The Baypoll Blog

Identification Quiz!

2012-02-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

I put together some "less than ideal" bird shots that make the identifications a bit tricky! If you think you know what the birds are, leave a comment and in a few days I will post the answers!

Pennsylvania - February

Pennsylvania - August

Snowy Owl in New Jersey

2012-01-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

Earlier today, my mom and I decided to head over to Merrill Creek Reservoir in New Jersey to see the Snowy Owl that has been there for the past few weeks. We weren't exactly sure how to get to the owl location, but we ran into a few other birders who had just gotten directions at the visitor center. Near the owl spot, we hiked up a trail along the side of the dam. About halfway to the top of the hill, one of the other birders spotted the owl across the rock pile on the "downstream" side of the dam. We had great views of this white owl as it sat still on a rock, moving only to preen itself or turn its head when it heard a noise.

This is only the second Snowy Owl I have ever seen. The first was near Route 209 in Brodheadsville, PA back in January 2003. This winter has been outstanding for Snowy Owls in the United States. Many birds have been reported across the country, including birds as far south as Oklahoma. It is thought that this sudden southward movement of this species is due to the population boom that occurred during the last breeding season. Young, inexperienced birds are often the individuals that wander out of the species's usual range, so with an increase of young birds, many more owls have moved south.

Using eBird, it is easy to see the southern invasion of this species compared to other years:

Winter 2011-2012 versus Winter 2010-2011

This is an incredible and beautiful northern bird that rarely shows up in this region. If you can, get out to see a Snowy Owl, as it may be a long time before another one shows up in your area!

Commentary on Winter Birding

2011-12-30T17:50:00.000-08:00

If you asked birders when their favorite time of the year to go birding is, they will likely say spring or fall migration, or perhaps the summer season when most birds are in their finest form and singing beautiful warbling songs. Very few birders will answer with "winter." Nevertheless, winter is the time when one of the largest organized bird counts takes place--the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Every year thousands of birders head to their local birding spots to scour the bushes and roadsides for winter birds. What draws all of these birders (especially those in the northern regions) out into the frigid temperatures? Perhaps it is the chance to meet up with other birders, an excuse to go birding in a normally "slow" season, or is it something else entirely?

Over the past several years, I have helped out with two Christmas counts in the area. For me, they each have a unique social aspect. The Lehigh Valley Christmas Bird County is a gathering of birder friends that I have known for many years. My mom has always helped with that count as well, so it is an opportunity to bird with her. At the end of that count, the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society hosts a count-off dinner where teams meet to share their checklists and experiences from the day while socializing and enjoying warm food in a heated building (all of which feel extremely nice after a day of winter birding). The second count I do is the Wild Creek-Little Gap count, which I have done with my dad for the past few years. Although it is only the two of us and not a big group, we always have fun searching for those elusive Horned Larks out in the frozen corn fields (we finally got one this year, but in a wheat field... guess we were looking in the wrong places) or counting ducks and geese gathered at a nearby lake.

In Pennsylvania, winter is a slow time for birding. After being outside several times today, I managed to find 23 species in the yard, but back in May I was able to find 77 species in a few hours in the same area! The scarcity of birds and unpleasant weather during the winter often keep birders indoors; they would rather watch the birds that come to the feeders than go out and search for birds like they would in the warmer months. The Christmas count manages to drag these birders outside; it gives them an reason for enduring the cold, wind, birdlessness, and frozen precipitation. Perhaps the knowledge that other people are out of their minds and are doing the same thing encourages the otherwise lazy birders to step out the door.

Birding may be slow, but maybe this is the factor that draws the birders to a Christmas Bird Count. Instead of finding warblers dripping off the trees, winter birding often requires a bit more searching through brush and walking through fields to get a reasonable percentage of the present bird species checked off the list. Personally, this added challenge is extremely exciting and helps me reassure myself that winter birding is a fun activity as I am putting on my wool socks at some horrid hour of the morning before an owling trek. Most normal people will probably never understand, but there is nothing like the rush that I feel when that emberizid finally responds to my distressed pishing or when I manage to discern the distant white speck as a raptor and not one of the local plastic bags.

Because birds can be so hard to find during the winter, when a rarity does show up on the Christmas Bird Count it is cause for celebration. Every year a few rarities show up for the count. A few years ago, during a major winter finch irruption winter, I found a big flock of Common Redpolls. Mixed in with the Commons, an uncommon species in its own right, was a single Hoary Redpoll, a rare visitor from the north that only shows up in the occasional winter season. Sometimes birds that are not even true rarities, but rather simply uncommonly encountered species, are exciting as well.

So why do birders go out and look for birds in the freezing weather? Maybe it's because of the social aspect. Birds of a feather do indeed flock together. Possibly it is a reason to go birding when birders would normally be enjoying the warmth of a heated building but are beginning to feel guilty about those few birds missing from their county year lists. Perhaps we go birding in the winter for that added excitement of finding an unusual species in a time when birds are generally scarce. Maybe it is a combination of all of the above.

Or maybe birders are just crazy.

Trail Camera

2011-12-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

Trail cameras are small, motion-activated cameras that are primarily used for hunters looking for the best place to find a good deer population. These cameras are also useful for naturalists who are interested in learning about the wildlife that would normally be scared away by a human presence. Over the past year, I have set up a trail camera on my property in hopes of spotting wildlife that I don't often see. Here are a few of the animals I've captured on the camera:

Wild Turkey

White-tailed Deer at Jacobsburg State Park (for the 2011 BioBlitz)

White-tailed Deer

Red Fox

Young and Future Generations Day

2011-12-01T09:43:00.001-08:00

Today, December 1, was Young and Future Generations Day (YoFuGe Day) at COP17, which is a day to create awareness for the youth involvement in the fight against climate change. Throughout the day, youth were involved in several side events, high-level briefings, and actions that focused on the importance of youth constituencies at UNFCCC as well as youth participation in climate action around the globe. Below are a few examples of youth activities at the conference today.

As with every day at COP, the Youth Non-Governmental Organizations (YOUNGO) started off with a meeting to discuss the upcoming events, make decisions, and work on other youth-related activities.

Some of the youth at the morning YOUNGO meeting

The meeting consisted of a lot of discussions and decisions including the addition of three new working groups to the constituency: adaptation, biodiversity, and Rio+20. Adaptation refers to changes people will have to make if climate change does occur and causes alterations in the environment. In terms of climate change and related issues, biodiversity refers to how organisms and ecosystems will respond to ecological changes that occur as a result of climate change. Rio+20 is a meeting that will occur in June 2012 to mark the twenty year anniversary of the Earth Summit in Brazil. This summit developed three conventions, one of which is the UNFCCC. As a result of the major climate change aspect, YOUNGO will be working towards attending and becoming involved with the Rio+20 convention.

Biodiversity is important to solving climate change

Soon after the morning meeting, several young people "actions" took place. At a COP meeting, observer organizations can organize actions that often are designed to highlight a specific topic or idea. Often times, if an important decision is being made in the plenary sessions of the COP, concerned organizations will perform actions to show which side they are on and which decision they support. Other times, actions can simply be intended to reinforce an idea that is important for the organization or the conference as a whole. Many youth organizations (and YOUNGO as a whole) had actions today for YoFuGe Day. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts performed the "cha-cha slide" to express support for taking "one step at a time" towards a maximum temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius. YOUNGO also supported an action involving 1.5 degrees, where youth handed free neck ties to negotiators in an attempt to bring awareness to the 1.5 degree campaign. The ties, which state "I <3 1,5" (for you Americans, the comma is commonly used for the decimal separator in other countries), were a big success. Many negotiators were interested, including the delegates from small-island states that will be the nations most heavily affected by a temperature rise of over 1.5 degrees.


"I <3 1.5" Ties

YOUNGO member with a tie

Later in the day, the chairs of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and the Subsidiary Body for Science and Technological Advice held a briefing specifically for youth. Each chair gave an overview of key issues being discussed and then opened the floor to questions about the current negotiations.

Right afterwards, the executive secretary of the UNFCCC held an "Intergenerational Inquiry," where youth and negotiators discussed the role of the youth constituency at the COP. Christiana Figueres, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, spoke about the importance of youth becoming involved now, so that in the future, when the "hot potato," as she put it, is entirely in the hands of today's youth, it will not come as an unexpected and unfamiliar burden.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary UNFCCC

The next speaker was a teenage girl from South Africa. She shared a story of how she traveled to the city with her father when she was younger, and loved to see the farm animals along the way. It became her dream to one day show her own kids these animals and see the expressions on their faces when the witnessed the beauty of these creatures. Unfortunately, the stream that provided drinking water to these animals dried up as a result of anthropogenic environmental changes. Her dream was destroyed. She then turned to the negotiators and begged that they develop steps forward that do not crush the dreams and hopes of today's younger generation. This inspiring message finished the day of youth celebration with a feeling of hope for the youth, who are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but the leaders of today.

Reading a poem to start the Intergenerational Inquiry

The girl on the left gave a tremendous speech that moved everyone in the room

This photo highlights the importance of using social media to spread messages from the youth. Within minutes, the video of the side event was online and shared with the world.

UNFCCC Day 1

2011-11-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Today marked the beginning of the UNFCCC COP17/CMP7, which stands for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol. The convention is being held in a convention center and exhibition hall in downtown Durban, South Africa.

Bikes available free-of-charge for delegates

After riding the conference shuttle to downtown Durban this morning, I headed to the meeting of the Youth Non-Governmental Organizations (YOUNGO). YOUNGO's governing body is a "spokescouncil" that meets at these morning meetings. A spokescouncil meeting consists of the attending youth organizations each of which is represented by a single spokesperson or "spoke." The spokes sit in a circle and the rest of the organization sits directly behind this front person. The spokes are the representatives of each group or organization who suggest ideas, ask questions, and vote throughout the meeting. During the meeting, the various youth groups discussed briefings to the negotiators as well as various actions and programs throughout the day. At this particular meeting, about 15 organizations with a total of close to 100 youth were present.


YOUNGO Spokescouncil meeting

"Spokes" discussing a vote with their groups

After the meeting, the youth involvement continued. At a side event discussing the politics of the parties negotiating at Durban was well attended by the youth constituency. Later on, the Canadian youth climate delegation held a press conference to present their new jackets (in the style of NASCAR) sporting the logos of oil and gas companies to the Canadian negotiators. None of the invited negotiators were in attendance. Although this press conference was mostly a joke, the youth highlighted an important issue slowing the climate negotiations: nations like Canada are working to do what is best for the oil industry and other powerful and rich corporations rather than working to protect the people and environment.

The press conference held by the Canadian youth delegation was poking fun at the Canadian negotiators, but was treated as a legitimate press conference at the UNFCCC

The "big oil" jackets

As a result of Canada's work against the climate negotiations, this country was awarded both first and second place in the Fossil of the Day award, a prize given to the countries that have had the greatest negative impact on the progress of the climate talks. Although Canada received the award, other countries such as the United States and Japan also made statements that they will not agree to a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol (which expires in 2012). Unless these countries can realize that they should be focusing on what is best for the people they represent rather than the large, profitable industries, the climate negotiations in Durban will not develop agreements necessary to effectively continue international discussions on climate change.

First Days in South Africa

2011-11-27T09:57:00.001-08:00

I am currently in Durban, South Africa for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. My mother and I are attending with the Moravian College delegation, but I am also representing the Inconvenient Youth. The conference begins tomorrow (November 28) in downtown Durban. For the past few days, I was in the Cape Town area, where my mom and I were hosted by the former president of the Moravian Church of South Africa and her husband, both of whom showed us around the city and local attractions within the Western Cape region.

We arrived in South Africa at the Johannesburg International Airport. As the plane landed, my mom and I spotted our first bird of the trip, the unmistakable Long-tailed Widowbird. As we sat in the airport waiting for our flight to Cape Town, we watched through the windows for any new birds. Despite the fact that we were overlooking a sea of concrete, we saw a tremendous number of "life birds." Flocks of twenty or more African Sacred Ibises and several Hadeda Ibises flew overhead. Little Swifts and Rock Martins flew around, while Cape Sparrows and Common Mynas hopped on the ground.

When we arrived in Cape Town, the weather was gorgeous. The sun was shining and there was a nice breeze that cooled that warm air. As soon as we left the airport, we headed to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Swart, but soon headed out for a walk through a canal park in the nearby town of Pinelands. This was my first time to do some birding in a fairly "natural" place on the trip. The park is a small open area with houses on both sides that has a small canal running through the middle. This park gave excellent views of the mountains that lie in the distance. Many of the trees held the tiny Cape White-eyes, while the canal edge was home for small groups of Egyptian Geese and Cape Wagtails. Pied Crows played along the water's edge and flocks of Laughing Doves and Speckled Pigeons wandered through the weeds. Later in the evening, we went to the walkway along the ocean, where we watched the sun set over the water. I managed to find a few new birds here as well, including Cape Cormorant, African Oystercatcher, and Hartlaub's Gull.

Cape Town

The park in Pinelands

Cape Town after sunset

The next morning, we headed to the Cape Town seaboard, where we boarded a ferry to Robben Island. This island was home to a high security prison that is most famous for holding apartheid opposition leaders like Nelson Mandela. For many years, the South African government banished people to this island who hoped to end the strong discrimination against the non-white population of the country. Fortunately, in the 1990s, much of the violence ended and the prisoners were released from the island, ending what was termed the "white regime" of South Africa. Today, the island is a museum that shares the story of the apartheid struggles and the discrimination. The guides, one of whom was a former political prisoner on the island, made a clear message that the museum is not meant to place blame on the white leaders who caused the suffering, but rather to share a message of peace and the importance of treating others with love and respect regardless of skin color and culture.

View of the mainland from Robben Island

The island is also an excellent place for birding, and the ferry ride to the island also produced a good number of exciting bird species. As we pulled out of Cape Town on the boat, Hartlaub's and Kelp Gulls were all over the water's edge and several White-throated Swallows glided low over the water. Soon after pulling into the open water, we began seeing Cape Cormorants flying in long lines low over the water. About 15 minutes into the windy boat ride, I spotted a group of small, white birds flying towards the boat. My first guess with only a quick glimpse without binoculars as that they were terns, but when I finally good a look, I realized that this was a flock of 20 Sabine's Gulls! This is an unusual species near home, so it was treat to see so many of these birds.

Sabine's Gulls

As we approached the jetty near the dock on Robben Island, the overwhelming smell of bird droppings filled the air. Thousands of cormorants (many of which were nesting) lined the jetty. Scanning the flock, I picked out three species. The majority of the birds were Cape Cormorants, with several Bank Cormorants, and a few, scattered Crested Cormorants. As we walked along the dock, I spotted an African Penguin swimming along the beach. Having never seen a wild penguin before, this was pretty exciting! Other birds included Greater Crested Tern, Common Fiscal, and Chukar (there is an established breeding population on the island).

Cape Cormorants and the globally endangered Bank Comorants

African Penguin

After a few hours on the island, we headed back to the mainland for lunch. As with any outdoor restaurant that I have been to, pigeons, starlings, and sparrows wandered around the ground in search of food scraps. However, these were Speckled Pigeons, Red-winged Starlings, and Cape Sparrows, which made the dining experience a bit more exciting.

After the meal, we made our way to Table Mountain, which was recently named one of the "New Seven Wonders of Nature." This beautiful mountain is covered with a habitat known as fynbos, a fire-dependent shrubland unique to southern Africa. This park is an extremely popular destination, so the area was loaded with people in line to take the cable car to the very top of the mountain. When we parked the car, we immediately heard birds around us. We spotted a Karoo Prinia building a nest near where we parked the car. We also saw a beautiful Cape Canary singing in the pine tree over the road.

As we traveled up the cable car, we had incredible views of Cape Town and the surrounding landscape. The view from the top was unbelievable in every direction. We decided to hike out to explore the top of the mountain. As with many parks in the United States, very few people venture outside the sight of the visitor center, so we had the trails more or less to ourselves. The farther we got from the building, the windier it became. Before long, it was impossible to wear a hat without it soon blowing off. The wind brought in the infamous "tablecloth," a thick layer of fog, that often covers the top of Table Mountain. The weather conditions kept many of the birds away, but we spotted several Orange-breasted Sunbirds fluttering in the shrubs, although they stayed sheltered and hidden for most of the time. Before we went back down the mountain, we spotted an African Rock Hyrax (also known as a Cape Dassie) on the cliff edge. We soon found several more of these small mammals lounging on the rock ledges

One of many spectacular views from the top of Table Mountain

African Rock Hyrax

On Saturday morning, we got an early start and headed east to the village of Genadendal, a former Moravian Church mission in the mountains of the Western Cape. The small town holds many old buildings that were built by the Moravians in the 1730s. The site now holds a Moravian museum that holds many pieces of history from the village as well as information about the Moravian Church as a whole. Much of this information was very interesting to learn, as I attend a school that was founded by the Moravian Church. We also had a small amount of time to bird around the Genadendal gardens, where birds seemed to be everywhere. Showy birds like the African Paradise-Flycatchers and Yellow Bishops were common, as were smaller, drabber species like the Spotted Flycatcher. Malachite and Greater Double-collared Sunbirds visited the flowers in the gardens and were constantly flying through the dense rose bushes and other vines.

The church in Genadendal

The drive to and from Genadendal was beautiful. Close to Cape Town, the landscape looks very green, as the natural areas are mostly covered with fynbos. Once we crossed the mountains, the hills were covered with apple orchards and vineyards. A bit farther down the road, the primary crop is wheat, so the landscape was covered with various shades of brown. Southern Red Bishops lined the fence wires and several Steppe Buzzards patrolled from the utility poles along the highway. My favorite sightings along this route were the small groups of Blue Cranes feeding in the wheat fields. This beautiful bird is the national bird of South Africa, so it had particular importance for me as well as the South African residents in the car.

After Genadendal, we headed to the coast along the town of Hermanus, a famous location where whales congregate to breed. Along the windy coast, Kelp Gulls were flying around, while the Hartlaub's Gulls, Greater Crested Terns, and a single Grey-headed Gull were perched on the rocks. While I was taking photos of the landscape, my mom spotted a seabird headed towards the coast. I got on the bird and watched it as it approached the point on which we were standing. As the dark bird came close, I got a good look, then quickly switched lenses and photographed the bird as it turned back around and headed back towards the ocean. Based on the views that I did get, I am pretty sure that this bird was a Northern Giant Petrel.

As we started to leave without having seen a whale, my mom wanted to check the bay on last time. Several Greater Striped Swallows circled over the parking lot while we scanned the water. Within a minute, I spotted the tail of a whale on the other side of the bay! For several minutes, the whale (or whales) were visible above the surface of the water. This area is well-known for the breeding population of Southern Right Whales that breed in the sheltered bay east of Hermanus.

Southern Right Whale at Hermanus

After Hermanus, we headed back to Cape Town along the ocean route, where we were greeted with fantastic views over the ocean. We stopped at a few places along the way to take pictures, and we also managed to see a few birds. The highlight was a small group of Cape Sugarbirds that were perched on the shrubs in a roadside fynbos habitat.

The endemic Cape Sugarbird

Today, we flew from Cape Town to Durban, where we will spend the next week at the UNFCCC COP17. So far, the weather has been hot, humid, and rainy. Hopefully the rest of the week will bring nicer weather!

Raptors and Sparrows

2011-10-31T15:20:00.000-07:00

While birding around the yard this morning, I found a surprising number of species for this late in the season. Around sunrise, the field was filled with a flock of sparrows that consisted mostly of Dark-eyed Juncos, but also held White-throated, Song, Field, Chipping, and Fox Sparrows. The Fox Sparrows are some of the first I have seen this season, as their migration through the region is just beginning.

Fox Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Yellow-rumped Warblers were everywhere along the field edge and in the yard itself. Every vine, bush, and tree with berries along the field edge held at least one Yellow-rump this morning. The Poison Ivy vines seem to have a tremendous amount of fruit this year, so several birds including the Yellow-rumped Warblers, sparrows, and Hermit Thrushes have been taking advantage of this excellent food source.

Yellow-rumped Warbler on a Poison Ivy vine

The best birds today were the migrating raptors. Although the sight of a kettle of hundreds of Broad-winged Hawks in September and the constant stream of Sharp-shinned Hawks in October are exciting to watch, I particularly enjoy the migrants that move through in late October and November. Species like Golden Eagles and Northern Goshawks are always amazing to watch as they fly over. Even watching a Red-tailed Hawk, another primarily late-season migrant, move down-ridge is an impressive sight. While hawk watching from my deck around noon today, I spotted several Red-tailed Hawks, three Red-shouldered Hawks, and a single, gorgeous Golden Eagle that flew directly over where I was sitting.

Golden Eagle

Red-tailed Hawk

Big Sit report

2011-10-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 9, 2011, I conducted my annual "big sit" in my yard. The Big Sit! is a birding event run by Bird Watcher's Digest, where people from around the world each pick a spot, set up a circle, and stay within that circle for 24 hours and count birds. I have participated in this event for a few years now, and set my personal record of 70 species in 2009. Here is my report from this year's big sit:

A little before midnight, Stephen Kloiber arrived at my house and we headed out to the sitting spot. The air was fairly warm, and several katydids called from the trees behind us. As midnight arrived, we stood silently, pointing our ears towards the shining moon and listened. For a while, we heard nothing. Finally, about half-an-hour into the day, we heard a call from the valley below. The call was distant, but it was clear that this was a Barred Owl - our first species of the day. A little while later, a startled mockingbird called from somewhere along the field edge, but soon quieted down once again leaving us in the dark.

As the morning progressed, the air became colder and damper. The hope of a flight call from above kept us outside, and we were rewarded. Between one and two o'clock, we heard a fairly regular, but sparse flight overhead. The first calls were from Swainson's Thrush. Next the short, lisping call of a Savannah Sparrow, then another. More Swainson's, a Chipping Sparrow, an Indigo Bunting. Somewhere between flight calls, Stephen and I heard a distant call from the west. A few seconds later the bird called again, this time the hooting was cleared: Great Horned Owl, check.

Much of the pre-dawn morning was very, very slow. We heard a few more of the previously mentioned species. Around 4 o'clock, I picked out a high, slightly rising call of a Grasshopper Sparrow. By 4:30, we were shivering, so we headed inside for a quick break. We warmed up with warm apple cider, then headed back out for more birding.

As the sky began to brighten, our list stood at 11 species. Soon, however, birds began waking up all around us. White-throated Sparrows chirped and sang from the treeline across the meadow and a couple of towhees called along the forest edge. Stephen ran up to his car to grab his scope and binocular, and as he did, an Eastern Screech-Owl (a species that we had somehow missed earlier in the morning) started calling. The bird was near his car, so I could see him rushing back to try and get the bird from the circle in case I hadn't heard it. Luckily, I was able to hear the tremolo even from across the field.

The sun continued to rise into the sky and birds became more active. Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Robins, and Blue Jays flew overhead, both kinglet species called from the woods behind the sitting spot, a House Wren chattered from a patch of goldenrod, woodpeckers (in the form of Pileated, Hairy, Red-bellied, and Northern Flicker) called from all around. Sparrows gathered in the goldenrod patches in front of us. At one point, a Swamp Sparrow popped up fairly close allowing great looks.

Numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers flew overhead in the morning

While scanning the skies for new birds, I spotted a fast flying bird headed towards the Kittatinny Ridge. I watched the light-colored bird as it turned around - Rock Pigeon! Most birders would probably not find this species particularly exciting or worth an exclamation point, but this is an uncommon species in the yard, so an important species to get on the big sit.

A little before eight o'clock, we had our first Sharp-shined Hawk of the day. This species, the mascot for our big sit team, The Shadow Mountain Sharp-shins, would turn out to be the most abundant raptor of the day with a total of 89 seen over the course of the daylight hours. While I was watching a Sharp-shin overhead, Stephen spotted a Nashville Warbler on the other side of the field. Soon after Stephen got the warbler, I spotted a Lincoln's Sparrow that had popped up in the goldenrod patch near the circle. The sparrow chipped a few times before disappearing into the dense grass and weeds.

One of two Lincoln's Sparrows on The Big Sit! This one never left the cover of this shrub.

Dan Kunkle arrived around 10:30am while were were experiencing somewhat of a late-morning "lull." We had a few raptors on our list at this point, but hoped that Dan could help us pick out a few more from the deep blue sky, and that he did! With his help, we added several new raptors to the list including a fast-flying Peregrine Falcon. Dan also managed to spot a Red-breasted Nuthatch that zipped overhead flying north.

Sharp-shinned Hawks, the bird for which the Shadow Mountain Sharp-shins are named, passed overhead all day long

After Dan left, I spotted a group of about 30 Turkey Vultures to the south. Stephen got on the group and we watched as the birds moved north. These vultures seemed to mark the start of a raptor rush, because soon after we watched an adult male Northern Harrier fly southwest past the circle and after that, two immature Bald Eagles flew directly overhead. Not long after the eagles circled overhead, I heard a Common Raven croaking from somewhere to the west and Stephen and I spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk circling over my house. Just after the "flurry" of activity dissipated, Terry Master and my mom came down to the circle. Although they had just missed an awesome show of birds, we soon found two more Bald Eagles, several Black Vultures, and more Common Ravens than I have ever seen from my yard at once!

One of four Bald Eagles for the day. Two flew directly overhead!

Unfortunately, by 2:30pm, I was the only one left in the circle. For the rest of the afternoon, Sharp-shinned Hawks streamed overhead, but no new birds appeared. Later on, as the sun was setting, I kept an eye out for any new birds in the final burst of avian activity for the day. Groups of robins and crows gathered in the sky and in the trees, and small flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds passed overhead. One of these blackbird flocks held a Rusty Blackbird, the first new species since about one in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it soon became too dark to see anything and the katydid chorus was too loud to hear any owls or flight calls, so I headed inside for some much needed sleep.

Moon rising not long after sunset

Around 10:30pm and after a three hour nap, I headed back out to the circle for the remainder of the day. The cold air had quieted the insects, but the birds were not calling. When my watched beeped at midnight, the day's list stood at 68 species, two less than the record set two years ago, but two more than last year. Even though we didn't break the record for my yard, everyone who came saw some good birds and certainly had fun!

The List:

Canada Goose 34
Black Vulture 24
Turkey Vulture 87
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 4
Northern Harrier 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 89
Cooper's Hawk 5
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 17
American Kestrel 8
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 1
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 3
Eastern Screech-Owl 2
Great Horned Owl 2
Barred Owl 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 8
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 8
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Eastern Phoebe 3
Blue Jay 65
American Crow 207
Common Raven 9
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Tufted Titmouse 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 2
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Eastern Bluebird 4
Swainson's Thrush 12
Hermit Thrush 8
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 222
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 34
Cedar Waxwing 78
Nashville Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 36
Black-throated Green Warbler 4
Eastern Towhee 3
Chipping Sparrow 9
Field Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 5
Grasshopper Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 11
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 10
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Bobolink 1
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Rusty Blackbird 1
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 8
American Goldfinch 7
House Sparrow 3

The Big Sit! 2011

2011-10-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

Once again, I will be counting birds in my yard for The Big Sit!, an annual birding competition organized by Bird Watcher's Digest. In this event, birders sit in a spot for 24 hours and find as many species of birds as they can. For the past few years, I have birded from the corner of the field on my property. My record, set a few years back, is 70 species. With several observers this year, I hope we can break this record!

I will be out at my "sitting spot" at midnight and birding throughout the day on Sunday.

If you are interested in last year's results, check out my report.

Fall Migration

2011-09-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks of slow migration, the past two nights have been excellent for bird movement. Although I have not seen a tremendous number of birds in the mornings, I have certainly heard huge numbers of thrushes migrating overhead and seen masses of birds on the radar map. While out birding this morning, Scarlet Tanagers were the most numerous migrant. Over the course of the morning, I saw more tanagers than warblers, which is unusual for this time of year. Of the warblers I did see, Black-throated Blue Warblers are the only real "migrant" species, for Ovenbirds, Black-and-white Warblers, and American Redstarts frequently breed around my property.

Even the male Scarlet Tanagers are plain this time of year. I managed to photograph this individual as it flew overhead.

While watching tanagers fly from tree to tree, I spotted a bird darting over the yard. As it flew, I recognized the bird as a cuckoo by the long tail and wing shape. The reddish color on the wings and the yellow on the bill identified it as a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. It is unusual to observe this species flying in the open, so I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to watch and to photograph this bird!

Yellow-billed Cuckoo in flight - note the reddish patches on the wings. This field mark distinguishes this species from the Black-billed Cuckoo.

If the lighting is good, the yellow on the bill can be very obvious in flight.

Tonight is shaping up to be another great night for migration. A quick look at the NEXRAD map shows a lot of birds moving in the eastern United States, so if you can get out to do some birding tomorrow, there is a good chance there will be migrants around.

radar image from http://rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar

Finally, next weekend is Migration Fest at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The weekend will be filled with various programs about the annual migrations of our native wildlife, including bird research presentations, Monarch butterfly tagging demonstrations, a hawk identification workshop, and an evening presentation by Pete Dunne. For more information on this event, visit the Lehigh Gap Nature Center website.

Meet Leonard

2011-09-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday, butterfly enthusiast Billy Weber visited my property in search of a locally uncommon butterfly--the Northern Crescent. There are very few places this far south where this species can be found. However, there is a population in the field across from my house where I find them almost every year. Although the Northern Crescent is currently recognized as a separate species from the very common Pearl Crescent, the two are very similar and extreme caution is necessary when identifying these butterflies in the field.

Northern Crescent

note the large amount of orange on the forewings and hindwings

Pearl Crescent

the pattern is similar to the Northern Crescent, but the orange is more reduced in all four wings

While visiting the property, Billy did not find the crescents for which he came looking, but he did find another cool butterfly, a Leonard's Skipper. This butterfly is a robust, fast-flying skipper of late summer and early fall. This is the only butterfly in this region that has only one brood that comes out late in the season. In eastern Pennsylvania, the first Leonard's Skippers appear in August and continue through September. The phenology of this species is particularly interesting, as it emerges earlier in the northern latitudes to avoid the early frost.

Leonard's Skippers are not particularly rare, but are localized to large fields with their larval host plants. The caterpillars commonly feed on Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), but will also feed on other grasses. Apparently Leonard's Skippers are especially attracted to pink and purple flowers, including Phlox and joe-pye-weed (Eutrochium). Unfortunately, meadow habitats with these requirements are declining in this region due to development. As with most species, once the habitat is destroyed, the population begins to fall. It is becoming harder and harder to find this species for this reason.

Leonard's Skipper

the pattern on the underside of the wings is unique among skippers in this region

This afternoon, I went searching for a Leonard's Skipper in the field where Billy had one a few days before. After searching through large patches of blooming flowers, I finally found on nectaring on goldenrod (Solidago) flowers. This individual allowed me to take a few photos before it flew off into the center of the field.

Leonard's Skipper

The Leonard's Skipper belongs the to genus Hesperia, a genus of skippers that are usually marked with a distinct chevron-shaped pattern of dots against a brown or orange background color. They all live in grassland habitats, and their caterpillars likely feed on the same or similar grass species. In Pennsylvania, we have three Hesperia species (in order of flight time): Cobweb Skipper (Hesperia metea), Indian Skipper (Hesperia sassacus), and Leonard's Skipper (Hesperia leonardus). Cobweb Skippers appear in early spring as the warm-season grasses are beginning to pop up from the ground. This species is declining rapidly across its range and is a real treat to find.

Cobweb Skipper

Indian Skippers are the next to appear, usually around the end of May. This species will live in the same habitats as the Cobweb Skipper, but is more of a generalist, so it will inhabit a wider variety of habitats. Despite the wider habitat diversity, Indian Skipper populations are also declining. In late May, I have seen Cobweb and Indian Skippers flying together in a relatively undisturbed upland bluestem meadow.

Indian Skipper

Birds in Flight (The Easy Ones)

2011-08-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

As I have posted about before, the identification of birds in flight can be extremely difficult, for the birds are flying by quickly and often in poor light. These factors make this aspect of birding unappealing to many birders who then end up missing a lot of birds that fly over. Although I had been hawk watching before, I truly became interested in the identification of flying birds about a year ago as the fall migration season started. I was mainly interested in the non-raptors, as those had already been well-studied. Although the task seemed daunting at first, the more I looked at the birds, the easier it became to place a name to what I was seeing zip overhead. Take a look at the photos below to learn about some of the "easy" birds that are commonly seen flying overhead.

Any birder, and perhaps some non-birders, should be able to recognize this bird as a Canada Goose. See... you can identify birds in flight!

It may seem like a big transition from the last image, as this is an unclear image of a relatively plain bird. However, this is a common woodland species that can be identified by a number of clearly visible characteristics. First, when this bird was flying, I noted its relative size. It appeared to be larger than a warbler, but smaller than a robin. Second, most of the bird, including the underside and head, is a yellowish color. Finally, the tail and wings are dark, likely black. If you flip through any good field guide, you will see that the only bird that matches this description is the Scarlet Tanager.

Even a really good look at a flying bird can be misleading. This individual may seem unfamiliar at first, but if you look closely, it is one of our most recognizable bird species. The thick beak, pattern on the face, and crest (folded-down) identify this as a Blue Jay. This species also commonly vocalizes while flying.

Here we have a bird that seems to have relatively long wings and tail. The color of the underside looks orange, and the head appears darker. Often times, these characteristics are all that an observer needs to identify the very common American Robin. Robins also frequently vocalize while flying overhead, so it is useful to learn this various calls of this and other species.

Sometimes flying birds have a very distinctive characteristic that is not obvious when that species is seen sitting in a tree. For example, the large, white crescent marks on the wings of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks allow for quick, easy identification of this species in flight; however, this mark is rarely visible on a stationary bird. Grosbeaks are commonly seen flying over on September mornings after a good nocturnal migration, so keep an eye out for this species!

A final thing to look at in flying birds is whether they are in a flock or not. The songbird species mentioned above, like most migratory species, are relatively solitary birds. In this photo, it is clear that this small group of birds is traveling as a flock. This behavior significantly reduces the list of possible candidates. Next, note the fairly pointed wings that can be seen on the birds with wings outstretched. Together, these characteristics leave us with two species, Bobolink or Cedar Waxwing. Fortunately, birds in a flock often vocalize while flying overhead, and this flock was indeed vocalizing. The high-pitched trills identified these as Cedar Waxwings long before the flock was visible.

A Gathering of Swallows

2011-08-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Each August, a large group of swallows gathers in the yard. This morning, I found one of these large groups flying around the yard. After a little while, the group settled, landing on the barn, power lines, and the house. The majority of the swallows were Barn Swallows, the most common swallow during this summer. About a week ago, the local population stood at about 22 individuals. This morning, I counted 52 individual Barn Swallows! The next common species was the Tree Swallow. This species also breeds on the property, but in much smaller numbers. During the past few weeks, I had seen about four Tree Swallows around the yard, but this morning there were close to 30!

A group of swallows from this morning

Although these two species are the common breeding swallow species, a few others showed up this morning. The first uncommon (for the yard) swallow was a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. This lone bird circled around and called its buzzy notes with some Tree Swallows before heading west along the ridge. Soon after, I heard a similar buzz, but this was from a Bank Swallow, an even rarer species! This small swallow sat alone on the line.

The tiny Bank Swallow preferred to sit away from the other swallows.

The third, and rarest species of the morning was the Cliff Swallow. While scanning through a group of Barn Swallows, I noticed one individual with a brighter forehead patch and a shorter tail. When the group took flight, I could easily see the tan rump, which immediately distinguished the Cliff from all of the other nearby swallows. As I searched the flock more carefully, I found three more Cliff Swallows! This is the highest count for this species in the yard!

Cliff Swallow

In flight, the tan rump patch of the Cliff Swallow is very visible and distinct.

Cliff Swallow (left) with two Barn Swallows

Another Monroe County Butterfly Record

2011-07-31T10:54:00.001-07:00

Red-banded Hairstreak, a photo by Corey Husic on Flickr.

Earlier this summer, I found an Appalachian Azure near my yard in southern Monroe County. This egg-laying individual represented the first record of this species in the county. This past Saturday, while butterflying with Billy Weber near my house, I found another new butterfly for Monroe. As we were walking through the woods, we noticed a small hairstreak in the middle of the shaded path. The little butterfly took off, but eventually landed on a nearby fern. This butterfly turned out to be a Red-banded Hairstreak, which is normally thought of as a southern species. The only other Red-bandeds I have seen were in southern New Jersey. Farther down the path, we saw another one of these gorgeous butterflies. The larvae of this species are unusual because they eat rotting leaves rather than live, green leaves like the caterpillars of most butterflies.

The next two months are usually excellent for butterflying, as there is good diversity among the resident species, and occasional strays will wander in. Common southern wanderers include Little Yellows, Giant Swallowtail, and Fiery Skippers. Occasionally, butterflies such as the Common Ringlet will come down from the north.

Katydids

2011-07-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Note: If you are reading a subscription version, and cannot view the images and/or play the recordings, visit the blog page.

Every year, around the last two weeks of July, the Common True Katydids begin singing here around my house in southern Monroe County. This loud, chattering species is quiet up until this point, then incessantly sings throughout the warm nights of late summer and early autumn. Often living in the canopy of deciduous forests, the Common True Katydid is very rarely seen, but is frequently heard singing katy-did, katy-didn't. Both sexes of this species sing, unlike many of the related katydid and cricket species. The Common True Katydid almost always starts singing after sunset, with only an occasional chatter during the daylight hours.

Common True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia)

The broad, rounded wings are unique among the local Tettigonids (members of the katydid family). This species is also one of the loudest due to its sound-producing wing mechanism, but this ability renders the Common True Katydid flightless, except for weak gliding abilities. Although this species is primarily found in the upper levels of the forest, it can occasionally be found in shrubs and small trees closer to the ground. The individual photographed above was sitting in a small birch tree about four feet off the ground, but was not singing.

While the Common True Katydid may be the loudest and the most well-known of the katydids, it is not the only species that inhabits our region. The Common True Katydid is our only "true katydid" (subfamily Pseudophyllinae), but there are several species of false katydids, meadow katydids, conehead katydids, and shield-backed katydids. Below are small accounts of a few of the other katydid groups with detailed information about a locally common species or two from each group.

The first major group of these false katydids is the round-headed katydids. This group is similar to the Common True Katydid because they tend to have broad, somewhat rounded wings, but the wings are still more pointed than the true katydids. I often find these species around eye-level at forest edges and hedgerows. Many of the round-headed katydids begin singing around the middle of July, often a week or two before the Common True Katydids begin their full chorus.

One very common round-headed katydid is the Rattler Round-winged Katydid. This species is commonly found sitting in shrubs at or below eye level singing its rattle-like song. This particular species seems to frequently sit in the open, so they are easy to find unlike many other katydids. This species usually sings only at night.

Rattler Round-winged Katydid (Amblycorypha rotundifolia)

The meadow katydids are another group of very common katydids this time of year. A meadow katydid is unusual for a katydid, for it looks more like a grasshopper than closely-related katydid species. Compared to the previously mentioned katydid groups, meadow katydids are small and more brightly-colored. Meadow katydids also tend to have more intricate songs. I usually start hearing the first meadow katydids, usually the Short-winged Meadow Katydids, around the beginning of August. Meadow katydids will sing during the day as well as into the night.

The Short-winged Meadow Katydid is a small, but common meadow katydid species. This species tends to sit right-side-up on grass blades, whereas other katydids tend to either sit upside-down or vertical on the blades of grass. The call of this species is a high-pitched buzz interrupted by small ticks. One song variation of this insect resembles that of the Grasshopper Sparrow

Short-winged Meadow Katydid (Conocephalus brevipennis)

The conehead katydids, which are very closely related to the meadow katydids, are common denizens of grassy and weedy areas. In eastern Pennsylvania, almost every weedy field seems to have a population of these abundant, yet secretive katydids. The coneheads begin singing just as the Common True Katydids start, which is usually around the end of July. Members of this genus can be heard during both the day and night, but they are excellent ventriloquists, making them difficult to find among grass blades and weeds. Coneheads sing most frequently at night, but are also commonly heard during the daylight hours.

One of the most common species in eastern Pennsylvania is the Sword-bearing Conehead. This species is common in weedy fields where it often sits vertically on a blade of grass or the stem of a plant such as goldenrod. This species can be either green or brown.

Sword-bearing Conehead (Neoconocephalus ensiger) - green form

Sword-bearing Conehead (Neoconocephalus ensiger) - brown form

Another group of katydids that resemble grasshoppers are the shield-backed katydids. Shield-backs are named for the large plate that covers the thorax and part of the abdomen and wings. This group contains several native species, most of which are relatively uncommon and challenging to find. However, there is one non-native species that is extremely common and abundant in this area, the Roesel's Katydid (also spelled Rösel's Katydid). The Roesel's begin singing in late June, before many of the other katydid species. This species can be found singing its sustained buzz song in any field with tall grass, wildflowers, or small shrubs.

Roesel's Katydid (Metrioptera roeselii)

Although Common True Katydids are now starting to sing their loud, obvious song, and the Sword-bearing Coneheads can be easily heard in any field, my favorite katydids are the bush katydids in the genus Scudderia. The members of this group are all fairly skinny-winged, and sing weak songs. Members of this genus are difficult to discern from each other by appearance, but the songs are unique, making identification easier at night, when these katydids sing.

The Northern Bush Katydid is the species that is currently dominating the forest and forest edge understory chorus at night. The "song" of this species is a series of clicks followed by a series of tsits. I first heard this species singing during the first week of July. This species is often attracted to lights at night. I often find several sitting on the walls of the porch if the porch light is left on.

Northern Bush Katydid (Scudderia septentrionalis)

Another species of bush katydid that is common right now is the Curve-tailed Bush Katydid. This species prefers open fields over woods. Although extremely similar in appearance to the Northern Bush Katydid, the song of lisping sits rising in volume is distinct. I have seen these in the field near my house since early July, but they did not start singing until the middle of the month.

Curve-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia curvicauda)

For more information about these species and other singing wildlife, visit the Lehigh Gap Nature Center's Sound Field Guide.

Leafhoppers at the Porch Light

2011-07-22T17:20:00.001-07:00

When people use lights to attract insects, they are often focused on moths. However, many other insects show up at these lights including beetles, flies, butterflies, stoneflies, and leafhoppers. Last night, while looking for moths (I'm up to 85 species for the month!), I also took a close at some of the the leafhoppers. Here are some of the more interesting ones that I found and photographed:

Japanese Leafhopper - Orientus ishidae

Alebra aurea

Tylozygus bifidus

Scaphoideus

Draeculacephala zeae

Some Interesting Insects

2011-07-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

With over 85,000+ species in the United States, insects make up a huge portion of our biodiversity. Among these species, there are several that are easily observed by the casual naturalist, including the Monarch, a bumblebee, or a lady beetle. However, there is an entire world of insects right here with us that go undetected, either because the are small, nondescript, or rare. However, sometimes these unnoticed species are incredible beautiful, or perhaps they have an interesting story. Here are a few examples that I have found recently:

After seriously becoming interested in moths earlier this summer, I quickly learned about this small moth. This tiny species is an abundant denizen of the fern understory in the woods around my house, as well as a frequent visitor to my porch light. Named for the two rings visible on the basal areas of the forewings, the Hollow-spotted Blepharomastix (Blepharomastix ranalis), has one of the coolest genus names of any of the moths I've encountered so far.

The Imported Long-horned Weevil (Calomycterus setarius) is another insect that I frequently find on my porch. A small group of these guys can often be found blending into the wall. This beetle is only about 3mm long, so it can be difficult to find against wood or another tan or brown surface. This species is particularly interesting, as it can perform parthenogenetic reproduction, in which the female can produce offspring without fertilization by a male. This process allows this soybean pest to reproduce very rapidly.

Here's another non-native weevil. I caught this gorgeous Asiatic Oak Weevil (Cyrtepistomus castaneus) while sweeping branches of tall oaks. This species, like the previous species, can perform parthenogenesis, which allows it to spread rapidly after its introduction to this country.

Most people would hardly notice this insect-eaten White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) leaf, but to me, this particular piece of patterned foliage tells a story. Those whitish lines are the result of the larval from of Liriomyza eupatoriella, a leaf-miner fly. The fly larva eats the inside of the leaf between the upper and lower epidermal layers of the leaf, leaving these visible squiggly lines.

This Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) leaf also shows the characteristic squiggly lines of an insect larva. Unlike in the previous photo, this damage was caused by a caterpillar of the Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella moth.

While attempting to photograph an ant, I noticed a small, brown insect sitting next to me. As I took a closer look, I realized that the tiny insect was an extremely small grasshopper! At only 6mm, this nymphal Crested Pygmy Grasshopper (Nomotettix cristatus) is one of the smallest grasshoppers around. Due to its size and preference to stay low to the ground, this species is rarely detected. Unfortunately, this elusiveness also means that there is very little information published about this unique and fascinating species.

The final insect I'd like to share is a truly bizarre creature. When I first saw a group of these insects flying around a sweet birch tree, I thought they were little pieces of fluff from the nearby milkweed seed pods. This flying piece of lint is actually an aphid in the family Calaphidinae, the birch aphids. Keep an eye out for these unique critters the next time you pass through the forest.

I'd also like to mention a project I've been working on for a little bit. This project is a dichotomous key to the grass skippers of Pennsylvania. You can find the key here. After keying out to species, if you click on the species name, you will be directed to a page with more information about the species.

A Walk Through the Yard

2011-07-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

I start my afternoon walk at the garden along the east side of the house. The building has shaded the flowers, but that does not deter the brightly-colored Great Spangled Fritillary from taking a sip of nectar out of the Purple Coneflower. After enjoying the sweet liquid, the fritillary gently flaps his way towards the sunny section of the yard and alights upon a Silver Maple leaf for a brief second before taking off into the shaded forest.

The next place I visit is the small pond along the southeastern edge of the yard. As I step towards the water, several tiny, teneral damselflies flutter out of the grass, and a handful of dragonflies take flight and head towards the open water. Along the pond's edge, I see several a female dragonfly dipping her eggs into the murky water--she hovers just above the surface and lightly taps the tip of her abdomens onto the water's surface. A male whitetail guards his mate and chases off any intruder that approaches, but the female Spangled Skimmer is not as lucky, for she is left by herself.

Other dragonflies are ready to lay eggs as well. This pair of Calico Pennants sits silently at the edge of the pond. The brightly-colored wings stand out amongst the sedges making this couple easy to find. After a few minutes of rest, the male, holding the female by her neck, flies out over the pond looking for a suitable location for his mate to lay the eggs.

The buzzing and colorful dragonflies are not the only insects at the pond. As I search through the various grasses, sedges, and spike-rushes growing along the border of the pond, I discover another odonate couple. A pair of Sedge Sprites sits motionless at the tip of a blade of grass--almost invisible to the casual passerby. The male's iridescence shines in the sunlight, while the duller colors of the female have a beauty of their own.

I head away from the water's edge towards a blooming meadowsweet situated above the pond. The flowers are filled with various pollinating insects: bees, wasps, beetles, and ants. One particular flower longhorn, Strangalia luteicornis, slowly eats the whitish flowers as he moves across the inflorescence.

After watching the insects on the Spiraea, I make way across the road into the open field. In this particular section, flowers are few, so I hardly find any butterflies. However, many of the pond-dwelling dragons are out to feed. A young male Widow Skimmer gently flaps his way from perch to perch, occasionally swerving to capture a small fly to eat. Before long, I am sure to find this guy at the pond looking for a mate with whom he can breed.

While following the skimmer, I come across a another dragonfly dressed in black and yellow. Wings held up in the air, the Halloween Pennant balances on the tip of a Timothy stalk as the breeze blows him around. This acrobat gives me quite the show, but does not let me approach. I must keep my distance, or he will flutter down to the next appealing perch.

I soon find myself at the center of a milkweed patch with butterflies all around me. I hear Little Glassywings as they skip past my ears; I see the tell-tale yellow and black flashes of a tiger swallowtail flying through the grass. As I take in the sights and sounds, a small black and white insect flutters in front of my face. As it lands on a Common Milkweed flower, I am able to see his markings--black wings with large, white spots. Count the dots. This is a stunning diurnal moth, the Eight-spotted Forester.

The moth is interesting, but a glimpse of orange catches my attention. I follow this darting speck until he too lands on a milkweed flower. This small, orange butterfly has recently emerged as an adult and is now taking advantage of the copious amount of nectar available in this patch of milkweed plants. This Delaware Skipper is a gorgeous cousin of the paltry-colored Little Glassywings and Northern Broken-Dashes that seem to be everywhere at the moment.

The cooperative Delaware gives me a great opportunity to photograph him, but he is soon scared off by a larger butterfly. When the newcomer finally settles on the milkweed flower head, I realize that this is a Baltimore Checkerspot. I found one at the same location just a day earlier; perhaps this is the same individual. The checkerspot's pattern of black with orange and white spots is enough to make anyone fall in love with this species. Add the beauty of its flight, and you have one of the most gorgeous butterflies around.

Before too long, the checkerspot is on his way and he glides over the field and into the grass and brush on the other side of the meadow. Fully satisfied with the sight I just experienced, I begin the walk back to the house. But after only a few steps, I notice a group of butterflies gathered together on a milkweed plant: hairstreaks. The two on the lower flowers are Banded Hairstreaks, the common woodland species that I found here the day before. Above those, a Gray Hairstreak sits facing east. The Gray Hairstreak is a very common butterfly of grassy meadows and open fields. Despite being common, this is the first time I witnessed this species this year. At the very top of the milkweed plant sits a third hairstreak species. This one is shaped differently than the previous two and has a unique pattern of red dots along the edge of the wing. I recognize this as a Coral Hairstreak. Although the Coral is known for its affinity to Butterfly Milkweed, it will gladly sip nectar from any available flowers. This is only the second sighting of this species in the yard.

I hear a rumble of thunder, so I head towards the house, finishing my loop through the yard with a smile of satisfaction.

A Day of Butterflies

2011-07-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today was all about butterflies. Early this morning, my family and I left for Fort Indiantown Gap (FIG), which is located in Lebanon County, PA. This site is an active military training location and is the only location in the eastern United States with a remaining population of the Regal Fritillary butterfly. Every year, the researchers from FIG lead butterfly tours that showcase the rare and beautiful fritillary. Here is a photo essay about my day at FIG as well as my butterfly findings in my yard this afternoon.

Soon after arriving at the first location for the Regal Fritillary, a few of the researchers caught a few butterflies to show the large group. They explained and showed the differences between the males and females, as well as the distinctions between the other fritillaries in the region: the Great Spangled and the Aphrodite. This is a female Regal.

A few of the butterfly watchers in the grassland at Fort Indiantown Gap. The grassland was originally created by military activity, allowing a perfect place for the Regal's larval foodplant, Arrowleaf Violet (Viola sagittata), to grow. Now, much of the Regal Fritillary habitat at Fort Indiantown Gap is maintained by controlled burns and mowing.

Although the Arrowleaf Violet is a necessary plant for the success of the Regal Fritillary, nectar plants such as this Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) are equally important. The adult butterflies cannot survive without nectar plants such as milkweeds and thistles.

Here is a male Regal Fritillary chasing a female. The butterfly on the right is the male, which can be determined by the row of orange spots on the hindwing. The female has a row of white spots (visible on the first photo).

Many of the Regals rarely landed, which made them difficult to photograph. This individual sat to nectar for a few seconds and allowed me to take photo.

The Regal Fritillary is the main attraction at FIG, but many other butterfly species (over 80) have also been recorded in the various habitats included within FIG. American Coppers, like the one pictured above, were fairly common along the paths in the grassland today.

Another fairly common species in the grassland is the Aphrodite Fritillary. This species resembles a small Regal Fritillary without the black on the hindwing.

One of my favorite butterflies of the trip was this Zebra Swallowtail that nectared on Butterfly Milkweed along the border between the grassland and the forest. The zebra-like bands of black and white, along with the red line and long "tails", make this an unmistakable butterfly of "southern" forests in the eastern United States.

As well as seeing good numbers of butterflies at FIG, we also saw quite a few dragonflies. This Halloween Pennant perched on this twig and occasionally flew off to catch small insects. Other dragonflies that we saw flying around the grasslands included Common Green Darner, Widow Skimmer, Twelve-spotted Skimmer, and Carolina Saddlebags.

After the trip to FIG, I did some more butterflying in the milkweed patch in the field across from my house. The first species I found was this Black Swallowtail nectaring on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). At first glance, this species looks similar to the Spicebush Swallowtail, but the complete orange spot-band identifies this as a Black.

The most abundant butterfly species in the patch was Little Glassywing. I did a quick count of these guys on the milkweed flowers and counted about 150 individuals.

At times, the Little Glassywing filled the flower heads of the Common Milkweed. Mixed in with the glassywings were other skippers such as Silver-spotted, Dun, and Delaware Skippers, and Northern Broken-Dash.

Northern Broken-Dashes have just started to emerge here in southern Monroe County. The glassywings are at their peak right now, but in a few weeks, they will be mostly replaced by this species.

Other common species like this Eastern Tailed-Blue visited the milkweed flowers too. This tiny, blue butterfly is sometimes difficult to photograph, but this individual sat still long enough for me to get a good photo.

Since I began butterflying a little over a year ago, I have looked for Banded Hairstreaks in the yard. Last year, I managed to find several less-common hairstreak species, but not the "common" Banded. Earlier in June, I saw reports on the PALepsOdes list of Banded Hairstreaks visiting Indian-hemp and Common Milkweed flowers, so I diligently checked every flower I came across hoping for one. After a week or two, the posts stopped, and I figured I had again missed the Banded Hairstreaks. Then, about two days ago, I looked out to a Common Milkweed along the side of the house and saw a hairstreak! I rushed out, and sure enough, it was a Banded. I was extremely excited to finally find one in the yard. Then today, when I went to check the milkweed patch and found over a dozen Banded Hairstreaks, I was amazed. Not only were the hairstreaks in abundance, they were also very cooperative and provided great photo opportunities.

At times, the hairstreaks shared the flowers with other butterflies.

While looking for hairstreaks, I noticed one that looked a little bit different than the Bandeds. This one was larger, grayer, and had a very different pattern on the wings. From a distance, I thought it was a Gray Hairstreak, a common hairstreak in this area. As I got closer, I noticed that the white lines on the wing formed an "M" and there was a distinctive white dot close to the base of the wing. These characteristics identify this individual as a White M Hairstreak, one of the uncommon hairstreaks on the property.

While meandering through the milkweeds, I glanced over to an area with thistles and noticed an unusual-looking dark butterfly flying low in the grass. I was unfamiliar with this particular flight pattern and coloration, so I went over to get a better look. When the butterfly finally landed and opened its wings, it was clear that my mystery butterfly was a Baltimore Checkerspot. This incredibly beautiful species is one that I had never seen before, and never expected to find in the yard. I spent several minutes just enjoying this wonderful butterfly and the amazing patterns of black, orange, and white on the wings.

The Baltimore Checkerspot has my vote for the most strikingly-colored butterfly in the region. When the wings are closed, the patterns become even more interesting and detailed. This butterfly was an awesome way to end an exciting and butterfly-filled day!

This patch of Common Milkweed has been incredibly productive for butterflies this year. Every year it gets bigger, providing more nectar for the butterflies mentioned above, as well as hosting numerous other insect species. I strongly encourage everyone who has a garden to plant some milkweed, for it will provide food for an incredible array of native insects. Nectar-eating adults of the skippers and hairstreaks will be attracted to the large clusters of flowers and the larval stages of Monarchs and Milkweed Tussock Moths will benefit from eating the leaves.

Some Neat Finds

2011-06-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

While walking through the yard and woods on Sunday, I came across some neat things:

Just as I left the house, I noticed a small butterfly nectaring on the common milkweed along the driveway. At first, I took it for one of the ubiquitous Little Glassywings, but when I took a second look, I realized the shape was all wrong. Closer inspection revealed that it was a Banded Hairstreak, a small, woodland species that I had never seen in the yard before! The caterpillars of this species feed on the leaves of various oak and hickory species, both of which are common in the woods around the yard.

Along the edge of the woods, I came across this tiny American Toad crossing the path. This time of year, numerous toads and frogs can be found hopping through the woods as they leave the ponds and pools in which they were born.

In a meadow at the top of the property, I noticed an interesting insect sitting on a dried grass blade. This insect turned out to be this beautiful Black-and-Yellow Lichen Moth (Lycomorpha pholus).

As I continued along the path, I found a small yellow and black beetle sitting on a gray birch leaf. This little beetle is a Fourteen-spotted Lady Beetle (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata), one of the coolest looking "ladybugs" in my opinion.

As I reached the end of the property, I turned over a few rocks to look for salamanders, spiders, or whatever I could find. Under one of the larger rocks, I found this Northern Ringneck Snake. This is a fairly common species in the region, but one that is infrequently encountered because it hides under rocks and fallen logs.

Beetles

2011-06-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

Beetles (order Coleoptera) are another group of insects that I am just beginning to learn. With over 350,000 described species in the world, beetles make up an incredibly large portion (about 40%) of the insect species on the planet. In North America alone, there are about 24,000 known species. This huge diversity creates an incredible identification challenge.

However, some beetles are relatively simple to identify and can tell us a lot about the environment in which they live. Here are a few examples of beetles I have found recently:

This first beetle belongs to one of the most well-recognized groups of beetles, although many people would not know it from a view like this, but rather from the bright yellow flashes it emits on warm summer nights. This beetle in the genus Photinus belongs to the family Lampyridae, the fireflies.

This Strangalia famelica belongs to a group of beetles known as Lepturinae, the flower longhorns. Members of this subfamily often have skinny bodies, long antennae, and (as the name suggests) they are often associated with flowers. Species in this group of beetles become extremely common as summer flowers begin blooming. I found this particular beetle on the flower of a swamp rose (Rosa palustris).

This guy is another flower longhorn. I found this Strangalepta abbreviata on a wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) that was filled with various beetles, bees, flies, and wasps.

This fuzzy beetle of the genus Trichiotinus is commonly found on flowers. Every year, I begin seeing these when the wild hydrangea starts blooming. In fact, I found this individual on a flower head of a wild hydrangea. It is thought that the appearance and flight of this genus mimic that of bees in the genus Bombus.

The Elderberry Borer (Desmocerus palliatus) is an uncommon beetle that is often found near (or in this case, on) its hostplant, American elder (Sambucus canadensis). Like the Strangalia and Strangalepta beetles, this beetle is another flower longhorn, but is much larger than those species.

Any avid gardener in the eastern half of the United States will immediately recognize this pest beetle as Popillia japonica, the invasive Japanese Beetle. This scarab beetle causes severe damage as it eats the leaves of anything it can find. The Japanese beetle is a true generalist, so it will eat the leaves, flowers, and fruits of many shrubs and perennials (native and non-native), but it seems to particularily enjoy plants in the rose family.

This gorgeous, metallic beetle is often confused with the previous species, but is shinier and more colorful. Unlike the Japanese Beetle, the Dogbane Beetle (Chrysochus auratus) is a native species that is found on plants in the dogbane family. I found this one on indian-hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) accompanied by a little syrphid fly (Toxomerus marginatus).

This final beetle was one of the more excitings finds of the day. While in the field during a late afternoon walk with the dog, my brother spotted a large beetle on a flower of timothy grass (Phleum pratense). The shape identified it as a large click beetle: Melanactes piceus to be specific.

Porch Light Naturalist

2011-06-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Most people have seen a light during a warm, summer night with numerous moths flying around it. The reason for this is often thought to be related to the idea that moths use the moon as a point of reference while flying around or migrating. To moths and other insects, a bright artificial light may look like the moon, so they use that as a guideline rather than the real moon. As a result, the moths get disoriented and flutter around the light.

This disorientation and movement towards the light (not technically "attraction") allows close observation of many insects species that would be difficult to find otherwise. For the past week or so, I have been going out to the porch light after dark and checking to see what shows up. Over the course of about one week, I have recorded about 60 species of moths near the light, as well as numerous species of other insects including mayflies, wasps, beetles, and stink bugs.

A common moth species this time of year is the Pink-barred Pseudeustrotia (Pseudeustrotia carneola). This species is easily recognized by the two light-colored bands that break up the dark areas of the wing.

Unlike the previous species, the Common Idia (Idia aemula) is a fairly plain species. This is a very light-colored individual.

Moths come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. This Grape Leaf-folder Moth (Desmia sp.) is a relatively small moth, with a wingspan of about 2 cm and a distinctive shape and pattern.

This yellow moth, Sparganothis xanthoides, is one of many species of moths that I had never encountered before.

As the name would suggest, the large Tulip-tree Beauty (Epimecis hortaria) is a gorgeous moth.

Another aptly named moth is the Beautiful Wood-Nymph (Eudryas grata). The beautiful patterns and colors on this moth made it stand out from many of the brown and gray species at the light.

This Leuconycta diphteroides is rather dull, but if you look carefully, the wings have very interesting patterns.

Although this moth appears very different from the previous picture, this is another

Leuconycta diphteroides. This one is much brighter and more colorful, so the patterns really stand out.

Most of the previously mentioned moths are relatively large and easy to see as they sit on the edge of the house. However, some moths require a bit of searching because their small size makes them difficult to find. One example of such a moth is this Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella), which has a wingspan of about one centimeter. Although hard to imagine, this species is a well-documented transoceanic migrant!

The Speckled Xylesthia Moth (Xylesthia pruniramiella) is another small moth that blended in with the wall on which it was perched. This species has distinct "ridges" on the top of its wings.

The Double-banded Grass-Veneer (Crambus agitatellus) is the most common small moth at the porch light this time of year. This species is also commonly found in the woods and meadows near the house.

Plenty of non-moth insects come to the light as well. This stinkbug, Banasa calva, is a species that I have only ever seen around lights at night.

While many of the moths come to the light for the reason mentioned at the beginning of this post, this Dimorphic Jumping Spider (Maevia inclemens) came to the light to find an easy snack.

This Ichneumon wasp in the genus Netelia is only one of several wasps that I see at the porch light each evening.

Mayflies, like this one, are frequently found at the porch light. A few weeks ago, during the BioBlitz at Jacobsburg State Park, lots of mayflies were found on the illuminated walls of the park office.

A Trip to Ricketts Glen State Park

2011-06-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, my mom, brother, and I traveled to the area around Ricketts Glen State Park. Our first stop was State Game Lands #57, which is located directly north of the state park. Upon arriving, we parked in a gravel lot situated next to this rocky stream. The stream was bordered with plants such as meadowsweet and silky dogwood.

The muddy parking lot was a perfect location for "puddling". Puddling is a behavior exhibited by many butterflies in order to collect minerals. Certain butterflies, like this Red-spotted Purple, are commonly found at puddles and muddy areas.

We found this White Admiral in the same parking lot. This White Admiral actually belongs to the same species as the previous butterfly. The two subspecies are different in appearance, but are almost identical in structure. The White Admiral is the more northern subspecies of the species.

From the parking lot, we walked along a grassy road that meanders along the creek. This partially wooded area was filled with dragonflies including this female American Emerald.

Chalk-fronted Corporals were another extremely common dragonfly along this road. Over the course of a few hours, we saw over one hundred of these skittish insects.

After a little while, the road became muddy, and we found ourselves in a sphagnum bog. The waterlogged Sphagnum moss provides an excellent place for certain unusual plants to grow. My mom spotted this round-leaved sundew, a carnivorous plant, growing along the edge of the trail. Sundew plants trap prey in the sticky "dew" on the leaves. The plant then secretes enzymes that dissolve the insect and allow the plant to receive essential nutrients.

The bog, which is very similar to habitats found farther north, is home to "northern" butterflies like this Common Ringlet.

Leatherleaf is another plant that is common in the bog on State Game Lands #57.

One of the most well-known bog plants is the cranberry. At the time we explored the bog, the flowers were just beginning to open.

The bog is filled with various grasses, sedges, and shrubs that grow on top of a thick layer of Sphagnum moss.

In the game lands between the bog and the road, we walked along a section of forest that was recently logged. The logging created perfect habitat for many bird species. While hiking through this area, we heard several Least Flycatchers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and White-throated Sparrows.

The logged area also opened up habitat for unusual dragonfly species. I photographed this Maine Snaketail after it caught a small insect, and then perched to eat.

After exploring the game lands, we headed into the state park. Our first stop was at "the Hayfields," a large expanse of grasses and highbush blueberries. From the top of the hill, we saw a large swath of purple flowers in the wetland below.

As we walked down to the wet area, we realized that the purple flowers were blue flag irises.

From the Hayfields we travelled to the main attraction of Ricketts Glen, the waterfalls. Along the wooded trail, we found numerous lichen-covered trees and moss-covered rocks.

The damp, rocky forest provided perfect habitat for plants such as this hobblebush.

The woods at Ricketts Glen are a wonderful place for wildflowers. We found several spring flowers that were going to seed. Trilliums were some of the more common wildflowers along with starflower, indian cucumber-root, and northern wood-sorrel.

After walking for a while, we finally reached the first waterfall. The sight of the falling water, green hobblebush, and textured bark of the hemlocks was a splendid sight!

The Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen travels down along one creek then climbs up along another providing great views of over twenty waterfalls.

While hiking along the stream, we found this mountain maple growing along the stream. Unlike many other species in the genus, mountain maple has flowers that grown on a cluster.

The most abundant wildflower along the waterfalls was northern wood-sorrel, which has flowers ranging from white to pink.

We had a great day of hiking and exploring!

Brake for Turtles!

2011-06-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

In late May and throughout June, several turtle species complete a short migration in order to reach breeding grounds. Two of the most commonly encountered turtles during this movement are the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) and the Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta). These turtles may cover large distances as they move from the woodlands and meadows (where they live for most of the year) to wetlands for breeding. Once these turtles mate and the females have laid eggs, the adults turn around and return into the woods from which they came.

Eastern Box Turtle

Wood Turtle

In order to reach suitable breeding habitat, the turtles must cross large expanses of land. In today's world, this means that the turtles are forced to cross roads. Roads situated in turtle habitat are often small, back roads with relatively little traffic, which could be good for the turtles. However, people often travel at high speeds along these curvy roads, and a slow, road-crossing turtle stands no chance to a two ton car. As a result, many turtles are killed this time of year. While traveling along a wooded road during the morning hours and after a evening or nighttime rain, it is not uncommon to find several dead box or wood turtles.

Wood Turtle crossing a road

Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) are occasionally found walking across roads.

During the breeding season, it is incredibly important to look out for these turtles as they are crossing roads. These turtles, especially the Eastern Box Turtles, are known to be rapidly declining throughout much of their ranges. The last thing this species needs to face is death by automobiles. This problem can be greatly reduced by people who drive along roads that are crossed by turtles. Simply moving a turtles to the side of the road can save the life of the turtle and possibly the offspring. One word of caution: while Eastern Box and Wood Turtles are easy and fine to carry across a road, don't attempt to help a Snapping Turtle cross the road unless you have no need for your fingers!

Snapping Turtles are also commonly seen crossing roads, but don't attempt to pick up one of these!

Appalachian Azure

2011-06-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Within the last twenty years, researchers have made several discoveries involving the butterfly genus Celastrina, the azures. Several years ago, there was only one recognized species in the eastern United States, the Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon). Now that scientists can look at DNA sequences, it has become clear that there are several distinct species in this region. As I have mentioned in previous posts, there are five species that are commonly found in eastern Pennsylvania. The Northern Spring (Lucia) Azure (Celastrina lucia) is the first azure to appear in spring. This species is most common in the mountains from the Kittatinny Ridge and north from there. The Northern Spring Azure primarily eats the leaves and stems of blueberries (Vaccinium) as caterpillar.

Northern Spring Azure, Celastrina lucia

The second species to emerge in spring, often in the first week of May, is the Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon). Almost identical to the previous species, the Spring Azure is the common azure for the first few weeks of May. In the Lehigh Valley, which is located south of the Kittatinny Ridge, this seems to be the predominant azure species. The Spring Azure's primary caterpillar food plant is flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), a common tree of deciduous forests.

Spring Azure, Celastrina ladon

Beginning around the third week of May, a new batch of azures can be found in the woods and forest edges. At this point, many Spring Azures are worn and dull, as they have been flying for a few weeks, so they can be separated from these new Cherry Gall Azures (Celastrina serotina). This species uses Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina).

The longest-lasting of the azures is the Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta). This species is the most distinct of any of the species already mentioned. The spring species are usually well-marked with dark spots, but Summer Azures are often very very pale and chalky white rather than blueish gray. As a caterpillar, the Summer Azure may use several shrub species including silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) and meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia). Since these plants are commonly found along woodland edges and brushy fields, this butterfly is often found in these habitats rather than woodlands.

Summer Azure, Celastrina neglecta

The fifth and rarest species is the Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor). This large, pale azure flies at the same time as the Summer Azure, but only feeds on black cohosh (Actaea racemosa; syn. Cimicifuga racemosa). The female Appalachian Azure lays her eggs on the unopened flower spikes of this cohosh. Once the caterpillar hatches, it feeds on the flower buds and stems (Pavulaan & Wright, 2000).

Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor) on the host plant

In Pennsylvania, this species is primarily found in the southern half of the state. A few years ago, I learned that this species had never been found in my home county. After learning this, and after finding a large patch of the host plant, I kept an eye out for any azures in that area. In 2009 and 2010, I checked the plants for eggs and caterpillars, but was unsuccessful. This year was different. While I was in the woods, I spotted an azure flying just above my head. I followed the azure in an attempt to get a better look. I followed the blue speck until it led me to the patch of black cohosh and finally landed--on the host plant for the Appalachian Azure. Until this point, I had assumed that this was another one of the ubiquitous Summer Azures. I immediately checked the flower spike of the closest cohosh plant. Sure enough, I found two azure eggs situated between the flower buds! This was the first sighting and documented record of Appalachian Azure in Monroe County (confirmed by David M. Wright), which could be a sign of range expansion since these butterflies were not observed at this location in previous years. In the next week or so, I hope to return to the patch of cohosh and count the number of eggs present and hopefully get photos of adults and caterpillars.

Appalachian Azure eggs on buds of Actaea racemosa

Pavulaan, Harry and David M. Wright. "The Biology, Life History, History, and Taxonomy of Celastrina neglectamajor (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae)." The Taxonomic Report. 2.5 (2000): 1-19. pdf.

Some Cool Ferns

2011-06-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

During the warmer months of the year, ferns are common plants of the forest floor. Some of the most common ferns in this area are hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), the wood ferns (Dryopteris), and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum), however, there is a large variety of less common and fascinating fern species that inhabit our woods and meadows.

Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) is a easily recognizable fern of damp or wet areas. This species often grows in wet, wooded areas or along forest edges. Many areas where this fern grows many not appear wet at first, but a closer examination under the soil will show that the area is indeed wet enough to support a group of these ferns. Many ferns are characterized by their divided leaves and branching vein system. Sensitive ferns are different in these respects, as the fronds only have several large divisions and contain a "netted" vein system.

Climbing fern, also known as Hartford fern (Lygodium palmatum), is a truly exciting species to find. If a casual observer passed this plant in a wet meadow, they would not realize that it is a fern. The palmate leaves and vine-like growth make this plant unlike any other fern in the region. Much like the sensitive fern, climbing fern needs a certain amount of moisture in the soil in order to survive. However, climbing fern is no where near as frequently encountered as sensitive fern. This species is listed as rare in Pennsylvania, as it is found in relatively few locations around the state. Despite being considered relatively rare, where climbing fern does occur, it often grows in large patches covering acres of ground. Climbing fern also has an interesting history, as it was the first plant in the United States to have a protection law. These vine-like plants were once collected for decorations, causing the populations to significantly decrease, which resulted in a Connecticut law banning the collection of this species.

Although it may look like many other ferns, rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum) is very different than other common forest ferns. The major distinctive feature is the fertile frond that is different than the rest of the plant. In the photo, notice the "snake rattle" that grows like a frond off the main stem (where the plant gets its name); this is the fertile frond. Many other fern species produce spores on the undersides of normal, leafy fronds, but this is not the case with rattlesnake fern. This unique fertile frond is where the spores are produced. This distinctive feature allows for easy identification of this fern. Rattlesnake ferns are common along woodland edges and in small openings in the forest.

Triangle grapefern, or triangle moonwort, (Botrychium lanceolatum) appears to be an opposite of the rattlesnake fern. Rattlesnake ferns have a large sterile frond and a relatively small fertile frond, but this grapefern has a huge fertile frond and a thin, small sterile frond. This species is much less common than rattlesnake fern and is only occasionally found in wet or damp woods.

These are just a few of the many interesting ferns that grow in the woods this time of year. The next time you are in the woods, keep an eye out for these species that are often overlooked due to the presence of more colorful and showy plants and flowers.

Late Spring Butterflies

2011-06-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Summer is known as the best time of year for butterfly diversity. With warm temperatures and blooming flowers (e.g. joe-pye-weed, beebalm, and milkweeds), butterflies can be extremely abundant. During this time, the species diversity of butterflies is very high; in mid-July, it is not uncommon to easily find 20-30 butterfly species in a single meadow. As a result of this high diversity and abundance of brightly-colored species, many "butterfliers" wait until this prime time to go looking for these insects.

Although summer is often considered the best season for butterflies, many unique species show up around late spring. Many of these species only fly for a short time period, so by the time the summer butterflies emerge, these interesting spring species are no longer around. Unlike summer, where large, flower-filled meadows and gardens seem to be hotspots, spring butterflies prefer woodlands and grassy meadows or shrubby areas.

A meadow with warm-season grasses, greenbrier (Smilax), and meadowsweet (Spiraea) is perfect for spring butterfles.

The only downside to finding butterflies during the spring is that they rarely sit still. Since there are few flowers blooming for the butterflies to get nectar, the butterflies do not sit still for very long. However, if flowers such as northern dewberry (Rubus flagellaris) are blooming, the butterflies may congregate around the flowers.

Here are some interesting late spring butterfly species that are currently are flying or will be emerging very soon. If you see these species, please report them to the Eastern Pennsylvania Phenology Project.

Many of the common spring butterflies are classified as "skippers" a group of small, plain butterflies that are commonly found in grassy areas. The butterfly pictured above is a duskywing, which is a type of skipper. This species is most likely a Wild Indigo Duskywing, a common species of open areas. However, there is the possibility that this is a Columbine Duskywing, a little-known species that is virtually identical to the Wild Indigo. Due to the fact that these species are so similar, it is possible that the Columbine Duskywing, although considered rare now, may be more common than researchers currently know. These Wild Indigo-type Duskywings are just beginning to emerge in northeastern Pennsylvania.

This butterfly, a Dreamy Duskywing, is a common butterfly of late spring and early summer. As a caterpillar, Dreamy Duskywings eat the leaves of birches, aspens, and willows, so the adults are commonly found in open meadows or fields near forests where these trees grow. Unlike Wild Indigo Duskywings, a fairly large skipper, Dreamy Duskywings are very small and often avoid detection due to this size as well as their quick flight. This species is very similar to the Sleepy Duskywing, a species that flies a few weeks earlier and is mostly gone by the time Dreamy Duskywings emerge.

Another "large" skipper is the Northern Cloudywing. The cloudywing is similar to the duskywings, but has a different wing shape, often sits with its wings partway open (whereas duskywings often sit with wings fully opened), and does not have as much patterning on the wings. This species can be found in woodlands or open areas. Although this species will begin to emerge during the coming weeks, it will stick around throughout part of the summer.

Yet another brown skipper, the Cobweb Skipper is a very interesting late-spring species. Unlike the previously mentioned species, the Cobweb Skipper belongs to a group of skippers known as grass skippers, a large group of small butterflies. While many of these species are found throughout the summer, some species (including the Cobweb) only occur for a few weeks in late May and early June. The Cobweb Skipper relies on bluestem grasses (Andropogon and Schizachyrium), so it is almost always found in fields or meadows where these plants grow. Unfortunately, good meadows with these necessary grasses are being lost to development, and the butterfly population is falling as well. Although this species can be quite common at a good location, such locations can be difficult to find.

Indian Skippers are often found in the same places as Cobweb Skippers: upland meadows with bluestem grasses. The Indian Skipper also only occurs for a few weeks around the end of May and the beginning of June. This species is also declining due to a loss of habitat, so finding stable populations is extremely important. Since this and the previous species have such short flight periods and are very dependent on rainfall amounts and other meteorological patterns, they are important indicators of climate change and varying weather patterns.

A final butterfly of late spring is the ubiquitous Little Wood-Satyr. These medium-sized brown butterflies are commonly found along wooded edges, fields, yards, and roadsides. The wood-satyr is not a skipper like the previous species and behaves differently. Little Wood-Satyrs often sit on a sunny perch and allow close observation. Wood-satyrs also fly much slower than skippers, making them easy to follow and observe. This species is currently very abundant in many habitats and can number in the hundreds over a small area in suitable habitat.

Wilson's Warbler and more!

2011-05-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

This morning, I got up to do some birding as I often do this time of year. I often get up early to listen for nocturnally-migrating birds to add a few extra species that I might not see later on. However, I was exhausted last night, so I woke up at 6am, fairly late by birders' standards. When I went outside, I immediately headed to the woods. Right away, I heard the common woodland species: Ovenbirds, Black-and-white Warblers, and Scarlet Tanagers. Once I reached the ridgetop meadow on the property, I started to hear other species. Several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Eastern Towhees, and Field Sparrows were singing along with the large flock of warblers that included Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Prairie, Worm-eating, Nashville, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, and American Redstart.

Once my neck was sore from watching all of the warblers, I headed back towards the house. Just up the hill from the house is a fenced in area that once held in goats. Now, the area is filled with young aspen trees. These trees must have been filled with insects, as there were loads of warblers here as well! Right away I heard both Yellow and Chestnut-sided Warblers singing from the patch of trees. The proximity of these birds allowed for a good comparison of these two similar-sounding species. Not long after, a Magnolia Warbler and several Yellow-rumped Warblers began singing.

As I was about to head to another area of the yard, I heard an unfamiliar song. As I continued to listen, I realized that I was listening to the song of a Wilson's Warbler. I had only seen this species in the yard once before, so this was an exciting find. The cooperative bird allowed me to record its song and photograph it before it flew away. Later in the day, I refound the bird in some fruit trees near the house. The final warbler of the morning was a Canada Warbler that was singing from a greenbriar thicket on the edge of the yard.

Today was an awesome day for birding in the yard -- I ended with 77 species including 19 warbler species!

Here is the audio and a photo of the Wilson's Warbler that showed up in the yard today:

Birds and Butterflies!

2011-05-03T16:53:00.001-07:00

Finally, spring is fully here! Over the past few weeks, many species of birds have been arriving to the region. So far, much of the migration has been of warblers, with vireos, thrushes, and others to arrive soon.

Worm-eating Warblers are one of my favorite warbler species. Although the song of the WEWA is not nearly as melodic as many warbler species, it is exciting to hear it from the densest areas of forested hillsides where this species breeds. I found this individual who was singing and searching for food in an area where this species bred last year.

Northern Parulas do not breed in the areas around my house, but they are common migrants in the spring and fall. This gorgeous bird stopped to feed in the apple tree next to the house.

In the same tree as the parula above, this Nashville Warbler also stopped by to feed on the plentiful insects that visit the apple blossums. This species is never common in this area, but I have seen or heard several of them in the past few days. Note the red on top of the bird's head, a characteristic rarely seen in the field.

Warblers are not the only birds migrating! I spotted these, and several other, Wood Ducks flying overhead.

This Eastern Comma stopped for a sip of nectar on an ornamental cherry tree. This species, and the similar Question Mark, are common springtime butterflies of forests. Eastern Comma seems to prefer upland woodlands and the Question Mark inhabits creek and river edges.

I found this Eastern Pine Elfin on its foodplant, Pitch Pine. This species only appears for a short time in spring and is a treat to find. Pine elfins are most commonly found in upland barrens with pines.

One of two Eastern Pine Elfins I found this weekend.

Bees and Springtails

2011-03-20T18:11:00.001-07:00

During the past few days, the temperatures have reached into the 50s and even (for one day) into the 60s. With the rising temperatures, many of the early spring flowers are blooming: snowdrops, winter aconite, and crocuses. These flowers need pollinators, and over the past few days, I have seen the first bees of the year. This time of year, bees are not abundant like they are later in the year, but occasionally, one can be found curled up inside a flower or sunning on a blade of grass.

The first bee I found this year was this Lasioglossum sp. This guy was taking a rest on a Snowdrop (Galanthus) flower.

While the smaller bees are enjoying the small flowers of Snowdrops, some larger bees like this Cellophane Bee (Colletes sp.) prefer the larger flowers of the crocuses. This bee is covered in pollen from the various flowers it has visited.

This Cellophane Bee took a rest on a Snowdrop flower.

The third and final bee that I have found this year is this Cuckoo Bee (Nomada).

While the bees are enjoying the array of brightly colored flowers currently in bloom, springtails (Collembola) are enjoying the damp ground that comes with spring rains and melting snow. During a walk through the woods today, I encountered several types of these fascinating creatures.

Snow fleas (Hypogastrura nivicola) are, by far, the most common springtail during the winter. Groups of this and similar species congregate on top of the ice and snow making themselves visible. This time of year, they are harder to find as the snow has melted. However, as long as the ground stays damp, these guys will stay near the surface of the ground, often just under the leaf litter or under a fallen branch.

This small, blue springtail looks similar (in shape) to the Hypogastrura, but the abdomen is more cylindrical. This guy belongs to the group Entomobryomorpha, or elongate-bodied springtails (more specifically, Isotomidae). This group tends to be less gregarious than Poduridae and many species seem to prefer to "run" from danger than to jump.

This brightly-colored springtail (Dicyrtoma fusca) belongs to the order Symphypleona, the globular springtails. These springtails are very good jumpers and will hop out of sight if a potential predator gets too close. This individual was very cooperative and allowed me to get several decent photographs. Keep in mind that this "large" springtail is only a few millimeters in length.

Signs of Spring

2011-02-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

This time of year, many people are searching for a sign that spring is near. In my yard, there are three easy ways to tell if spring is near: Turkey Vultures begin to fly, flowers begin to bloom, and American Woodcocks begin their territorial "singing". I witnessed all three of those today. First, the vultures. For most of the day, small groups of Turkey and Black Vultures sailed over the yard, rocking back and forth in the glorious sun. Second, the flowers. As the snow melted away, the flowers of Winter Aconite appeared. These bright yellow flowers (native to Europe) are always the first to bloom and brighten an otherwise dull landscape. And finally, the woodcocks. After the sun had set, my mom came to the door and mentioned that she may have heard a displaying woodcock. I grabbed my boots and headed outside to listen. Sure enough, a woodcock called--peent. Before long, several American Woodcocks were calling from the damp, muddy field.

Although the temperatures are supposed to dip again for the next few days, I hope that these signs are not just teasing us.

2010 -- Part I

2011-02-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to do this for a few weeks now, but I have been too busy. Now, with a break for Presidents' Day Weekend, I can finally compile a list of my favorite moments from 2010:

In February, a large snowstorm hit the region. In Kunkletown, we received around 18 inches of snow. Although fun, the large amount of snow made it difficult to get around. Revi, my dog, had no idea what to do with so much snow!

On February 17, country-singer Kathy Mattea visited Moravian College for a presentation about the impacts of coal mining on people, the environment, and music. Her presentation included songs from her album Coal. It was an incredibly powerful and inspiring presentation.

In March, I traveled to Costa Rica. The adventure began with a stop at middle elevations, where the group found this lovely Bay-headed Tanager. Although pouring rain, the birds were still around. In 2009 I visited Costa Rica and it was raining at this same spot. Unfortunately on that trip, the rain lasted for the entire week. In 2010, the returning trip members could only wish for drier weather than the year before.

From there, we went to El Zota, a biological station along the Caribbean coast. As always, this area was full of great birds as well as mud! Despite the mud, we received NO rain while in the lowlands, which was a lovely surprise.

After the lowlands, we headed to the mountains in search of the Resplendent Quetzal like the one above. We saw several which was a real treat. The birds were wonderful; the road to the birds was not.

As well as seeing quetzals, we saw numerous brilliantly-colored hummingbirds including this stunning Fiery-throated Hummingbird.

In May, many birds began returning to the yard including this Blue-winged Warbler that could be heard every morning from the house. Not long after the arrival of this bright warbler, other species began arriving including Prairie Warblers and the my first ever Mourning Warbler for the yard. The Mourning Warbler proved difficult to see, but sang all morning long and was the first thing I heard when I woke up for school.

During the second week of May, I began scouting for the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. I focused my scouting on southern New Jersey including places such as Heislerville WMA, Jake's Landing, Cape May, and Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine). I was on the Subadult Skuaz with Luke Seitz and Ian Davies.

Brigantine was full of great birds including this White-faced Ibis. Other great birds were seen at Brig including Gull-billed Tern, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Black Skimmer. A Bar-tailed Godwit was seen at the Refuge, but apparently left before I was able to get there for scouting.

Finding Piping Plovers, like this one, is always a treat while birding Cape May County. I also found Northern Bobwhite, Dickcissel, and Common Eider in this bird-filled county while scouting.

With 188 species, the Subadult Skuaz were able to win the youth division! (We also were able to do some advertising for eBird thanks to Marshall Iliff.) We found many great birds with highlights of Golden-winged Warbler and Harlequin Duck, but missed common species like Northern Flicker, our most embarrassing miss. Overall, we had a great, fun day that we ended surrounded by a cacophony of Clapper Rails.

In June, I started and compiled the Monroe-Carbon Butterfly Count, which was part of the North American Butterfly Association butterfly counts. I surveyed the area around my yard and found, among many other species, this beautiful Striped Hairstreak on blooming Wild Hydrangea. The count was a success with several teams across the region including one at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center.

February Birds

2011-02-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the Lehigh Gap Area Feederwatch. This Sunday, I counted the birds that visited the feeders in the yard. I was able to find 17 species and 71 individual birds including American Tree Sparrows, Pine Siskins, and a Carolina Wren.

American Goldfinches, a Pine Siskin, and a House Finch at the feeder

As well as watching the birds at the feeder on Sunday, my mom and I traveled to Graver's Hill, a well-known spot for wintering grassland bird species. At Graver's Hill, we found several Horned Larks as well as a Snow Bunting. The bunting was sitting along the side of the road and allowed us to get fairly close.

One of the Horned Larks at Graver's Hill

Snow Buntings, like this one, are fairly common in Pennsylvania during the winter, but are always exciting to find. They often associate with flocks of Horned Larks.

January Birding

2011-01-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

The birding year began when I woke up on January 1 and found an American Goldfinch at the thistle feeder. This was followed by several common feeder birds including chickadees, titmice, and juncos. Even a Pine Siskin joined in the feeding frenzy. As the sun rose, my dad and I headed out to the yard to look for birds. We found several common species as well as a Great Blue Heron that flew low over our heads.

As I posted in the previous blog entry, a Harlequin Duck had been hanging out along the Delaware River near Riverton, Northampton County, PA. My dad and I had gone to see it two days before, but my mom did not get to go along. My mom and I decided to take a New Year's Day trip over the the river to search for the rare duck. When we arrived, we found the duck floating in the middle of the river with a small group of Buffleheads. The Harlequin was a lifer for my mom.

While at the Harlequin spot, we ran into a birder who had just seen the Anna's Hummingbird that had been visiting a feeder since late November. This winter visitor was the first of this species for Pennsylvania.

Excited about seeing this unusual bird, my mom, brother, and I headed to Mountain Springs Camping Resort in Berks County, PA. After a bit of searching, we found the house where the feeder was hanging and waited for the bird. After about twenty minutes of waiting, the bird visited the feeder for a quick drink before flying off. This bird was a lifer for both my mom and me.

On the way home from the hummingbird location, we stopped at the Fogelsville Quarry, a local 'hotspot' for waterfowl during the winter. Most of the birds in the quarry were Canada Geese and Mallards, but we also found American Black Duck, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, and American Coot.

On the 15th, I helped out with the Winter Bird Survey run by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The volunteers were split into groups and we headed out to bird northern Lehigh and southern Carbon counties. The group I was with found 33 species, including Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrow.

On the 21st, I was birding in my yard when I heard the flight calls of Common Redpolls. Sure enough, two of these winter finches were flying over the yard. This species is in a group of irruptive winter finches that do not reach Pennsylvania every year. That same day, I heard a Hermit Thrush and saw a Brown Creeper climbing up an oak.

On the 22nd, my family and I headed to Brodheadsville for my brother's soccer game. While driving home after the game, we spotted an adult Red-shouldered Hawk sitting on a power line. After seeing the hawk, we stopped at Weir Lake which is a small lake that was built for the community that surrounds the water. As my dad and I learned on the 2010 Wild Creek-Little Gap Christmas Bird Count, this lake sometimes holds interesting species, such as Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked Duck, as well as gulls and more common duck species. On this day, however, much of the lake was frozen so the number of waterfowl was down. Despite the small amount of open water, we found 23 Hooded Mergansers swimming around with the more common Canada Geese, Mallards, and American Black Ducks.

This year, two members of the Pennsylvania Birding Listserv are holding a yard-listing competition. Birders from around the state will count all of the species that they can see or hear in the yard during 2011. So far I am up to 35 species. In past years, the highest yard counts have been just over 150 species. During 2010, I found 148, so my personal goal is to reach 150. If anyone reading this post is a birder, I encourage you to keep track of the bird species that you see in your yard!

Finding the Harlequin

2010-12-30T17:20:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, I checked the Pennsylvania Birding Listserv and saw that a Harlequin Duck had been reported from northern Northampton County. After a day or two, birders began posting photos of this beautiful male Harlequin Duck which represented the first documented record for the county. Today, my dad and I traveled to the Delaware River near the Belvidere bridge in order to see this duck.

The beautiful, unique pattern and dark color of the Harlequin Duck distinguished it from the Common Goldeneyes

When we arrived at the location, we saw the bird down the river with a small group of Common Goldeneyes. We thought that a spot down the road would have a better vantage point, so we headed back the car. As we were about to leave, we ran into local birder Dave DeReamus who was also looking for the duck (although he had already seen it the day before). We talked with Dave for a while and decided to try the New Jersey side, since the Harlequin had been hanging out primarily on that side of the river.

We drove across the bridge and walked down the railroad bed until we got a clearing where we spotted the group of ducks. As we watched and photographed the rare bird, the group flew off. We walked back to the car, which was also the direction that ducks flew. When we got to where the ducks were, we were able to take several photographs before the birds swam towards the middle of the river.

The Harlequin Duck with a group of Common Goldeneyes

This beautiful bird was a lifer for my dad and only the second that I had ever seen (the first was during the World Series of Birding).

Solstice Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-21T07:23:00.001-08:00

Early during the morning of Tuesday, December 21, I witnessed a lunar eclipse. The combination of the eclipse and the solstice is a very rare coincidence and was a beautiful sight.

More on the Youth Involvement at COP16

2010-12-03T21:42:00.001-08:00

This morning started off with another early meeting of the youth organizations. The meeting got off to a quicker start than the day before, as the issue of language had been solved and the translators were ready in the back of the room. The meeting began with announcements and went into discussions about presenting a report to the Secretariat of the UNFCCC. Announcements about the upcoming YOUNGO focal point elections were also given at the meeting. The meeting was going to be long (for the second day in a row), but students were began heading to the meeting for the contact group on Article 6 of the Convention. This article focuses on public awareness and youth involvement in the UNFCCC process which made it an important event for YOUNGO members to attend.

Contact Group on Article 6 of the Convention with party members and observers

There was a very good turnout at the contact meeting. Many of the non-negotiating attendees were members of youth organizations that showed up to remind those making the decisions why these negotiations were being held in the first place. To me, it felt as though little came out of this contact group meeting. Much of the time was spent discussing the wording of the document rather than content. However, mention of youth was included into the Article 6 document.

Young people are now included in the treaty document

When Section 6: Paragraph (e) was being discussed, the chair of the committee decided that this section should be deleted, despite the recommendations of the United States and the European Union. This section is the portion of the convention treaty that suggests that the Secretariat of the UNFCCC consider the integration of youth delegates into the negotiation process. The chair decided that this paragraph was inappropriate for Article 6 of the document and therefore was placed aside to be discussed at another time by a separate committee. Although some people that I talked to were disappointed as a result of the deletion, some were still hopeful that something good will eventually come out of this COP meeting.

I attended various side events for the remainder of the day including panels on urbanization, indigenous peoples, and impacts of climate change on human health. Also, I met the rest of the Moravian College delegation, many of which arrived yesterday. I have one more day to attend COP16, so I am hoping that I will make the best of tomorrow with my final YOUNGO meeting of the conference. I also plan on attending more side events and hopefully getting in contact with another Inconvenient Youth member who is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

Red Cross/Red Crescent panel

I added this photo to highlight some the technology being used at the COP16 meeting. This display is an eight-screen interactive Google Earth exhibit.

Moravian College students, professors, and alumni in Cancun

Day of Youth and Future Generations

2010-12-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Today was the Day of Youth and Future Generations at COP16, a day dedicated to the youth that are involved in the UNFCCC process and the delegations of young people in Cancun. The day started with a meeting of the Youth Non-governmental Observers (YOUNGO). Although an hour and a half of the meeting was spent deciding what language the meeting should be in, several good discussions came out of the YOUNGO meeting. Members of the group gave policy reports from the UNFCCC negotiations that occurred the day before and these members of the YOUNGO policy working group gave responses to what had been decided in the negotiations. The group also discussed the various youth-related activities that would be taking place during the day.

Members of the United Kingdom Youth Climate Coalition

Although there were many young people in the room, I was shocked at how few were from the United States. I had hoped that there would be many youth from the US involved with UNFCCC, but unfortunately that did not happen. The only others from the United States were from the organization SustainUS. The majority of the people in the room were from Europe, primarily the United Kingdom, but other continents and countries were represented as well. While the United Kingdom Youth Climate Coalition only included members from their own county, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts had representatives from several countries.

In order to make the meetings fair to different delegations around the world, a survey was taken as to how many of the young people in the room were from global north versus global south countries. These are socio-economic classifications given to each country. The global north countries are developed countries including the United States and many countries in Europe. Unfortunately for the diversity aspect of the meeting, very few delegates were from countries in the global south.

After the meeting, I attended a side event on the ways youth organizations are reaching out to youth in the community to help fight climate change. The panel members focused primarily on encouraging people to vote in order to bring change through politicians—“change politicians, not climate”. Rather than spending time on educating people about the issue of climate change, the organizations that spoke were focused primarily on electing “green” representatives.

These groups are indeed able to make a difference through the politicians they elect to office, but their actions do nothing to educate people about the issue. The fact that they can get people to vote for the politician that agrees with clean energy does not ensure that the voter fully understands why voting for such a person is important nor does it ensure that the voters comprehend the severity of the impacts of climate change.

From here, I headed to the “Youth Market”, a demonstration organized by the various youth groups attending the conference as non-governmental observers. The youth involved had a mock “sale” of various natural resources and vulnerable places. The “action”, as it is called at the COP meetings, attracted the attention of many people in Cancunmesse including a good number of reporters. Although I was there to watch, I was somehow dragged into the “market” since I was a youth in the area. I ended up holding a sign that read “Home and Future”, signifying the fact that these two important aspects of life are being “sold” as a result of climate change.

This demonstration was a success in many ways. Although it did not have a specific “cause” (since many separate organizations were involved), it showed that the planet cannot wait much longer for an agreement before all of the Earth’s natural resources are “sold”. Perhaps the most important part of the action was to highlight the presence of the youth at COP16. The youth are often forgotten about since they cannot take part in the official negotiations, however, they serve an important part in education and outreach for the issue.

Time is on sale at the Youth Market; unfortunately, it appears that time is running out

This day, filled with youth panels, meetings, and actions, successfully brought the youth of UNFCCC to the front of the climate conference. Hopefully through future events, similar to those that happened today, the youth will gain higher status and members of the YOUNGO will be allowed into the climate negotiations.

I cannot post all of the photos here, so please visit flickr.com/coreyhusic to view more images from today and the rest of COP16 in Cancun.

COP16: Building the Foundation

2010-12-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

While attending events at the Moon Palace, I had several chances to hear the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Christiana Figueres. Although she talked to very different audiences throughout the day (ranging from the Associated Press to a large group of non-governmental observers and party members), Ms. Figueres had a few main points regarding the climate negotiations taking place. The first of these is that COP15 in Copenhagen was not a failure. Many say that COP15 was a “failure” due to the fact that nothing major came out of the meeting that was hoped to result in an agreement. Secretariat Figueres believes that Copenhagen was important as it brought international attention to the issue of climate change. Although no major agreements came out of the conference in 2009, the media attention brought the issue to the public, who may have ignored the issue of climate change.

Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Christiana Figueres

The second major issue according to the Secretariat is the fact that a major, perfect agreement will not come out of COP16. No one can expect an agreement when three countries have decided that they will not agree to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. According to Ms. Figueres, we should not be aiming for an ultimate agreement this year, as “the perfect is the enemy of the good”. Secretariat Figueres also warned that we should aim for the "good" and not complain if Cancun indeed leads to an imperfect agreement. Cancun is merely building a foundation on which a fuller, better agreement can be built. If the world sees what comes out of COP16 in Cancun as a failure, we will get nowhere on our goal of reaching a better planet. Although we cannot save the planet overnight (or even the course of the COP meeting), we can hope that a plan to save our planet will be reached within the next few years.

UNFCCC

2010-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the late post. This was written yesterday, November 30, 2010:

Today was my first day at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties sixteen (COP16). As soon as I got here, I received some information and learned the layout of the conference. There are three main locations where the conference activities are taking place. The first is the Climate Village, which I have not yet visited. This area is open to anyone, and is targeted to the locals who are not involved with UNFCCC. The second place is the Moon Palace. This is where all of the major negotiations are taking place. Unfortunately, many of these negotiations are closed to the public, although many are displayed on screens throughout the conference buildings. The third location is Cancúnmesse, which is where I will be spending most of my time. This is where observers put up displays and booths. Talks on various climate change related talks take place at this location.

Booths at Cancunmesse

By the time I was able to get to the convention, it was already mid-afternoon. Upon arriving, my mom and I had to go through security, which was much like an airport security system. After going through, we headed to get our credentials. This was fairly painless, but was easier for my mom as she had previously received credentials last year at COP15 in Copenhagen. My mom and I are considered non-governmental observers (NGO) as are the other members of the Moravian College with which I am involved.

The first exhibit hall was made up primarily of booths run by observer organizations. The booths ranged from Ukraine to the World Health Organization, almost all of which had handouts to teach about the organization’s connection to the central issue of climate change. Since I had only a little time and since many of the booths are not completely set up yet, I only spent a little time at the booths, but learned a lot and met a few people along the way. The second part Cancunmesse is where countries have set up large displays or “centers” which highlight issues that affect their primary climate change-related issues. The largest was the United States, followed closely by Mexico. South Africa, which will be hosting COP17, also had a center encouraging participants of this year’s conference to attend next year’s.

The computer center at Cancunmesse

From Cancunmesse, my mom and I headed north to downtown Cancun, a part rarely visited by tourists who primarily stay in Zona Hotelera. I had read an article about a climate prayer which was taking place in front of Palacio Munincipal, which was something that I wanted to visit. When we arrived, we watched as several actors acted and danced to music on the stage. This was followed by a speech by a guy promoting good actions toward the Earth. After that, a major bishop from Quintana Roo gave a wonderful prayer asking God to help us, the people fighting climate change, and to help the leaders negotiating plans to help the planet. Following are some quotes from the speech translated with the help of Father Mario Gonzalez:

Lord God, you created nature and the Earth. You then gave us the difficult challenge of protecting it.

Lord almighty, teach us what we should do and should not do.

God, give us the power to save the planet with the help of COP16 through the leaders who have gathered here in Cancun.

People gather to pray for the planet in the square in front of Palacio Munincipal

People sing to God, asking for him to bless the Earth

After the bishop, a local childrens' choir led a song which the audience clearly knew. After a few verses, everyone in the square was singing to God.

The children sing and release doves at Palacio Munincipal

Tomorrow, I will probably head back to Cancunmesse and possibly the Moon Palace. I will be attending several side events and paying more attention to the negotiations that are taking place nearby.

UNFCCC, Cancunmesse

2010-11-30T14:24:00.001-08:00

I am currently sitting in Cancunmesse, the location of the exhibits, displays, and side events of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP16. It is incredible to see all of the organizations and countries represented by observers, negotiators, and speakers. I will post more information and photos this evening.

UNFCCC in Mexico

2010-11-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

From November 30 to December 6, I will be in Cancún, Mexico attending the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties 16 (COP16). I am attending the conference with the Moravian College delegation from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. While in Mexico, I will be blogging back through this blog and hopefully the Inconvenient Youth website. Please continue to read my blog and if you are not already a follower, you can become a follower by using the form on the column on the right side of the page.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

2010-10-24T18:19:00.001-07:00

October Butterflies

2010-10-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

While summer is known as the best time to look for butterflies, the fall months can be rewarding as well. Although the butterflies are less common and less numerous, unusual butterflies often show up. Today, I found five butterfly species in the yard. The first of these, a Cabbage White, is a very common butterfly during the warmer months. This species is often one of the first butterflies in the spring, so I was not surprised to still find a couple of these.

The second species was the Monarch. Several of these passed through the yard today, a few of which stopped to nectar on the various flowers that are still blooming. I also managed to tag two individuals, one male and one female.

The third species was a bit of a surprise to find. The Gray Hairstreak is a very common butterfly in August and September, but it does not usually stick around into October. I found one very worn individual on the various Asteraceae that are still in bloom.

The Gray Hairstreak wasn't the only hairstreak around today. While watching the Gray Hairstreak, I saw a flash of blue in the corner of my eye. I followed the small butterfly, thinking it was an Eastern Tailed-Blue, a common butterfly during the warm months. However, when the butterfly landed, I noticed that it was larger and grayer than a blue. The butterfly, similar in size to the Gray Hairstreak, was grayish and had a distinctive white spot near the base of the wing. This butterfly turned out to be a White M Hairstreak. This is a fairly uncommon butterfly in the region(especially this late), which I have only seen twice before.

The final species, which is by far the most beautiful butterfly of the day and maybe the prettiest butterfly in Pennsylvania, was the Milbert's Tortoiseshell that spent the day on the blooming Chrysanthemum. This gorgeous butterfly shows up every year in October and sometimes stays until December. Since this is also a fairly uncommon species, I was excited to find and photograph it!

Be sure to check your flowers for any late-season butterflies!

Big Sit Report

2010-10-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I did a big sit here in Kunkletown. Below is the report from an awesome day of birding:

Around 11:50pm on October 9, 2010, my family and I headed out to The Big Sit! spot as the Shadow Mountain Sharp-shins. At midnight, we began listening for any birds that might be calling at that early hour of the morning. In a matter of minutes, we heard the first species of the day, Canada Goose. After about ten minutes, my tired brother and mother headed back to the house. My dad stayed out long enough to hear a Great Horned Owl calling to the east. Not long after, my dad retreated to the comforts of a heated house. Now I was alone in the pitch-black darkness. I could hear several large groups of deer walking around me, but all I could see were the gorgeous stars including 18 shooting stars.

For over an hour and a half, my list stood at two species (and the temperature dropped to 34 degrees). In the days before, flight calls had been fairly audible and numerous. Apparently this morning was different despite the nice northwest breeze. At one point, just as I was slipping off into sleep, I heard a flight call from somewhere overhead. As I jumped up and listened intently, I heard the short, descending call again. Savannah Sparrow! As I was up, I heard a cardinal that must have been disturbed from its roost. Just before I sat down again, I heard a fairly close flight call. A soon as my brain could comprehend what I had just heard; I knew that the high-pitched rising call was that of a Grasshopper Sparrow.

The next few hours were slow, but I managed to get several Eastern Screech-Owls. At one point, I heard the Whoooo? of a Barred Owl in the valley below. About ten seconds later, another owl responded with a full Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you alllll? Soon, both owls were in a frenzy, each trying to figure out who was preparing the other’s meal. Not long after the Barreds started up, three Great Horned Owls also began hooting. For about ten minutes, a cacophony of owls arose from the foggy hollow and drifted up to the ridge top.

As the sky began to brighten, I was awaiting a large number of flight calls like I had heard the morning before. Although I did hear several Hermit Thrushes and one Swainson’s, I did not hear a single Gray-cheeked Thrush or anything else for that matter. Before long, the birds in the bushes around me began to wake up and start chipping. Between this time and sunrise, the Autumn Olives to the north of the spot were filled with sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and various other songbirds.

This is the meadow where the Shadow Mountain Sharp-shins The Big Sit circle was located.

Not long after, I began seeing the first signs of “morning flight”, which is when nocturnal migrating birds continue flying for some reason. Some other birds, especially the finches, began their diurnal migrations at this time. American Robins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Purple Finches dominated the flight, with Blue Jays and Cedar Waxwings also showing strongly. A few surprises flew over during morning flight including the day’s only Blackpoll Warbler and one of only two Pine Siskins seen during the day. These songbirds were not the only birds flying early in the morning. Several raptors, including a Merlin and several Sharp-shinned Hawks, also got an early start to their migration.

While the birds were active in the sky, there were also lots of birds on the ground. Around 7:30, a few family members joined me in the circle to enjoy these birds. As soon as my mom arrived, I noticed a small group of sparrows in the goldenrod a few yards from the circle. We watched as several Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, and two Swamp Sparrows ate seeds from the large patch of Solidago. Soon after, I spotted a sparrow sitting on a small shrub. My mom and I got on the bird, which turned out to be a Lincoln’s Sparrow. This was not only an exciting species to find for The Big Sit, but also a “lifer” for my mom. After calming down from the excitement of a good bird, my mom spotted a flying woodpecker. I am not sure how she managed to see the bird, as it was across the field. However, I managed to get on the bird and followed it as it flew from east to west. Without my mom’s keep eyes, I may have missed that Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

These bushes were filled with White-throated Sparrows during the early morning hours.

For the rest of the morning, I was alone in the circle. I tried to pick out new species, but the birds seemed to have stopped. However this was short lived. Around noon, Brandon Everett, a fellow young bird enthusiast, arrived to help look for birds. Not long after his arrival, we spotted a small raptor overhead. We (which included me, Brandon, and my brother, Joren) all got on the bird and identified it as an American Kestrel, a new bird for the day. Within a few minutes, several more new species showed up including Cooper’s Hawk, Black Vulture, Northern Harrier, and a distant immature Bald Eagle.

Not long after we had spotted the eagle flying along the Kittatinny Ridge, birder and friend Barbara Malt arrived. She was interested in finding raptors, so we scanned the sky in hopes of finding some. Sharp-shinned Hawks were numerous and fun to watch as they flapped, glided, and soared their way down the ridge. We managed to find several more Red-tailed and Cooper’s Hawks. With a spotting scope, I scanned the Kittatinny, and found a Red-shouldered Hawk and another immature Bald Eagle. The others were able to get on the eagle as it soared our direction than turned and headed back towards the ridge.

This is the south view from The Big Sit spot. The mountain in background is the Kittatinny Ridge.

Since the birds slowed after the push of raptors, a large part of the afternoon was spent talking rather than birding. However, despite our intellectual conversations, we were still able to catch Hairy Woodpecker and a Rock Pigeon as they flew past. As the sun started to sink behind the trees, everyone left me. Almost immediately after the others were out of shouting distance, a group of three Common Ravens flew past me. My dad, who had wandered back to me, got to see the large corvids as they glided along the mountain.

As the sun set, I hoped for another push of birds. My mom joined me around this time, and soon spotted an Osprey directly overhead. After the excitement of getting a great look at the large raptor, my mom headed inside. Since I was tired from being awake since midnight, I only stayed out for another hour and a half or so. However, this time period was fairly productive. At one point, I spotted a pair of flying Mallards, a species I had missed earlier in the day. After the Mallards, large flocks of American Robins and American Crows began grouping up and flying around. In one large robin flock, I spotted a single Red-winged Blackbird, another bird I had somehow missed earlier. As I was packing my backpack and getting ready to head inside, I saw two more blackbirds flying overhead. With only a quick glimpse, I assumed they were more Red-winged Blackbirds, but I decided to take a closer look. However, I was wrong with my initial identification. Instead, the two birds were Rusty Blackbirds! I snapped a few pictures then headed inside.

I had finished with 66 species, only four short of last year’s record. During the day I tallied 1,132 individual birds including an impressive 113 Purple Finches and 104 Yellow-rumped Warblers. Below is the total list of birds found during The Big Sit:

Canada Goose     50
Mallard     2
Wild Turkey     1
Black Vulture     5
Turkey Vulture     42
Osprey     1
Bald Eagle     2
Northern Harrier     1
Sharp-shinned Hawk     25
Cooper's Hawk     3
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     23
American Kestrel     1
Merlin     2
Rock Pigeon     1
Mourning Dove     2
Eastern Screech-Owl     3
Great Horned Owl     3
Barred Owl     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker     7
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     2
Downy Woodpecker     2
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     4
Pileated Woodpecker     4
Eastern Phoebe     2
Blue-headed Vireo     4
Blue Jay     156
American Crow     85
Common Raven     3
Black-capped Chickadee     12
Tufted Titmouse     2
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
White-breasted Nuthatch     6
Carolina Wren     3
Golden-crowned Kinglet     2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     5
Eastern Bluebird     9
Swainson's Thrush     1
Hermit Thrush     10
American Robin     169
Gray Catbird     6
Northern Mockingbird     4
European Starling     15
Cedar Waxwing     116
Yellow-rumped Warbler     104
Palm Warbler     1
Blackpoll Warbler     1
Eastern Towhee     2
Chipping Sparrow     16
Field Sparrow     4
Savannah Sparrow     1
Grasshopper Sparrow     1
Song Sparrow     9
Lincoln's Sparrow     1
Swamp Sparrow     1
White-throated Sparrow     18
Dark-eyed Junco     11
Northern Cardinal     8
Red-winged Blackbird     1
Rusty Blackbird     2
Purple Finch     113
House Finch     18
Pine Siskin     2
American Goldfinch     12
House Sparrow     4

The Big Sit, 2010

2010-10-11T08:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I conducted a Big Sit in my yard. I was out from midnight to 7pm and had a few visitors throughout the day. The birding was good, and we ended up finding 66 species, only 4 less than last year. Below is the entire list. Some highlights include 113 Purple Finches, two Pine Siskins, two Rusty Blackbirds, and Savannah, Swamp, Lincoln's, and Grasshopper Sparrows.

Canada Goose     50
Mallard     2
Wild Turkey     1
Black Vulture     5
Turkey Vulture     42
Osprey     1
Bald Eagle     2
Northern Harrier     1
Sharp-shinned Hawk     25
Cooper's Hawk     3
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     23
American Kestrel     1
Merlin     2
Rock Pigeon     1
Mourning Dove     2
Eastern Screech-Owl     3
Great Horned Owl     3
Barred Owl     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker     7
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     2
Downy Woodpecker     2
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     4
Pileated Woodpecker     4
Eastern Phoebe     2
Blue-headed Vireo     4
Blue Jay     156
American Crow     85
Common Raven     3
Black-capped Chickadee     12
Tufted Titmouse     2
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
White-breasted Nuthatch     6
Carolina Wren     3
Golden-crowned Kinglet     2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     5
Eastern Bluebird     9
Swainson's Thrush     1
Hermit Thrush     10
American Robin     169
Gray Catbird     6
Northern Mockingbird     4
European Starling     15
Cedar Waxwing     116
Yellow-rumped Warbler     104
Palm Warbler     1
Blackpoll Warbler     1
Eastern Towhee     2
Chipping Sparrow     16
Field Sparrow     4
Savannah Sparrow     1
Grasshopper Sparrow     1
Song Sparrow     9
Lincoln's Sparrow     1
Swamp Sparrow     1
White-throated Sparrow     18
Dark-eyed Junco     11
Northern Cardinal     8
Red-winged Blackbird     1
Rusty Blackbird     2
Purple Finch     113
House Finch     18
Pine Siskin     2
American Goldfinch     12
House Sparrow     4

Big Sit this Sunday

2010-10-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

This Sunday (10/10/10) is The Big Sit, a birding event organized by the New Haven Bird Club and Bird Watcher's Digest. Basically, birders around the world pick a spot and stay there for as much of 24 hours as they want counting birds the entire time.

This year, I am doing The Big Sit in my yard, which is where I did it in 2007 and 2009. The first year, I found 49 species including some nice ones such as Tennessee Warbler and Red-shouldered Hawk. In 2009, I managed to find 70 species which included many great birds including American Bittern, American Woodcock, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Gray-cheeked Thrush, American Pipit, Nashville Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow.

I hope that I can find something neat this year!

Time for the Tortoiseshells

2010-09-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Every year, around this time, I start seeing Milbert's Tortoiseshells. The Milbert's Tortoiseshell is a medium-sized butterfly, which has wings bordered by a vibrant orange color. Since these butterflies are such a late-season species, they will nectar on anything that is still flowering. Asters are a common nectar source for these guys.

These beautiful insects can be hard to find, so coming across this species is always exciting. One of the best places to find this butterfly is at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The trails and gardens at the LGNC attract dozens of Milbert's Tortoiseshells every year. The native Aromatic Aster in the habitat gardens is a popular plant for many late-season butterflies especially this species.

For more information about the Milbert's Tortoiseshell, visit the Butterflies and Moths of North America website.

Warblers

2010-09-19T13:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend has been great for migrants. A strong push of birds came through after the passing of a cold front on Friday. Although Saturday was good, today was even better. Everywhere I looked, I found small flocks of warblers, vireos, and chickadees. At one point, I found 14 species in one tree. Of the warblers, Northern Parulas were the most abundant. Blackburnian and Black-throated Green Warblers were also fairly common. I found my first Yellow-rumped Warbler and Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the season this morning. Yesterday, I found my first White-throated Sparrow of the fall.

Northern Parulas, like this one, were everywhere this morning.

Blackburnian Warblers in the fall are not nearly as bright as they are in the spring, but they are still distinctive.

Along with the birds, lots of Monarchs have been migrating. I have been able to tag a few for the MonarchWatch project, but most of the ones I see are flying.

This Monarch (NGL 300) has been tagged and is on its way to the over-wintering grounds in Mexico.

Today, I photographed this Monarch flying overhead. If you look closely, you can see a MonarchWatch tag. This is probably a Monarch that I tagged in my yard that is now heading south.

Birds in Flight

2010-08-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in learning more about and how to identify birds in flight? Check out the Birds In Flight Project by clicking the logo below. Once on the page, browse the pages by clicking on the links under the "Pages" tab.

Veery Flight Call

2010-08-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a spectogram of two Veery calls.

You can listen to a Veery flight call at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center's Sound Field Guide.

http://lgnc.org/resources/soundguide/veery

Even More Birds in Flight

2010-08-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

This morning I found 59 species in the yard, including Olive-sided Flycatcher and ten warbler species.

American Robins are an abundant migrant in the fall. The flight pattern and the orange-red breast are distinctive.

As I discussed yesterday, Eastern Kingbirds are abundant fall migrants. The neat thing about kingbirds is that they can be aged and, if an adult, sexed. The way to tell is by primaries 9 and 10, the "top" two feathers on the wingtips. In young birds, these feathers are blunt. In adult females, these feathers have a slight notch at the tip. In adult males, like the one above, the tips of these feathers are deeply notched.

Flycatchers can sometimes be trick to identify when they are sitting. In flight they can be very difficult. This flycatcher shows broad white wing bars and no distinct eye-ring. Those characteristics, as well as the fact that it sang a "whisper song" while flying, make this an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

Red-breasted Nuthatches have been very common migrants this year. I almost missed this one as it flew south over the yard. This species is fairly easy to identify in flight due to the distinctive pattern and the fact that they often call while flying.

Although out of focus, this photo shows a common behavior of warblers that fly overhead. These two Black-throated Green Warblers spent a few seconds diving at and chasing eachother. The yellow-green body and tail pattern help the identification. I also heard a chip note as I was taking the photo.

This bird called as it flew over, but I was unfamiliar with the call. Although the photo seems useless, it reveals the identity of the bird. This bird shows distinct striping down the side of the bird. Also, the front of the bird is brighter than the back. Finally, the pattern on the underside of the tail is visible. These characteristics make this a Cape May Warbler.

More Birds in Flight

2010-08-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Since fall migration is the time to study birds in flight, I am posting a few more photos of birds flying. The species illustrated below were photographed during the past two days.

American Goldfinches are very numerous right now. Their flight pattern and flight calls make then fun to watch.

When flying directly above, goldfinches are more difficult to recognize, but the short, forked tail and yellow color give it away.

Purple Finches are also fairly easy to identify based on their distinctive flight call.

After their long nocturnal migration, warblers (like this Black-throated Green) are commonly seen flying over (looking for food) for a few hours after sunrise. A good look or a decent photograph can sometimes allow identification.

Eastern Bluebirds are very common and are commonly seen flying over in loose groups.

Eastern Phoebes, one of the most common summer flycatchers, become harder to find in the fall. However, they are commonly seen by those looking to the sky.

Eastern Kingbirds become very numerous during late summer and early autumn. They often congregate in large groups which move around during the morning.

During migration, there is always the possibility of finding an unusual bird. While watching the sky this morning, I saw this Olive-sided Flycatcher. Olive-sided Flycatchers are fairly uncommon and are exciting to find.

Swallows in Flight

2010-08-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

This morning, I walked out of the house and found a small group of swallows over the yard. This time of year, swallows often group up before migrating south. On sunny August days with a N or NW wind, these groups often take to the sky. I was able to pick out four swallow species in the flock over my house.

In this area, Tree Swallows become very numerous in late August into September and
often dominate swallow flocks. Tree Swallows seem to have fairly broad
wings and a completely white underside.

Barn Swallows are also quite common this time of year. Compared to Tree Swallows,
Barn Swallows have skinny, pointed wings. Also, Barn Swallows have a buffy-yellow
underside, a red throat, and a distinctive forked tail.

Bank Swallows are an exciting species to find. During the breeding season, this species
is difficult to find away from sandy areas near water courses. Even during migration,
they often stay close to or over water, so this was a treat to see. Bank Swallows
have wings more like a Tree Swallow than a Barn. The underside is mostly
white expect for a broad brown band across the chest.

The most exciting swallow I found was this Cliff Swallow. These guys are neat birds and
are less common than the three other swallows mentioned. To identify these guys, look
for a swallow with a white belly, but a red throat patch. Above, this species has a large,
buff-colored patch on the rump, which is distinctive and easy to see, even from a distance.

Along with the swallows were a few Chimney Swifts. Swifts resemble swallows, but
they flap much quicker, have skinnier wings, and are completely dark. Due to the
color and shape of Chimney Swifts, they have been nicknamed "Flying Cigars"

Enjoy the beautiful weather and go watch some migrating birds!

Bring on the Birds

2010-08-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

This morning, before heading to a soccer scrimmage, I was able to do some birding around the yard. Right away, I headed to the highest point on the property which receives the first rays of sunlight as the sun peaks over the Kittatinny Ridge. This area, which is made up of Gray Birches, usually holds migrants. Although I couldn't find any migrant songbirds, I did see a Great Blue Heron flying over. From here, I worked my back towards the house. In a small meadow, I found two Sharp-shinned Hawks flying around. The two birds chased each other then rested on a bare treetop before flying into a stand of pines. In the vicinity of the pines was a calling Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Sharp-shinned Hawks perched on a dead tree in the meadow

While looking up, I noticed a Common Nighthawk flying over the trees. As I brought my binoculars up the nighthawk, I noticed that a hummingbird was diving at it. As the nighthawk flew away, the hummingbird followed diving and chriping until the nighthawk dove out of sight. Once the sun was up, I began hearing distinctive noises from the sky. These noises were from Bobolinks which continued to fly over for much of the morning.

After sunrise, many birds can be seen flying including this Rose-breasted Grosbeak

From the meadow, I headed to the area around the house. Most of the birds in this area were in the fruit trees. A large group of Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, and a Brown Thrasher fed on wild cherries while a group of Red-eyed Vireos and warblers fed on insects in an apple tree. Although most of the warblers were common species, I did find one Worm-eating Warbler which is always a pleasant surprise.

The Worm-eating Warbler that I found in an apple tree

The final place I wanted to check before I left was the field across the road from the house. The various fruiting trees along the edge (dogwoods, viburnums, and cherries) were filled with birds. Catbirds seemed to be on every tree. Mixed in were Baltimore Orioles, Cedar Waxwings, and a few sparrows.

As I walked back to the house, I saw a large bird flying towards me from the west. At first glance, I thought it might be a raptor of some sort. As it flew closer, I realized that it was a gull. More specfically, a young Herring Gull, a somewhat rare species in this area during the summer. I have no idea where it came from, but it was flying directly east.

Herring Gull, an uncommon bird in the region during the
summer and an unusual find for the yard

The birds are migrating, so if you are interested, keep a watch on the radar at night:

http://rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar

August Butterflies

2010-08-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today, I did some butterflying at Arlene Koch’s property. Arlene owns a large amount of land in southern Northampton County, which she and her husband maintain for wildlife. While there today, I found 27 different butterfly species, as well as several bird specie including Orchard Oriole, Willow Flycatcher, and Bald Eagle.

After four hours of butterflying, I added three new species to my butterfly life-list: American Copper, Meadow Fritillary, and Tawny Emperor. The copper was in a section of weedy fields with lots of blooming White Clover and Daisy Fleabane.

The tiny, yet stunning American Copper was a lifer for me.

The Meadow Fritillaries were in a field of Queen Anne’s Lace and Red Clover. These beautiful butterflies were accompanied by hundreds of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (including several dark-morph females), a few Black Swallowtails, and a huge number of Peck’s Skippers.

Meadow Fritillary was another new butterfly species for me

The Tawny Emperor was along a gas-line cut through a forest. It sat perched in the open for a few minutes, but unfortunately was too far away to photograph.

Gray Hairstreak, a common butterfly in August

Tomorrow, I will be heading to West Virginia for the Appalachian String Band Music Festival!