Stalking the Black Vulture

Last weekend, May 16th and 17th was the Queen City Birding Festival at Hueston Woods near Oxford, OH. A great event with lots of fun for families and lots of new birders getting out and enjoying the great outdoors.

I was headed toward Hueston Woods to help with the festival Sunday morning and noticed on the corner of one of the intersections a couple of Black Vultures on a kill. Since I don't see too many of them in Indianapolis, I stopped along the side of the road to see if I could get a few pictures. They didn't seem too bothered by my presence.

I slowly crept along the side of the road, edging closer and closer to get a few pics. A Red-winged Blackbird came along and disturbed the vultures, so one flew away. This one didn't seem to mind, but was very aware of me. It seemed more curious, if anything.

Black Vultures are usually found more in the south in Ohio and Indiana, so we don't see as many here in Indy. They differ from Turkey Vultures with a gray head instead of the red head in Turkey Vultures. Black vultures have black instead of brown plumage and a shorter tail. Black Vultures also have white wing patches that are evident when they soar.

I kept creeping, stopping and clicking. It kept watching me. It probably thought I wanted its breakfast. I must say dead, bloated raccoon is a delicacy, but I had already eaten that morning. :)

Well, as I was stalking the vulture, I felt just like Bear Grylls. Well, not exactly. I wasn't sweaty, dirty or eating some gosh-awful thang. But I will admit, the raccoon was tempting. Then around the corner pulled an SUV. It slowed down. It stopped. It backed up and parked behind my car.

My instant thought was "Oh, no. They think I am probably in need of help and when I tell them what I am up to, they will think I am totally crazy. I will be carted off to the funny farm." But instead, out popped my friend Tim Tolford, bird bander and photographer extraordinaire, wondering if I would like him to take some pics with his camera. Why, yes, I would! Nothing better than TWO crazy people in a field chasing around a black vulture.

Tim got very close to the vulture, within 10 feet. It would occasionally grab a cornstalk and shake it at him as if to say, "Hey, buddy, I am watching you! I have a weapon!"

Tim has much better equipment and much more experience than I. Nice capture, Tim!

Tim took a great face shot. So ugly it is cute!

Eventually, the vulture decided it had had enough and off it flew. You can see the diagnostic white wing patches. Yep, what fun a couple of nutty nature lovers can have of a morning!

Awesome Opossum

Wednesday afternoon I went outside for a walk and saw a critter waddling across the field. An opossum! Opossums are normally nocturnal, so I was glad it was out and about during the day so I could get some pictures.

I approached it cautiously, because I didn't want to scare it. Opossums go into a sort of coma when severely frightened. This is where the phrase "playing 'possum" comes from. It is almost as if it were dead. You can shake it and it still will not respond. The heart beat slows down, the breathing is slight and the body temperature lowers. This defense mechanism works because some predators do not prefer to eat what they have not killed. Eventually, the opossum will come out of it and go on its way. So scaring the opossum would mean I would not get any good pics. :(

Anyway, we had a stare down. It apparently thought I wanted it for vittles, so it went under a neighboring conifer for more protection.

I was hoping the opossum would "grin" at me and show its toothy smile, another defense mechanism. The gaped mouth and hiss even makes most humans back up.

Photo from Wikipedia

Even though the opossum has 50 teeth, more than any other land mammal, they rarely bite in defense. The skull shows the impressive teeth that are used mostly for eating. Opossums are omnivores and opportunists eating about anything they can find. They have an important job in the wild because they help keep down the rodent population by frequently eating rats and mice.

Opossums have an almost hairless prehensile tails that they use to hold on to branches as they climb. Something nipped the end off of this one's tail! Their feet are equipped with long toenails for climbing and with back feet that have thumbs for grasping branches. The long white guard hairs are also evident in this picture. This top layer of coarse fur helps keep the elements and dirt away from the softer, warm fur underneath. It works in the same way an overcoat does for us.

They have a large nose for discovering food. You can see a small drip coming from the mouth. The opossum is salivating, another defense mechanism. This is to fool me into thinking it is sick and therefore not worth the risk of eating. The opossum has long whiskers, as well, to help find its way around tight spaces in the dark. Each whisker has sensory nerves at the base so when the whisker brushes against something, the opossum knows how much room it has to squeeze through.

Photo from Opossum Society of the United States

The most amazing thing about opossums is the reproductive cycle. A baby opossum is born 11-13 days after conception! How is this possible? Opossums are the only North American marsupial, distantly related to kangaroos. Their young are born very small, then they finish developing within their mother's pouch. Above is a picture of a newborn. They weigh about .13 grams at birth. (A penny weighs about 2.5-3 grams depending on the year it was produced.) They must crawl up their mothers belly and go into her pouch to locate a teat. The mother will assist with this by licking a path for the young to follow. There they will remain attached to the teat for about 2 months. Around two and a half months, the baby opossums' eyes will open and they will soon outgrow the pouch. They will then ride around on the mothers back, learning where to find food and defense stategies. At five months they are on their own.

My friend, Dawn, is a rehabber and I had the pleasure of raising four baby opossums one year. Boy, they are ravenous little guys! They lived in my back bathroom for a few months. Occasionally they would make a break for it and take off for the living room to camp under the furniture. My cats would always tell me where they were. Cautiously approaching them and yowling about the whole experience. Pretty funny! I wish I had it on video.

Do you like animals? Check out more at the Camera Critters site.

A Spring Walk

Over the last few weeks I have been checking out the forest for signs of spring. The wildflowers are amazing! Each day I have been looking forward to seeing what will be in bloom.

Bloodroot is almost all bloomed out. It is such a delicate flower that a hard rainstorm can knock off all the petals.

Spring Beauties are such cute little flowers. The light pink stripes are nectar guides that help the pollinators locate the good stuff.

An early butterfly, Eastern Comma. The "comma" mark that gives it its name is on the underside of the wing.

Dutchman's breeches look like old time pantaloons lined up on a clothesline.

Scarlet Elf Cup, Sarcoscypha coccinea, with its brilliant red center. This fungus grows on decaying wood. Below is a pic of how it is attached to the branch.

Scarlet Elf Cup side view.

Wild Ginger with its interesting dark red flower. This flower is found near the ground so it can be pollinated by beetles and slugs.

Citronella Ants, most likely in the genus Lasius, emit a lemon/citronella like smell when disturbed.
Here is a closer look at the citrus-scented critters. They are pretty common and I often find them under logs or rocks at the park. Citronella Ants farm honeydew, a sweet liquid produced from aphids and subterranean insects. Many species of ants will "milk" the aphids and other insects by gently stroking them with their antennae until they produce the sweet liquid. The liquid comes from the insects feeding on the phloem of plants where the sweet sap is located.

Enjoy the wonderful spring weather this weekend and check out Indianapolis nature!

Your Cup of Joe Can Make a Difference

Yellow-throated Warbler, formerly known as the Sycamore Warbler for its

fondness for sycamore trees, has a sweet melodic song. Photo by John Howard.

"Don't these birds look like candy? Flying candy...?", a quote from the great orator, Rocky Balboa. Come to think of it, they kinda do, Rocky! And, I am like a kid in a candy store when I am around them. Warblers! They are so colorful and animated. I love chasing them, watching them and sharing them with others.

"TEA-cher, TEA-cher, TEA-cher!" screams out the Ovenbird, like

an overeager student. I love its orange crown. Photo By John Howard.

I look forward to each spring when the migrant birds come back from Central and South America with their cheery songs and gorgeous plumage. Normally, I like to hit the snooze, but during migration it is somehow much easier to get up. I find myself eager to jump up at the crack of dawn to be greeted by these little bundles of energy that hop and flutter from limb to limb while gobbling up tasty caterpillars and other insects.

Common Yellowthroat, the masked marauder of

the wetlands. Photo by John Howard.

About five years ago, I learned about the importance of shade-grown coffee and the link to my bird friends. I found out that this coffee is grown in a more natural way. This process allows birds to safely occupy the plantations; they use very little, if any, pesticides or herbicides. Fewer pesticides means lots of juicy insects are around to help the birds put on fat before their big trip up north. Fewer herbicides means there is plenty of cover so the birds feel safe while they feed.

Chestnut-sided Warbler with its flashy yellow cap. Photo by John Howard.

Traditionally, this was the way coffee was grown until 1972. Most varieties of coffee prefer to grow under a canopy of shade trees. The coffee plants are protected from direct sun and the fallen leaves from the trees provide mulch to retain soil moisture. The abundant birds feed on insects and naturally reduce damage from insect pests. In 1972, new sun-tolerant coffee hybrids were introduced that produced higher yields of coffee beans. Growers started switching their crops to the new form, cutting down trees in the process. Unfortunately, the new sun coffee needed high volumes of pesticides. Because the areas are cleared of other plants, erosion and mineral depletion required additional fertilizers to be applied to the soil.

Bee-buzz!!! Bee-buzz!!! I love that sound and then the subsequent chase to

find where it is hiding. These little guys are great ventiloquists. You

think it is located in the shrub right in front of you and realize it is actually

180 degrees behind you! Blue-winged Warbler photo by John Howard.

The brilliant flame-colored throat of a Blackburnian Warbler always

stops me in my tracks. Photo by John Howard.

So what is a birder to do? We love coffee; it is essential to help us roll out of bed at 4am to go looking for birds. There is an option that can make a huge difference if all of us would climb on board. Shade-grown coffee is bird-friendly and healthier for you, as well. Sun coffee is sprayed with more chemicals than any other food product. Shade-grown coffee uses very little, if any, chemicals. The coffee beans ripen slowly in the shade to develop a deeper, richer flavor. Because the crop grows in the shade, local farmers can grow fruit and nut crops along with the coffee to give them multiple sources of income. It is estimated that shade-grown coffee plants can live twice as long as sun-grown plants and some shade-grown plants can live up to 50 years!

The" zee zee, zoo zoo, zee" of the Black-throated Green Warbler was one of

the first warbler songs I learned. Photo by John Howard.

Black and White Warbler, with its beautifully patterned

zebra-striped plumage. Photo By John Howard.

So, an ordinary, everyday task of making a cup of coffee, can make a big difference to the migrant birds that visit the midwest. If nature lovers would switch to shade-grown coffee and convince a few of their friends, it could make a huge impact. If we create a demand for shade-grown coffee, this may slow the clear-cutting to produce more sun-grown fields and possibly some of the fields may be converted back to shade-grown coffee. Shade-grown coffee is good for the growers with a better livelihood and health. It is good for us becuase the coffee is grown with less chemicals. And, it is great for the birds by supplying much needed habitat. Less pesticides and more flavor! What a bargain! So, please consider the simple switch next time you make a cup of joe. There is always room for more warblers in this world!

Summer Tanager, another gorgeous visitor of shade-grown

coffee plantations. Photo by John Howard.

For more information, please visit Birds and Beans and Audubon Coffee.

For more posts on birds, visit I and the Bird.

Squirmin' In the Rain

My first-ever blog. I feel so viral! I was excited when Janet invited the naturalists over here at Holliday Park to join in the fun, but was having a hard time getting inspiration for a post. Then, this morning when I stepped outside, it hit me! Then it hit me again! Right on the head this time! After a few weeks of unseasonably warm and dry weather in central Indiana, we were finally getting a good rainstorm. I donned my raincoat to avoid any more cold drops down the neck, and quickly realized that I was not the only creature enjoying the change in weather. Earthworms were everywhere!

photo from Wildlife Trust

There is a bit of debate as to why earthworms come to the surface during a good rain. Since they ‘breathe’ through permeable skin, some believe that rain causes the ground to become too saturated and that the worms begin to drown.

Others think that it has more to do with the worms taking the opportunity to move quickly in order to colonize new areas (a big risk when you factor in hungry birds like this one found on Google Images, hikers boots, etc.) Another theory is that the carbon dioxide produced from respiration dissolves into the rainwater and creates carbonic acid. The soil gets too acidic and the worms head for the surface.

Regardless of the reason, seeing these little annelids always reminds me of what an important role they play in our world. One study has shown that on the average acre of cultivated land, over 16,000 pounds of soil has passed through the digestive systems of earthworms. The droppings, or castings, are full of minerals that provide the building blocks for a healthy ecosystem. When you factor in the amount of organic material they decompose, the soil they aerate, and the food source they provide for other animals in the ecosystem, it’s no wonder Darwin wrote “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures.”

I could go on and on about all the other features that make earthworms so fascinating, but the sun is back out, the wigglers have headed underground, and I don’t want to overstay my welcome. But hey, think of it as a good excuse to head out and do a little digging yourself!

Rascally Rodent-Camera Critter

Today, we had a very bold visitor to the feeders at Southeastway Park. A very handsome Fox Squirrel came right up and hopped onto the window feeder. I was right on the other side of the glass and even tapped on the window. He just batted his eyes and looked cute. In fact, he thought he could get away with anything.

" Oh, is this bird seed? I thought it was squirrel food. My bad."

"If I look really cute you won't mind if I eat some of your bird seed, right? It looks like there is plenty here, and..."

"I will only nibble just a teeny-tiny bit of it, okay?"

Visit more Camera Critters at this site.

Hello from Eagle Creek!

Hello! My name is Frog Dawn, and I'm one of the naturalists out at Eagle Creek Park - thanks Janet for setting it up so we can come and play too! This is my first time posting on the blog and I thought I'd start by sharing a little video clip of maple sap dripping from a sugar maple tree out at Eagle Creek - we tapped it as a demonstration for a school field trip to the Earth Discovery Center. (Janet already posted in February about the wonderful maple syrup program at Southeastway if you want more details about sap collection and syrup making.) The season for collection is almost over, but on warm days like today the sap drips out out at a quick and steady pace - like a very leaky faucet!






On a recent hike with some of our volunteers, we noticed one of the first wildflowers of the year blooming in the park - Salt and Pepper, also known as Harbinger of Spring. The tiny white flowers of Salt and Pepper often go unnoticed by folks out for an early spring hike, unless they know to look for them:

Take a moment to lean down and look a little closer - they may not be as showy or colorful as some of the later wildflowers, but after a long cold winter we greet them with much delight!

Unfortunately, with the warm weather comes one of the less welcome signs of spring...notice anything odd about this bunny rabbit? This is a pet, a domestic rabbit, that someone released out at the park today. As you can see, the rabbit is not camouflaged at all; it had no fear of people or other animals, and did not have a thick winter coat. With temperatures dropping tonight and plenty of predators about, the rabbit probably would not have survived the night. Luckily it was spotted by some park visitors, who took the time to notify staff and stay with the rabbit until we could get there (thank you!)

The owners who released this rabbit may have been misguided, thinking that their pet could live happily "in the wild," not realizing it would suffer either a quick death by a hungry owl or coyote, or a slow one from exposure and starvation. The rabbit will be taken to a rescue group and found a new home - something the original owners should have done. Domestic pets should never be released into the parks!


And finally, enjoy another video clip - the sounds of the Western Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris triseriata) singing from one of the ponds in Eagle Creek Park. These tiny frogs will call from now until mid-April on warm days, lay their eggs, and then the adults go back into the forest and we won't hear them again until next year: