SURVIVING THE WINTER STORMS

Our rain storm today, swiftly blowing out to the west this evening

We are quite fortunate in Washington state, weather wise that is, compared to the Northeast part of the United States. I have been listening for days to the weather folks explaining the huge storms that have been hitting the eastern portion of the U.S. Tonight I read some of the blogs that are located in the snowy part of our country and shudder to think what they are going through.

 On the blog Slow Cook I read how they lost power last night for a few hours and when morning breaks they have to get out to the barn to feed and care for their farm animals -- trudging through cold temps and very deep snow! At the time of my reading they could not get out of their drive as their truck was stuck there.

Tabor over at Room Without Walls writes about the flocks of birds fighting over the food available from her feeder. They are fighting for survival she feels. She has photos of all the birds at her feeders.

It has been a tough winter for not only many humans but also the wild critters. I give thanks to the folks out there that are having a tough time getting around but still can find time to care for the animals, both wild and domestic.

LAND USE INTEGRITY?

Mr. Lamb

Mr Lamb was full of stories about his place in Madison County. He had lived almost his entire life in the same place. He could tell you how he rode to school on a horse, he could name all the wildlife that visited his place in the holler -- he was full of local history and enjoyed talking to you about it. He always had a welcome smile when I stopped for a short chat on his sittin" porch in warm seasons. He recently passed away -- he was in his late 70s.

Welcome gate to his comfortable sittin' porch

(Above photo taken when Mr Lamb lived on the property.)  

I wrote a couple posts about his birds and squirrels and you can find them here and here.

One of his large sugar maples

 with squirrel feeders and squirrel house.

(Above Photo taken when Mr Lamb lived on the property.) 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Now the property has been sold and it is quickly changing. All the beautiful old maples have been topped off in an ugly fashion. The old house appears to be in the process of change with builders and trucks swarming around it. 

Here is one of the topped off maple trees with a squirrel house still hanging on -- I'm sure it's wondering what is happening and I am sure the squirrels have headed for the back woods along with other  wildlife

Here is the back of the property showing signs of a new building -- perhaps a new house. The yard has now become one big mud pie. The smoke is from a large brush pile in front of a newly erected foundation. 

This is what is happening everywhere in our country. One minute you have  a nice old house and land and within a couple months it is sold to a developer and new ideas march in -- tearing and turning everything upside down. 

If only  new changes could be done with sensitivity and integrity -- to the land, to the wildlife, to the plants, to the buildings, I think we would be more forgiving of developers? 

SQUIRREL FRIEND

MR LAMB OPENING THE HINGED DOOR OF HIS SQUIRREL FEEDER

Mr Lamb is a friend to wildlife especially birds and squirrels. But he found out that the two don't mix well when it comes to dinner time. So he devised a way to keep everyone satisfied. 


He set up a squirrel feeder that requires the squirrel to go through a small swinging door to get seeds. Once inside the box structure squirrels can find lots to eat. They can munch away in solitude -- no blue-jays or other bothersome birds to dive bomb them. No problem getting out of the box structure -- the door swings both ways. Like a doggie door.  


Along with the feeder Mr Lamb set up a housing unit for them. It is high in the adjacent sugar maple tree. He made it out of spare wood. Now the squirrels can go about their business and be content that they are in good hands.

WOOD SQUIRREL HOUSING UNIT IN MAPLE SUGAR TREE
SQUIRREL FEEDER AT THE BASE OF TREE

And the same goes for the birds. They have their own feeders and are content. Mr Lamb knows how to create good community relations.

NATURE'S DRINKING CUPS FOR THE LITTLE WILD CRITTERS

The stub of a decaying tree limb has become a basin for catching rain water

Nature always provides surprises to a walker along a trail. Recently, a few days after a rain, I moseyed down a  trail close to my home and observed something I felt was a bit different. This was what could be considered miniature watering holes or as I call them -- nature's drinking cups. 

Above is a decayed limb that has a basin-like cavity at the top of its stub. When we have rain it fills and remains for several days. 

Close up of the decayed limb's drinking cup

Here is a close up photo of the tree's drinking cup. As you can observe, clear fresh water is caught in the decayed basin. I imagine that birds and insects love these small places.

Boulder with a natural basin providing a drinking cup that fills after a rain

Another basin like drinking cup. This one is in the hollow of a large boulder. I thought that the two examples of drinking cups displays the ingenious way that nature takes care of its little wild critters. 

IS IT WINTER YET?

BARE BRANCHES AS WINTER STEPS TOWARDS US

This last Friday, while outdoors doing some yard work, I glanced at the sky and thought that it looked like one that signaled the impending approach of winter. The trees were half bare and a heavy cold feeling was in the air. 

Officially winter does not begin until  December 21 with the winter solstice. Yet, in the UK and Ireland winter begins November 1st. They consider the winter solstice as midwinter. The shortest days and weakest solar radiation  are during November, December and January therefore, it seems reasonable to use the November date.

LOOK CLOSELY TO SEE SEE THE "LIFT-OFF" OF THE BLACKBIRDS IN MY YARD

About a week ago the yearly flocking of blackbirds paid their late autumn visit -- hanging around for about two days.  I stepped outside to take a photo of their hundreds and hundreds --  to capture the density of their population.  My appearance outside created a dynamic "whoosh" of nature -- synchronized instant take off and flight. They were beauty in motion with the sound of hundreds of wings flapping. It was a mixed flock and I believe there were even some flickers in the numbers.

GATHERED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Friday, I gathered the last harvest from my garden -- butternut squash. There were seven large ones that had hidden themselves in the weeds of my garden. They were beautiful and will surely be delicious, hopefully. I realize that they had been sitting on the vine for sometime. 

PROLIFIC GOLDEN COSMOS -- STILL GOING STRONG

The only other plants in the garden that were still producing were my golden cosmos. They had outperformed this year with stalks six feet tall and laden with glorious gold blooms.

BUTTERNUTS WAITING TO BE CLEANED UP
 FROM LYING IN THE GARDEN SOIL

Saturday brought a light frost. No snow flurries as had been predicted. Really, I thought, why do we wait until the winter solstice to declare the official entrance of winter? I am going on the Irish winter schedule -- it just seems more in tune with nature. Happy winter everyone.

BARNS, BARN SWALLOWS AND POPULATION DECLINE

PLEASANT VIEW FARM BARN, RICHMOND KENTUCKY AREA

My son and I made a trip to the above historic farm to check out some old farm  structures that  still remain on the early 1800s property. We were unaware of the beautiful twentieth-century barn that rested on a knoll at the back of property. 


As we approached the barn a burst of approximately 30 - 50 Barn Swallows flew out from unknown corners of the barn and swirled about in the air. They eventually settled down on bare branches and telephone wires giving us a look- over. 

My son escaped into the barn from the swirling birds and discovered their nests built on the barn beams. Since this was mid-August we presumed that the nests were empty?

Afterwards, back at my house we talked about the beautiful birds and their place in the environment. I decided to do a bit of "digging" to find information on their behavior and history.

BARN INTERIOR WITH BARN SWALLOW NESTS ON UPPER BEAMS

In the photo above, if one looks at the top barn rafters, one can make out the many barn swallow nests. 


Barn swallows are found over much of the globe. Here, I am only discussing those found in the North American continent. These birds are migratory, spending the winters in South America. Their diet is mainly insects that they grab in the air as they fly. They migrate to South America as winter in North America provides little in the way of insects. They spend their summers in North America breeding and raising their young on a rich abundance of insects. 

BARN SWALLOWS -- (hirundo - rustica)
PERCHING ON NEARBY  ELECTRICAL WIRES OUTSIDE OF ABOVE BARN

Their population remains somewhat steady but declines in populations are being observed. As an example, they are still common in Washington State but the Breeding Bird census indicates that swallows have decreased significantly in the state since 1980

OLDER BARN SWALLOW CHICKS IN THEIR NEST
(Wikipedia -- Walter Siegmund photo)

The main reasons for decline seems to be urban development and industrial agriculture. Barn swallow habitat requires open fields and meadows, water availability and structures such as old barns that one finds in the country. In these old structures they can colonize their nests and be somewhat protected from their main predators such as owls, hawks, and snakes. However, barns and other farm outbuildings are being torn down as industrial agriculture and urban growth reach their tentacles into the countryside. Another factor is that family farms are ceasing operation, forced out by economic reasons, reducing insect populations to 50% resulting in a 50% reduction in barn swallows in these small farm areas. 

Barn swallows play an important role in controlling insects in cultivated areas where they dine on mosquitoes, crickets, flies, grasshoppers and other flying insects. 


What measures can be taken to stop Barn Swallow decline?

Barn Swallow at Nest
(Reference-Artificial Barn Swallow Nests Site)

A suggestion is being made on the site, Artificial Barn Swallow Nests. Opening passage is as follows:
"In the past two years since posting these personal pages, several hundred people have emailed asking about either how to get rid of barn swallows nesting on the light fixture over their front door or how to attract swallows to their property. The majority of people emailing us about swallows have a single pair nesting on their porch or under their eaves or deck. They often state that they had several pair in their yard in the spring, but only one pair stayed to nest. The frequency of single pair nestings was a surprise to me, since my experience has been with large or smaller colonies, both on our property and elsewhere. Here in the East, old barns are disappearing at an alarming rate and many long term colonies of swallows have been forced to disperse ..." 


Click here to read the entire article mentioned above that encourages nesting boxes or shelves to provide places for our beleaguered Barn Swallows.

To learn more about breeding, mating and other interesting Barn Swallow facts check out the identification tips and links below. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY IDENTIFICATION TIPS:

• Length: 6 inches
• Tiny bill
• Dark orange forehead and throat
• Pale orange underparts
• Dark, iridiscent upperparts
• Long, deeply forked tail
• Juvenile similar to adult but paler underneath with a shorter tail
• Most often seen flying
• Will nest communally in mud nests under bridges, in barns and caves, etc

-------------------------------------------------------------

LINKS:


Bird Web; Washington State, Seattle Audubon Society


University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web


Life Histories of Familiar North American Birds 1942 Smithsonian Institute


Artificial Barn Swallow Nests

OLD APPLE CRABAPPLE TREE ON VERNACULAR HOMESITE

When I was walking along the sidewalk of a small town, taking photos of an early Lancaster, Kentucky house, I noticed this tree in the front yard -- its apples were all over the ground and had spilled its fruit out to the sidewalk and beyond into the street. Hundreds of the same size small apple.

This pattern of so many dropped apples brought back memories of the old crabapple trees of my youth. I rarely see these types of trees anymore. Only around older houses or homesteads.

I did some research online about crabapples. I found that if they are used for fruit production they are called apple crabapple trees. If they are used for ornamental flowering they are called flowering crabapples.

I believe that I do not see many of the old apple type any more because folks just don't bake and cook like they used too. Its lost its stature as an important part of household food. Also, I believe that the extensive fall of the small apples would be looked upon as messy in today's culture. Gotta keep those lawns neat and tidy.

The apple crabapple tree provides fruit for jam, jellies, cider, spicing up sauces, pickles and probably other uses that were not listed online.

Here is the definition of an apple crabapple tree provided by TreeHelp.com:

Crabapples are differentiated from apples based on fruit size. If the fruit is larger than two inches it is classified as an apple. Fruit is borne in the summer and fall. Colors range from dark-reddish purples through the reds and oranges to golden yellow and even some green. On certain selections the fruit can remain attractive well into the late winter. The larger fruited cultivars offer a bonus because the fruit can be spiced or used in jelly.

Here is the front view of the early house where I found the tree. It has had some updating over the many years of its existence.

I will venture to say that the architectural trim around the porch was added sometime before the 1900s. New storms or windows were added some 30 years ago. The outdated landscape bushes look like from the 40s or 50s. The house is fairly devoid of any mature landscaping other than an old hydrangea bush and the old crabapple tree. Perhaps at some point within the last 50 or 60 years there began a landscaping shift toward the barren look that seems to be still popular with many today.

A shot of the northwest front corner of the lovely early brick house appears to be in good shape structurally.

This close-up shot shows an original Federal type light (window) over the front door. This would date the house pre 1850. Usually Federal front doors also had side lights as well as a light over the door. But, this house would fall in the vernacular architecture type so therefore it was built simply incorporating only some of the styles of the time.

Now getting back to the lovely old crabapple in the front yard. I thought about the fruit laying on the ground. Luckily birds and some mammals will find these apples a treat, especially as they ferment. The tree apparently is in mid-age of its projected 70 year life. It has some producing years left. Surely it will produce memories to children passing by -- like the memories I have from long ago. So now the tree is for wildlife and children only. But that is OK.

*****

The Appalachian town of Lancaster, Kentucky was founded in 1797 and in 2008 the population was 4,403.

ARTISTIC -- SMALL TOWN MAILBOX

Earlier this year I posted some unusual mailboxes that I had taken photos of out in the country. The above mailbox was recently found in a small town in Kentucky. It is rather unique for a couple reasons.

One, is that is was painted by a family member of the owner of the mailbox. And two, the painter is a well known artist in Kentucky by the name of David Farmer.

The truly unusual part of the painting is that the flag appears to be part of the bird house painted on the box. However, when the flag is raised it reveals a brood of chicks gazing out of the birdhouse hole.

An artistic cleverness.

EASTERN PHOEBE --- LIFE AND DEATH -- Sunday Simplicities

Female Eastern Phoebe Nesting on My Porch

A few hours ago an Eastern Phoebe chick fell to its demise apparently from its nest. It landed on my cement porch. A sad occasion for the parents as well as for me. I had watched the parents from the start -- selecting the site on the top of one of my porch columns -- building the nest- sitting on the eggs to keep them warm, and nourishing them with food once they hatched.

Here is how I discovered what had happened. I heard the Phoebe's urgent distress calls outside my door. I thought some critter was disturbing the nest. When I looked outside the door -- there on the porch was a well developed little bird, not alive. I had been out on the porch about 15 minutes before this disturbance was set off. Apparently, I deduce, it happened right after I went back inside.

For the past three hours the parents have been circling the area constantly crying fee-bee and making a rapid clicking sound. A few times flying to the empty nest, perching on the edge and looking downward into the nest. A nest that was now empty.

I had seen one other baby in the nest -- perhaps he/she fledged and this one just didn't have the wing power when he/she fledged.

The parent's are acting very stressed. And why shouldn't they be. All that love and care they had given their brood.

We are all connected -- no one can tell me differently. Emotions are within all animals. Although, many will disagree, I recognize grief and that is what I saw and heard today.

And as I say these words above, I think of the wildlife of the Gulf of Mexico. In my heart the grief that is emanating from its wildlife is numbing and overwhelming.

PILEATED WOODPECKER -- TEARING IT UP!

PILEATED WOODPECKER ON ONE OF MY THREE STUMPS NEAR MY HOUSE

For the past three years I have had a resident pair of Pileated Woodpeckers residing around my house. I am not sure how large their territory is -- but I do know that they love the three silver maple stumps near my home. Slowly over these three years they have been working on tearing the stumps apart. This activity appears mostly in the spring of the year.

They are large and magnificent birds -- the largest woodpecker species in North America. Their size can range from about 16 inches to 19 inches long.

They are not being mischievous by slowly demolishing the stumps -- they are after the insects that reside in them. Their favorite insects are long horned beetles and carpenter ants. With their marvelous strong beaks they can rip off slivers of wood allowing them to extend their beaks deep into the stump's dead wood to eat insects.

MALE PILEATED WOODPECKER ON ONE OF MY DEAD STUMPS
Dryocopus pileatus

Their beak is also used to excavate a new nesting hollow in a large mature tree and they excavate a different nesting site each year. Each new hollow has several entrances. Other wildlife species take up residency in the old vacated nesting sites.

One can identify the male from the female -- the male has a red mustache strip and the female's mustache is black.

I hear the Pileated Woodpecker's calling and drumming all year long as they are year round residents here. The male does most of the drumming and is most vocal in the winter and spring. At that time I hear the escalation of drumming sounds and calls -- loudly and clearly -- it resonates throughout the woods that surround my home. The drumming serves to establish territory rights and to attract a mate. Also a high pitched call is used for the same purposes. Pairs of Pileated appear to reside in the same territory year after year.

DEAD TORN UP STUMP

I have lots of poison ivy on my homestead. Apparently Pileated woodpeckers like the white berry fruit that it produces. They have been seen by some, hanging upside down from a branch reaching the poison ivy fruit they are after. They also like nuts of which the oaks, beech and hickory provide plenty.

PART OF THE STUMP WITH BEAK MARKINGS AND WOOD SLIVERS EXCAVATED BY THE WOODPECKER

Their habitat is large areas of coniferous or deciduous trees. Mostly they prefer dead trees for their nesting sites -- they excavate rectangular entrances and line the interior with wood chips. They usually have 3 to 5 eggs and fledge 24 to 28 days after hatching. They usually stay with the parents for a few months learning the techniques of foraging. I have yet to see any young birds with the pair.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STUMP -- UNDISTURBED AS OF YET

At one time populations declined greatly in the early 1900s. The species has rebounded since the mid 1900s. In Arkansas and Washington their numbers appear to be diminishing.

Following are some good sites to learn more about Pileated Woodpeckers.

All About Birds

Bird Web

OIL, WETLANDS, OCEAN, BP -- SUNDAY SIMPLICITIES

DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL PLATFORM -- A TRAGEDY FOR LIFE
source: Wikipedia

This event is not a simple one but a very complex one.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, below, I have several online photos of species that inhibit the coastal waters and wetlands of the Deepwater area. They are species photos, pre-Deepwater explosion. Now the area is filling fast with oil slick. We are beginning to see the oil slicked bodies of these species. I am personally sick over the whole event. I will say one thing; we need to go on an oil diet and put the pinch on the oil companies. I could say a lot more but I will let the species, through their photos, talk to you and maybe you all can figure out how to resolve this oil madness.

BROWN PELICAN RECENTLY TAKEN OFF THE ENDANGERED LIST
source: Wikipedia -- Alan D. Wilson

GREAT EGRETS WADING
source: Wikipedia

GREAT EGRET WITH CHICKS IN NEST
source: Wikipedia

RACOON WITH A DESTINATION
source: Rebecka Jackson

ROSEATE SPOONBILL IN FLIGHT
source: wikipedia

ROSEATE SPOONBILL WITH CHICKS IN NEST
source wikipedia

OSPREY WITH CATCH
source: wikipedia

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE -- ENDANGERED
source: wiki

BALD EAGLE IN FLIGHT

source: Anne D. Wilson

BALD EAGLE WITH CHICKS IN NEST
source: wiki

ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL

NATURE'S TAPESTRY

The Vernal Equinox happens at 1:32 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, 2010. That is tomorrow for me as I write this post. This is the day of an equal part of daylight and an equal part of night. Spring will officially be here! Here is a quote from Henry David Thoreau, found in his journal dated March 18, 1858. The Blog of Henry David Thoreau recently featured this quote and I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate the Equinox.

Each new year is a surprise to us. We find that we had virtually forgotten the note of each bird, and when we hear it again it is reminding us of a previous state of existence. How happens it that the associations it awakens are always pleasing never saddening: reminiscences of our sanest hours? The voice of nature is always encouraging.

SELF TAUGHT FOLK ARTIST'S BIRDHOUSE

With his eye for design and his hands for crafting, Wayne Wolfinger of Lansing Michigan created a birdhouse for his yard that was meant to resemble his home. Self-taught Wayne can work in just about any medium to achieve lively pieces. This birdhouse is made of scrap metal.

The top photo is the front of the birdhouse and the bottom photo is the back. Wanye crafted the birdhouse about twenty years ago. He maintains the house paint and has the pleasure of birds occupying it most seasons.

BLUEBIRDS, PURPLE MARTINS, BIRDHOUSES, A THOUGHTFUL MAN

The morning sky was laden with overcast clouds signaling a storm was more than likely on its way. I was in my truck on my way to talk with an interesting man by the name of Caroll Cain, a maker of bird houses. Not birdhouses for his home but for his full time worksite. And not just any style of birdhouses -- mostly for purple martins.

A SECTION OF THE CREATED "BIRD VILLAGE" AT THE TRANSFER STATION

Mr. Cain works at a trash transfer station. How this works is that locals bring their trash to this place to load into large metal containers that are eventually hauled away to a land fill. The landscape of the transfer station is serene and was once an old large farm site. Rolling acres now lay fallow with pods of trees emerging on knolls. Here in this picturesque place, Mr. Cain has created a village of sorts for purple martins and eastern bluebirds and other assorted birds. But mostly purple martins and bluebirds.

SKY HIGH PURPLE MARTIN HOUSES

What appears to be the higher of the two above martin houses is the first house that Mr. Cain built for the martins about ten years ago. The one in the above photo with the white gourds hanging from it was bought commercially after a few years into providing housing. The hanging gourds are not real gourds but rather imitations -- more durable against the weather than the old idea of using real gourds out of the garden; a traditional ways of providing housing.

CAROLL CAIN, THE BIRD MAN FROM BEREA, KENTUCKY

Caroll Cain is a man of 72 years and has spent the last 17 years working at the station. We began talking about his birdhouses as the impending storm headed directly toward us. but it held off long enough so that I was able to hear an intriguing story from Mr. Cain.

About ten years ago he noticed purple martins hanging out on the overhead electrical lines near his trailer office at the station. He thought that he would make a home for these birds and began to pick out pieces of trash that people would bring in for disposal. Like pieces of plywood, old wood and other materials that could be used to construct birdhouses. That winter, in his spare time, he worked on constructing a purple martin house. He has since built all the many houses around his work-site except for one commercial purple martin house -- all from recycled trash.

His first season of placing his homemade martin house on a pole was successful. The martins made the new birdhouse their home and have been coming back every season for the past ten years. Also, bluebirds have joined in the bird village atmosphere thanks to Mr. Cain who made and placed birdhouse boxes for them. He also built a few regular birdhouses open to any species.

Apparently Mr. Caroll's fascination with the purple martins was contagious. It led to other folks appreciation of his birdhouses. He began making birdhouses for people using the recycled materials. One man requested 25 bird houses.

ORANGE BLUEBIRD NESTING BOX ON TOP OF POST WITH 3-HOLE PURPLE MARTIN BELOW

I did not count all of the birdhouses that were tucked here and there around his office site. They were all within about an eighth of an acre. To find out about the decline of bluebirds click here.

PAINTED BLUE, A HOME THAT IS ALWAYS OPEN TO ANY TAKER
WITH A BLUEBIRD NESTING BOX LOWER IN THE TREE

Mr. Cain told me that a few purple martins start arriving in the spring about the last of March, they seem to be the scouts. Then the full flush of Martins arrive in April or May. The summer of 2009 saw an increase in their population at the station. By August they have left the site.

I did a little research on purple martins and found that according to a 2001 study that their populations are declining in the northern part of the U.S. while remaining stable or increasing in the south.

A recent migration pattern study found that purple martins migrate to the Amazon Basin and back. Scientists followed two female martins from Pennsylvania -- 9,300 miles to and from the Amazon basin -- that's about a 4,650 one way trip for the birds. The martins were recorded as flying about 358 miles a day during migration.

THREE HOLE MARTIN HOUSE

Mr Cain's purple martin houses, for the most part, are three-holed and can be found on poles at various heights. No longer making birdhouses, he has influenced many that come to the transfer station about the role of birds plus how one can use recycled materials creatively.

The martins had left in August. Now it was time for me to leave as it had started to rain. As I drove home in the rain I was reminding myself that one person's actions can make a difference.