's activity produced an new set of images.

Three just-fledged Carolina Wrens learning to dust-bathe from their parents.

Male Northern Parula posing for pictures.

Carolina Chickadee searching curled leaves for a meal and...

being harassed by a male Northern Cardinal.

Although we couldn't get the camera pointed quickly enough, a Red-shouldered Hawk landed within six feet of the window.  This image is of one along the boardwalk several years ago.  The hawk by the office window may have been attracted by the erratic flights of the young Carolina Wrens.  However, our movement within the building, slight though it may have been, was sufficient to alert the hawk and send it flying though the forest.

Although we could not see the waterfowl from our office, we could hear them and we made a quick dash behind the outdoor classroom to take a look.  With water pooling behind the beaver dam, the area under the power line looks more like a pond than a swamp.  The changing habitat has attracted a Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), which based on the color is likely an escaped domesticated bird.

The flooded area under the power line is also favored Wood Ducks, including this hen and her four or five ducklings.

While trying to get the shot of the newly-arrived Muscovy Duck, a Pileated Woodpecker landed overhead.

At the tree line, a male Blue Grosbeak (Guiraca caerulea) ate seeds from the grasses growing in the flooded area.  Shortly after spying the grosbeak, a male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) arrived and kept watch nearby.

To put a wrap on today, a Carolina Anole worked his way into the sun to do a few pushups and show off his dewlap.  The air temperature may not have reached 70F today, so the lizard was not his bright green self.

Although we would almost always opt to be outdoors, it sure is nice to have an office with a view!

Images by Mark Musselman

Project PROTHO Update

At the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, we now have our first Prothonotary Warbler nestlings! The cypress knee nest out by the Goodson Lake (#151) has hatched. There are five chicks in the nest and they likely hatched sometime on Sunday. The male for this nest, A026, successfully fledged four chicks last year from the same nest site. Let’s hope he and his unbanded female have similar success this year!

A026 with caterpillar

A026 with caterpillar

Female with insect

We also have another active nest on one of our off-boardwalk properties. It is located in one of our artificial-milk-carton nestboxes. This nest also has five chicks that probably hatched sometime yesterday or late on Monday.

Besides the nests with chicks, we also have at least two nests around the boardwalk with eggs and one nestbox off-site with eggs. With some more scouting, many more nests will likely be discovered.  However, the season is  off to a great start!

A011

With the expert guidance of Dr. Chris Snook, we have banded 11 new Prothonotary Warblers this season – 9 males and 2 females. And we are now up to 26 previously-banded Prothonotary Warblers that have returned to the swamp this season. Of the returning birds, 9 were banded in 2009 and the remaining 17 were banded in 2010. 

Images by Mark Musselman

Action in the Swamp

The swamp at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest is alive with our spring residents – almost everyone has returned at this point. The morning bird chorus around the boardwalk now includes Northern Parulas, Black-and-White Warblers, Hooded Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, Summer Tanagers, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, Great-crested Flycatchers, Acadian Flycatchers, Red-eyed Vireos, White-eyed Vireos and of course Prothonotary Warblers! In the upland, Ovenbirds, Kentucky Warblers, Pine Warblers & Swainson’s Warblers can also be heard merrily singing along. We’ve also had some great migrant sightings – a Black-throated Blue Warbler singing over the building this morning and a Scarlet Tanager sighted around the boardwalk last week by the staff.

Project PROTHO is fully underway. We have 23 banded Prothonotary Warblers that have returned to Beidler Forest so far this year. Of those 23 Prothonotary Warblers, 12 are visible from the boardwalk. We are sure there are still more banded birds that have returned and are waiting to be rediscovered during an off-boardwalk trek. There are several tracts of land, where we've put up nest boxes, left to investigate for more banded returns. On an interesting note, every banded bird that has returned has been male. It is curious that no banded females have yet been observed. The females are more subdued in color, sound and behavior, so we'll keep our hopes high for seeing one when we check nest boxes later in the season.

We have been very fortunate to secure the assistance of Dr. Chris Snook, a licensed bird bander from the Charleston area. He is doing the Prothonotary Warbler banding this season and working on training Denise Ecker to be an independent bander as well. We have banded six new Prothonotary Warblers this season, all of which are visible from the boardwalk.

We have been receiving a tremendous amount of data sheets from visitors participating in this citizen-science project. Combining those data sheets with staff observations, we have had early success on identifying Prothonotary Warbler nest sites around the boardwalk. As of last night, we have three active nests, each with five eggs. There are also three other nest sites that will most likely have eggs in them within the week. All nests have (at least) the male Prothonotary Warbler banded, so it is easier to keep an eye on the action.

On a very interesting note, we (along with the Master Naturalist group from the Lowcountry Institute on Spring Island)  watched a Greenish Rat Snake check out a possible Prothonotary Warbler cavity on the way to the lake. Later in the afternoon – we saw a pair of Prothonotary Warblers continuing to build in that same nest site! Apparently, the fact that a snake had stopped by was not enough to deter their nest construction.

Coming up, we will begin checking some of the sites away from the center for nest box activity. Stay tuned for more great Prothonotary Warbler action!

Images by Mark Musselman

Southern Living

The Audubon Center at the Francis Beidler Forest is featured in next month's Southern Living.

For additional information regarding canoe/kayak trips, nightwalks or special events, please visit our webpage.

Admission rates and hours of operation can be found here.

Hope For The Gulf

It has been one year since the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.  If you are wondering what you can do to help, even if you don't live along the Gulf Coast, check out the National Audubon Society's Hope for the Gulf page.

While you have out your checkbook, don't forget about supporting the Francis Beidler Forest and its continuing efforts to preserve the old-growth, cypress-tupelo swamp and conserve the entire Four Holes Swamp ecosystem.  The best way to see the old-growth swamp is our 1.75-mile boardwalk, which has reached the end of its expected lifespan.

We are currently raising funds to replace the entire boardwalk with sustainably-grown tropical hardwoods, which will allow the new boardwalk to stand for many decades longer than the present boardwalk's thirty-four years.  You can support our boardwalk replacement campaign by visiting our donation page.

Image by Mark Musselman

First Female Prothonotary

At the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, we are seeing a influx of returning Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea). So far, nine banded birds that have returned to the boardwalk. Seven of those birds were banded during April and May of 2009, while the other two were banded during April of 2010. We expect  more returns around the boardwalk, along the canoe trail, and other sites in Four Holes Swamp where birds were banded last season. 

Most of the Prothonotary Warblers are holding to their previous modus operandi and have returned to their same territories from the 2010 breeding season.  A054 (red over yellow) seems to be the exception to the rule. He was sighted on his old breeding territory and 30 minutes later, he was along the trail to the lake. We're not sure if he was following the singing of other birds or the surveying staff, or if he is genuinely interested in some new habitat. He had a nest last year that failed and was not able to have a successful second nest.  It is possible that his mate met her demise as she was never again observed. Additionally, his territory from 2010 was not the fabulous, so he may have felt it was time for a change! Only time will tell.  

Near #6 along the boardwalk, we saw A023 (pink over light green) with an unbanded female Prothonotary Warbler. This is the first female Prothonotary Warbler we have seen return this year. This is exciting as her presence signals the official beginning to the breeding season. The two birds were eagerly checking out nest cavities around the boardwalk. The most interesting thing is A023 seem to be showing her the sites that he and his mate from 2010 used for their nests.

Stay tuned for more drama from As The Swamp Turns!

Images by Mark Musselman