2008 Purple Martin Colony Update
Labels: capped egg, clutch size, dragonfly, eggs, nestlings, pmca, purple martin
Labels: capped egg, clutch size, dragonfly, eggs, nestlings, pmca, purple martin
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.
Labels: banding birds, bird nest, jasmine vine, mockingbird, nest box
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.Labels: coral snake, fossorial, milk snake, scarlet snake, snakes
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.
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.
Labels: intraspecific fighting, purple martin
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.
Labels: english sparrow, european starling, gourds, purple martin, supergourd
Labels: beehive, hive, honeybees, nestbox, Sabine Woods
Labels: bobcat, Hercules Club, Sabine Pass, scat, toothache tree, Willow Pond Nature Trail
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.
Labels: camera trap, FurFindr, rabbit squeal, raccoon
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.Labels: gall, insect gall, maple eyespot gall, midge
Labels: beaver castoreum, fox den, FurFindr, gray fox
Labels: gray squirrel, pmca, purple martin, supergourd
Labels: beaver castoreum, camera trap, FurFindr, gray fox
Labels: blight, chestnut, chinese chestnut
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.
The highlight of the day though was when I took the road towards
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.
Labels: alligators, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, bobcat, ducks, snow geese
Labels: snake, yellow-bellied racer
Labels: dauber, mud-dauber, organ-pipe, wasp
Labels: barred owl, owl, roadkill
Labels: spider, wolf spider
Labels: scorpionfly