2008 Purple Martin Colony Update

On April 19th I lowered my gourd racks to find my first clutch of 5 eggs for the season, and then on May 1st I had 18 nests containing a total of 88 eggs. Also on this day I found an 8-egg clutch in one of my gourds which is very rare. Over the years I have had several 7-egg clutches, but the only other time I had 8 was in 1996 in a wooden house I built which turned out to be a renest attempt. Purple martins sometimes will attempt another clutch of eggs if the first fails to hatch or is lost due to predators.
Normally with clutches of 7 or 8 not all of them are destined to hatch. I had an exception back in 2002 when a clutch of 7 all hatched, but only 5 of those fledged. At my particular site in the beginning (1995-which consisted of houses only) the average clutch size ranged from 4-5 eggs with an occasional clutch of 6. Ever since I went to an all gourd colony in 2001 I’ve noted an increase in 6-egg clutches, which is one of the main reasons why I converted. Gourds, due to their roominess and other attributes, have shown to increase clutch size and produce greater reproductive success. Hopefully I will luck out this time and have all 8 hatch and fledge. I’ll keep everyone up to date on this particular clutch as the season progresses. As of May 13th I have 96 eggs and 12 nestlings, which tallies up to a total of 108 eggs laid thus far.
The nestlings in this photo are approximately 7 days old, determined by using a set of laminated life-size photos of a developing nestling that can be purchased from the PMCA. You take the nestling from the nest and lay it on top of the photo that most closely matches its size and voila you have its age. Note the large uneaten green darner dragonfly amongst the nestlings. Surprisingly it still has it head- usually the adults will remove it so the dragonfly doesn’t bite on the way down. Also this is a rather large dragonfly for these young nestlings. I found a dead one back in 2002 after it had choked on one this large.
In another nest I found what is known as a “capped” egg. If one or more eggshell hemispheres remain in the nest after a nestling hatches chances are a half could end up attached to the end of any remaining unhatched eggs as seen in the photo. If this happens the nestling inside the egg may have difficulty hatching. I gently picked up the egg, removed the cap and placed it back in the nest. Most times the adults will eat the remaining egg shell (for its calcium content) and other times fly away from the colony to drop them off just like they do with the nestling’s fecal sacs, because dropping either of these on the ground below the colony could possibly attract predators.
Just one more reason why it is so important for martin landlords to perform regular nest checks on their colony. Another update will appear at a later date.

Mockingbird Nest

While relaxing in our yard my wife noticed an adult mockingbird enter the thickness of a jasmine vine we have growing on our fence. I walked over and peered into the mass and found a small nest containing 3 blue eggs with brown spots. The nest was concealed pretty well and we would’ve never known it was there had she not been paying attention.

A few days later I returned to find that two of the three eggs had hatched revealing two fuzzy nestlings. As with most nestlings as soon as they became aware of my presence their mouths opened. The adults are naturally very attentive making sure that nothing, including other mockingbirds, get anywhere near their nest. I was fortunate to be able to get these photos while they were out gathering food and avoided being attacked by them.

The picture below that was taken 10 days later- note how fast they’ve developed. Their body is now covered with down and their wing feathers have begun growing from their translucent sheaths. I had to get this picture rather quickly due to the fact that both parents were perched in a tree right above me and about to introduce me to there pointy beaks.

Bluebirds- Season Two- Part Two

Went up to camp and spent some time with my bluebirds and found 5 fuzzy nestlings all huddled up in the center of the hay nest. The slightest of noises or movement of the box triggered them to gape their maws expecting to be fed as seen in the short video as I whistled.


I set up a blind near the box so I would be able to get some closer photos of the adults as they returned repeatedly with their beaks full of insects. Feeding behavior changed after I set up the blind- before they would land on top of the box, sit for a bit, then perch at the entrance, pause, and then enter. Now they’re flying straight into the hole. What accuracy! Once they became accustomed to the camo monstrosity where I sat hidden they reverted back to the slower method of feeding.
The open hayfield I have nearby supplies plenty of bugs to keep them all well fed. Normally they’ll fly to one of the nearby oaks, watch the ground for movement, and then dive upon any insect that gives its self away. Other times I’ve seen them hovering low over the ground before dropping to get their quarry.
In the next video watch closely as the adult springs from the box. Notice the white object in its beak- that is a fecal sac. This is the feces of the nestlings which the adults remove as needed. Instead of dropping them on the ground below the box, which would attract predators, they will fly a distance away from the nest site and drop them. Purple martins also do this.

A Lucky Find- The Scarlet Snake

My brother was up in his patch of the woods and came across one of the most beautiful snakes that we possess in this country- the Northern scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea copei).

It closely mimics the poisonous coral snake the difference being that the red and lighter bands do not touch (remember- “Red and Yellow Kill a Fellow” and “Red and Black Friend of Jack”). It rarely bites when encountered but instead will bury its vital head beneath its coils allowing its less vital tail to be exposed in hopes of distracting a predator. It is mainly nocturnal and has been discovered behind the bark of dead or dying pine trees, under leaf litter and has the habit of burrowing into sandy ground, which is exactly where he found it- under a tarp burrowing in sand on his property. The tip of its nose is pointed (fossorial) which helps with this habit of burrowing into penetrable soils. Its diet consists of earthworms, skinks, lizards, and your occasional insect. It is also sometimes confused with another non-poisonous Texas snake- the Louisiana milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum amaura) whose brightly colored ventral rings extend onto its belly whereas the scarlet snake presents a plain belly that can range from white to pink or gray. In the state of Texas both species- Northern and Texas scarlet snakes are listed as threatened.

Bluebirds- Season Two

"The bluebird carries the sky on his back" - Henry David Thoreau

My sentiments exactly as I watch a pair of bluebirds zip past me. The pair I just observed are the parents of the 5 powder blue eggs in my nestbox. Last season (my first) I had 5 eggs in this box,but only two hatched and fledged. Not sure exactly when these were laid, but soon I will hopefully have 5 brand new fuzzy nestlings to add to the bluebird population.

The parents stayed close by feeding on captured insects, each one taking turns returning to the box to check on the eggs. Their nests are made up entirely of the hay that grows in the nearby hayfields and is shaped so that a cup is formed to cradle the eggs.
The box I set up over on my neighbor’s property contained 4 nestlings , so it looks like his bluebirds got a jump on mine. Last season there were 5 eggs laid here and three hatched and fledged. Each time I made the slightest noise their mouths went agape thinking the parents had returned with food.

A Death In The Colony

The season hasn’t even gotten off to a good start and I’ve already got a death on my hands. Today I found a dead ASY (adult second year) female purple martin in one of my gourds. This has happened before in the past, each time due to what I expect to be intra-specific fighting among females in the colony.

I wrote an article for the PMCA’s quarterly journal Purple Martin Update on this behavior in which I photographed two females in the act. (this article was also published in this blog- go here to read). In the article I stated:

“Most times I’ve seen fighting among martins it had been between males, usually territorial battles. I have read though that females also get involved in these types of altercations or “Intra-specific fighting". Once the male selects the territory with which to nest he then goes about the intricate ritual of attracting a female. Once that is accomplished and the female bonds with him and selects a nest site in his established territory, she will then, along with the male, defend this territory.” That is defend against other female martins.
Both times the same type of injury occurred- a bloodied, featherless area to the back of the head. Due to the fact that this particular gourd had a crescent entrance rules out the possibility that a European starling was responsible and bolsters the theory of intra-specific fighting. Finding this was unsettling but at the same time interesting.

Nest Site Competition

The season begins as always with the competition for nest sites. Both European starlings and English sparrows (both non-native species) try and take over martin nest sites for themselves before and after the purple martins arrive. Not much so with starlings at my colony as I’ve noticed over the last five years. Whether it’s because of the use of gourds as housing or because of martin numbers, I just don’t have as much problem with them anymore. Thank goodness. But with the English sparrow it’s a different story.
Their nests were found in four of my gourds that have a crescent entrance, which primary purpose is to prevent the European starling from having access to them, but not the sparrow. Since I began using the crescent-holed gourds the English sparrows have gravitated to them mainly due to the presence of a porch which is needed by the martins in order to give them leverage to enter. As a matter of fact there’s no way to keep these sparrows out of your martin housing because they’re smaller than martins and a reduced entrance does no good.
Knowlegable and experienced landlords are aware of the devastation the English sparrow can have on a martin colony and will go to any lengths, including trapping and shooting to prevent them from taking over. If this isn’t done you and your martins will regret it. They will pip martin eggs allowing bacteria to enter killing the embryos and have been known to peck martin nestlings to death.

There is a trapping device that can be obtained from the PMCA which attaches itself inside the gourd. A small wire inside on the device acts as a perch and triggering mechanism that shuts the metal door trapping the sparrow inside which can then be disposed of.
Unmanaged housing does more harm than good to the purple martin, so if you can’t be responsible and keep your housing clean of this pest then you have no business putting up martin housing in the first place.

To read more on this aggressive pest check out these sites:

http://www.whazsup.com/sscontrol.shtml
http://www.abirdshome.com/pm/pests.htm http://purplemartin.org/forumarchives/archive/Supercompet.htm http://purplemartin.org/forumarchives/archive/HSrevenge.htm http://www.wtc.ab.ca/northernskys/sparrow.htm

If you think the English sparrow is bad, the European starling is ten times worse. More on this bird in a future post.

Nestbox Beehive

Honeybees will construct a hive in just about anything that has a cavity and a way of getting into it. Back in March of 2005 I photographed a bird nest box that had been mounted on a tree in a local bird sanctuary that had honeybees inside. I recently photographed this same nest box and as you can see the hive is considerably larger and has expanded to the outside. The front part of the comb was engulfed with a mass of bees.


They become dormant during the winter feeding on stored honey in what is called a “winter cluster”. Bees tightly pack themselves into these clusters and heat is produced from the center bees by shivering whereas the outer bees act to insulate and hold in the heat. Rotation occurs between the inner and outer bees to assure survival of all. I’ve read that temperatures in the 90 degree range can be produced within these clusters no matter how cold it gets outside.

Casualty of War

"Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. "
~Henry David Thoreau

A casualty of war between the animals and our encroaching behaviours that continue to consume the forested land like a cancerous disease. The very animal that I've longed to photograph alive in the woods I'm photographing dead in the middle of the road. It pains my heart to think that people drive by not even noticing a dead animal much less that it's a beautiful fox. This is the second road-killed gray fox that I've come across on this stretch of asphalt in the span of a month. As we humans continue our rampage across every speck of land we will continue to see more and more of this. We must continue to fight for the preservation of wooded areas where animals can live out their lives in peace.

"For if we fail to act as proper stewards toward our animals, we are broken, we are not whole with our covenant with the earth."
~Rev. Len DeRoche

Stalked

Willow Pond Nature Trail (aka “The Willows”) is a small patch of woods that reside just past Sea Rim State Park in Sabine Pass, TX. A nice boardwalk traverses through salt cedars (tamarisk), large clusters of reed, willow and mulberry trees that grow there. I stop here each time I’m up this way especially during spring and fall migration since it is an effective migrant trap. On this day I had stopped off to acquire a photograph of a “toothache tree” (Hercules Club) for a future blog post. As I arrived at the area on the boardwalk near the toothache tree I stopped to set my camera for the photo when my peripheral vision picked up on some movement. As I slowly looked up I could see something walking leisurely on the opposite side of the tree. Moments later coming into view was a bobcat.
I was aware of a bobcat lurking in this area as describe in a prior blog entry (December 2005- A Cat in the Reeds) so each time I visit here I’m on the lookout. Other evidence includes large latrine areas I’ve come across on the boardwalk consisting of fur laden scat. At first it acted as if it had no idea I was there. Having the wind blowing at its back and into my face kept my scent from its keen nose. I could feel my heart in my throat as I fumbled with my camera only thinking of getting “the shot”. Slowly I began to kneel down for a photo when it detected my movement and froze. Its eyes were locked on mine as it tried to figure out what I was as we both stood still as statues waiting for the other to make the next move. Gradually it began to lower itself to the ground slowly taking one step at a time in my direction, and then I realized…….I was being stalked.
I took a photo through the limbs of the tree as it continued towards me getting closer and closer. Off in the distance I could here an approaching vehicle and as it passed us it spooked the cat and it fled towards the boardwalk and dove beneath it about five yards in front of me. It sat quietly watching for it to reappear, but just like in the past it simply vanished without a sound. I stayed in the area for another hour without seeing it again. My theory is that it uses the boardwalk area for shelter and hunts for rabbits, rodents and whatever else in the surrounding open fields. I came across several areas where the reeds had fallen up against the boardwalk creating a “walled” area beneath that would be perfect for holing up in. I will be looking closely at this area to find a suitable spot for a camera trap in which I’ll bait with sardines, lures (bobcat urine, catnip) and utilize the FurFindr. I’ve got a good feeling that this area will indeed get results. One final note- look closely at its left ear and you’ll notice that it is notched which will aid in my identifying it in the future. Anyone have any ideas for a name??

Black Bear Sense of Smell- Earthwatch Trip Notes Part 1

The following is the first part of a random series taken from my notebooks kept during an Earthwatch expedition that took place in 2001 & 2002 in the Appalachian forests of North Carolina.


Our group found out from one of the game wardens that a black bear had been breaking into cars that belonged to campers at a local campground. Signs were palstered everywhere alerting those that camped there not to leave food out near the campsite, which also meant not in your car. You wouldn't think that a bear could pick up the scent of food through a sealed up auto, but think again. It is said that the keen sense of smell in black bears is "seven times greater than that of a bloodhound" and they can detect odors over a mile away.
The bear in question had acquired the scent of a box of pancake mix in one car and shattered the driver's side window by prying its long, thick claws beneath the gasket and the glass. After snacking on the mix it left evidence behind in the form of pancake mix tracks as seen in the photo.
A bear trap on wheels known as a culvert trap was put in place in the parking area that was baited with a bag of food inside to encourage the bear to enter. Once it pulls on the bag it trips the door, safely containing the bear. We found out later that it succeeded in capturing it, which was then transported to an undisclosed area and released.

Camera Trap Setup Part 3

I hiked out to check my camera trap once again and found that raccoons are not only attracted to cans of sardines, but also to the squeal of a rabbit. In fact so interested that the camera captured one climbing the tree up to where I had mounted the FurFindr. Good thing I chained it down or else it probably would've hauled it off. I had planned on to taking the camera down, but then at the last minute decided to try this spot one more time before relocating it. So I reapplied my lures and then set the FurFindr to the fox setting and walked away. I must have patience...

Maple Eyespot Gall

Back in 2001 while attending an Earthwatch expedition I came across a maple leaf that was obviously different from a normal maple leaf, having small bull's eyes covering a good portion of it. It was very pleasing to the eye. At the time I had no idea that I had come across an insect gall- Eyespot maple gall to be exact. A gall is actually the result of a reaction by a plant to irritaion caused by an egg-laying parasite in the form of an insect (e.g. flies, wasps, aphids, mites, and midges). Other types of galls can also be caused by nematodes, bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This reaction actually plays in favor of the parasite causing the plant's tissues to grow around it forming a "shelter" for its development. Harm to the plant is usually minor, though there are some that do cause severe damage. The parasite responsible for this particular gall is the maggot larvae of the ocellate (or maple eyespot) gall midge. The bull's eye is formed by substances secreted by these maggots. Once they mature they'll drop to the ground below and burrow into the soil where they'll eventually rise as adults. Galls can be fuzzy, smooth, spiny and can come in a variety of shapes and sizes as seen by another example in the photo below.

Camera Trap Setup Part 2

Well no luck.....the only thing I had was the rear end of a deer. But I'm not giving up so I setup my FurFindr and rebaited the site with another good dose of fox urine and beaver castoreum. The FurFindr is a really cool tool which produces short sound bites of four different animals: a bird, fox, rabbit, and a rodent. Each bite plays for 5 seconds and then repeats every 30 seconds. An electronic light sensitive eye located on the outside of the unit allows it to play only at night when predators are most active. They say a human can hear it 300 yards away, so a fox with its superior hearing should be able to hear it even further. The FurFindr should pull them in and then the lures should hold them there in front of the camera long enough to get some photos. I set it this time to the rabbit squeal to see what happens.
Afterwards I went exploring and came across what would be a perfect denning area. The entrance hole was underneath an old root and appeared to have been dug towards and underneath the stump from which it had originated. I wanted to set up a camera nearby, but it is right on the edge of a trail and would leave it exposed to anyone who walked past it. I've already had one camera pilfered so I'm at odds at what to do with such a perfect opportunity. I'm thinking about spreading out a smooth area of sand near the entrance to act as a "track trap" to see if anything is using it as a den.

Another Purple Martin Season Nears

It's almost that time again.....Purple martin season! In about 3 weeks I should begin seeing them in the area. They've arrived at my colony during the second week of February every year for the past 10 years. This will be my 14th year as a martin landlord and hopefully it will be a productive season and provide lots of stuff to write about. I finally cleaned all of my SuperGourds, which I should've done months ago. One of them had its entrance hole enlarged by the maw of a gray squirrel. That's what I get for not taking them down soon after the season ended last year.


I ordered a replacement gourd and also some black cap liners for the access caps which will help make the interior of each gourd darker like a natural cavity. I also have a few minor repairs to perform on the gourd racks and should be ready just in time for their arrival. They've been spotted already in parts of Texas- Port O'Connor and Hempstead as of today and the reports should steadily begin to increase in the upcoming weeks. If you are a purple martin enthusiast (or thinking of starting a colony) and not a member of the PMCA I highly recommmend that you become a member. As stated on their website they are the "only organization devoted exclusively to the scientific study of Purple Martins (Progne subis), their biology and habitat requirements".

Camera Trap Setup Part 1

The deed is done….I’ve finally got around to setting up a camera trap….let the games begin! The main reason for setting up this camera is to capture images of a gray fox. The gray fox, to me, is one of the most beautiful and fascinating animals I’ve ever come to know. My first encounter happened while hiking back in August 2006 in Roosevelt, TX. I had been hiking when all of a sudden I had that feeling that something was watching me. As I turned around there it was sitting in the middle of the road. What a sight! There’s no doubt they’re in this area due to all of the tracks and scat that I’ve come across.
In fact, not far from the area where I setup the camera trap I found muddied tracks of one that had crossed a wooden bridge that goes over a thin watercourse that originates from the creek. And unfortunately on my way up here I found one that was road-killed about five miles away. The spot I chose for the camera was about 60 yards off of the trail. I could see the paths of animals that had been traveling through this location from different angles. Also nearby was a log that had been used by a bobcat as a scratching post.
I did what Camera Trap Codger did and mounted two 2”x2” carpet squares to a log that was directly in front of the camera. I then saturated them with fox urine and beaver castoreum. The fox urine lure was so pungent it made my nose run, and the beaver castoreum lure, well to quote the Codger “So fine a scent! I jest not. Castoreum has a sweet tarry essence.” Not a bad smell considering it came from a beaver gland. I didn’t set up my FurFindr this time, but if nothing turns up when I come back in a week or so I’ll then add it to the mix. Wish me luck!

The Spiny Chestnut

Unbeknownst to myself until recently I had no idea that when chestnuts fall to the ground they are intensely armored by a needle-like spiked hull. At first glance it gives off the appearance of a giant cocklbur. I picked one up with the utmost care and still its keen points stuck into my flesh. If it wasn't for the fact that the nuts literally burst from this spiny armor I doubt anything would even attempt at getting at it. Not even the clever and persistent squirrel. The use of chestnuts as a food source dates way back including its use by American Indians as a dietary staple. Not only is its fruit useful but also its wood for houses, barns, railroad ties. Tannin from the nuts was used to tan leather. Unfortunately the American chestnut was pretty much wiped out by a fungal disease known as chestnut blight destroying billions of trees. The Chinese chestnut which is resistant to blight, was introduced in order to try and take the place of this once magnificent tree. There’s also work being done to cross breed the American and Chinese trees to produce one that has the stature of the American and the blight resistance of the Chinese.

sources:

http://www.chestnutranch.com/history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Chestnut

Trip to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

On my way to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) I spotted a large flock of geese whose numbers had to be well into the 1000’s. The flock consisted mostly of snow geese- white adults with a small mixture of dark morphs, and juveniles. Also in the crowd were some greater white-fronted geese. It was a spectacular sight watching them coming in from the sky and funneling down onto the field as seen in the short video below.

My day at ANWR turned out pretty good. This refuge consists of 34,000 acres containing bayous, floodplains, coastal marshes and prairies. If you love waterfowl this is the place to go, especially during this time of the year. I drove the 2 ½ mile loop that goes around Shoveler Pond and observed a large mixture of ducks- blue and green-winged teal, canvasbacks, shovellers, gadwalls, ring-necked, widgeons, and mallards. Also present were many American coots, moorhens, and pied-billed grebes. Normally you see tons of alligators, but I only came across one today and it was a biggin’. It was laying right off the edge of the bank stretched out in the sun, gazing intently at me as I photographed it.

The highlight of the day though was when I took the road towards East Bay and spotted a crested caracara preening atop a pile of brush that sat at the back of a tilled field. Also known as a Mexican eagle and the national bird of that country, it is truly a spectacular, but yet odd looking raptor with its long legs and dark feathering on top of its head that reminds me of a bald guy wearing an over-sized toupee. It’s not like your typical raptor as far as hunting goes. Instead of flying overhead and diving upon prey like say a harrier, it is an opportunistic feeder in that it more or less walks open fields looking for whatever to eat such as mice, lizards, insects, worms. It has also been known to feed on roadkill and has been observed committing the act of piracy- that is harassing other birds in order to steal the prey they’ve captured. I was able to observe it for a few moments before a black vulture came along and drove it off of its perch. Then about a hundred yards away I spotted a dark area high up on a snag. I spun my scope in that direction to find a peregrine falcon. In my opinion this is the king of all raptors. Reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour or faster in a stoop it slams into its prey on the wing killing it on impact. Also known as a “duck hawk” it would find much to eat in this area. The pesticide DDT (link) almost wiped out this bird until it was banned back in the 1970’s and through a process known as “hacking”, these falcons were reintroduced and their populations fortunately came bouncing back. A truly beautiful bird.

I also kept my eye out for bobcats which have been seen here numerous times. This area has high grassy sites perfect for a bobcat to blend in and aid in its stealthy way of hunting. There’s plenty to eat here- rabbits, ducks, other small mammals, and even a stray coot as seen in the photo above provided by Mr. William S. Hitchcock who photographed it here at the refuge back in 2005.

Yellow-bellied Racer

I was out walking the field behind our camp that had just been freshly mowed by a friend of mine when I came across a decapitated eastern yellow-bellied racer. Some may be reading this thinking "snakes in the middle of December?" Well you've got to understand the weather in Southeast Texas. For instance, during the winter it can be in the upper 70's one day, and then down in the 30's a few days later. Needless to say our winters here are never really harsh, which I have no problem with.
I've come across these snakes several times in the past and never have been able to grab one. Coachwhips, one of its close relatives, which I've captured, are fast but racers are extremely fast. They flee in an almost jerky, eclectic fashion and can cut on a dime. They can also move fluid-like through shrubbery which I’ve experienced first hand. I had been hiking along a fence row that was overgrown with thick shrubs when I spotted one draped across the thin limbs. It saw me at the same time and weeded its way through the thickness with unbelievable speed and fluidity. Once it hit the ground it literally vanished. Unfortunately this particular one wasn’t fast enough to escape the whining blades of the bush-hog.
It measured a tad over four foot and was in overall good shape except for where its head had once resided. Coloration in this snake is pretty bland except when they're juveniles, in which they present a more colorful, patterned appearance. Mainly a diurnal snake it has been known to feed on insects, small mammals, lizards, skinks, other snakes, nestlings taken from nests, and frogs. This area has a large supply of voles which not only acts as a food source, but also a supplier of underground burrows which this snake at times utilizes for egg laying.
It does all of the usual snake stuff when cornered- first vibrating its tail to make you think its got a rattle and is poisonous, and if that doesn’t work it will then strike with a vengeance. If you go a step further and decide to grab it you may regret it. In their book “Texas Snakes- Identification, Distribution, and Natural History” Werler and Dixon state: “If facing an agitated racer on the ground is an unpleasant experience, picking one up can be unnerving.” Also, the famous American naturalist, Raymond Ditmars said in his book "Reptiles of the World" that "as a rule, they are viscous and untamable". Its biting style is said to be "insidious" in that when it bites it immediately jerks its head back causing a tearing action by its backward curving sharp teeth. Past the teeth comes another line of defense, which I’ve spoken about before and have experienced numerous times, in that it will express its displeasure by the expelling of waste and musk from its cloaca, which has a horrible, if not reeking odor that would turn the most toughest of stomachs. On top of all this they will thrash about wildly even to the point of allowing the end of their tail to brake off if that’s where you’ve latched on to them. All in all you must be a lover of snakes if you want to handle this particular reptile, and to tell you the truth I’d rather go through all of the above aforementioned chaos than to be holding a dead one.

References:

Ditmars, Raymond L. Reptiles of the World © 1944. The Macmillan Company, New York.

Werler, John E. & Dixon, James R. Texas Snakes- Identification, Distribution, and Natural History © 2002. University of Texas Press, Austin, TX.

Quote

"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children."

Audubon

A Bluebird Box Surprise

With a new bluebird season approaching I decided to inspect each of my houses to see if they were in need of cleaning and/or repairs. While doing so I came across the tubes of an organ-pipe mud-dauber that had been built inside one of the boxes. Its grip on the inside wall had apparently weakened causing it to fall upon the aged bluebird nest that had been there since the previous season. This steely-blue solitary wasp is docile and doesn’t sting unless you decide to grab one and aren’t aggressive as the social paper wasps which will attack and sting with even the slightest provocation. The female wasp will build its nest anywhere that’s out of the weather- on the eaves of houses, under awnings, inside garages, and even, as in this case, in bird housing. She finds a damp area of soil and digs into it with her jaws rolling it into a tiny ball about the size of a BB. She then takes this ball and with the skill of a trained mason painstakingly forms each cylindrical tube row by tedious row until the tube is complete. The differences in color in areas of the tubes show that mud was collected from different sites. Below is a photo of a female that was building a tube on my front porch several years ago.

Once a tube is complete she then begins capturing unwary spiders and stings them injecting her paralyzing venom which keeps them alive, but immobilized. She lays a single fertilized egg in the cell with the paralyzed spiders, seals it up with mud and then goes about the same task of provisioning the other cells. (Go here to check out a prior post that shows photos of spiders removed from a mud-dauber tube. Note the larva in one of the photos feeding on one of the spiders.)The male’s role is to stand guard at the nest preventing the theft of the stored prey by intruders including other mud daubers. Days later the eggs hatch and the developing larvae feed on the collected spiders. Once fully grown the larva then spins a cocoon about itself, which is white in color and then turns dark and rigid as seen in the photos.

Here they’ll remain until fully developed when they then emerge as wasps, eating their way out of the cocoon and the tube. Note the exit holes where two developed wasps escaped. This was a cluster of 5 connected tubes revealing a total of 16 cells, some containing what appeared to be 5 viable cocoons that have yet to hatch. There were some empty cells, which exhibited no exit holes. As noted before the tubes had fallen off of the inside wall of the box which exposed the cells and allowed entry to them. Bluebirds, or any other bird for that matter, entering the house would’ve feasted on any wasp larvae and/or provisioned spiders in them.

Road-Killed Barred Owl

While traveling Highway 69 that takes me to my getaway in the woods I keep my eyes along its edges for roadkill, as I've spoke of before in prior entries (1) (2) (3) .
During my travels to and from I've found a number of roadkilled owls, mostly barred owls (Strix varia). Also known by other names such as Swamp Owl, Wood Owl, and Striped Owl, it is a large bird with a wingspan of 3-4 foot. Its name is derived from the white horizontal barring on the chest. This along with the dark vertical striping on its belly affords it excellent camoflauge when perched in the thick areas of trees. The barred owl, an opportunistic hunter, feeds on mammals (rodents, squirrels, opposums, voles, etc.), snakes, frogs, and at times other birds. It's only natural enemy is the great-horned owl (and also man when he is ignorant enough to kill one of these). Their call is an eerie one, especially when heard deep in the night. At times they happen to hunt in the wrong place, such as the edges of roadways. What could possibly be happening is that small mammals such as mice, squirrels, or voles are attracted to the sides of the highway to possibly feed on any food trash that has been littered by humans which in turn attracts the owls to them. Owls will drop from the branch they are perched on and swoop low to the ground, pouncing on its prey. At times this low swooping arc brings them across a busy thoroughfare, smack in front of a moving vehicle, and unfortunately this is the end result.

One Big Wolf Spider

As I leisurely urge the lawnmower across the rough hay something scurries ahead. My first impression was that I had distressed a small rodent, but upon closer inspection I find that it is one of the largest wolf spiders I’ve ever encountered. My first inclination is to grab it before it gets away, but remembered immediately that even though these spiders are not poisonous they can still bite. I hurriedly ran to the house, grabbed a peanut butter jar and luckly when I returned it was still there. I then placed it into a plastic bin that I had in order to photograph it.
As I nervously brought the lens of my Lumix as close as possible I couldn’t help but think it would at any moment pounce on my shaky hand. I know of many folk that would’ve stomped it into oblivion- just because. Little do they know that these wolf-like predators are not only harmless, but play an important role in keeping insect pests in check.
In order to get a sense of its enormity I placed my hand beneath it…..under the container of course :-)

Scorpionfly

I happened upon an interesting insect that I hadn’t seen before- a scorpionfly (Panorpa nuptialis). These actually are not true flies because of their two pair of wings (flies have only one pair). There are 350 species worldwide, 66 of those are found in North America and they feed on pollen, nectar and also on any dead insects it may come upon. Its flight was very slow and of short duration, which made for an easy capture. This particular scorpionfly is a female, whereas the male is different in that its tail resembles that of a scorpion, hence the name. Though it looks like it has the weaponry of a scorpion it is harmless.One other identifying characteristic is its long snout giving it a sort of comical look. When a male begins courting a female he does so by vibrating his wings and then offers up a gift……one that consists of a wad of spit. Yep that’s right…spit, which she then eats (ugh!). A very interesting bug to say the least.