Animals

Coyotes

November 18, 2014 by admin

The sight and sound of coyotes should be something North Americans are accustomed to, considering our long-standing relationship with this adaptable ‘yipping dog.’ From American Indians, to pioneers, to modern-day man, the coyote has been revered, feared, despised, persecuted, and admired for its ability to survive.

Coyotes, also known as song-dog, yipping dog, little wolf, prairie wolf, and barking dog, have adapted well to many environments. Their litany of names reflects the various cultures that have experienced coyotes.

Once found only on the Great Plains, coyotes have extended their range to include Central America, Mexico, the United States (except Hawaii), Canada, and the Arctic. Coyotes are not native to Ohio. In fact, coyotes showed up in 1919 and can now be found just about everywhere from urban to suburban to rural places.

Coyotes are both predators and scavengers, and mainly nocturnal. As omnivores (eating both animals and plants), they take full advantage of any available food source. That includes everything from pet food put outside for pets to fruit from domestic fruit trees. A coyote’s diet consists of rodents, rabbits, carrion, livestock and poultry, vegetation, miscellaneous animals, and a few insects.

You are most likely to hear the howls, yips, or barks of a coyote rather than see one of these elusive animals. The first howling season of the year occurs January through March, the breeding season. The second howling season, when the adults are calling weaned pups back to their rendezvous point, occurs during September and October.

Here are some great photos from National Geographic.

Chipmunk Survival 101 FAIL

April 25, 2013 by admin

Slow down and take your time hiking and enjoy the experience of the hike. Like this encounter with a chipmunk I recently had at Ault Park.

When he looked down I took a step closer to him.

He looked down again and I took another step forward.

At this point EVERY chipmunk is doing the alarm call of the real sharp bark/chirp and the birds have now gotten in on the act and are screeching like mad.

The chipmunks looked away for a second and I took another step closer..

The second chipmunk looked at me and then backed up and disappeared. The other chipmunk just looked perplexed.

He finally decided the nut wasn’t worth it and zipped down this hole…

So, the next time you are on the trail take your time and enjoy the stories going on all around you.

I’m going batty

April 18, 2013 by admin

Bats!

I am completely fascinated by these amazing creatures. We have several different species of bats here in Ohio and I think the ones we have zooming around our neighborhood at night are big browns. At dusk, right as the light fades from the sky and the street lights start to come on, I head out to listen and watch for the bats to take over the skies.

The most I’ve seen at any one time is 15, which is pretty amazing. The big browns (at least I think they are big browns) make this slight ticking/clicking noise as they swoop around. IT is so relaxing to watch and listen.

Each summer the kids and I plan a huge list of things we want to do and then make up a idea board. Here is a picture of last year’s board.

I like drawing each thing and having them willy-nilly on the board. My friend does something similar with her kids but she keeps everything perfectly aligned.

So if you do this, do what works for you. There is no right or wrong way to be creative.

The kids liked recording the dates but as you can see lost track of noting the dates on everything and I didn’t go crazy trying to make sure everything we did got recorded.

It is an idea board, a launching pad, a doorway into all the things you think about and would like to do but forget with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Also, on days we didn’t have anything planned, we would flip a coin, see where it landed on the board, and do that thing. This is very exciting when you are seven years old.

This year, I’m adding build a bat house to the board.

It will teach the kids carpentry skills and conservation. Granted that might also mean a trip to the doctor for stitches.

I don’t know if we will get any bats but it’d be nice to at least hang a welcome sign out for the bats that entertain and delight us each evening.

Caves, Bats, and Death

April 18, 2013 by admin

Watch out on cave trips as you could spread white-nose syndrome.

Bats are dying and that is a big problem for agriculture. Bats eat a lot of bugs and also help pollinate plants.

In fact, bats consume over half of their body weight in insects each night. It is estimated that if we lose our bat populations the agricultural damage sustained would be $53 billion each year. That’s billion with a B people!

The disease affecting bats is called white-nose syndrome. It is from a previously unknown cold loving fungus called Geomyces destructans. This fungus thrives in cave environments where the humidity is high and the temperatures are low.

It is not known exactly how this fungus kills bats but bats affected by it awaken during hibernation. This causes the bats to use up their fat reserves that they rely on to survive the winter. Unfortunately, white-nose syndrome has spread rapidly from where it was first detected in a cave in New York in 2006.

So what can you do? Click here and choose two or three or all!

Black Bears in the Buckeye State

January 9, 2012 by admin

Yes, that’s right…Black bears! It is pretty amazing the changes the state has gone through in the past 200 years. Way back when (early 1800s) Ohio used to be covered with forest and prairie. As it was settled prairies fell to the plow and forests to the ax. Like many animals, black bear were extirpated from the state.

As we grew as a nation and got a bit smarter about the environment more effort was put into restoring the forests that once blanketed Ohio. Throughout this time occasional sightings of black bear were reported.

Fast forward to the last ten years and sightings and distribution have increased. In fact, it is estimated that there are 100 black bears living in the Buckeye State. Most black bears are found in the forested areas of Northeast Ohio’s Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage & Trumbull counties and Southeast Ohio’s Athens, Belmont, Hocking, Vinton & Washington counties.

However, that isn’t to say the occasional bachelor bear won’t come strolling along. (Bachelor bears are the equivalent of a 16 year old boy with a brand new driver’s license and keys to a red convertible.) Usually, bachelor bears go about their business until they find a new home range but a few cause problems by getting into bird feeders or trashcans.

If you see a bear while on a hike, don’t completely freak out. Keep your distance and do not approach the bear. Give the bear plenty of space to get away from you. Fight the urge to flee and raise your hands up over your head so you appear larger. Black bears will typically run from humans. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Services has more information: http://fw.ky.gov/blackbearencounter.asp.