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Welcome to
By Bob Frye
He'd just discovered a coyote's footprint. It was in the mud and grass of a trail that paralleled a narrow strip of woods and briars separating two fields at Mingo Creek Park, near Ginger Hill in Washington County. (Here plaster is poured into the coyote track and is allowed to dry. This process makes a positive of the track, much like the foot of the animal who left his trail.) That first track was a clue that tipped him off to the presence of several others. They were all shallow and indistinct, almost unrecognizable really, to anyone with less than a trained eye. But to Rohm, the tracks were chapters in a true-life story. "Once you learn to identify tracks, you can start to put together the why of things," Rohm said. "If you measure an animal's stride, you can start to see, was he slowing down or speeding up? If there's a place where he got an especially good grip, was it because he started to slip? Or, did he see something that made him turn? "My wife makes fun of me sometimes because I get so excited by this stuff, but it's like an open book really, the earth, if you can learn to read it." Learning to identify animal tracks in the wild is a skill that can make you feel a real connection to the outdoors and wildlife, regardless of whether you're a hunter, hiker or amateur naturalist, agreed Patrick Adams, an environmental education specialist at Raccoon Creek State Park in Beaver County, PA. "It's pretty amazing, if you start getting into it, how you can tell what an animal was doing when it was at a particular place at a particular point in time," Adams said. Tracking does not require a lot of specialized equipment, Rohm said. A guidebook that explains what different tracks look like, a flashlight to illuminate the ridges, peaks and other details of a track, and a marked stick or tape measure to gauge an animal's stride are all good to have. The one thing you really need to possess if you want to be a good tracker, though, is motivation. "It's one of those things, you can read all you want, but until you actually put your nose to the dirt and spend time at it, you're not going to be able to track across all mediums. You have to put the dirt time in," Adams said. Winter is one of the best times to get started because the snow holds tracks. It's rare that you ever find a perfectly defined print-- "tracking is subtle, but everything in nature is subtle, really," Rohm said--but if it's going to happen, it's as likely to happen in winter as ever. Creek bottoms with their muddy banks are another good place to look for tracks. It's also possible to "cheat" by putting out sandboxes filled with damp sand and bait, Adams said. In walking across the sand to reach the food, animals from mice to Raccoons leave behind nice footprints that you can study later. "That's something that anyone can do in their back yard. It's a great way, if you have a limited amount of time, to bring animals to you," Adams said. Studying tracks made in a sandbox at a known time also allows you to learn how time, wind and weather age tracks, Rohm said. Once you've got some of the basics down, it's incredible the variety of wildlife you'll discover, he said. Walking through a few fields in Mingo Creek last week, for example, he found tracks from deer, Raccoons, opossums and coyotes. At other times, and in other places--he especially likes tracking in Cook Forest State park -- he's tracked bears, bobcats, fishers, otters and even a turtle. Being able to look at the ground and know what all of that wildlife has been up to is a pretty special thing, Rohm said. "Once you start looking at the ground and seeing all of these little impressions and runways and pathways, you never look at it the same way again," Rohm said. "It's really magic."
More Information Two other tracking books worth reading are Tom Brown Jr.'s "Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking" and "The Science and Art of Tracking: Nature's Path to Self-Discovery." Brown, considered a worldwide expert in tracking, also runs classes at his "Tracker School" in New Jersey–Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
THERE PROBABLY isn’t a single one of you who haven’t wished you had a “bigger hammer” to use in fighting weeds in your garden or wildlife habitat. If you are like me, you wished you had a more natural way of getting rid of those pesky weeds. Dean Houghton, writing in the latest issue of The Furrow, says you’re not as alone as you think. “You might not be cozy with crickets or mice, but if the enemy of your enemy is your friend, these little fellows can provide hundreds of thousands of allies per acre in the weed war Iowa State University (ISU) scientists call it the “little hammers” approach to weed control. “We believe that a combination of weed management techniques and ecological processes can help maintain effective weed control with a lighter touch,” says Matt Liebman, an ISU agronomist. “That approach can help slow down evolutionary resistance to herbicides, protect soils from erosion due to excessive cultivation and protect water quality. And, it could help reduce production costs.” What did these scientists find out in their research plots in central Iowa? They found out that mice are willing workers for you. Scientists set out seed cards containing either giant foxtail or velvetleaf seeds and monitored activity in the fields. Mice removed an average of a third of the velvetleaf seed and about half of the giant foxtail seed within a 48-hour period! “There were times when mice removed up to 40% of the weed seed in a single night,” says Brent Danielson, an ISU biologist. “Mice can take a tremendous amount of weed seeds out of fields and do it relatively quick if seeds stay on the soil surface and are not tilled under. Mice don’t always eat the seeds right away, but bury them in caches at depths from which seeds can’t germinate.” And, here is another amazing aspect of nature. The Prairie Deer Mouse, one of North America’s most abundant vertebrates, lives in the middle of fields. Its cousin, the White-footed Mouse, is commonly found near field borders. These two species work year-round against weed seeds and insect pupae, never stopping to hibernate. Similar destruction of weed seeds is credited to crickets that appear in fields each fall. Additional studies will help scientists develop practical suggestions for people who want to encourage these “little hammers.” Isn’t Mother Nature amazing?
Wildlife Reporters Needed If you are interested in being a Reporter for the American Wildlife Blog, let me know right away. We want to have a number of short articles (500 words or less) from around North America. There are thousands of visitors to the Blog that will enjoy reading about your wildlife observations and experiences. APPLY by sending a brief email outlining your interest in nature and why you would like to be an American Wildlife Blog Reporter to wildlife@windstar.org
By Scott Shalaway
I suspect that you, like me, grew up in a world free of many of today's dangers and troubles. I lived in the country surrounded by farms, fields and woods. >From the time I was 7 or 8 years old, I spent most of my free time outdoors. If there were other kids around, we played baseball or football from dawn until dusk. In the fall we'd rake piles of leaves in the end zone to jump into after a long touchdown. At night, we'd sit on the bench of the general store and tell ghost stories. We dared each other to cross the street and run around the church and dash through the graveyard. Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps. When there was no one to play with, I'd leave on my bike in the morning and get home in time for supper. There were no limits. My dad worked and mom knew I'd be back when I got hungry. I had three favorite destinations. One was a patch of woods surrounding an old abandoned house. Some people said the house was haunted and I suppose that was the lure. But I never saw a ghost or even heard any strange sounds, so I'd leave my bike at the old house and explore the woods. I climbed trees, rolled logs and flipped rocks in search of bird nests, salamanders, snakes and spiders. Another of my favorite places was a deep swimming hole along a spring-fed stream about 8 miles from our house. On really hot summer days I'd bike there alone, but usually I'd wait for my dad. He'd get home from work at 4 p.m., and after a long day in the factory; he was always up for a swim. "The Rock," as we called it, was a natural swimming pool. It was in this pool, lined with house-sized boulders, that my dad taught my brothers and myself to swim and dive. And, it's where I got to know crayfish, minnows, frogs, water striders and diving beetles. Everything I caught went home in a peanut butter jar to be identified with my dog-eared Golden Guides. But, the place I liked best was Smitty's pond. It was just a short hike through a couple of hay fields to the old cow pond, so I usually walked. In retrospect, it was a just a big old mud hole, but there were always plenty of frogs and painted turtles. I'd spend hours on my belly crawling along the edge of the pond, net in hand, stalking those critters. And whenever I caught one, you couldn't convince me I didn't belong on "Wild Kingdom" with Marlin Perkins. I'm sure many of you have similar memories, but times have changed. Few parents today let their children out of sight for more than a few minutes in the backyard, much less all day. And, if they did, they'd probably be reported for neglecting their children. Stalkers, child molesters, serial rapists, murderers and garden-variety perverts make even suburban backyards a seemingly dangerous place. So children stay indoors and venture outdoors only for rigidly structured and supervised sports. Consequently, we have raised a generation of children who know more about tropical rain forests and African savannas than the plants and animals in their own back yard. I came to this disturbing conclusion not via an insightful "Eureka" moment, but by reading a new book by Richard Louv. "Last Child in the Woods -- Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit-Disorder" (2005, $24.95, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill) outlines a serious problem that managed to slip beneath my radar. From overprotective parents to communities that literally outlaw unstructured outdoor play, Louv defines and documents the problem, which boils down to this: Most of today's conservation and environmental leaders made their connection to nature as kids. Absent that connection, who will lead us tomorrow? Parents, grandparents, and teachers--resolve to read this book to learn how to get our children back to nature. –Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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Polar Bear
by SuperStock, Inc.
====================== ========== IF YOU HAVE an unusual or excellent photograph of wildlife that you would like considered, send a jpg to wildlife@windstar.org and put "Photo of the Week" in the subject line.
The fall of 2005 witnessed a robust flight of Northern Saw-whet Owls in eastern Massachusetts. Norman Smith, veteran owl bander and director of Mass Audubon's Blue Hills Trailside Museum, banded over 300 saw-whets during October and November at just two Bay State sites. Most notably he captured a saw-whet owl bearing a band that was applied by G. Frye at a site near Choteau, MT, of September 27, 2003! This banding recovery is thought to represent the longest confirmed west to east distance ever recorded for a migrant Northern Saw-whet Owl. –Birding Community e-Bulletin (Saw-whet Owl by Linda Warfiea)
By Capt. Mark Sampson Seems that every week the news carries another reference to higher real estate taxes, zoning issues, construction costs and, of course, our ever- increasing population. You needn't have lived on Maryland’s Eastern Shore too many years to know that the current trend in local development has changed our coastal homeland and quality of life in ways we never would have expected just a decade ago. (Capt. Mark Sampson) Certainly the development here on the shore is nothing unique, and while I was about to say that changing the landscape to make it more suitable for human comfort has been going on since Columbus first touched down, I guess to be accurate I'd have to mention that even some early American tribes were known to burn and clear acreage to create the kind of homeland they wanted. Certainly the development here on the shore is nothing unique, and while I was about to say that changing the landscape to make it more suitable for human comfort has been going on since Columbus first touched down, I guess to be accurate I'd have to mention that even some early American tribes were known to burn and clear acreage to create the kind of homeland they wanted. As long as we've been changing the land to make it "better" for us, man has also been shoving wildlife off to the fringes of our settlements. As I look across the bay to Ocean City, MD, it's hard to even comprehend the type and amount of critters that used to live on the very same turf that's now covered by T-shirt shops, condos and a few miles of boardwalk. Now, while concrete, asphalt, vinyl siding and transplanted palm trees seem to make its human inhabitants feel all safe and cozy, our coastal town is a far cry from what most would consider to be a "destination spot" for wildlife looking for a place to relocate. But, one of the most amazing things about some species of wildlife is that of their "occasional" abilities to adapt to and survive in conditions and surroundings that in no way resemble what their furry, feathered or scaly ancestors lived in. The Whitetail Deer is a classic example. As human settlements spread across and eventually covered this continent, whitetails couldn't cope with the sudden shock of so much presence by man and the dramatic change he brought to their environment. The deer's numbers dwindled off to almost nothing. But "nature finds a way" and when suddenly forced to either "adapt" or "go extinct," whitetails (fortunately) chose the former and now their numbers are reportedly beyond what they where when Chris first waded in from the Santa Maria, and a lot of suburbanites have them living in their front yard shrubbery. Talk about a lesson in adaptation. If Charles Darwin could have waited until the 20th century, he wouldn't have had to go all the way to the Galapagos Islands to formulate his theories on "evolution and adaptation." Deer in the flowerbeds, Black Bears hibernating under country cabins, Coyotes living beside the interstate, falcons nesting on skyscrapers, geese on the golf courses, Mallards in our canals, Ospreys raising their young on channel markers, human development and activities has pushed and shoved wildlife back so much that finally it would seem some species have come to the conclusion that the only way to survive is to swallow their pride and take the "if you can't beat 'em--join 'em" approach. It's either adapt or die for some critters and in this age when so many Americans would rather sit on the sofa with a bag of chips and a remote-control than go for a walk in the woods, I think it's great that wildlife are starting to visit us -- since we won't go to them. Which brings me to the "boardwalk fox." While I've never had the privilege to see him (or her) myself, for the past couple years I've had many friends and numerous clients tell me about seeing the fox on or near the beach in the downtown area. Everyone who told the story was both happy and intrigued that the animal would make its home in such an intensely developed area. It occurred to me that by taking the path of "adaptation," the fox had won the hearts of many locals and visitors and in doing so joined the ranks of so many unique "human" characters (many now long-gone) who, in their own special way, held the public's interest either by entertaining or just by being there. Since first hearing about it I couldn't help but think, "Hurray for the fox!" And I hoped that lots of people would have the opportunity to enjoy seeing the wonderful oasis of nature living among our concrete and salt-treated fortress. My only fear was that one night someone without the brains or ethics to go out in the "wilds" during a hunting or trapping season and get one legally, would suck down a couple six-packs, grab a pellet gun and try to make the boardwalk fox a trophy of their own. I never imagined that the critter's greatest threat would be from a misguided property owner who instead of enjoying the company of the magnificent animal would look at it as the "big-bad-wolf" and think the only way to protect himself from the fangs of the horrible beast would be to hire a "professional" (yea, right) trapper to do his dirty work for him. I'm going to assume this person is truly a very decent individual who is not at all mean or cruel or out to knowingly do anything wrong. The notion that Ocean City would be better off without the fox likely stemmed from a lack of knowledge about the habits of the species and the fears that the little fellow would start preying upon local cats and dogs and eventually carry off someone's first born child and raise it under the boardwalk as its own little fox-boy. Since no one can talk about wild animals and humans without the topic of rabies coming up, I assume that public safety from the virus was part of the argument. But since rabies must be directly transmitted from one infected animal to the next-- unless there's an epidemic of rabies already in town-- our fox shouldn't be unfairly labeled as "high risk" just because it's a warm-blooded animal. The way I see it, someone has a much greater chance of getting injured by a coconut falling from a transplanted palm tree than by a fox. Palm trees aren't native to Delmarva, foxes are. Why pick on the fox? Go after the palm tree! Even if, from this day forward, man never develops another square-inch of soil, we have already succeeded in changing so much of this planet in ways that have, in one way or the other, affected virtually every other species of plant and animal struggling to live upon it. For the most part, we move in and the critters move out. But as more and more creatures find they have fewer and fewer truly "wild" places to retreat to, some of them are willing to take a chance on humanity by adapting their ways to survive in the new environment man has created. Surely there will be times when, for the safety of both animal and man, this co-existence cannot be allowed to occur. Other times, like with the boardwalk fox, we all should be happy that nature has trusted us enough to place such a wonderful example of her creation right in the heart of our coastal town. –Delmarva Daily Times
If you
love to feed, photograph, or (Red Fox by Wothe/Minden )
Jim Solberg
Midwinter Midges
Spitting Sparrow
Gregarious Grouse
Incredible Cranes
Fabulous Fish
Gazing At Ginseng
Elk Adventure
Wailing Wolves
Dragonfly Destinations
Turkey Triumphs
Kitty Calamity
What A Year!
ANYONE who thinks birds aren’t very smart should have witnessed what Dale H. saw in his Tacoma, WA backyard last December. “It all started after I’d scattered some small pieces of leftover pancakes in the yard,” Dale recalls. “They were quickly covered by snow, and a few days of bitterly cold weather followed. “To help the birds, I removed the ice from my birdbath and filled it with lukewarm water. It wasn’t long before chickadees, sparrows, juncos and starlings started bathing, as well as eating from my feeders. A few minutes later, I was surprised to see a starling land on the edge of the birdbath with a piece of frozen pancake in its bill. It dipped the chunk of pancake into the warm water to thaw it out, and then ate it. Moments later, I saw a crow do the same thing. “Even if they have ‘bird brains,’ these birds proved to me that they’re pretty smart!” –Birds & Blooms (American Crow by Robert Royse)
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TELL YOUR FRIENDS
======================== ======= Have an EXCELLENT Day in your WILDLIFE HABITAT! Tom Patrick
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LET NATURE BE YOUR LEGACY
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