Spring Updates

Native wildflowers, like bloodroot
are quite used to pushing up through
leaf litter

There are lots of things, little and big, to report on. As usual this is a terrifically busy time of year. Some of us clean indoors and open  windows, to chase away the old winter air and sweep away cobwebs. At the same time we are drawn outdoors, to look for our favorite firsts of spring; peepers, bluebirds and butterflies or to clean out garden beds and look for the first green shoots and blossoms. There is never enough time, or energy to accomplish everything! 

Piles of leaves make great shelters
for salamanders who have
emerged from hibernation.

One short cut I have taken is to leave my garden beds messy! Unless it is in a corner where huge  volumes of leaves have accumulated so that they suffocate my plants, I am leaving leaves as a mulch. I have to get used to the look and in some places I will do a little more cleaning later. Right now though, these piles provide much needed shelter and insulation for all number of insects, invertebrates and even amphibians. You might say there are no bees and butterflies under the leaves, but their larval caterpillars and pupae are there. Many species of bees have overwintering populations, including the queen, and they are found under composting logs and leaves. So, tell yourself to take a breather. The plants will find their way up through the leaves, they always do. And they maybe all the happier for the natural mulch.

On a garden related theme: last fall Girl Scout Troop 61047 created a pollinator garden at the Parker Brothers Pre-serve on River Road in Pawcatuck. They wisely included some spring bulbs to provide early nectar sources for flies and bees. The flowers are a joy to see. The girls have created a wonderful You Tube video which will be released soon which is educational and amazingly creative. I am hoping that they, or others, will continue the effort and help expand the pollinator pathway project that the town of Stonington has begun. 

A task I have mixed feelings about is cleaning out bird houses. We leave them over winter for families of to shelter in. I have seen bluebirds and woodpeckers roosting in bird houses over winter as well. But now it the time to have them cleaned out and welcome mats extended for bluebirds, tree swallows and house wrens, among others, that will appreciate the cleanup job. It can be messy though. This year many of the east-facing nests were very soggy, probably from some wind driven rain or snow storm, and there were all sorts of muddy remains inside of them! There were also the mice that refused to be evicted. They scampered up and over, down and around, and one leapt straight over my head as I gently tried to remove them and their bedding. Interestingly, some of the houses were infested with ants. I wondered whether the birds would enjoy them or not. 

It took skill to tackle the 
project to restore the
osprey platform.

Talking about nesting, by now I hope everyone has noticed that the osprey have finally shown up at many of their nest sites along the shoreline. Some of us mark our calendars each year, and recognize the arrival at a particular nest site, as the true beginning of spring. On the Woolworth Porter Preserve, there are three nest platforms, two on the eastern side, and an older one on the west side closest to Lord’s Point. This one has been in tough shape for a while, and each year, attempts to nest there have not succeeded. This year, an Avalonia member volunteer and several other Lord’s Point residents, assessed the situation and asked permission to refurbish and reinforce the nest platform and structure. What an amazing job! With donations of materials, and volunteer time, a magnificent platform was erected last weekend. As if on cue, a pair of osprey flew over and circled as it was being put up. I can’t wait for reports! Another nest, on Downes Marsh, along the Mystic River, was reported to have monofilament fish-ing line draped in it. This is a terrible situation for adults and could be fatal for young when they hatch a few months. A neighbor there was able to get access and remove the line. We are grateful for all the monitors who keep track of the osprey in our area and on our preserves. 

In the next weeks, the Conn College student will begin reporting on their projects. One group has already started monitoring calling frogs. Another is preparing to explore a property that is soon to be part of our list of beautiful preserves in North Stonington. One group is continuing our study of climate adaptation for coastal forests and an-other is exploring ways for Avalonia to reach out to populations that are minorities or underserved in our area. Avalonia properties are for everyone! You don’t need to be a member, or a resident of a particular town. Two students are working on creating page translations of Avalonia website, into Mandarin and French and Spanish will be on the way. These translations will be further welcoming to visitors and new residents here in our area. 

We want to make sure that every family, in every town, of every ethnicity and background, knows that they are welcome, that our preserves are open for everyone to enjoy and find peace and inspiration. What a great time of year!

by Beth Sullivan

Lord's Point Osprey Platform Team

The tree swallows have returned
to clean houses on Knox Preserve.

Cleaning gardens now may uncover 
wooly bears that may have
preferred to sleep in a bit.

 

The Birds and The Bees and Management Decisions

By Beth Sullivan

As summer winds up, our management goals and efforts change a bit. Growth is slowing, we no longer battle vines that grow in front of our eyes covering trails. Now we decide what stays and what goes for the next six months.

We try to cut back the invasive plants, no matter how beautiful, before they can spread their seeds and berries. It would be nice if we could keep them from growing back all together, but preventing the wind from catching the plumes and birds from eating the berries are the best we can do.

Along roadsides we will begin cutting back the summer’s growth to expose the stone walls that are so beautiful and become true works of art when coated with snow. Sadly, the clearing along the roadsides also exposes the summer’s litter left behind by thoughtless travelers. Litter pickup is an education and a blog in itself.

How to overwinter our fields

Grassy farm fields, managed for hay, are cut several times a year to harvest the best and most valuable grass for farm animals. A secondary benefit of multiple mowings each season is that it inhibits the growth of non-grass plants we refer to as forbs: flowering perennials and annuals that have different texture and are not desirable for inclusion into animals’ diets. A field managed for hay and filled with grass is also most attractive to certain bird species that require large open tracts for nesting. Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Eastern Meadow Larks all look for large grass dominated fields for nesting. Unfortunately their nesting coincides with harvest times, and most of these species have nest destruction and failure due to the haying activity. That is the main reason for these species being in decline now. The Wequetequock Cove preserve was a perfect example of a hay field for many years, harvested several times a season. After acquisition by Avalonia in 2010, the grassy fields were allowed to be undisturbed for the entire nesting period, and there were a number of pairs of Boblinks observed, and they successfully fledged many young.

Bobolinks nested in the tall grass meadows at Wequetequock Preserve. 

Haying practices destroy nest sites before young Bobolinks can fledge.

This year milkweed and other flowering plants have begun to replace grasses.

As time passed, and mowing was only done in the fall, these fields have gradually been reclaimed by the flowering forbs. The grasses are being overtaken by lovely Goldenrod, Joe-Pye weed, Dogbane and the much needed Milkweed . All these plants change the composition of the field and attract new species. There are far more pollinators present now. The Monarch butterflies are more abundant this year than the past several, and the population is supported by all the Milkweed host plants.

Missing the Bobolinks

Walking around the fields this year was a very different experience from several years ago. Still beautiful. But one big change seems to be that there are no more Bobolinks. Other birds, such as Song Sparrows and Red-Winged Blackbirds, nested there and perched on the stiffer stems of Goldenrod. The wider variety of plants makes for a greater diversity of creatures using the areas. Small mammals like the small openings between stems and clumps of plants. A wide array of insects use the plants for green grazing as well as nectaring on the flowers. Different birds use the fields for eating the seeds and eating the insects. Larger mammals and birds of prey hunt the smaller mammals. It might be said that a diverse field is a more productive habitat. But then, what about those very special creatures that rely on the grasses? We need to support those species in decline. It is a management dilemma.

A more diverse field has more to offer pollinators. 

Goldfinches and others feast on seeds in fields through fall and into winter if not cut early.

Cutting fields early will help prevent invasive, though beautiful, Porcelain berries from spreading.

This field has been mowed and the seeds on the ground and the piles of grass will provide food and cover for small mammals over the winter.

What you will notice, is that Avalonia manages their fields in a variety of ways. Some are cut early in the fall to encourage more grass but still allow the flowering plants to finish their job for the pollinators. Often, patch areas are left tall just for a little cover. Other fields will be cut in the spring, allowing the seeds to disperse from the flowering plants and grasses, but also to provide habitat for overwintering insects and small mammals.

All are great places to investigate over the cold seasons ahead. Wequetequock is mowed now, we will encourage grasses to lure back the Bobolinks. In the winter and spring, water will stand in low areas and attract shore birds and waterfowl.

Next time you visit a field area - Wequetequock, Dodge Paddock, Knox, Fennerswood, Preston Nature Preserve, or Walton Meadows - take a moment to look a little closer, and see if you can detect what the management plan is.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan

The Birds of Late Summer

By Beth Sullivan

This spring was lush. Vegetation grew overtime as if trying to make up for the lost time of the drought last year. This abundance supported an excess of flowers, fruits and seeds, as well as an excess of insects that appreciated all the growth. A great year to be a bird!

The early birds got not only the worms, but all the best nesting sites. Those species that nested first were those resident birds who had their territories all staked out before the migrants arrived. Our Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmice, Woodpeckers, and Wrens nested first and raised their young on the abundance of insects of early summer. But they also got off to a quick start because they were able to enjoy the seeds of late winter, and seeds at our feeders. Many of these species had second broods, and may occasionally try a third.

The busy House Wren filled several boxes with twigs and chose this as her first of three nests this summer

The resident Cardinal started early and raised two families under the kitchen window.

Migrants move in

The migrants came next to find their niche: the tree top Warblers, Tanagers, Orioles, and Hummingbirds to name a few. These are not seed eaters; they rely on the plants to offer nectar in flowers and small insects in the foliage. They will not begin to nest until there is adequate food to support their nestlings. Each year we await the arrival of the Hummingbirds and Orioles which seem to be timed with the blossoming of my Quince bush. It’s a great nectar source for both birds. Of course we can’t resist offering the feeders with sugar water to bring them in close. Somehow the Orioles seem to vanish into the fields and shrub edges, but the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds have now fledged their two youngsters and the populations at our feeders and flower gardens have truly exploded. Hummingbird antics are great to watch and even ferocious at times. I can’t help imagining what these displays might be like if these little dynamos were as big as Robins.

The Orioles do not appear until there are flowering fruit trees. Photo by Dennis Main.

This young Hummingbird is learning her way around the feeder and the bees.

The young birds of prey are out now and are probably the noisiest. Osprey, Broad-winged and other hawks all have young fledged now. While they may be able to fly, they sure haven’t mastered the art of feeding themselves, so they call for parents who can deliver the fish and small mammal prey that also seem to be abundant this year.

This young Broad-Winged Hawk squeals all day, waiting to be fed.

Diets of seeds and berries

But it is the birds of later summer that often intrigue me: specifically the Goldfinches and the Cedar Waxwings. While these birds do eat insects, they wait until their truly favored foods are most abundant before starting a family. Both of these species do not begin nesting until August.

It is this month that the grasses have matured, holding their seed heads high and offering their fragile stems to the fluffs-of-gold Finches so they can pick the ripening seeds. They also rely on downy material for their nests. It is only now that many of the field flowers are offering up their seeds with the fluffy down parachutes that will help the seeds disperse. It’s a little early for most of the Milkweed pods to be opened, but some are. There are numerous field flowers related to wild lettuce and Hawkweeds that have white fluffy seeds held aloft. Thistles, even the invasive ones, are beginning to open up and with Goldfinches on top, can be so beautiful: bright yellow near the purple flowers, picking seeds and down. A Goldfinch nest is a masterwork of softness.

The Cedar Waxwings prefer berries. Only now are some of our local bushes bearing fruit: Viburnums, Virginia Creeper Vine, some Dogwoods and of course some of our own favored blueberries and raspberries can attract Cedar Waxwings if they can beat the Catbirds. They are nesting during August and will feed their young an abundance of fruits as the summer advances.

Goldfinches can be seen on late summer grasses, picking seeds.

The Cedar Waxwing appeared to be attacking this spider web, but was pulling fibers for its nest.

The Knox Preserve and Preston Nature Preserve are two places to find these later-nesting birds. The Waxwings will be whistling higher among the shrubs and cedars and the Goldfinches will be calling and perching in the grasses in the field.

Take some time to sit still, listen to the sounds of the later summer: Cicadas, Crickets, and all the birds. Think of the cycles of the seasons and how everything has its place. Somewhat of a miracle to me.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise noted.

Bluebirds

By Beth Sullivan

During late winter, things can get pretty dull and depressing. We all look for a spark of color in our landscape.

Lucky for some of us that the spark we see is the most beautiful blue. During the winter, our local Bluebirds do not migrate, at least not far. Mostly they roam in loose flocks through woodland areas to look for berries remaining, even dried, on shrubs and trees. I see them in places where there are the blue fruits on the evergreen Cedar trees in and around some of our preserves. Fennerswood, Knox Preserve, Preston Nature Preserve, and Knox Family Farm are just a few with the essential field habitat adjacent to cedar groves.

This male Bluebird clings as easily as a Woodpecker to the suet cage.

This  female waits patiently nearby while her mate takes his turn at the suet cage.

During February I think Bluebirds tend to become more desperate and begin to seek out bird-feeding stations and will join the suet lovers. This is my favorite time because it brings them close to my house, right in front of my kitchen window, where I can watch them cling to the suet as if they were woodpeckers. They can become pretty territorial too! I have seen them flaring tempers at Downy Woodpeckers and Nuthatches. But I have also watched some tender sharing moments as a Bluebird couple deliberately and politely, take turns on a suet block while the mate sits on a nearby branch or porch rail waiting.

Tempers flare when they have to share.

Spring house hunting

By late February or early March they have begun moving back to the fields and start searching out nest boxes. If you are a Bluebird landlord, you know it is time to clean the houses, remove old nests if you left them from last year, and get rid of mouse nests and debris that has accumulated. A clean house harbors fewer overwintering pests and parasites.

Cleaning out old nests insures fewer parasites for the new occupants. Photograph by Ethan Frohnapfel. 

Check to make sure your predator guards are intact and that your latches function so you can get in during the season to check on things. Unfortunately the “things” that need to be checked on are invasive House Sparrows. There are very few creatures that I really dislike, and I have tried to give credit for House Sparrow’s adaptability. But for several years running I have witnessed their cold blooded murders of nesting Bluebirds and Tree Swallows, destroying eggs, killing young and adults alike. Once I found an entire, new, Sparrow nest built on top of the bodies of the Tree Swallows that nested there first.

A House Sparrow built its nest on top of the Tree Swallow it killed to take the nest box.

That meant war. They are not protected by the laws that protect our native songbirds, and even the DEEP and USFWS encourage removal by whatever means possible. I will remove nest material, remove or addle eggs, and beyond that you don’t want to know.

Making Bluebird-specific nest boxes

But there are some new and ingenious methods to be found on line, to fix your houses to thwart Sparrows that do not deter Bluebirds or Swallows.

Now is the time that the Bluebird pairs check out available real estate. Photograph by Rick Newton.

One of our volunteers has made skylights in the top of the bird houses and created a plexiglass roof cover . Apparently the Bluebirds like the extra light and the sparrows do not. We have one as a trial at Knox Preserve.

A skylight is welcomed by Bluebirds but unattractive to House Sparrows. Photograph by Ethan Frohnapfel.   

Another volunteer steward has outfitted the boxes there with a special design using fishing line. The line really bothers the sparrows and prevents them from perching, but the bluebirds have no problem with it. Follow this link for more information. 

For more information, here is a link to the DEEP Bluebird Fact sheet. 

The DEEP would like all Bluebird landlords to report their successes, and failures-those are important too. Follow this link to fill out their survey.  

Together we can find the best methods to support these most beautiful of our birds-our spark of blue at the end of winter. Welcome to spring nesters.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.

Nests

By Beth Sullivan

Birds are the most fascinating creatures. I do not know anyone who has not wished, at some point, that they could fly like a bird. The more one reads about birds - their lives, challenges, habits and skills - the more you have to be in awe of how such small, fragile creatures survive. Obviously volumes have been written, and courses of studies established, to try and understand the evolution and life histories of these marvelous creatures. Flight, feathers, development, survival strategies are all, to me, miraculous.

The Song Sparrow frequently nests on the ground, hiding under plant material.

Time to look for nests

At this time of year we are given the opportunity to look more closely into one aspect of their lives: their nesting. Leaves are off the trees, hiding places revealed and there is no issue of disturbing a feathered family.

Almost all birds make a nest. We have to say almost, because there are species that never make their own nests, but deposit their eggs into the nests of other birds. Cuckoos and Cowbirds are the most notable of these.

The Chipping Sparrow lines its nest with soft material, and in my yard it is always dog fur.

Some birds borrow the nests made by other birds. Owls have been known to nest on an osprey platform with material already in place from previous nesters. If the timing is right, the owls, which start laying eggs in the dead of winter, will have their young ready to fledge by the time the ospreys return to claim their platform. Other birds barely scrape out depressions in the sand of a beach, or lay their eggs on a rocky cliff edge neither with much additional material.

Terns and Plovers barely scrape a depression in the sand, and the nest is often in harm's way.

But no matter how or where the birds create or use a nest, it is all about where to deposit their eggs. The nests are not to store food; they do not “keep the babies warm” as little children like to assume. Some nests are more protective than others in relation to weather. Each species of bird makes nests characteristic of their species, but always with flourishes of individuality.

Cup nests are the most well known. With a deeper center and higher edges, the eggs are somewhat prevented from rolling out. The smallest bird we have is the Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Their nests are made as if by a fairy: with bits of Lichen, pieces of moss, the fuzzy material that comes from fern fiddleheads as they unfurl in the spring, and it is all wound together with spider-webs - amazing.

The Eastern Kingbird nest is built in a shrub over water.

Another cup nest is made by our American Robin. Every Connecticut school child knows it as our State Bird and that their nests are created first out of mud, carried in their beak and fashioned into a cup that hardens and becomes solid and strong when reinforced by woven plant material. The nest withstands winds and rains and a brood of restless hatchlings.

Sticky saliva glues a nest

The nest of the Baltimore Oriole is a creative mystery - a hanging pouch suspended from the end of a delicate branch often over water, or a road even. It has to be strong. A close up of the woven structure is nothing short of amazing, especially considering the birds have only their beaks and feet to do the weaving, all the while hanging onto the site. Part of the secret is in the birds’ saliva which acts as a ‘glue’ of sorts, to reinforce and strengthen.

The weaving done by the Baltimore Oriole is just amazing.

A Chimney Swift nest is the best example of this. Using only its special saliva, a Swift brings one stick at a time into a cavity, often a chimney. One by one he ‘glues’ the sticks to the wall of the chimney and adds them one by one into a half cup that is firmly adhered and solid.

Chimney Swift nests are held together with their saliva glue.

Woodpeckers as a group, excavate holes in trees for their eggs and young. These nests are certainly more protected from the weather and deter more predators than an open cup nest. Other cavity nesting birds like Tree Swallows, Bluebirds, Chickadees, Titmice, and others, cannot make their own holes, so each year, when the Woodpecker makes a new hole, they leave behind a perfect cavity for another species.

This is a great time to go out and look for nests. While birds generally use their nests only once, it is illegal to remove nests or have them in your possession. Lift your child to look closer, peek inside the nests to look at soft lining, often feathers or plant down. Think of how those little hatchlings quickly turn into young birds eager to stretch their wings and fly. And think of how the marvel of the nest provided that place for them to get a safe start.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.