[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Horton's Pond; a new feeder style; re: Trumpeter Swans and Shrikes



Hi Carolinabirders,

My nature-nut friend Cait Coberly joined me for a trip to Horton's Pond
Saturday morning. We got off to a relatively late start, and so didn't
bother with the Jordan lakeshore; water levels were pretty high, so
shorebird (the main appeal down there) prospects were pretty dismal. A few
hunters greeted us by the pond and assured us that no shooting would be
going on anywhere nearby for the day. A chilly wind was whipping over the
open water of the main pond toward us, possibly explaining why the usually
woodpecker-rich swamp below the spillway was birdless.

Once we reached the shelter of the woods, and identified a few lichens, a
big mixed-species insectivore flock manifested itself. A Brown Creeper was
the highlight; we never did find the Solitary Vireo that usually hangs
around this area in the winter.

Once we hiked past the old beaver dam to the grassy marsh at the north end
of the pond, the sparrows became our focus. The middle part of the marsh
was infested with Song and Swamp Sparrows, a dozen or so visible from the
edge, and many more when we decided that wet feet weren't such a horrible
fate and entered the grass. The upper part of the marsh, where the grass
was ringed with thorny brambles, White-throats became part of the horde;
Dark-eyed Juncos swarmed along the creek that fed the wetland, but flew
into the woods instead of out into the marsh when flushed. Interesting to
see the habitat divisions among the species. A long-overdue Red-headed
Woodpecker finally flew up to one of the snags in the marsh. A Blue Jay
had us fooled for at least five minutes with a very convincing Red-
shouldered Hawk imitation. A male-female pair of Eastern Bluebirds
investigated tree cavities in one of the many dead River Birch trunks in
the upper marsh; some of the River Birches that still lived were among the
biggest trees of this species I can remember seeing.

The creek had some overflow pools that were well populated with larval
Marbled Salamanders, but there was no sign of Spotteds breeding there yet.
Guess it's still early... Also a large tadpole or three, and lots of
cricket frogs. The best bird of the day came when I hiked up through the
woods to inspect a field uphill and west of the marsh (which turned out to
be outside the border of the state property), and flushed a Woodcock from
the woods near the edge of the field. Resting up for the evening's
lekking, maybe? Or sleeping off the previous night's hangover?

Back at home today doing housework with my wife. We have a vermicompost
bin, with earthworms that turn our kitchen food scraps into soil for the
garden beds and houseplants. Unfortunately, we mismanaged it and killed
off our worms. It became a fascinating ecosystem with pseudoscorpions and
such, but also a breeding ground for mites, mold, and maggots, so we moved
it outside to our deck. Lee Barber - who sold us the outfit - delivered a
new load of worms a few days ago, so my wife installed them in an empty
bin, and set the old one to air out, with the former maggots now pupating
all over the soil and walls. We looked out there just before lunchtime,
and two Carolina Wrens were hopping around in the bin, happily eating all
the fly pupae! Have to remember that trick if we get another fly
infestation, especially during warbler migration...

On Fri, 1 Feb 2002, John Argentati wrote:
>
> This shrike needs something better than a peach tree to impale treats on...
> Anyone know where I can get an Osage orange or some other plant with big
> thorns?

Shrike "larders" aren't for storing treats; the male shrikes use these as
a display of their hunting prowess, to impress females. It isn't as
scenic, but shrikes are just as happy - maybe more so - using barbed wire
as plants. The Loggerheads out in New Mexico used the tips of Yucca
leaves; those are available at Niche Gardens and most local nurseries, and
best of all don't need much water. Seems like a Honey Locust tree would
work too, not sure where to get one though...

On Sun, 3 Feb 2002, Robin Carter wrote:
>
> Donna also said that Sharon was going over the pictures she had taken of the
> gull and noticed that one of the swans in the background appeared to be a
> Trumpeter Swan. Donna agrees with this assessment.
>
> We had a few fair pictures of the swans. Most were definitely Tundra Swans,
> but two -- one adult and one juvenile, seem to be Trumpeters. I hesitate to
> say too much, but I have the pictures. I am certainly no expert in swan
> identification.

Interesting. Anyone know if Trumpeters kept in captive, private waterfowl
collections often? Michigan was using captive-bred birds to re-establish
their population at Seney NWR, but those birds were having trouble
rediscovering their migration routes and actually showed signs of becoming
a problem species much like those pestilent feathered weeds, the Mute
Swans. But since the released captive population there isn't migrating
much, and since these birds are flying with Tundras, maybe these are wild
vagrants from out west! Watch them for leg bands, just to be sure...

Good birding,

Josh


Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/