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WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-Magazine |  |
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By Scott Shalaway It’s a loud, ringing, musical whistle. Often it’s a series of triplets—“Tea kettle! Tea kettle! Tea kettle!” or “Chirpity, chirpity, chirpity!” It’s the song of a Carolina Wren and it’s a reliable harbinger of spring. (Carolina Wren by Adam Jones) Though most songbirds won’t begin nesting for another four to six weeks, Carolina Wrens are among the earliest backyard nesters. And, because they get a head start on the season, they can raise as many as three broods before the end of the summer. Carolina Wrens are small handsome birds measuring about 5.5 inches long. They are chestnut above, cinnamon below and have a prominent white-eye stripe. They spend most of their time in dense vegetation and are more often heard than seen. But they are common around homes and commonly explore sheds, barns and open garages. In fact, it is the Carolina Wren’s affinity for nooks and crannies that often brings it to our attention. Though classified as cavity-nesters, Carolina Wrens usually forsake tree cavities and nest boxes in favor of more unusual nest sites. Over the years I’ve found their nests in a mailbox, a can of nails, an old boot, a hanging plant and a clothes pin bag. Two years ago they discovered a one-gallon bucket hung from a hook just outside the side door to the garage. Protected from above by the porch, it was completely out of the weather. The female Carolina Wren usually lays her first egg in mid-March, at least two weeks before I find the first bluebird eggs of the season. The nest is loosely constructed and large enough to fill the selected space. Materials include twigs, grass, strips of barks, dead leaves, moss, hair, feathers and sometimes even bits of paper, plastic, string and shed snake skin. Usually the nest is domed with an entrance on the side. Both sexes help build the nest, but the male does most of the work. That seems fair because only the female incubates the four or five eggs for about 14 days. Meanwhile the male defends the territory, which may range from 2 to 10 acres, and often feeds his mate on the nest. Carolina Wrens prefer live food and are great to have around the garden. They eat a variety of insects, spiders, caterpillars and egg cases. When I offer mealworms, they gobble them up and though their decurved bill is adapted for handling live prey, they also help themselves to sunflower kernels and shelled nuts. I’ve often been frustrated by the peculiar nest sites Carolina wrens choose because finding them can be difficult. So at a meeting of the Ohio Bluebird Society a few years ago, I was delighted to discover that Wayne Davis, co-author of Bluebirds and Their Survival (University Press of Kentucky, 1995), had come up with a nest box for Carolina Wrens. Davis credits Columbus birder Bob Orthwien with the design, which takes advantage of this wren’s loose definition of a cavity. The Orthwein/Davis Carolina Wren box can be made with any type of wood except treated lumber. A one by four pine board, half-inch exterior plywood, or suitably sized scrap lumber works well. The back can be quarter-inch plywood. Size is not critical because wrens fill the space available, but the interior dimensions should be no smaller than 6 inches wide by 4 inches deep by 6 inches high. The front is a piece of wood half the height of the sides, so the entrance to the box is the wide slot on the top half of the front. The front is a piece of wood half the height of the sides, so the entrance to the box is the wide slot on the top half of the front. Davis describes Carolina Wren nesting sites as, “back in under,” and says, “... if you place these boxes under a porch roof, under a deck, or in sheds or out buildings, Carolina Wrens will find them irresistible.”– Pittsburgh Post Gazette
MANY OF YOU are probably busy planning your wildlife gardening activities for the growing season. This means poring over the multitude of colorful garden and flower catalogs that appear mysteriously each winter. By the time spring comes, mine are usually dog-eared with frequent use. My favorites are Prairie Nursery, Wildlife Nurseries, Clear Spring Nursery, Sticks ‘n Stones, Maryland Natives Nursery, Duncraft’s Living With Nature, Octoraro Native Plant Nursery, Wild Seed Wildflowers, American Natives and Aquascape. Each year I wish that I had a computer-based design plan for WindStar’s 4-acre demonstration wildlife habitat. It would be nice to be able to “plant items”, see how they look and then make the buying decision. I envy people who are able to visualize this in their minds. For me, I need it down on paper. In creating WindStar’s new web site, we paid particular attention to putting in place information that would help you make decisions for your wildlife habitat. Two of these key areas are the Members Center and the Knowledge Center. In the Knowledge Center are 25 articles that can help you plan and improve your wildlife habitat. You don’t have to be a member to access this information. But, members have a big advantage. They can access and even print out the 37 pamphlets in our Tips For Improving Your Wildlife Habitat series that range from one to 20 pages in size. And, a big advantage is that members can access the WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-magazine archives. There are thousands of tips on attracting wildlife to your property! For those really serious about improving their properties, there is the WindStar Wildlife Habitat Naturalist e-learning course that many enroll in to increase their knowledge. We have wild bird store owners, teachers, doctors, lawyers, nature center staff, estate managers, landscape planners and architects, nature products distributors, birders, photographers, students and those who just want to attract more wildlife to watch, feed and photograph. Your membership and donation support make it possible to provide these excellent environmental education programs, services and publications like the Weekly and the new American Wildlife Blog. Be sure and sign-up for both. Have a great spring in your habitat!
By Kathy Van Mullekom Staff members discuss the appetites of the birds at this medical center. “All the screeches have been eating,” says Alicia DeMay. DeMay is happy—and relieved—because she’s the wildlife physical therapist who monitors how much weight the big birds gain or lose during their recovery at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. (As wild animals recuperate and get stronger, they are taken to outdoor holding pens to exercise. Some cages are constructed as long flight pens where Bald Eagles can test their wings. Photo by Daily Press) Suddenly, all discussion stops and the staff moves into action as an injured Great Horned Owl that arrives from Sweet Briar College about 90 minutes away. The bird swooped down on prey, only to get caught in a barbed-wire fence that tore into the flesh of its wing, exposing muscle and bone. Assisting the vet, DeMay holds the owl’s sharp talons with her gloves and administers anesthesia to relax it. The bird stinks, probably from one of its prey. “They usually come in smelling like skunk,” she says good-naturedly, wrinkling her nose as the odor makes her nostrils burn. Mild weather in this eastern portion of the Shenandoah Valley entices animals to get out and about more often, says center director Ed Clark. Abnormal animal activity means a busy winter season for medical and rehabilitation staff members at the wildlife center, which cares everything from voles and bluebirds to eagles and bears. This year’s numbers are double compared with the same time last year. Doctors try to determine how each animal got injured. Sadly, some are hurt beyond repair. Others that can’t return to the wild are sent to sites such as the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News and Sandy Bottom Nature Park in Hampton. But that’s not the ideal outcome. A day spent at the wildlife center introduces you to what Bright and her team does best—getting hawks, owls and eagles well and released back into their natural habitats. Early Morning, It’s Time To Give Daily
Medications DeMay, who has worked at the center for about five years, is adept at holding the birds so they can’t scratch or bite her. Later that day, she helps tend to an injured owl, strategically positioning her fingers on either side of the bird’s skull to keep it from swiveling around to nip her. “We try to minimize handling the animals, so we use medications that need to be given just once a day instead of twice a day,” says Bright. Mid-Morning, Updates Are Done On Patient Progress Wing
injuries can Raptors, or birds of prey such as owls and eagles, are frequent patients at the center, arriving with broken wings or gunshot wounds. Raptors often get hurt when they swoop down alongside or directly onto roadways to snatch prey—such as rodents attracted to road salt. Collisions between moving vehicles and birds are unavoidable, Joyner says. Later on, cage visits are made. Each injured or ill wild animal is assigned a cage and a case number, and staff members assess and monitor their progress daily, including weight and appetite. Animals are also kept as comfortable as possible. For instance, Box Turtles—often injured by lawnmowers or dogs—are each put into a colorful plastic tub where they soak in water as part of a stress-reduction and hydration process. A Canada Goose with a bad wing sits in the center of a towel wrapped into a donut shape to help relieve pressure on its body. All types of wild animals end up at the wildlife center, the smallest critters being mice with babies, says Bright. And, yes, even voles are given their due respect and nursed back to good health. Later Than Morning, Patient Patience Wears Thin Mid-Day, The Going Gets Tougher Lunchtime Waits For Emergency Arrival Afternoon, It’s Time To Exercise And Grow Stronger
Sound
of Spring Arrives Early Nature
Center Gets A Variety of Calls What? Speak up! I Can’t Hear You! Go to WindStar’s American Wildlife Blog and click on “Comments” at the end of an article to make your voice heard.
If you have a photo you think might be of interest to other
naturalists and that you would like to see considered for Photo of the
Week, send it in a jpg to wildlife@windstar.org and in the subject
line type
By Margaret Moffett Banks
NOW IS THE TIME TO If you love to feed, photograph, or watch wildlife, try this revolutionary new way of learning and become a Certified Wildlife Habitat Naturalist. It features 14 of the nation's top ecologists, photojournalists, horticulturists, naturalists, and wildlife professionals in WindStar's eNetInstructor training that synchronizes video, audio, text, hundreds of photographs and resource information to deliver a "virtual training seminar" over the Internet whenever you want. We already have individuals certified in: NY, MN, CO, AZ, NJ, VA, KY, MD, GA,TX, CA, FL, TN, AL, IA, SC, NE, OK, MA, OH, KY, MO, WI, MI, NH, OR, CT and Saskatchewan. (Calico Pennant Dragonfly by Leisa's Images)
By Monique Lewis Third- to fifth-grade gifted-and-talented students from Fruitland and North Salisbury elementary schools presented the fruits of three months’ labor in a role-playing curriculum called Zam’s Quest. The students focused on conservation dilemmas on the Eastern Shore with the staff at Salisbury Zoological Park. (Horseshoe Crab by DC Wild) “We found out why Horseshoe Crabs are going away,” said Jennifer Ritchie, 10, standing next to her group’s display, Help Hannah the Horseshoe Crab. “There are five reasons: The fishermen use them for bait, blood cells are used to find a cure for cancer, loss of habitat, migratory shorebirds are eating their eggs on long trips and people are flipping them over (at the beach) then their gills dry out and they die.” The students worked with zoo experts at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and met with the Wicomico Board of Education during the three months of research, said Carrie Samis, education curator. About 200 students participated in Zam’s Quest from nine schools, she said. Standing before the Chesapeake Bay Crisis presentation, Sara Benson, 11, explained MSX and Dermo diseases that have been killing oysters in Virginia. Benson, Kory Lowe and Max Pereboon wrote letters to Bill Gates, George Lucas and Oprah Winfrey to ask if they would like to aid conservation efforts to protect species such as oysters. Rapp and Samis delivered more than 1,500 signatures to the American Zoo & Aquarium Association’s Legislative Reception on Capitol Hill. The students collected the signatures so that the state legislature will allocate more money to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect apes, elephants, rhinos, sea turtles and tigers, Samis said. Robynn Powell, 9, said it was interesting to learn about different species and how they’re becoming endangered. “We can help, no matter how big, small or (old),” she said. Ritchie asked parents in the crowd not to let their children turn Horseshoe Crabs over onto their backs, because they can dry out and die. Susan Keen of Salisbury said the program has been one of the most exciting curriculums for her two daughters. “Now they’ll look at a bottle and say, ‘We can’t use that because it’s tested on animals,’ “ Keen said. Joanne Johnson of Salisbury agreed. Her fifth- grade daughter is more inquisitive about world issues and has become more confident speaking before crowds. The zoo’s educational programs have come a long way, Rapp said. “When I started, we gave tours at the zoo,” he said. “(Now the educational program) includes the government, scientific concepts and advocacy. It’s a beautiful combination.” –Daily Times
SHRUBBY hedgerows provide backyard edges that appeal to birds. They offer shelter from weather and predators, nesting places and abundant fruit. When planting a hedgerow, mix several native shrub species of varied shapes and sizes for a greater selection of nest sites. Also select shrubs that fruit at different seasons to provide a year-round food supply. Where possible, include evergreens to provide winter shelter and summer shade. Hedgerows also can connect otherwise isolated woodlots and increase the movement of forest birds between them. On larger properties, an inexpensive although slow technique for developing a hedgerow is to till the soil where you want the hedge, then stretch a tight wire between two posts. Birds will perch on the wire and drop excrement contained shrub seeds. A hedgerow of bird favorities eventually will grow. –Stephen W. Kress and Elissa Wolfson in Wild Bird Magazine
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NEWS SOURCES
TELL YOUR FRIENDS ================================ Have an EXCELLENT Day in your WILDLIFE HABITAT! Tom Patrick ================================
LET NATURE BE YOUR LEGACY
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