Thanks For A Great Summer White Memorial!

Since the first day of fall is tomorrow, my summer position as a wildlife technician with White Memorial has come to an end. It’s been an amazing summer and I was lucky enough to experience all of what White Memorial’s 4,000 acres has to offer and more. Most importantly, I feel as if I gained confidence with my knowledge of wildlife and the endless components affecting it. This summer has affirmed my passion for the outdoors and I look forward to finding out where it will take me in the future.
 

Cedar Waxwing
(Bombycilla cedrorum)
Green Frog
(Rana clamitans melanota)



I truly appreciate White Memorial’s staff accommodating and helpful disposition, especially to my mentor James Fischer. In these few, quick months, James taught me all he could squeeze in, including everything about birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, insects, plants, and so on. I feel as though I learned something about every aspect of the environment and have left White Memorial with a better sense of what specific field of wildlife conservation I want to pursue. My favorite thing about working at White Memorial is the ability to go out to the same field, trail, or marsh, and watch it transform almost on a daily basis. Waves of colors from wildflowers are constantly replacing each other, a wide diversity of birds migrating through, and the breeding season for wildlife that welcomes new life. I have also enjoyed sharing what I have learned with others through the Wildlife Monitor and volunteer programs. White Memorial has some great, dedicated volunteers that always put in 100 percent effort in whatever it is we throw at them. I’ve had a lot of fun working with both them and the staff. So I give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make working at White Memorial a wonderful experience, which in the future I will look back at and smile.
 
Sunrise over Little Pond.
 

Wild Berry Identification

Doll's Eyes
(Actaea pachypoda)


Silky Dogwood
(Cornus amomum)

 
 
 
 
 
 


Wild berries can be found throughout the summer and everywhere on White Memorial’s property. The berries are readily consumed by most of Connecticut's wildlife, including birds, skunks, coyotes, raccoons, deer, black bears, etc. With such a wide diversity of berries, varying in size, color, and orientation, identifying them can be a difficult task. Over the past month I have tried to photograph every berry I have come across, and then attempted to identify it. Handbooks such as Peterson’s Field Guide to Edible Plants can be a good source for classification. Field guides will typically feature a picture along with a description of the plant, that includes shape, size, color of the leaves and berries, and some unique features. Therefore it is important to look at both the plant and the berry. I have discovered that many fruit-bearing plants can be found near bodies of water, like streams or marshes, although I did see blackberries, gooseberries, and other berries on trail edges. Berries grow best in full sun and prefer areas where trees and undergrowth are removed, then abandoned, providing a sunny ground for fruit-bearing plants to colonize.
False Solomon's Seal
(Smilacina racemosa)

Bittersweet Nightshade
(Solanum dulcamara)

 
 
 
 
 
 



When it comes to whether or not a berry is edible, if you’re not completely positive, then don’t eat it. Stay away from unknown plants that have a milky sap, bitter or soapy taste, very bright or shiny berries, and a three-leaved growth pattern. Also, just because birds and wildlife are eating certain berries or plants that does not mean it is edible to humans. Some berries are meant only to be eaten by birds because after a bird consumes the berry, the seeds that pass through its gut are dropped and germinate very far from the parent plant. Finally steer clear of roadside plants or areas where herbicides or pesticides may have been used. With some experience and a field guide, berry identification and harvest not only can become a hobby, but also a valuable skill to always have.
Jack-in-the-pulpit
(Arisaema triphyllum)

Carrion Flower
(Smilax herbacea)
 

Amphibian Cover Board Experiment Monthly Check -- September 2012

Amphibian cover boards were checked Friday, September 7th and revealed some great finds. First off, there were a total of twenty-nine Red-backed Salamanders and seven Red Efts found underneath the cover boards. Also uncovered was one Spotted Salamander. Spotted Salamanders do not usually reside under the cover boards but are often found near vernal pools and in crevices of rock walls and tunnels. Most importantly, there were two Blue-spotted x Jefferson Salamanders at two different sites. Based on the small size of these two salamanders, we assumed that they had just metamorphosed into the terrestrial adult stage, which takes place by September.  

Blue-spotted x Jefferson hybrid Salamander

The conditions for checking cover boards Friday were ideal due to the heavy rain at the beginning of the week. The warm, humid weather, also contributed in creating moist soil conditions that are favorable for amphibians. Since fall is around the corner we can expect drier, cooler conditions, but we can still anticipate to see some salamanders under the cover boards. During the winter months when temperatures reach close to freezing, (32-41° F) salamanders will go into hibernation on land and burrow under logs, rocks, and loose soil in order to maintain a stable body temperature. During this time the salamander’s metabolism is greatly reduced, thus decreasing the amount of calories burned to successfully make it through the winter. By early spring, rain and warmer temperatures wake the salamanders just in time for the breeding season.

Spotted Salamander
Juvenile Red-backed Salamander



Results of 2012 Bluebird Box Usage

Tree Swallow perched on Bluebird box
Female Bluebird
Photo by Bob Stanowski












In the beginning of August all Bluebird boxes on White Memorial property were opened, inspected, and cleaned out. Unfortunately Bluebirds had a difficult breeding season, resulting in a 41% success rate. Weather was mostly to blame for this low percentage. Bluebirds start to lay their eggs in mid-April; and as some recall in the beginning of May this year we had lots of rain with unseasonably cold weather. This combination of cold air with damp conditions proved to be too overwhelming for the eggs and chicks; this became evident when we discovered many dead chicks and abandoned eggs. However Tree Swallows, who also use the boxes for nesting, had a positive season, with an 81% success rate, occupying most of the boxes. There were also twelve House Wren nests, half of which were constructed on top of Bluebird or Tree Swallow nests. Male House Wrens are aggressive and will destroy the eggs and young of other birds in order to use the nesting area. House Sparrows will also evict any nesting bird to take over the site, although only three House Sparrow nests were found in the boxes. House Sparrows are less tolerated around Bluebird boxes than House Wrens because House Sparrows are invasive species. First released in Brooklyn in 1851 from Europe, House Sparrows have become one of the most abundant and widespread songbirds in North America. Other unwelcome wildlife includes paper wasps found in five boxes and a White-footed Mouse in one box. In conclusion, 72 out of the 76 Bluebird boxes were active; meaning that a bird at least attempted to build a nest there, and of these 72, 70 were actually used to raise chicks.     

House Wren nest with six chicks inside stacked on top of a Bluebird nest

Hawk Watch is Underway at White Memorial

Every fall raptors, such as hawks, falcons, and eagles, leave their breeding grounds and migrate south to their wintering homes. During the month of September, White Memorial participates in a program called Hawk Watch, where volunteers observe and count the numbers of raptors that pass a defined location near the Museum. At the end of the month, the data is sent to the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA), which uses the information to calculate population trends and migration schedules.  

White Memorial's most popular Red-tailed Hawk, Veronica.
 
During the fall, large numbers and a wide diversity of hawks can be seen migrating. Cooper’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle, Osprey, and the Sharp-shinned Hawk are among some of the species that were seen last season flying over White Memorial. Since hawks are usually spotted gliding in the sky, knowing each specie's silhouette is important. Falcons have long, pointed wings with a tapered tail. Accipiters have short, rounded wings with a long tail. Finally, buteos have broad wings with a broad, rounded tail. Within each of these categories you can identify the hawk based on overall size, shape, and markings. For instance, the Broad-winged Hawk is the smallest of the buteos; crow size, with a short, black and white banded tail, and whitish underwings with a dark trailing edge. During an ideal clear day, a group of bird enthusiasts can see hundreds of hawks flying overhead from just one location.

So for the next couple of weeks, keep your eyes on the sky and happy fall migration!