NY Times Article "That Cuddly Kitty of Yours Is a Killer"

Look at what I caught! Are you proud of me?

The New York Times published a interesting article about the impacts that domestic cats are having on local wildlife populations.  It also details the perils of being a house cat outside of the house including poisonous chemicals that can be ingested and run-ins with other neighborhood pets and wildlife.  I suggest reading it and taking a second thought when your cat begs you to go outside.

NY Times Article, Jan. 29, 2013 "That Cuddly Kitty of Yours Is a Killer" By Natalie Angier.

Research and Conservation Program's Map


I have placed a map at the bottom of the blog page that allows you to see the location of only a few Research and Conservation Projects.  This portion of the page is under construction but it gives you a good idea of what to expect to see in the future.  Play with this feature and learn where we do our work.  You can toggle (turn off/on) each layer.  Some layers can be expanded to see more information, for example click on each Notable Tree icon and it will tell you the tree species.  Please feel free to comment on how it works for you.  You can also visit the map at the GeoCommons website:  Wildlife Monitor Map

New England Cottontail Habitat Management Project -- Species Documentation

Cottontail scat was collected throughout the Habitat Management Project
 to determine the species and abundance of cottontails at Apple Hill on January 22, 2013. 

Nicki Hall and Alyce Walker helped collect cottontail scat at the Habitat Management Project at Apple Hill that targets the conservation of the New England Cottontail.  We collected a total of 14 pellets throughout the study area after approximately 0.75 inches of snow accumulated yesterday evening.  It was great conditions to collect scat samples for this project because it remained cold enough throughout the preceding evening and this morning that we could take our time following every trail that we encountered to observe scat.  There was plenty of cottontail tracks and scat throughout the area, especially where the shrubby cover was very dense.  The scat will be transported to our colleagues at CT DEEP, Wildlife Division, who have advised us throughout the term of this project.  The scat will be used to extract molecular information that will tell us which species inhabits the Apple Hill area.  Two species of cottontail reside in Connecticut.  The native species that adapted and evolved to the ecological processes in our region is called the New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis).  The other species that was introduced to the state and has become more common is the Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus).

Cottontail Scat and Tracks in Snow.




Waterfowl Nest Boxes 2013 Breeding Season


Waterfowl Nest Boxes are checked every winter
to review success of each breeding season

We've nearly completed reviewing the breeding success of waterfowl that use the nest boxes located throughout the property.  We currently have a total of 25 nest boxes installed and functioning within normal parameters.  Breeding was attempted in 21 of the nest boxes.  Nicki Hall and Alyce Walker volunteered a great deal of time this year to aid in this process.  Ice conditions were suitable for a short period of time but we managed to reach the boxes that require more ice early on and then were able to access the other boxes soon afterwards.  We had only 8 hooded merganser eggs hatch and fledged, all of which were found in one nest box.  This box was in a pond over fairly deep water.  The wood ducks appeared to fare better with a total of 145 fledged ducklings.  This past spring season was very dry!  Several observations indicate that the drought impacted the waterfowl that use the nest boxes.  Several of the boxes were usurped by white-footed mice and grey squirrels, which rarely happens because the nest boxes are located in regularly flooded marshes and ponds.  The squirrels and mice were able to access the boxes while the marshes were dry for such a long period of time this spring.  We had one great-crested flycatcher nest in one box this season.  We also had 3 boxes with eastern screech owl pellets, indicating that this rarely observed small owl at least visited the property probably during their autumn migration.