Salt-n-Pepa's Here!

Chris and I have been singing the song "Push It" around the office yesterday and today. We (mostly ME) have been singing the beginning of the song where it goes "Oooh, baby, baby, Baby, baby, Oooh, baby, baby, Baby, baby. Salt-n-Pepa's here!

WHY, you might ask? Because we are celebrating. The flower, Harbinger of Spring, Erigenia bulbosa, otherwise known as Salt and Pepper is HERE!!! This is one of the first wildflowers to "Push It" out of the cold winter ground.

SPRING IS AROUND THE CORNER, PEOPLE!!!

WOO-HOOOO!!!

I think Blue Jays are Colts Fans!

The Indianapolis Colts are going to the Super Bowl! And everyone in Indy is feeling the excitement. Today, we had some rowdy Colts Fans mob our feeders! "COLTS, COLTS, COLTS!" they cheered, chasing the Cardinal fans away from the peanut feeder. The jays honestly think the peanuts are their personal stash. No wonder the Blue Jay is one of my favorite birds. Always decked out in Colts' Blue, my preferred color, jays have spunk and spirit. They will show up at the feeder and challenge other birds to just try and take some of their food. They are top dogs and not afraid to let all the other birds know it.

Blue Jay photo by Charles Creamer.

Its scientific name of Cyanocitta cristata means "crested blue chattering bird". This description is very appropriate since the Blue Jay is a very noisy bird and can imitate almost anything. I have heard them imitate car alarms, bells, cats, squeaky gates, growls and even hawks. Being a member of the crow family, they are also very smart birds. There is one account in an article by R.W. Loftin where a Blue Jay imitated a hawk to frighten a grackle and cause it to drop its food. The jay swooped down and snagged the food before the poor grackle knew what had happened!

Jays exhibit another intelligent behavior called "anting". Blue Jays will grasp ants by the head or thorax, then wipe the ants' abdomens on their feathers. The ants produce a chemical called formic acid as a defense. This formic acid acts as an insecticide and helps get rid of mites, fungi and insects that can damage the birds feathers.

Blue Jay with acorn. Photo by John Howard.

Jays have an important role in the environment. They are feathered foresters. They will cache or store acorns in soft ground and cover them with leaves. They don't recover all of them, so they help grow many new oak trees and replenish our forests.

You've got to love a bird with such brilliant blue feathers, a color that is not often found in nature. It is a handsome bird that is especially stunning when it has just freshly molted its feathers. Such a brilliant Colts' blue. Stunning! But a fascinating fact is the feathers aren't really blue. There is no blue pigment in the feathers. The pigment found in the feathers is actually a gray-brown.

Yep, it's true. There are two ways feathers can produce colors. One way is called pigment color and the other is structural color. Pigment color comes from chemicals that are found in the feather. Pigment color will produce the same color no matter what angle the feather is viewed. One example of pigment color is carotenoids that produce colors of yellow, orange and red and come from the plant materials that the birds eat. Another is melanin which produces black, gray and brown color that are found in sparrow's feathers and produce a glowing tan on our skin in the summer.

Structural colors, or schemochromes, are a little more complicated. In a jay's feathers, the pigment melanin produces a brownish-gray color. Over that is a layer of keratin that contain tiny air cavities that are almost microscopic. Keratin is the fibrous protein that forms hair, nails and feathers. These air cavities found in the feathers scatter the light in such a way as to produce the blue color. The feathers appear blue for the same reason an oil slick appears blue. The blue in oil slicks and feathers results from differences in the distances traveled by light waves that are reflected off of each other. Richard Prum of Yale University did studies on this and called the process constructive interference. A side note, the green color in feathers are produced when yellow pigment is present along with the air cavities that cause the blue color.

Anyway you look at them, jays are fascinating and beautiful creatures. Glad they are around to root our Colts on to victory! GO COLTS!

Bald Eagle Trip-Saturday Jan. 23rd

The majestic Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is our national bird. Not too long ago, in 1991, we only had one nesting pair in Indiana. One! Prior to that, we zero nesting pairs from 1897 to 1991. Through efforts that began in 1985, the eagles bounced back. And now we have over 200 nesting pairs! What a great recovery!




Amos W. Butler Audubon Society will have a free field trip to Parke County to view eagles this Sat., January 23rd. On past trips, we have viewed 40-60 eagles in one day. It should be a great opportunity for any nature lover.



We will meet at 5:45 am at the Marsh at 6965 W. 38th Street, Indianapolis. We will carpool to the West Union bridge to view the eagles at dawn as they leave their overnight roost. We will also visit nest sites in the area to view eagles and waterfowl. We plan to visit the power plant in Cayuga, and if time permits we will visit Universal Mines. We will stop for a fast-food lunch in one of the neighboring towns.



Hope to see you Sat. for a great day of wildlife watching!
(Photos from Wikipedia)

"Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer"

Last night, Jan 7th, 2010, the University of Alabama won the National Championship beating Texas 37-21. You are probably thinking, "Where is she going with this? This isn't nature related." Ah, but that is what is so interesting. It is!

The University of Alabama has a winning cheer that contains the phrase "Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer". Do you know what a yellowhammer is? I didn't until today. I was doing a little research on woodpeckers and ran across the name. It is the state bird of Alabama and one of the coolest woodpeckers out there-the Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus!

Female Northern Flicker

Northern Flickers have an amazing tongue specialized for capturing ants. Their tongue is long, approximately 5 inches from tip to base. The tongue is covered with a sticky saliva and barbed to aid in ensnaring insects. Acting in a similar way as an anteater, they locate active ant hills and slurp up the six-legged critters like no tomorrow. About 45% of their diet consists of ants! Northern Flickers also consume berries. (To see a Northern Flicker's tongue up close, visit Jim McCormac's blog.)

Northern Flickers also perform a unique behavior called "anting". Ants secrete a natural insecticide and fungicide called formic acid. Flickers will flatten out over ant mounds, allowing the ants to crawl through their feathers. They will also apply the insects to directly to their feathers as they preen. The formic acid protects their feathers from wear caused by mites, fungus, lice and other such maladies. They get a treat and a bath all in one!

Male and Female Flicker-male has the red moustache

Alabama has been known as the "Yellowhammer State" since the Civil War. A company of cavalry soldiers from Huntsville, AL, under the command of Rev. D.C. Kelly, arrived at Hopkinsville, KY in 1861. The officers and men of the Huntsville company wore fine, new uniforms, compared to the soldiers who had long been on the battlefields and had faded, worn uniforms. Bits of brilliant yellow cloth adorned the sleeves, collars and coattails of the Huntsville uniforms. As the company rode by, it was remarked they looked like a flock of yellowhammers, the nickname for the Northern Flicker. A greeting of "Yellowhammer, Yellowhammer, flicker, flicker!" rang out.

Northern Flicker in flight displaying the yellow

feathers that earned it the name "Yellowhammer".

Soon, the Huntsville soldiers were known as the "yellowhammer company." And, before long, all Alabama troops were referred to unofficially as the "Yellowhammers." Veterans would wear a yellow Northern Flicker feather in their caps or lapels during reunions to show pride.

Such a beautiful bird with a rich history. Watch for one "anting" near you.

Flying Squirrels

Over the holiday break, my friend, John Howard, captured these wonderful photos of Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys volans. I just had to share them!

Southern Flying Squirrel is found throughout the Eastern United States. Though considered uncommon in Indiana and Ohio, they may be more plentiful than the data indicates. The species is nocturnal and usually is not out and about during the day. Mammals of Indiana, by Mumford and Whitaker, does not have them listed in Marion County, but my friend Dawn VanDeman has rehabilitated some Southern Flying Squirrels that were found in Indianapolis a few years ago.

Southern Flying Squirrels frequent mature woods with dead snags. They will also take over trees with woodpecker holes and natural cavities. They utilize multiple trees in the area to cache food and for dens or nests to hide and sleep. They line their nests with dried grasses and finely shredded bark. They have also been known to inhabit abandoned Fox Squirrel and Gray Squirrel nests. One source found a Southern Flying Squirrel occupying a bluebird box.

Photo from Wikipedia

Southern Flying Squirrels don't actually fly, as the name indicates, but glide from tree to tree. They leap into mid-air and extend flaps of skin on either side of the body called a patagium. The patagium extends from the wrists and ankles of the squirrel and acts like a parachute. The direction and speed can be controlled by the squirrel positioning its legs. In one of the sources I read, the author had seen one glide from the top of one tree to another that was 90 feet away!

Look at that face! Those eyes aren't just for cute points. Since they are nocturnal, the large sized eyes are essential for capturing available light so they can see in the dark. The long whiskers help them sense the edges of cracks and crevices while they are scurrying about, as well as juicy moths and beetles they readily snatch up. Southern Flying Squirrels eat mostly nuts, seeds, ripe berries, insects, eggs and fungi. They are also known to gnaw the bark of maple trees and drink the sap. Yet, these little munch monsters with their ravenous appetites weigh less than 3 ounces! Hmmm... eats a lot, yet weighs 3 ounces...maybe some of us should consult the Southern Flying Squirrel about our New Years resolutions. Look for The Flying Squirrel Diet at a bookstore near you! ;)




Thanks, John, for once again sharing your wonderful photos!

Happy New Year!

Bloodroot sprouts just starting to open

Today is the last day of the year. Time to reflect on the old and hope for the new. 2009 has brought many, many good things. New friendships, renewed friendships, new family members, new opportunities, new life birds, mammals, herps, insects, plants and fungi. What all will 2010 bring?

Bloodroot-I always look forward to seeing it bloom in early spring

I think that is why I like spring so much. So much promise. Everything that looks dead and lifeless is suddenly renewed. Beneath a carpet of crumbled, dry brown leaves emerges fresh green leaves and tender blossoms. Each tightly wrapped sprout that pushes through the ground and gloriously unfurls is an affirmation of life itself.

Ohio Buckeye bud

2010 is at the surface, just about to burst forth. One can choose to wander aimlessly through life and miss it all or one can eagerly await it and drink every moment of it in. I have decided this year to choose the latter.

Ohio Buckeye, when first opening, looks almost like a flower

Here is wishing all my readers a year full of beauty, wonder and joy! Don't let it pass you by.

Northern Bobwhites

About a week ago, we had some visitors in our birdfeeding area at Southeastway Park. Four adorable Northern Bobwhites!

Two male and two female Northern Bobwhites, Colinus virginianus, visited our bird feeding area and hung out for a couple days. We have heard them call a few different times in the last couple of years, their classic "Bob-white"call announcing their presence. Once, we spotted them scurrying into the grasses near the wetland. This is the first time we had a opportunity to really look at and study them. There are three of the four in this photo.

Our birdfeeding area has lots of native grasses and wildflowers for cover and natural food. They seemed to enjoy scratching around in the grasses under the bird feeders. This male is all puffed out perched up on the log.

Here is a better shot of the male. The male Northern Bobwhites have a white eye-stripe and throat patch, while the females are more buffy. There has been a documented case where a female has expressed male plumage, but this seems to be an anomaly.

Here is a nice back shot that would make Dave Lewis proud. (His site features birds' backsides because they always take off when he is trying to get a shot.) I love the pattern on the Northern Bobwhite's back. This helps it blend in with the dead leaves and grasses.

I am utterly amazed at how well their camouflage works. Can you see all three Bobwhites? The male in the center stands out, but the one in the bottom right corner is a little hidden and the one near the top blends into the background.

They are also quite adept at hunkering down. This one is hidden in a clump of grass about a foot in width and six inches high. Do you see him?

How about now?! Right there in the center of the grass are the white horizontal stripes of its face. From the bird window, I could not tell where he was hiding, but could spot him after I looked at the picture on my computer screen.

Northen Bobwhites are found year round in Indiana and neighboring states. They are just a bit tricky to observe due to their cryptic plumage and habits!