Birds on the Boardwalk

The winter chill appears to have finally departed the old-growth swamp at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest and the flora and fauna are responding!  We were out on the boardwalk looking for banded Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) and found several, including A048 pictured below.  Prothonotary Warblers are still not back in great numbers and, as in previous years, most are beginning the season higher in the canopy than can be expected once territories are established.  Additionally, Prothonotary Warblers have yet to push out from the edge of the swamp, so they are only seen between #3 and #7 (tags #114 to #133).

Prothonotary Warbler (A048) - Mark Musselman

Near #131, a large bird flew through our peripheral vision and caught our attention.  Upon inspection, an American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) had landed on a nest (circled in the image below).

Nest high in a cypress - Mark Musselman

Initially, it appeared that the crow, known to raid other birds' nests, was pecking at the chicks in the nest.  While pondering what species may have a nest like we were observing, a Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) soared overhead and a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) called as they circled above the canopy.  We have been trying to locate the Swallow-tailed Kite nest that we are sure is nearby and the thought of the kites' chicks becoming a crow meal was unsettling.  Fortunately, after twenty minutes of observation, a murder of crows came calling, all flew off, and the heads of the two American Crow chicks popped up over the nest edge.

American Crow on nest - Mark Musselman

American Crow chicks - Mark Musselman

American Crow chicks - Mark Musselman

Just before #7 on the boardwalk and unusually low in the canopy, we encountered a Northern Parula picking meals from a spider web.

Northern Parula - Mark Musselman

Northern Parula - Mark Musselman

Northern Parula - Mark Musselman

The reptiles were also out.  Spotted Turtles, Eastern Mud Turtles, Yellow-bellied Sliders, Five-lined Skinks, Banded Water Snakes, and the attractive Eastern Cottonmouth shown below.

Eastern Cottonmouth - Mark Musselman

As the sun lowered in the sky, a shadow crossed our path and we caught a glimpse of a soaring Swallow-tailed Kite.

Swallow-tailed Kite - Mark Musselman

Obviously, the many branches and leaves between us and the kite made getting a quality image nearly impossible.  Possibly sensing this, the kite accommodated us by landing on a snag and preening.  Initially, the bird was between us and the setting sun, which allowed us to produce nothing but silhouettes.  Fortunately, the bird waited patiently as we moved around the boardwalk in order to put the sun at our back.

Swallow-tailed Kite - Mark Musselman

Swallow-tailed Kite - Mark Musselman

At long last, the kite decided to move on, but not before giving us a clear shot of it in flight.

Swallow-tailed Kite - Mark Musselman

No matter how many times we have walked the boardwalk, we always see something new, or see it some place new, or doing something new, or simply allowing us a better photographic opportunity.  Although every season has its strengths, spring definitely provides a target-rich environment!

Spring Break on ARHS Trail

Earlier this week, before the rain arrived, we visited the nature trail at Ashley Ridge High School (ARHS) to see what birds had returned for the breeding season.  A pair of Northern Mockingbirds nesting in an oak along the parking area greeted us at the trail's head.  Through their mimicry, we had a preview of the bird life we could expect to encounter along the trail.

Northern Mockingbird - Mark Musselman

Northern Mockingbird - Mark Musselman

Here's the complete list of what we saw:

Ashley Ridge High School, Dorchester, US-SC
Apr 2, 2013 11:05 AM - 1:50 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
Comments:    Clear, 60Fs
28 species

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)  40
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  3
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  2
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  2
White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)  4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  4
Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus)  6
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)  6
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  4
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)  4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)  4
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)  1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  1
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)  2
Swainson's Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii)  1  (FIRST for trail!)
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  2
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  5
Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  6
Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica)  3
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  5
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  12
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  4

As soon as we entered the swamp, we encountered a pair of bickering Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and several Swamp Sparrows foraging along the wet margins.  A rabbit, possibly a Marsh Rabbit, made a overly dramatic and noisy exit from the grasses growing in a sunny, wet area.  To paraphrase Shakespeare, the rabbit doth protest too much, methinks.  Maybe young rabbits were stashed in the grasses.

Swamp Sparrow - Mark Musselman

Immediately thereafter, we spied a large flock of White Ibis foraging, mainly for crayfish, through the narrow swamp.  Note the scarlet red of the bill, face, and legs, areas which are normally pinkish to orange in the non-breeding season.

White Ibis - Mark Musselman

White Ibis - Mark Musselman

White Ibis - Mark Musselman

White Ibis - Mark Musselman

A variety of plants signaled that spring has arrived.  The parasitic Squawroot (Conopholis americana) was flowering.  This chlorophyll-free plant gets what it needs from the roots of a neighboring tree in the red oak family.

Squawroot - Mark Musselman

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) was blooming...

Red Buckeye - Mark Musselman

Red Buckeye - Mark Musselman

 and provided a meal for a Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae).

Cloudless Sulphur on Red Buckeye - Mark Musselman

Cloudless Sulphur on Red Buckeye - Mark Musselman

Cloudless Sulphur - Mark Musselman

Finally, at the west end of the trail, Atamasco or Easter Lilies (Zephyranthes atamasco) were blooming.

Atamasco Lily - Mark Musselman

Along the way, we heard and saw a variety of birds, including the loudly singing Common Yellowthroat and the secretive Gray Catbird.

Common Yellowthroat - Mark Musselman

Gray Catbird - Mark Musselman

From out of the canebrake at the west end of the trail, we saw our first Swainson's Warbler ever along the trail!  We had expected the bird to be in there, as it prefers canebrakes and dense areas in or abutting swamps, but we had yet to spot one.  Last year, we identified the first Prothonotary Warblers using the swamp along the trail (not yet spotted in 2013) and now a Swainson's Warbler.  That is one productive little swamp!

Can you guess what was not there on the way out?  The warming day brought out the reptiles.  We walked up on an unsuspecting Southern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor priapus).

Southern Black Racer - Mark Musselman

As the snake patrolled, it did detect us and shot across the water in the ditch and, as quick as lightning, raced up the far embankment disappearing into the thick vegetation.  There is a good reason for calling these snakes racers.

Southern Black Racer - Mark Musselman

We also encountered a small Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata fasciata) sunning on the far side of the ditch, but it too made a quick escape upon detecting us.  Nearby, however, a frog appeared oblivious to our presence.  It continued to call even as we continued to approach its apparent location.  All along the trail we heard peeps and chirps as frogs launched into the water to avoid our intrusion, but not this one.  As we continued to move, we began triangulate the frog's position.  Puzzled by the continued odd call and afraid that moving closer would finally caused the frog to flee, we used our binoculars to scan the frog's suspected location.  There was some slight movement on the far bank approximately 20 feet away, but the eye we saw appeared to have scales around it, though the leg was definitely amphibian.  Before we could unravel the enigma, the snake let loose its captured meal, the frog launch to the safety of the water, and the unidentified snake bolted into the thick vegetation.

We were surprised and disappointed that the snake gave up its meal so easily and at such a distance from the perceived threat (us), but the experience made for another first along the ARHS nature trail!

Spring Break Volunteers

Not every college students thinks beaches and parties when it comes to Spring Break.  Last week, volunteers from The University of Missouri spent their break volunteering at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  The students spent their evenings in our rustic (emphasis on rustic) cabin and spent their days helping us clear tasks off of our to-do list.

Cabin - Mark Musselman

Day 1 included power washing the ramps into the nature center, reattaching deck boards on the education boardwalk where the pressure treatment in the wood had corroded the uncoated deck screws, and repair to the main boardwalk where an oak's rotten base had given out and a section of the boardwalk paid the price.

Fallen Oak - Mark Musselman

Fallen Oak - Mark Musselman

Repaired Boardwalk - Mark Musselman

Day 2 involved clearing oaks from the first longleaf pine plot planted a Beidler Forest.  The plot had not been managed aggressively enough and oaks had crowded or were in the process of crowding out the longleaf pines.  A broken chainsaw and cold weather ended the day early, but not before the remaining forest of oaks snickered at the minimal damage.  We'll be back in the fall with herbicide in backpack sprayers to deal with the remaining oaks, which will give the longleaf pines the access to water and nutrients they will need to grow.  After that, routine prescribed fires will keep the competition at bay.

Day 3 involved more oak removal at a younger longleaf pine site (see previous entries here) where the oaks are young and plentiful, but easier to remove with loppers.  After cutting, the stems were treated with a dyed herbicide to prevent resprouting.

Volunteer Loppers - Mark Musselman

Treated Stems - Mark Musselman

Although a day's work only affected a small percentage of the total tract, the effect is obvious in the before/after images.

Before (area 1) - Mark Musselman

After (area 1) - Mark Musselman

After (area 1) - Mark Musselman

Before (area 2) - Mark Musselman

After (area 2) - Mark Musselman

As opposed to the previous day being able to see the fruits of their labors made for a happy group of volunteers!

Mizzou Volunteers - Mark Musselman

While at the site, students received a basic lesson in longleaf pine ecosystems, including the longleaf pine's adaptations to fire.  Although fire killed many of the younger non-longleaf pine trees, the longleaf pines long needles and tight arrangement around the terminal bud protect the bud from the heat and fire.  The needles that are brown will fall off, new needles will emerge and the tree will continue to grow without nearby competitive vegetation.

Longleaf Pine After Fire - Mark Musselman

Longleaf Pine After Fire - Mark Musselman

Longleaf Pine After Fire - Mark Musselman

Longleaf Pine After Fire - Mark Musselman

Likewise, wiregrass and other herbaceous plants will emerge after the fire and provide food, cover, and nesting sites for wildlife, including wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and the disappearing bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus).

Wiregrass After Fire - Mark Musselman

Wiregrass After Fire - Mark Musselman

Day 4 included repair of a meeting building on the far side of the swamp that is used for fish fry meetings.  Although nothing like winter in Missouri, the cool weather was not what had been hoped for, so the day's sunny weather pushing into the upper 60Fs was a treat...even without a beach.

Thank you, Mizzou!

Prothos Are Back!

Visitors spotted the first Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) of the season along the boardwalk and our guide spotted several along the canoe trail this morning!

Prothonotary Warbler - Mark Musselman

Prothonotary Warbler - Mark Musselman

Despite the cool temperatures, it appears spring has finally arrived!