Shower buddy

I try to spend as much time outside as possible, particularly during the summer months. From April through September, I eat outside, exercise outside, take conference calls outside, and now, thanks to my talented craftsman husband, I get to shower outside. I think there's nothing more pleasant or refreshing than showering in the out-of-doors, standing under the warm water while the birds and other critters go about their daily business unfazed by my presence. Since the shower went up in July, this groundhog has taken up residence under the big rock that sits beside it. He (she?) especially enjoys using the little landing in front of the shower as a lookout spot...even as I lather, rinse and repeat.

Good morning gift

Wow, I just realized my last blog was back in May! I guess it has been a really busy summer. I know I owe many updates (like what happened to our Wood Ducks, the trip out West to commune with the wild Mustangs, and all the other natural happenings over the past several months). I promise to get you updated soon!

In the meantime, here's a tidbit. One of our wild critters left this little present on our doorstep this morning. We're not sure who would bestow upon us such a wonderful gift - our feral cat, Tux, perhaps? - but we're very appreciative of anyone who will help us keep the mice out of the house and garage.

Duckling mystery

We continue to see our Wood Duck couple each morning but we have yet to see any little ones in the pond or elsewhere. Not wanting to disturb the happy family, we have been reticent to peek in the nest box; but since our little brood is way past due, we decided to row out to check it out. What we found is puzzling. Inside the nest box is all the nesting material (lots of fluffy wood chips and duck down), many broken egg shells...and several newly-laid eggs! While we're glad to see that our couple is going for a second round, we don't know the fate of the first brood. Either the ducklings fledged and have been well-hidden in the woods, or duckling predation is very high around here. We know that owls, hawks, foxes and mink prey on Wood Duck ducklings and we have plenty of those (heck, they've gotta eat, too!). Large mouth bass will also gobble them up, but I really don't think our bass are that large-mouthed.

So, we're going to keep a close eye on this second batch and hope for a more typical outcome this time around. At any rate, I take comfort in knowing that Nature's plan is always the right plan. As long as we don't try to "fix" anything, everything will happen exactly as it's meant to.

Wild mustangs of the not-so-wild west

I've been invited to tag along with a professional photographer to one of the most remote and breathtaking places in the U.S. to become intimate with a special group of wild horses. In late June, I'll be heading to the Pryor Mountains of Montana and Wyoming for a two week trek to seek out and photograph a few bands of wild horses, featured in a handful of Nature documentaries and the subject of ongoing controversy.

The horses reside in a protected area known as the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, which spans the Montana/Wyoming border. The area is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This federal agency is responsible for determining the "appropriate management level" of horses and burros on public land. As you might expect, there is a longstanding debate over what constitutes an "appropriate" population of wild horses. Ranchers, who profit by allowing their livestock to graze on public lands, lobby for fewer wild horses. Animal rights activists and horse enthusiasts lobby to leave the horses alone, allowing nature to keep their population in check. The BLM is caught in the middle, trying to keep everyone happy but never really able to satisfy anyone.

It is believed these horses, known as mustangs, are of Spanish ancestry, introduced to the Pryor Mountains about 200 years ago. They are a smaller horse (about 14 hands), sturdy and well-suited to living in rugged terrain. They form herds, or bands. Each band is comprised of a lead stallion and about 5 or 6 mares and youngsters. Band dynamics change constantly, and younger bachelor stallions regularly vie for control over a group of mares. There are about 130 horses living in the Range, with about 20-30 foals born each year.

We'll be camping out for most of the two-week adventure, up at first light (the best light for taking pictures) and sleeping in a tent or - even better - under the stars. I've heard there's a backpacker's cabin (of sorts) that we might have to hang out in if the weather is bad. I've also heard that it's impossible to get any sleep there with the mice and squirrels (and worse?) running over you throughout the night. Sleeping conditions notwithstanding, I'm really looking forward to getting out into the wilderness, with the horses and the wildflowers and the solitude.

The photograph isn't mine. It is by Deb Little, the talented photographer who I have the privilege of accompanying on this trip.

This place is for the birds

Not a second goes by that there isn't something wonderful and enlightening occurring right outside my door (or window). I am constantly amazed at how attentive bird parents are to their young, often forgoing their own comfort and safety for that of their offspring. We humans would be well served to take a few lessons from our feathered counterparts.

Last week, during a perfect spring day, we had the privilege of watching a pair of eastern bluebirds deliver a smorgasbord of insects to their hungry hatchlings. The mated pair took turns throughout the day collecting bugs and depositing them inside the nest box. Never more than 5 minutes would pass before one of the pair would be there with a delivery.

The wood ducks are still incubating. It should be any day now! We see the male paddling around the nest box each morning, warding off potential intruders, while the female goes out for breakfast.

There are adorable (but poopy) eastern phoebes making every attempt to affix their muddy nests to every available orifice on the house. So far we have kept them at bay, removing their nests several times a day. But they are efficient builders and undeterred by our constant interference with their progress. Yesterday, with a mouthful of moss, one phoebe waited patiently six feet away while I pried his handiwork from the eaves over our covered patio.

We had a mated pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks fly headlong into one of our windows, both dying instantly. We get a lot of bird strikes, and in most cases, the little fellows shake it off and fly away. Tragically, this was not the case for this pair of gorgeous and somewhat uncommon birds and we are genuinely mourning the loss. To think that this couple made the long trip from Mexico or Central America to raise their family at our home in Ohio, only to be killed by the presence of our man-made structure, makes us extremely sad.

I am pleased to report that I got a glimpse of our red-headed woodpeckers yesterday. I assume that they have set up house (again) in the trees surrounding our meadow, and I am very excited to have them back this year.

Robins, like many birds, are diligent nest builders and we have been watching one bring twigs and mud and moss to construct a sturdy little structure in a hemlock outside our bedroom window. As her nest has taken shape, I have noticed a horizontal black stripe forming across the front of her rusty breast. I read that the females, as part of their nest building process, use their breasts to tamp down the mud around the inside of the nest, forming the cup in which she lays her eggs. Hence, the muddy band I see across her front. There is also a robin nesting in the rafters of our woodshed. Her eggs have hatched now and she spends her entire day collecting worms and insects to fill those 4 or 5 gaping mouths. She looks a little worse for wear. Her feathers are rumpled and it's obvious that with all those hungry mouths to feed, she has no time to groom herself.

That's all to report for now. So much activity, so little time to take it all in!

Spring cleaning

I was washing the exterior of the windows a couple of weeks ago, using a (not so great) squeegee to get the water off. The squeegee made a squeaking noise as I moved it across the glass. In my quest for crystal clear, streak-free windows, I inadvertently called in a male Wild Turkey!

Hey, I think I just figured out a way to get the men doing some chores around the house during hunting season.

Caught in the act

I'm afraid my new feeding station location has yielded the same visitor...

28 days and counting

We've had Wood Duck success (I think)! For the past several mornings, I've been seeing 5 Wood Ducks paddling around the pond - 2 pairs and one male. I'm pretty sure the missing female is actually in the nest box incubating her eggs. The incubation period for Wood Ducks is approximately 28 days, so by my estimation we should see little ducklings falling out of the box around April 26th.

WNS goes mainstream

I can't even begin to say how thrilled I am about this: just yesterday, Good Morning America featured a story about White Nose Syndrome and the dying bats. While the news itself continues to be bleak, I am so encouraged that the mainstream media has finally picked this up. You can go here to watch the segment.

Who's hungry?

I saw a healthy fox with a full, bushy tail trotting across the dam last weekend, but I'm afraid I haven't seen hide nor hair (pun intended) of ol' baldy. I finally got the camera trap working, only to learn that I've been making the resident raccoons and opossums very happy.

The bait usually sits out for a couple days before disappearing, usually enduring at least one downpour. So by the time anyone comes along to eat it, it's pretty soggy. I guess it's possible that my fox has paid a visit to the area, but prefers his meals a little fresher...and drier.

Anyhow, I'm making one last attempt to lure in my mangy fox. I've moved the feeding station to a more private location farther into the woods and have laid out a two-day-old, defrosted and waterlogged mouse. Who could resist THAT?

Is that a mouse in my freezer?

As you know, we have at least one red fox living on our property. We've seen his (or her?) tracks in the snow, the telltale poo deposited all over the place, and even had a sighting a few days ago. We were just sitting down to dinner when I noticed what looked like a little dog trotting up the driveway with something relatively big (a woodchuck?) in his mouth. In a matter of seconds, he had made his way up into the woods and disappeared somewhere behind a big log. I felt like there was something wrong but since I only got a brief glimpse, I couldn't put my finger on it. About 30 minutes later, there he was again jogging right past the house. This time I got a much better look and it was apparent that this poor guy has a skin condition. His tail was completely bare except for a little white pompom right on the end.

After doing a little research I learned that this condition is sarcoptic mange. Mange is caused by a mite that burrows under the skin, lays its eggs, and causes extreme itching. It is contagious and can easily spread to mates and pups. Sadly, it won't go away on its own and will ultimately result in complete coat loss and a long, miserable death. The good news, though, is that there is a treatment. If this was our dog, we could simply give him a couple of injections of Ivermectin to kill the mites, some cortisone to relieve the itching, and he'd be good as new. Alas, this is a wild animal so the treatment plan is a little more challenging. This is where the frozen mice come in.

The first step is to get this guy accustomed to coming to the same place to pick up an easy meal. (This isn't as easy as it sounds, as foxes are very wary.) So I've set up a feeding station with one of his usual meals - a fresh (albeit frozen) mouse - with an infrared camera so I can be sure its my sick fox (and not a raccoon, opossum, vulture, hawk or any other eater of mice) picking it up. Once I'm certain my fox has been trained to retrieve his daily mouse, I'll switch out the fresh one with a medicated one (that I can get from a wildlife rehab center). Then, I'll continue feeding him so I can monitor his condition.

So far, one mouse disappeared during the night but the camera failed so I have no idea who got it. I've re-adjusted the camera and have another mouse out there right now and am hoping for a taker tonight. In the meantime, I've been snap-trapping and stockpiling mice. I've got traps set all over both of our outbuildings and have had some good success. But we're talking weeks worth of mice and I suspect my natural supply (and freezer space) may be inadequate.

I've got a couple of backup plans. If I'm not getting any fox action at my feeding station, I can try moving it to a more private location. And if I run out of mice, I can pick up some more at a pet store. I'm just taking this rehab stuff one step at a time and will keep you posted on how it all works out.

We've got wood...

...ducks, that is.

Finally, I think we have a pair of Wood Ducks settling in to the nest box in the pond. Although we have plenty of natural nesting cavities for these guys, we erected the nest box in full view from the house in hopes that we'd get more frequent and exciting sightings of these gorgeous birds. We've had the box up for 3 years now, and this is the first year that we've had a pair of ducks that likes it well enough to return to it over the course of several days.

The Wood Duck is not only one of the most beautiful of all water fowl, but it also has some of the most interesting behavior. As its name implies, it is a duck that lives in the woods. It is totally at home hanging out in the tree tops, and we occasionally see them perched on branches high in the tree canopy.

By the way, the awesome photo is by Erica Marshall of muddyboots.org.

WNS updates

Read previous post "On the brink of bat-astrophe" to see what all the fuss is about...

UPDATE: March 11, 2009
More news on White Nose Syndrome. Unfortunately, it's not good. You can go here to get audio of a public radio story about the most recent discoveries. While I'm glad that WNS is starting to get more media attention, I am terribly saddened by the news itself.

UPDATE: March 5, 2009
Here's an article that my Fish and Wildlife friend just sent to me. It's good to know that some progress is being made. And even better to know that this problem is beginning to get mainstream media attention.

Mission: Possible

The snow has finally melted and we're starting to get hints of spring: warmer weather, thunderstorms and daylight savings time. The birds also tell me that spring is on the way. Yesterday I spotted a bluebird down by the pond (checking out the wood duck nest box - much too big for him) and I've been hearing the Carolina wrens calling for mates.

Since we bought our property 3 years ago (wow, has it been that long??), we've been tackling all kinds of crazy, back-breaking projects, all in the interest of making our land more naturally beautiful and hospitable to the wildlife. Like the time we (just the two of us) spent every weekend for two solid months, armed with only a chainsaw and a rented Bobcat, clearing the world's largest wood pile (don't believe me? that's minuscule me in the lower left-hand corner, for scale). Or the time we roped our friends into helping us dredge out the pond - with just shovels, some 2x4s and our respective SUVs.

So today's project was pretty mild by comparison. Our mission: to beautify the area around our oil well with some native wildflowers. Together, we raked, shoveled and relocated about 1/5 of an acre's worth of gravel, tilled up the soil, and broadcast a great "bird and butterfly" seed mix. Then we covered it all up with leaves and other vegetation (there's plenty of that lying around) to keep the seed moist and protected over the next several weeks. But until I see something sprout I'll be on pins and needles, convinced that nothing can grow in that contaminated soil, or that I did something wrong, or that I got a bad batch of seed.

Since our wood pile project last year, I've begun to think we can accomplish anything in the name of Nature. Once we got all that wood processed, we transformed one of the ugliest spots on the property into a beautiful meadow, and the birds, butterflies, deer and foxes have been rewarding us with their presence ever since. Let's hope we can do the same for our oil well area.

On the brink of bat-astrophe?

One of my favorite summertime activities is to sit down by the pond as the sun goes down and watch the bats come out to feed on all those tasty insects. They put on quite a show, swooping high and low, consuming as much as their own body weight in any given night.

We've never had an insect "problem". Even through the wettest, steamiest summers we rarely have to use insect repellent, and I've always believed it's because we have such a healthy bat population in our woods. Indeed, bats provide a very beneficial and free insect extermination service.

I'm afraid that's all about to change. I recently learned about a mysterious ailment afflicting entire bat populations throughout the Northeastern U.S. It's officially known as White Nose Syndrome (WNS), named for the strange white fungus that is found growing around the nose of the dead bats. Entire bat colonies - hundreds of animals - have been found dead and the cause is still unknown.

The syndrome was only just discovered in 2007 and this malady has already decimated dozens of colonies throughout New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and most recently West Virginia. At the rate it's spreading (which is very, very fast), White Nose Syndrome could reach our bat populations in Ohio before the end of this year! Research is being done, but the explanations and solutions aren't coming fast enough. It is possible that many - perhaps all - bat species could go extinct in a matter of years, even before we have a chance to figure out why. I can't imagine what our woods would be like without our bats, not to mention the impact such a loss would have on our neighbors' crops and agriculture.

Not one to sit idly by when presented with a crisis, I'm spreading the word and donating money for research. Bat Conservation International will accept designated WNS donations and they seem to be the best bat conservation organization out there. If you'd like more information about White Nose Syndrome, click here.

(By the way, I can't take credit for the photo. I found it on flickr and it's by Norm Walsh.)

Name that poo

We're having a little warm spell so I had to get out before all the snow melts to see what's been traveling about our trails over the past week.

I've always enjoyed tracking. In fact, I think finding tracks and other signs of wildlife is almost as exciting as getting to see the actual animals. Tracking is a CSI-type of activity, where you get to piece together a myriad of clues to figure out what the animals have been doing and thinking.

Tracks are the most prevalent and informative clues about what's been going on in the neighborhood. From just a couple of footprints you can surmise the species, the direction it was traveling, whether it was walking or running, and whether it was solitary or with its buddies. But unless the soil is very sandy or muddy, or unless there has been a fresh snow, tracks aren't always easy to come by.

Another great clue for solving Nature's mysteries is scat, my favorite of all the tracking signs. It's amazing what you can learn from a little bit of poo. Through a simple examination of the shape, size, quanitity and contents, you can usually get a good idea of which species the poo belongs to, where it was traveling from and to, how long ago it was squatting at that very spot, what it has been eating, and where it likes to hang out.

So you can imagine my delight when I came across this particular clue today. The hair in it tells me that it is from a carnivore or omnivore. The size tells me that it is from one of our larger mammals (larger than a raccoon). The shape tells me that it is not a domestic dog or cat. So that leaves coyote, fox, bobcat or bear. Unfortunately, we don't have bobcat or bear in our part of the country, so I've narrowed it down to coyote or fox.

The tracking books all say that it can be very difficult to distinguish between coyote and fox scat. The coyote (20 to 35 lbs) is larger than the red fox (6 to 15 lbs), but since they both have the same diet, their poops are of similar size and composition. We've heard coyotes yip-howling and we've snagged some pictures of red fox on our camera trap, so I know we have both in our woods. But since there were no other clues nearby (the tracks in the snow around this little gem had all melted), this mystery remains unsolved for now.

The war of the roses

I'm always surprised by what a little bit of sunshine does for my disposition. Although still extremely cold, it has been a sunny day and I'm in a great mood! I'm starting to think about spring. I'm looking forward to spending more time outside, doing some spring cleaning and re-engaging in my mission to eradicate the multiflora rose from every square inch of our 120 acres.

About the multiflora rose...it's a non-native, invasive species of rose that was brought to the United States from Asia to be used along property lines as a sort of living fence. The thinking at the time was that it would be an inexpensive and beautiful alternative to conventional fencing. But as you might expect with anything deemed "invasive", it has gone berserk.

Bushes with long, gangly, thorny canes blanket our forest floor, especially in areas that have been disturbed by Nature or man. Single bushes easily grow to be 8 to 10 feet tall, and if growing next to a tree, individual canes can reach 20 to 30 feet into the tree canopy. The bushes make great wildlife habitat (for birds and small mammals) but displace the native vegetation and make the forest impassable by deer and humans alike. I hate that there are many places on the property where I physically cannot venture lest I'm geared up in long heavy jeans, goggles, leather gloves and machete.

Having spent hundreds of hours tangled in its canes and wrestling it into submission, I am a self-professed expert on my nemesis. I can spot it a mile away, even when it's hiding amid other similar-looking vegetation (like blackberries) and even in the winter when it is leafless. I know how it grows and spreads and can sense its presence even before I actually see it.

There are a variety of ways to kill it, none of which are inexpensive or easy work. My preferred method depends on the situation. In the spring and summer in areas where the multiflora is dense and there's no other vegetation nearby, I spray the foliage with glyphosate (a systemic herbicide that works its way down to the rhizome through the leaves of the plant), wait until the bushes die, then cut down the brittle canes a few weeks later. If the multiflora is interspersed amid other desirable trees and plants, I cut each multiflora bush at its base using clippers or a gas-powered Stihl brush cutter (the best gift I ever got), remove the canes to a brush-burning pile, and return a few weeks later to spray the budding foliage.

In the fall and winter, when all the "good" vegetation has died back and there is no foliage on the multiflora, the rose bushes really stand out. With nowhere to hide, my enemy is easy to spot and easy to get to. So from October to March, I blissfully mow the suckers down with my trusty Stihl, leave the canes where they lay to rot over the winter, then go back in spring and spray the budding foliage with the glyphosate.

Over the past couple of years, I have destroyed about 10 acres-worth of the stuff. At that rate, I've only got 22 more years to go! Hey, it's a goal.

Brrrrrrrr.....

It's just too cold (about 10 degrees) to go outside - any exposed skin starts to ache in a matter of seconds - so here I am bundled up inside with the heat pump blasting away on emergency heat and a roaring fire going in the fireplace.

I am in awe of all those feathered and furry creatures out there. How do they endure such bitter cold? How can they possibly find enough to eat when everything is under 6 inches of snow and ice? How can the same bodies, that tolerate days on end of temps nearing zero in the winter months, also endure the unbearable heat and humidity of summer? Nature has bestowed upon her creatures the most efficient and elegant biological systems and processes, while we humans with our fancy technology and opposable thumbs truly pale by comparison.

I'm ashamed of my own weak and vulnerable species, but what can I do? Alas, I think I'll just curl up under a big wool blanket, grab a cup of Rooibos, and finish reading one of the three books I've got going.

A winter wonderland

We've had quite a bit of snow over the past couple of weeks, with temps never reaching above the freezing mark. We have 3 inches of snow sitting on top of an inch of ice sitting on top of another three inches of snow. What that means to us is that we can no longer drive the car up to the house and into the garage. So our car remains parked at the bottom of our hill or at the end of our driveway near the road, and we get to make the 1/3 mile trek whenever we must get to work or grocery store or civilization.

The pond is frozen over except for a 20 foot diameter opening in the middle where the aerator runs. Yesterday, I spied a couple of deer walking gingerly out onto the ice and toward the hole, hoping to get a drink. I was concerned that one or both of them would punch through the thinner ice that rings the opening so I ran out there, clapping my hands, to scare them away. I've considered turning the aerator off and allowing the pond to freeze over completely. Doing so would turn it into a terrific skating rink, but it would also prevent any sunlight from entering the pond. The catfish, bluegills and bass living in the pond need oxygen throughout the year, and without the aerator running nor sunlight entering (to create photosynthesis), my poor fish might drown. So for now, I'm going to let the aerator run and keep an eye out for thirsty deer.

The trails are pristine, marred only by hoof and paw prints of all manner. I'm totally amazed by how much traffic there is out there! I've been able to identify deer, rabbit, mouse, squirrel, turkey, fox, raccoon, dove, and feral cat tracks. In fact, when I last saw our feral cat's tracks I noticed a little bit of blood coming from his (her?) left front toe. I haven't seen him or his tracks over the past few days, so hopefully he's safely tucked away somewhere nursing his paw back to health.