Night of the Nighthawk

Pursuing flying insects at dusk and dawn, the Common Nighthawk can be seen flying its floppy flight in rural or urban areas. Its white wing patches and erratic flight make it look like a big bat with headlights. I've wanted to see this bird for years, and finally found it above La Quinta Inn at Columbia, MO, where we attended a family wedding.

Now, remember, Nighthawks are not hawks at all, but members of the nightjar family. They fly at dusk and dawn catching bugs on the wing, and especially like building with lights that attract bugs. Although they are incredibly agile, and their wings resemble a falcon's, they have a very small beak, not in the least like a raptor's. Actually, someone brought a Nighthawk to the Raptor Rehab Center recently. Well, it has hawk in its name, right?

When we returned to the hotel after a family dinner last night, we heard the distinctive peent of this bird and looked up to see its white wing bars swooping over our heads. The call was surprisingly familiar, and I must have heard them before, not realizing what they were. My sister-in-law said she always thought they were bats. (Sorry, I didn't take this photo - wish I could claim it.)

They swoop and dive so fast, it's hard to get a focus at all in the failing light, let alone a closeup. After a few minutes, they fold their wings and dive down over the edge of the roof - zoom - with a distinctive, but mostly indescribable sound. Like a Woodcock, they compress air under their wings, and their feathers make it sound like a zooming airplane! I had several people ask what I was looking at as they unloaded their luggage after a long day on the road, but alas, they weren't intrigued enough to come back out to the parking lot for the fun. You have to be careful though. Trying to follow these birds as they circle overhead can make you dizzy!

The wedding itself was delightful - tears and laughs during the ceremony, as it should be. Mostly, we enjoyed the chance to visit with family we hadn't see for years (or in my case as an in law, had never seen before at all). Three boys were born in the family within a few months of each other, and every time I turned around the Three Musketeers had their heads together solving the problems of the world, and loving every minute of it. Our 92-year-old aunt is the last of that generation in the family, and regaled all of us with stories of her siblings and all the cousins. I don't know how she remembers all those names and dates! I certainly have enough trouble knowing the birth dates of my own children! After several falling episodes, she is moving to an assisted living facility, and has her furniture all arranged on a chart of the new apartment. She looks forward to having someone else cook three meals a day for her!

To counteract all the goodies we've been eating, we found a nearby park this morning to hike for several hours before the wedding. Just down I-70 is a winery overlooking the river, so we watched the sunset over the wide, wide Missouri. I imagined Lewis and Clark traveling upstream at this point, and wondered how they would react to the big trucks crossing overhead on the bridge for the Interstate! Can you hear Rod Serling in the background?

Snake Hollow

Pulling into the parking lot at Bernheim Forest's visitor center last night, we spied a long black snake hurrying across the warm pavement towards the safety of the nearby trees. By the time we reached it, it had disappeared entirely just a foot away from where we had last seen it. Maybe he was heading for Snake Hollow.

Last month, artist Patrick Dougherty created a most unusual kind of sculpture entirely from willow sticks, and Dick was very excited to help in its construction.

Huh? Art from willow sticks? I wouldn't have thought of it either, but this is very attractive, and kid friendly. It resembles a house after a severe storm - the roof and siding are both gone, revealing all the structural beams - and it tilts quite a bit in the direction of the wind.

Most sculpture is something you just stand there and look at, but the twists and turns invite you to enter and explore. In fact, some of the doors are designed for children only, and lead to little hidey-holes where a child can giggle softly while parents call his name just on the other side of the wall.

Patrick said he didn't want to make a maze, because kids can get lost and scared when they can't find their way out. This is more like a labyrinth where each turn leads you someplace else.

A fascinating little green and white spider has taken up residence in the Hollow. I don't know what kind it is, and hope someone will recognize it. As the sun sinks down, shadows play on the walls and the floor of each corridor.

The fish pond at the Visitor Center reflected the sky and wisteria trellis above, until one of the fish jumped for an insect, setting the image in motion.

Dick spoke to the Bernheim volunteers last night about our trip to the Galapgos Islands last summer, and I went along as his personl IT techie. I don't know how the horticulture department managed to change their DNA to grow little name tags!

Of course, the Barn Swallows are nesting in the rafters under the porch at the Garden Pavilion, as they do every year, while the Purple Martins swoop around their white gourds just across the lake. Don't worry, there are plenty of insects for all the birds who eat them.

By the time we left, the guards counted our cars going out the half-closed gate, making sure no one was left inside the property after hours. Are there purple mountains at Bernheim? No, just some tall clouds from a storm system passing north of us. You can see why we love this place!

Birding by Ear

I confess that I started blogging to show off my bird photos when I got some good ones. I am a birder who is binocular challenged. That is, I have trouble actually finding a bird to watch, and have been reluctant to lead bird walks when asked. To compensate, I listen faithfully to the CD's of birdsong, reviewing even familiar songs every spring. If I hear the bird, I want to know what I'm looking for. Frankly, the song may be all I can find most of the time. So when a bird that usually eludes me comes out of the leaves, I get really excited.

The bright orange Baltimore Oriole is one of my favorites, and a challenge for the ear birder. The Peterson Birding by Ear CD's give 4 examples of its song, which sound nothing like one another! The narrator doesn't come out and say so, but I've concluded that each Oriole sings a completely different song than all other Orioles. I've learned not to pay attention to the "tune", but listen to the "tone" - a rich whistle - of this bird. And just when you have followed it, circled around under the right tree, peering up into the leaves, it silently flies to a nearby tree and starts singing there. Sometimes I think they do it on purpose! If you whistle part of the song back, they get curious and sneak a peak. That's the time to have your camera ready!

I watched an Oriole at the Falls of the Ohio jumping around in the leaves, then followed it to the next tree where it climbed into its down hanging nest. It was silent since the females don't sing.

As I checked the nest boxes at Creasey Mahan on Friday, I heard a very unexpected song - that of the Veery. A tawny thrush of damp deciduous forests, the Veery is the least spotted of all the American spotted thrushes and one of the easiest to identify, mostly because of its song. It breeds along the Canadian border, and winters in South America, so you have to catch it in migration around here.



Due to the unique breathing capabilities of birds, the Veery sings a duet with himself! In this video, you won't see the bird (not unusual), and the sound of a squeaky swing is in fact a squeaky swing. But keep listening till the end for the eerie duet of the Veery.
         

Indigo Buntings were abundant at the Falls of the Ohio yesterday. Two of them defended territories next to the deck, and would gang up to chase a third male who dared come too close!



This guy just sang louder to be heard over the wind and the noise of big waves on the Ohio River below him.

Of course, not all birds have melodic songs. Cedar Waxwings travel in flocks, and love mulberries when they turn ripe. However, they sound more like high pitched buzzing insects than birds, so watch closely for movement in the branches.

Meadowlarks are usually seen before they are heard. Even if you see them, their backs are brown and well camouflaged. Only when it turns around will you see the bright yellow breast with a black ascot.

I monitor the nest boxes at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve twice every week. In other years, the Tree Swallows claimed a box next to the Field House, but this year the House Sparrows got there first. Not to be discouraged, they moved to another box by the maintenance building, but this box was destroyed by predators. House Sparrows again, I suspect. Finally, they chose a box on the driveway. Last week, she refused to leave the nest when I opened the door. This time, she gave me the evil eye, warning me away, before she finally flew off. I counted 5 little white eggs, nestled in the feathers lining the nest. She's a good mom who doesn't give up!

Natural Bridge, Natural Wildflowers

The last two weeks of April are Derby Festival in Louisville, but Dick and I decided to head for the hills instead. Natural Bridge State Park and the Kentucky Native Plant Society hosted their 31st annual Wildflower Weekend, and since we had not been to Natural Bridge and the Red River Gorge for several years, we decided to go. Of course, our friend Tavia Cathcart, Executive Director at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve, was the keynote speaker for Saturday evening, which encouraged us to come here rather than the Smokies. All the spring wildflowers are blooming about three weeks earlier than in most years, so we weren't sure how many flowers would be seen during the weekend, but boy, were we surprised! I don't keep an official life list of wildflowers (although I should probably start one), but I would have added at least 23 new species this weekend! I was amazed that things like trillium and ginger were still blooming, though not in great abundance.

The orchids were the most exciting to find. Just like some of the best birds are found while standing in the parking lot, some of the nicest orchids were growing right next to the main trail going up to the bridge itself. We saw large orchids, such as this beautiful yellow Lady's Slipper...

 and showy orchis within 3-4 feet of the pathway.

The pink Lady's slipper was much more elusive though, and we risked tripping on roots and rocks in the path to scan both sides of the hill for them.

Typically, I envision orchids as large and elaborate, the big flower you wear at the prom. But many orchids are small and inconspicuous, if not downright invisible! This spring coralroot is an orchid, and the closer I stood to get a photo of the minute blossoms, the harder it was to focus.

The birds sang all day, from Carolina Wrens who sounded like they were using amplifiers, to three little Ruby-throated Hummingbirds dive bombing each other at the feeder. I often thought the same Hooded Warbler was following us around, since we heard one no matter where we hiked, along with many other unseen warblers. If I hadn't studied bird song for many years, I could only have claimed 5 or 6 species actually seen. But then a larger bird flew through the trees and sat where I could find it in the binoculars. The most wonderful Wood Thrush just sat and posed for at least 5 minutes! All his relatives or rivals had serenaded us, but this one came out to take a bow!

He showed each profile, then turned so we could see his warm cinnamon brown back and pink legs. This bird certainly made up for all my disappointment with the other birds that stayed in hiding!

Each of the Kentucky State Parks has a dining room with a view, and they hang bird feeders by the windows for the entertainment of the diners. As always, the gray squirrels show off their acrobatics chasing each other up and down the trees, jumping on the feeders, and hogging all the seed. We met a couple who have attended 30 of these wildflower weekends at Natural Bridge and they gave us a tip. "Come back this evening, when the dining room is closed and darkened," they said. "The flying squirrels come then to get their share of the sunflower seeds." We gingerly shined a flashlight to be sure they were present, and the small noctural squirrels weren't disturbed at all.  I got brave and turned on my camera flash, and that didn't bother them either, so I got some marvelous photos of  their shining eyes and sleek skin folds they use to fly! Every few minutes, you would see a faint glimpse of something in the air - another flying squirrel. I've never seen them in the wild before, so it was truly exciting, and I passed the tip along to a little girl in the lobby the next day. Hope she was able to see some.

If you have never been to/heard of Natural Bridge before, look into it. The Red River shaped the Red River Gorge much as the Colorado River shaped the Grand Canyon. Over millions of years, the river cut and left quite impressive rock formations, also known as arches. In the Red River Gorge there are an estimated one-hundred fifty (150) arches, a number surpassed only by Arches National Park in Utah.To reach them, you hike through deep thickets of rhododendron and hemlocks which may be lost to the wooly adelgid in my lifetime. It's like the glaciers - you should try to see them while you can. The rhodies aren't in bloom yet, but on top of the ridges, the mountain laurel are ready to put on a show. They often grow in a crack of the rock out into nothingness. But look at the delicate landing pads they provide for pollinators. Actually, Tavia's presentation was about the tricky ways flowers attract pollinators, so I now appreciate these more than ever.

New Finds at the Nature Preserve

Every spring I get out the field guides for wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies and fungi, along with the birdsong CD's, to review and relearn things I thought I knew well last year. Many things I can remember, a few more each year (subject to Senior Moments of course). But sometimes I get lucky on a walk at the Nature Preserve, and something I've never seen before pops up. Then I get out all my field books (we could start our own nature bookstore), turning pages looking for a photo that matches the one I took. Sometimes I just have to send my photo to one of my friends who specializes.

The sweet honeysuckle, invading every path, is visited by a black butterfly with white spots which I've never seen before. Fortunately, the first butterfly book I check shows a picture of this to demonstrate the difference between butterflies and moths, since this is actually an Eight Spotted Forester moth, and not listed in the butterfly book at all. It is a showy, day flying, nectaring moth. It has long bright orange hairs on its two forelegs, which look like collected pollen. It has two creamy-white spots on the black forewings, and two on each hindwing, thus its common name Eight Spotted. Yes! I have a match!

The Woodland Fern Garden at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve is lovingly planted with native species and exotic examples of the same kind of plant in many instances. However, the deep mulch is not only favored by many fern species, but by fungi galore. Here's one poking through the wood chips with a bright red stalk, and yes, it does look like what you are thinking. I think this is the Elegant Stinkhorn, which is supposed to, well, stink. If it did, I failed to notice it today, and continued on my walk.

Here's another odd sighting. I looked in the fungus book, but my nephew suggested it might be a slime mold.   Ewwww!

Eastern Towhees have a very distinctive song. I must have heard at least 15 of them challenging each other through the brush. Some day we should ask an expert to run a census on the Towhees. I think we have more at Creasey Mahan than any other place I go birding.

Despite many grassy areas, we have never had any Meadowlarks at the Nature Preserve. Tuesday as I made the rounds of the Bluebird nestboxes, I heard Meadowlarks in two separate meadows! Not only did I hear them, but heard and photographed one! Woo-Hoo! Life is good.

Bird Moms

Mallard Duck Neting in Flower Bed

All Moms have to be courageous, and committed. When you carry a baby for nine months, knowing that it will only get harder after the birth, well, we all need any help we can get, right? But avian moms have it even harder than human moms, I think.

Robin Nest

First, she has to decide where to build her nest. Some birds, such as eagles and ospreys, will re-use a nest from year to year, but most birds start over each time. The location has to be close to food and water resources, yet provide will protect against predators. This Robin chose the top of a tombstone in a cemetery, only 3 feet off the ground - not where you would expect to see a Robin's nest. I don't know if she managed to protect her babies till they fledged or not, but I think a cat would find this nest easy pickings.

Tree Swallow Nest

All human moms enjoy re-decorating the nursery, and will drive from store to store to find the right sheets and wallpaper. Bird moms are choosy too. They need just the right building materials, whether moss, grass, pine needles, twigs, mud or large sticks. This Tree Swallow mom will pull the feathers over her eggs and babies when she has to leave the nest, just like we would use a blanket, to keep them warm in her absence. These are too big to be her own feathers though. Don't they look like chicken feathers?

Chickadee on Nest

Little Chickadees make the softest nests! They start with a base of green moss, then add grass and what feels like dog hair!  They sit in it to mold the space to fit just right. This little mama was brave enough to look me in the eye when I opened the door on her nest box. Without any words or chirps, she clearly told me to Go Away!

Barn Swallow

The Barn Swallows at Bernheim Forest like to build under the porch roof at the Garden Pavilion. The location is fine, but what to do about all the humans who walk beneath the nest, especially after the eggs hatch? Sometimes they dive bomb anyone who gets too close, but that can be exhausting. Or they might poop on the human's heads - always an effective tactic!

Bald Eagle on Nest in Snow

Then there's the weather to deal with. Some birds, such as Eagles and Great Horned Owls, have eggs or young while there is still the chance of snow. I worried about the Cooper's Hawks in our backyard when a big thunderstorm came. She had to sit there no matter how bad the weather got. How many human moms would do that day after day? And when the sun shines, it can be even worse with it beating down on your head.

Osprey Turning Eggs

Nesting birds lose the feathers on their bellies, creating a brood patch which allows the mom to put her warm skin directly on the eggs. But that only heats the top of the eggs, so periodically she has to turn the eggs over so they are evenly warmed.

Feed Me NOW!

Thank goodness that most of us human moms only have one baby at a time to be fed and cared for. These demanding baby Robins look like they are about to fall out of the nest. Some of our Bluebirds at Creasey Mahan have six eggs in the nest. As the babies grow, they require more and more food. A Barn Owl father may have to catch as many as 36 mice each night to feed 5-6 owlets, his mate and himself. Talk about exhausting! Yet, some birds, such as Barn Owls, Robins and Bluebirds, will have two or three clutches of eggs in a season. No wonder birds don't have long lifespans!

This is a busy time of year for all the birds, and we can help them by providing nesting materials, water, and a safe quiet place to nest. If you have cats, keep them indoors. If you don't find any nests in your yard, that's just the way the birds want it. But you can watch all kinds of birds with online nest cams, Eagles, Hawks, Owls, Great Blue Herons, you name it. One way to keep up to date is with http://www.facebook.com/nestcams.  Cornell Unviversity has several live cams as well at http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/index, and there are many more. Be careful though. Watching nest cams is like watching soap operas. You can become addicted to the feathered drama each day, but what a wonderful way for people to become interested in birds!

Floracliff



“When the flower blooms, the bees come uninvited.”

Today we joined the director of Floracliff Nature Sanctuary for a wildflower walk along the Elk Lick Creek valley, near Lexington. Dr. Mary Wharton was very passionate about the uniqueness of this area and worked hard to educate others about why it should not be over developed. Her advocacy for the land was exhibited by her battles over the damming of the Red River and the original proposal of the widening of Paris Pike that would have destroyed a quintessential Bluegrass landscape. With her help, both proposals were successfully defeated.

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”

In the late 1950s, Mary Wharton began purchasing property along the Kentucky River that she would later name Floracliff. Her dream for the property was to preserve the natural communities and special geological features unique to the area. Dr. Wharton believed that education and appreciation lead to preservation. She recognized the potential for Floracliff to become a center for environmental education and research in the natural history of the Inner Bluegrass and Kentucky River watershed. The Floracliff staff  continue to guide Floracliff by her dreams and beliefs.

"Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

Flowers and fruits are always fit presents; flowers, because they are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all of the utilities of the world. These gay natures contrast with the somewhat stern countenance of ordinary nature: they are like music heard out of a work-house.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it,
it’s your world for the moment… Georgia O’Keeffe

People from a planet without flowers would think we must be
mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.
Iris Murdoch

Flowers are the music of the ground
From earth's lips spoken without sound.
EDWIN CURRAN, "Flowers"