Summer 2018 on Sandy Point

By Beth Sullivan

Some things never change: the beauty and lure of a pristine island, calm water, clean sand and nature all at our back door.

Sandy Point Island is one of two islands owned by Avalonia Land Conservancy. South Dumpling is much farther off shore, not easily accessed and very rocky. The inner portions are densely vegetated and full of poison ivy. For that reason wildlife has been less disturbed and less oversight has been needed.

For generations Sandy Point Island has been much loved by local families and visitors alike. It is easily accessed by any kind of boat and the sandy shores are inviting to all: people and wildlife. Over the years we have reported on the efforts to preserve the wildlife on Sandy Point while still allowing people to enjoy the unique opportunity for passive recreation and nature observation. You can read more here. For the last two years the USFWS has been responsible for management on the island and each year, we get updates and reports on the success of the project. Visitors have been introduced to and educated about the management plans for the island. For the most part, those who understand are engaged and eager to assist with our conservation efforts. We thank you.

When visiting Sandy Point, take some time to read about the island and our conservation efforts.

A family group of oystercatchers doesn't seem to be intimidates by the flocks of gulls. Photograph by Rick Newton.

Migrating shorebirds like this ruddy turnstone rely on horseshoe crab eggs for food.

Home to many species

This year, preliminary reports are very encouraging about the number of American oystercatchers on the island. Approximately 16 pairs successfully nested and fledged young. We do not know the finally tally yet. These birds are so entertaining to watch and listen too, as they raise their young and noisily call to one another. This colony is considered one of the largest of these birds whose existence is threatened. Endangered piping plovers also arrived, some attempted nests, but between predators, people and storms, success may have been limited to one hatchling and it is uncertain if it survived to full fledging.

One species we can always count on, is the horseshoe crab. A group of us have been studying, counting and tagging these crabs since 2009. We have witnessed the steep decline in their numbers in just this short time period. Less than 10 years ago we could count 1000 crabs in one night, now we may get to 100, or so. Sacred Heart University’s Project Limulus, was unable to provide the large number of tags as in previous years, but in two separate visits, we were able to tag over 100 crabs and document returnees by their tag numbers from previous years. They too favor these beaches for mating and nesting. We have noticed some changes though. In earlier years, the populations were greatest along the north, calmer water side of the island. There they came farther up on shore and nested in areas that would be dry sand during low tide. It was also the area that sees more human disturbance and is often impacted by large mats of algae covering the shoreline. In recent years we have noticed a shift, and now they seem to be arriving on the southern shore down on the eastern tip. The surf is decidedly rougher, water cooler and cleaner, and they seem to burrow into the sand in deeper water for nesting. We wonder whether the nests ever dry out, whether the eggs develop successfully under water, or maybe if they are more protected from people and predators. I am not sure we will ever know really. But on a new moon night at the end of June, several of us were able to enjoy a motor boat ride out to the island and with tags, calipers, and headlamps we walked the beach, waded in deeper than we planned, and enjoyed participating in yet another year celebrating the return of the horseshoe crabs to Sandy Point.

Grey pearl-like horseshoe crab eggs are laid in shallow sand. 

Often the crabs emerge from the water to nest on the high tide line, but then they are more vulnerable to predators. Photograph by Rick Newton.

Team work allowed us to tag 50 crabs that night, document previously captured crabs, and pick up litter. Photograph by Rick Newton.

The south eastern shore of the island has a rougher surf, but he horseshoe crabs seem to prefer nesting in the deeper waters found there. Photograph by Rick Newton.

Still time to enjoy Sandy Point

There is still a month of high summer, and almost two months until the autumn equinox. There is still time to enjoy Sandy Point. The shorebird migration has begun. If you are very, very observant, you may actually be able to find the larval, miniature horseshoe crab young on the mudflats in shallow water. They are a necessary food source for the birds.

Summer life on Sandy Point continues. Some things change, somethings never do. If you go out to the island, please respect the guidelines and make it your choice to help us protect the creatures that also need the island for their own R&R.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.

Night noises

By Beth Sullivan

After an unbearably long period of heat and humidity, it has been wonderful to finally shut off the AC and open the windows at night. What a change from just a week or so ago. What a racket!

The volume of sound, the chorus, is a bit like stepping into the middle of a swamp of Spring Peepers. But the Peepers have long ago quieted and left the breeding ponds. The Bullfrog may bellow in the swamp, and Gray Tree frogs will sing before a rain. Occasionally the light and temperature in September will confuse a Peeper into singing a bit, but the chorus is gone.

Spring Peepers have ceased their chorus.

Bull Frogs bellow out in the swamps throughout a hot summer night. Photograph by Al Bach.

Noisy insects

Now is the season of insects. Through the summer the insect population has swelled. They have eaten and grown and multiplied. The majority of the millions of species of insects on Earth are silent. But for those that are not, this is their time, and they are a making a loud noise in the summer night. Like birds, it is mostly the males that do the calling; they do so to declare territory and to find mates. But unlike birds, their song is not created vocally but with other body parts.

You may hear a Dragonfly whir by but they make no real noise.

Almost all the noise we hear from insects at this time of the season, is made by those of the genus Orthoptera-the Ortho meaning legs-and are familiarly known as Crickets and Grasshoppers, with impressive back legs. As adults now, these insects have developed wings. Not all are good fliers, but they make great music. By vibrating and rubbing ridged segments of their wings against one another, they create a variety of high pitched sounds. They hear one another by means of “ear drums” on their front legs. Unless you have had one of these insects stuck in the house, it is hard to single out one song. It is the combined efforts of millions of these insects that makes the ringing tones we hear now.

The easiest song to identify is made by the Katydid, which is actually a long horned grasshopper. The good sized insect has a flattened body of bright green, making it appear like a leaf on edge. Long hind legs allow it to leap, and they do fly when in danger. But they are nearly impossible to see, as their camouflage is perfect. Their song is the distinctive, low toned “Katy-did” “Katy did-n’t”. Repeated over and over.

When on a leaf, the Katydid is impossible to see. Photograph by Bruce Fellman

We all know of the common Field Cricket, black with brown wings folded over its back. They are the easiest to find in woods and gardens and paths in fields. Kids love to find and contain the black field crickets, but let one loose in a house, and you will become familiar with the song very quickly.

Field Crickets are found in woods and fields.  Photograph by Al Bach.

Small, delicate, and very loud

The ones that seem to make the highest, most consistent buzzing/ringing sound on summer nights are the Tree Crickets. These are small and delicate. With lacey wings, they are high in trees, up in bushes and in grasses. Their fast-paced and high pitched chirping is created by wing-on-wing motions. These create chirping noises that actually increase in frequency the higher the temperature. Some people believe you can actually deduce the actual temperature by counting the cricket chirps and applying a mathematical formula. If you can possibly count the chirps.

A Tree Cricket is small, rarely seen, and most frequently the noisiest. 

Of course with the windows open, we are also treated to the hooting of owls, yip and howl of coyotes, the occasional Gray Tree Frog and once in a while, the scream of a Fisher. That’s enough to break the peaceful hypnosis that comes when listening to the chorus of night insects.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.

This posting originally appeared August 22, 2016.

Woodland musings: If a tree falls?

By Beth Sullivan

Each night I try to get out for a short walk in the woods. The Woodlot Sanctuary is almost in my backyard, so it is becoming home turf and I am enjoying the feeling of getting to know it. While it is a bit too dense ( and hot and buggy) to go too far off trail and into the wetter areas now, the trail loops offer something new to see each time I walk.

On this recent evening I was startled to see an obstruction on the trail where there had not been one the evening before. I was so sad to see that my favorite huge, old snag of a tree had fallen. This tree had been dead for a long time: its crown snapped off in one of the hurricanes in the 1980’s (Gloria or Bob). Over the years I have seen numerous woodpeckers working the tree, and recently, Pileated. Owls had nested in the broken top. Squirrels and raccoons made use of the hollow trunk. But what took it down, finally, was carpenter ants. These are the big, robust, black ants we dread to see in our homes and woodwork.

A surprise to see the old tree down on teh trail.

Bark beetles leave their trails on the old smooth wood.

Ant social structure

These colonial insects will inhabit a tree for decades, usually starting in live ones. Burrowing, tunneling, chewing safely deep inside the tree. Protected from weather extremes, they really don’t need to hibernate but may choose to retreat lower into the trunk or roots. In most colonies, the division of labor has created a system that assures there has been plenty of food stored within the many chambers. Other chambers are holding the queen and her eggs; others are nursery chambers where workers rear the young. It is an amazingly intricate and effective social system. However, ultimately, their own work is their undoing, and the tree falls. It has been discovered that carpenter ant colonies prefer their homes to be vertical. Once the tree is horizontal, they will abandon it and move elsewhere. On this evening, I examined the base and the trunk, and there wasn’t an ant to be seen.

This big old tree is not done with its usefulness yet. Mushrooms and other fungi will continue the decomposition process. Other insects and invertebrates will move in to further utilize the wood and the chambers. These will attract other woodpeckers which do not care if the tree is horizontal. Under the moist rotten wood, salamanders and worms will find homes. If the log could be lifted in a few seasons, there will surely be tunnels made by small mammals.

Indian Pipes rely on decayed, organic material, and have already begun to sprout in the rotten wood.

Small mammals will tunnel under and into the trunk to find protection and storage for their stash of food. Photograph by Rick Newton.

Silent encounter

As I walked around the log, paying attention to the ground, I stopped quickly and came face to face, literally, with a lovely Barred Owl. I am sure this bird had been watching me already for several minutes as I circled the log and took photos. It was no more than ten feet from me and about 6 feet off the ground. We really looked at each other for what seemed to be a minute, but was less I am sure. As I tried to get my camera up slowly, it turned away, not alarmed, gave a look over its shoulder and silently flew off, not far and still in sight.

What a special encounter. I wondered if this big old tree had played a part in its life.

This log and its remains will be present in this spot for many more years, and I will keep checking it. We won’t move it off the trail. It is easy enough to walk around. And it will provide a spot to sit, and wonder: “If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around, does it make any sound? “

The tree was hollowed by carpenter ants.

The honeycombed chambers the ants created are really quite pretty.

A moments glimps and blurred photo but a great memory of a curious Barred Owl.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless otherwise indicated.

Small steps in a hot summer

by Beth Sullivan

As the summer season ramps up, some things slow down.

It’s getting too hot to have pre-planned big work parties on the preserves, yet it is a time when maintenance is needed. We are truly grateful for our volunteers with bigger equipment that can get some of the bigger trails mowed and maintained. But smaller efforts really add up too.

Clip and snip as you walk and it will be easier for the person who follows.

Evening walk with a purpose

It is a great time of year for morning or evening walks. The air is fresher, still cool enough to get some exercise, and the lighting is beautiful. A quiet walk can also be productive if you slip a pair of clippers into your pocket or don a pair of light gloves.

Invasive plants and vines are growing rapidly right now. Seemingly before our eyes, they reach out to obstruct the trails or grab at you with thorns. A quick, well aimed snip as you walk by can make all the difference for the person who comes after you.

Certain troublesome weeds like Garlic Mustard and Wild Radish are beginning their flowering and seed setting, and they have spread widely during the last months. The good thing is that these plants pull up easily. When I find either of these, or others I know, growing in invasive clusters, I love yanking them out and tossing them aside before they have a chance to set seed for next year. Every little bit helps.

As pretty as it looks, the little yellow flowers of Wild Radish will create abundant seeds and spread. It's okay to pull them up.

These invasive weeds are helped out by the defoliation occurring in our woodlands. While the large Oaks and other forest trees are suffering from leaf loss due to caterpillar infestations, there is more sunlight reaching the forest floor. Invasives are often the first and quickest to take advantage of the new sunny conditions and burst into flower and seed production. If we lose trees due to another year of stress, the openings in the forest will be taken over by these invasive plants whose seedlings got a quick start. Pull them now while you can.

Defoliation allows sunlight to reach the understory. 

That sunlight allows invasive weed seeds to grow in masses. Pull them up.

Another way you can help in the woods is to note when vines are beginning to overtake a tree. I recently witnessed a huge crash as the trunk of a tall straight old oak was snapped and crown dragged to the ground by the weight of vines. Invasives like Bittersweet will overtop a tree and the sheer volume of foliage adds a huge burden. This episode happened after a rain and the added water weight was too much to bear. As you walk in your own woods, or along a trail and you see Bittersweet making its ascent, pull out those handy clippers and a simple snip of the leading vine will kill off the remaining plant and possibly save the tree it has overtaken.

Many types of vines will over-top and eventually overwhelm trees. Snip them early.

The huge weight of invasive bittersweet took down a mighty old tree.

Gypsy Moths on the wing

I have also been appalled to see large dark clusters of the Gypsy Moth cocoons on tree trunks and undersides of branches throughout the woodlands. Many Gypsy moth caterpillars died before pupating and that was encouraging, but the overwhelming numbers of the ones that survived does not bode well for next year. I have taken my garden hose with a hard stream and aimed at washing off the cocoon masses I cannot reach with a stick. A power washer can reach even farther. With care, you can dislodge and destroy a large number of these cocoon masses, but you have to do it soon. The moths we have been seeing fluttering around at all hours of the day are the rust colored male Gypsy moths, already emerging first. The heavier white females will come out later and stay close to their cocoon masses on the tree trunks and lay their eggs. Be watchful and take action. Get rid of cocoons you may find on houses, sheds, woodpiles and trees where you can reach them. Be ready to sweep at and kill the female moths that cannot fly before they lay eggs. And keep a watchful eye out, and a stick in hand, to scrape away egg masses when you see them.

Look for dark masses of cocoons and remove them.

Stewardship can be simple small steps on an easy walk, on a pretty trail. But every little bit can help. And it feels good too.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.

This posting originally appeared on July 11, 2016.

Celebrating Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

By Beth Sullivan

As we have just celebrated 242nd anniversary of the Independence of our Country, we need to acknowledge America the Beautiful.

We must think of the work that land conservation organizations accomplish, to protect and preserve our natural resources for all the future generations.

Whether it is great and wild as the Nature Conservancy lands, more suburban and urban space protected by Trust for Public Land, or habitats in our own back yard as protected by Avalonia Land Conservancy, the lands protected now are forever. Green space land is being lost and developed at a tremendous pace; there will be no more when it is gone.

It is inherent in our history that we may forever enjoy the rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Where better to enjoy life, be free to wander and pursue happiness, than in natural open space.

Appreciate Life,

Enjoy Liberty,

 And the pursuit of Happiness. Photograph by H. Milardo.

We can do our part to recognize America the beautiful in our corner of Connecticut by supporting the efforts of our land trusts and by getting out onto the preserves and giving thanks for the open space that will remain beautiful and open for future generations of people and wildlife too.

Hope you had a Happy 4^th of July.

Celebrate the RED, WHITE and BLUE!

Watch for the Red,

White,

And Blue at an Avalonia preserve.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless otherwise indicated.