Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.
Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) active in my vernal pool today. Males making their distinctive clacking sound to attract females. They are the earliest frogs to emerge from their winter shelters to begin mating. I see them even before Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer).
Their tadpoles develop over the course of two to three months. If they sense their vernal pool is in jeopardy of drying up, their development will speed up. The life span of the Wood Frog is about 3 to 5 years.
What a delight to have them!
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This one, quite a bit easier to tell which species of Sparrow it is, in comparison to the Song Sparrow (Melospica melodia) and the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) which I mentioned in my post yesterday. The Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina).
Only the male Song Sparrow sings. Its song is described by the National Audubon Society as a “Thin musical trill, all on 1 note like the whir of a sewing machine.” Oh I adore that description. Being a quilter, I know the sound of a sewing machine very well.
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The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is indeed a master of camouflage blending in with dried grass near the birdbath. Not at all striking in its coloring, streaks of gray and brown.
The Song Sparrow is well represented throughout our continent. They’re said to be “the most common and widespread sparrow in North America.” Here at my cabin though I don’t find them here with any extremefrequency. Just every now and then.
Their song, noted in their name is represented by a mnemonic, Maids-maids-maids-put-on-your-tea-kettle-ettle-ettle. Not nearly as easy to remember as many other bird mnemonics.
I’m still working on remembering it.
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This evening my friend the Barred Owl (Strix varia) came by for a visit again. They’re solitary creatures so I assume it is the same one that I’ve seen four times since the beginning of the year. There have been other sightings too, over time, though I’m really focused in on this beautiful creature now.
Owls have feathers that allow silent flight. Of the flying birds of the world they are one of the quietest species. Their primary wing feathers are comb-like. This shape enables less turbulence and therefore less sound as the owl flies. This allows the owl to surprise its prey and also enables it to hear and locate its prey as it flies.
I’m going to be paying more attention to what is going on outside my cabin. More sightings of the owl?
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I enjoy seeing American Beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) in the winter. They’re deciduous trees but don’t drop their leaves until spring, giving my woods a scattering of soft brown patches everywhere. And if it snows, those soft brown leaves turn into snow cones hanging from their branches.
This past Saturday I attended a Woods & Wildlife Conference organized by Virginia Tech and learned lots of things including that our Beech trees are under threat, facing a decline and slow death from Beech Leaf Disease. This disease was first discovered in Ohio in 2012, and the cause, a nematode, was just recently identified.
This disease has now been found in 13 states, Ohio, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia and the Canadian province of Ontario.
In the spring signs of Beech Leaf Disease make themselves visible on new leaves which will have dark bands between lateral veins of the leaves. Saplings will die within 5 years and mature trees tend to take longer to succumb.
We’re losing so many of our precious trees. Research is ongoing with no solution yet. Please keep up that research and figure out how to save the Beech trees. We need that research.
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What a delight to spot this critter this evening. This is only, if my memory and photos are correct, the third sighting of a Bobcat (Lynx rufus) in the area of the cabin.
I discovered this one just as the sun was thinking of going down, which corresponds with it being crepuscular. They’re solitary creatures. Varying in length from 25 to 40 inches and in weight from 25 to 35 pounds.
Hoping I’ll see it again soon.
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Woodpeckers’ robust tails help them as the descend a tree trunk or work at drumming a hole into the side of a tree. They have stronger tail bones, lower back bones, and muscles that support those bones than other birds.
Here, a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) in the snow a couple days ago. Notice it is using its tail for support.
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A winter resident here in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, the Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus). As the snow was coming down steadily two days ago it was in a typical stance flipping up its tail and slowly lowering it over and over again.
Though they eat insects during the warmer months, in the winter they stick to a diet of berries.
The Hermit Thrush is a dependable visitor to my birdbath.
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It snowed all day long yesterday, leaving 2.5 inches of snow on the ground. This morning it started back up again but didn’t last very long. Today, just a dusting. Among the birds out looking for something to eat, I counted 13 Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). Beautiful accents of color against the black and white landscape.
It’s interesting how Cardinals get their beautiful coloring — through their diet. Eating red and purple fruits which contain pigments called carotenoids. These pigments color their feathers and even their beaks.
So nice to have these red birds around.
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A Barred Owl (Strix varia) showed up as the snow was coming down on this mighty cold morning. It sat there just looking around for perhaps ten minutes before disappearing.
Owls are thought to be nocturnal but that’s not always the case. Barred Owls are often seen during the day in winter. They’re crepuscular, or most active at dawn and dusk.
I enjoy when there is an easy mnemonic for a bird call and this is the case for the Barred Owl. It simply says, “Who cooks for you. Who cooks for you all?”
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