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Germantown MetroPark Bird Banding

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One of our favorite parks is Germantown because of the trails, nature center, and the Twin Valley Backpacking trail which connects the Germantown and Twin Valley trails. But, back to Germantown.

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As we stepped into the nature center we were immediately greeted by Emily who invited us to join the bird banding program going on in the next room.

A mist net (extremely fine net designed to capture birds without harming them) was set up outside near the feeders and as birds (chick-a-dees, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, etc.) were caught biologists were retrieving them from the fine net, placing them in a mess bag and bringing them into the center for processing.

 

 

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The biologist then took the bird out of the mesh bag, inspected it, took measurements, determined the sex, age, and then gently stuffed the bird head first into a cardboard tube with one end closed and took the birds weight. If the bird didn’t have a leg band, it soon got one.

The kids were completely absorbed in this process. Yet as I looked around the room, I noticed there were only two other kids there and they were older than mine. I wondered where are all the other kids? Are they still sleeping, watching television, or playing video games.

Hummingbirds!

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Look for hummingbirds feeding on trumpet creeper and honeysuckle vines. Beware of planting this in your yard, since trumpet creeper will grow and grow and grow and…well, you get the idea.

Other red or reddish tube shaped plants to entice hummingbirds are columbine, lilac, jewelweed, bee balm, and salvia.

You are most likely to see this little beauty. The ruby throated humming bird has the distinction of beign the only hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi River.

The ruby throated hummingbird which is about 3 to 3 3/4 inches long, with a wingspan of 4 to 4 3/4 inches. The beautiful iridescent red throat of the ruby red hummingbirds are only on the males and is not a color but the way the light hits and is reflected off the feathers.

 

The males also have a slightly forked tail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The females have a white throat and white tipped outer tail feathers.

 

 

 

 

The nests are usually built where there is one branch that forks into two or three other branches forming a cup like shape.

At a little distance the hummingbird nest looks like bark. The female will lay two white eggs just about the same size and shape as Jelly Belly jelly beans.

The nest of the ruby throated hummingbird is usually built using spider webs to weave it together, plant fluff to keep it soft, and lichens to hide it from the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wanna hear what one sounds like then go here: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/rubythroatedhummingbird/tabid/6746/Default.aspx

You can also place hummingbird feeders in your yard to attract ruby throated hummingbirds. Spend a little extra and get a glass feeder that is easier to clean and looks like a work of art.

Northern Bobwhite Quail and the Blizzard of 1978

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Ohio DNR Quail
Northern Bobwhite Quail
You think it is going to be cold and snowy this weekend?

Ha! Way back in 1978, Ohio was in the midst of a massive blizzard. For a history lesson click this link: (http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/swio/pages/content/1978_blizzard.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blizzard_of_1978).

Temperatures in most of Ohio reached a balmy negative 60 degrees F when you factor in wind chill. Yes, you read that right. Really cold. Really. Really.

I was a kid during this time and can recall that the snow was so deep it covered the first story windows. When the roads finally were plowed, it felt like driving through a blazing white nearly blue tunnel. The packed snow stretched up to the sky on both sides of the road.

It took well over a week for our lives to return to almost normal.

Even though the blizzard was 34 years ago, the recovery is still continuing for one of my favorite birds the Northern Bobwhite Quail.

Wildlife biologists utilize call count surveys to estimate how populations of animals area doing—especially those that are difficult to count such as birds and amphibians. According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey there were 12.31 quail detected per survey route (50 stops, 25 miles) in 1977. In 1978 that number dropped to 1.95 per route. The population increased to a peak of 5.78 quail per route in 1987 and then slowly declined to 0.93 quail per route in 2009.

We can’t blame all of the quail’s problems on the blizzard. Habitat loss is another key problem. But more on that in future posts.

No such thing as a squirrel-proof bird feeder

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Gray SquirrelHead into any store that has bird feeders for sale and you are likely to see a myriad of “squirrel-proof” feeders. I’ll admit there are feeders that impede the squirrel’s fast paced ability of cleaning out all of your feeders but I’ve yet to see one that is squirrel proof. After all, most squirrels figure out that if they hit the feeder hard enough the seeds fall out and onto the ground.

Some of the easiest ways to slow down the feeders being cleaned out by a chunky fox squirrel (if you are lucky, you have fox squirrels) or their “meaner-wrong-side-of-the-tracks cousin” the formidable gray squirrel is to make it more difficult to actually get to the feeder.

Start by placing the feeder away from your house and trees. I prefer a round metal post such as a shepherd’s hook. If you want place a baffle Woodlink NABAF18 Audubon Wrap Around Squirrel Baffle, 18-Inch about four feet up and then coat the post and hook with petroleum jelly. Why? The squirrels will have a difficult time getting a good grip and will slide off of the posts. (Yes, this is also a form of amusement at our house).

You could also provide the squirrel with a tasty diversion. Take an 18-guage florist wire and bend a hook into one end so you can hang it from a clothesline. Using unsalted unshelled peanuts, string several peanuts (shell and all) onto the wire. Put a small curl in the end of the wire so the peanuts don’t slide off. Hang it from the center of a taut clothesline. The clothesline will sag when the squirrel tries to climb out on it and it will take the squirrel several attempts to learn how to get to the peanuts.

If you want to increase the difficulty level take a ½ PVC pipe and cut 6-inch long sections. Sting the PVC sections onto the clothesline. Hang the peanut wire from the middle of the line. It will take the squirrel a few tries to figure out how to cross this new challenging landscape. To add another layer of difficulty, use petroleum jelly on just one or two of the pieces of PVC. The more you keep the squirrel guessing the less likely they will be raiding the bird feeders.

This feeder is Made in the USA:

Feeding the Birds

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With cold temperatures and snow on the ground providing bird feed not only helps the birds out but it also provides you with a chance to sit
in a warm house, sip some piping hot chocolate, and watch the birds. Plus, if you can’t get out because of the weather at least you are getting a daily dose of Mother Nature.

The best seed to use is black oil sunflower. I purchase 50 pound bags and store the seed in a metal trashcan with a ridiculously tight fitting
lid. I tossed in an old plastic cup to use as a scoop and fill the bird feeders when they get low.

Save yourself the headache and buy the seed from a farm and fleet or seed and feed store. Buying from a box-store retailer simply means you
are paying more for an inferior product full of weed seeds. Don’t fret too much over seeds that fall to the ground. Dark-eyed juncos, cardinals, and mourning doves will come along and work on the clean-up.

If you have kids and a jar of peanut butter—send the kids outside to slather the peanut butter on the trunk of the trees. Wrens (yes,
these insect eating birds have been seen eating peanut butter), nuthatches, chick-a-dees, and tufted titmice will enjoy the extra calories.

 

Jonesing for more information about birds then check-out these great websites:

Ohio Division of Wildlife

USGS Birding