Hear ye, hear ye! The queens have emerged! We’re talking about bumble bees (genus Bombus). For several weeks each spring, any bumble bee you see is a queen – and very hard at work. She must construct her kingdom. [Read more…] about Bumble Bee Queens Are Hard At Work
Spring
Coltsfoot: Eye Candy, Cough Syrup, and Early Flowers
After many months (five-plus where I live) of winter whiteness, it’s a relief to watch the snow melt at last. We’re always grateful, even though the loss of snow cover gives way to a mostly brown world: brown grass, sand everywhere – even brown pine needles along the roads.
Not to mention the leaves, trash, or dog poop that was mercifully hidden under the snow. Those few sepia-toned weeks after the white stuff disappears and before trees and grass wake up can be visually bleak. [Read more…] about Coltsfoot: Eye Candy, Cough Syrup, and Early Flowers
What’s That Sound? American Woodcock
Have you been outside at dusk lately near an open field or scrub brush area and been startled by a loud PEENT sound followed by twittering sound? What you’re likely hearing is a courtship display of a male American woodcock trying to attract a mate. [Read more…] about What’s That Sound? American Woodcock
Lights Out for Bird Migration Season
Each year during spring migration many birds that are navigating the night sky become disoriented from artificial building lighting. Not only does city lighting deter the navigational abilities of migrating birds, but it also leads to an increase in fatal building collisions, killing an estimated billion birds annually. [Read more…] about Lights Out for Bird Migration Season
Signs of Spring: Red Maple Flowers
Springtime celebrations would not be complete without some forest confetti. One of the first trees to bloom in springtime, the red maple has tiny, vibrant clusters of flowers that put on quite the show. [Read more…] about Signs of Spring: Red Maple Flowers
Avoiding Bear-Human Conflicts
It is a question I face each year as March winds into April: when to take down the bird feeder. Our avian feeding station is basic: a single run-of-the-mill hopper, which I fill with a local mix of seed that seems to keep the winter flocks of chickadees and nuthatches happy. Occasionally, a blue jay or two drops by. Sometimes a few crows or a couple of turkeys linger below the feeder, cleaning up whatever has fallen to the ground. [Read more…] about Avoiding Bear-Human Conflicts
The Unsung Music of Birds
With spring creeping closer, our year-round avian residents such as cardinals and titmice are already raising their voices. But there’s more than one way to make music, and birds have evolved means for using everything at their disposal to fill our forests with whistles, twitters, and booms – no voice needed. [Read more…] about The Unsung Music of Birds
Owls Are On Their Nests
Among the very earliest signs of spring are the strange caterwauls of the barred owls that haunt our woods: “Who cooks for you? who cooks for you all?”
Their hooted conversations, thrown back and forth through forests all over the Northeast, signal the territory disputes, nest-site advertisement, and pair bonding that begin the breeding season. That these predators of the nighttime are especially vocal now, with snow still covering the ground, seems odd. But owls do everything on their own timeline. [Read more…] about Owls Are On Their Nests
Watchable Wildlife: Harbor Seals
New York’s most abundant seal is the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), which can be found in the state’s marine waters from late fall to late spring. Harbor seals can range in color from brown, tan, or gray to silvery-white. [Read more…] about Watchable Wildlife: Harbor Seals
Seasonal Molt in Whitetail Deer
Typically, this time of year New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation hears from people who are concerned because they are seeing deer with rough coat conditions like in the pictures shown. [Read more…] about Seasonal Molt in Whitetail Deer