September Bird of the Month: Black-and-white Warbler

In today's post, Nathan Martineau writes about the Black-and-white Warbler, a bird that can easily be found at Fenner right now. Come to Fenner to see it yourself!

The month of September brings the opportunity to see many birds during their fall migration here at Fenner--including the Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia). Also, this month the Capital Area Audubon Society is leading Fall Migration Bird Walks here at Fenner on Saturdays (9-11am), which is another great opportunity!

The Black-and-white is different from other warblers because first, it is one of the few members of its family that does not change appearance between spring and fall, while the others transform from their bright spring plumage into "LBJs" or "little brown jobs." In fall, these"LBJs" are quite dully colored and similarly patterned and sometimes prove an extreme challenge to identify by species. 

Secondly, the Black-and-white Warbler has a very unique habit of hitching up and down tree trunks and branches while foraging for food, quite like a woodpecker or a nuthatch would do. Only one other species of warbler exhibits this behavior (the Prothonotary Warbler if you are curious), and even they only do it occasionally. 

Male

Female

The Black-and-white, as well as other warblers, can be found in any wooded setting throughout the park in migration, although the migrant birds tend to concentrate around the Woodland and Field Ponds, and the parking lot.  This may not be true on some days, though, as migration is always hit-or-miss and each day is different. Black-and-whites can be very common on a good migration day. They can be found here from late April through late May and again from September to early October.   

A Night Hike at Fenner

In today's post, Jen Ismirle writes about enjoying the glimpses of animals and their activities she observed on our last night hike of the summer. 

For the past few weeks, I've been wanting to go on Fenner’s Summer Night Hike, but because of family plans and the rain, I kept missing out. But finally, last Friday, my schedule opened up and rain was absent in the weather forecast; it was all systems go!

There ended up being 12 of us total on the hike, including myself and our guide, Martha. She gave a brief presentation in the library first, showing us pictures of various animal we might see and also playing the sounds that different owls make. The screech of the barn owl was particularly interesting, and scary: click here to hear it.

We headed outside after that, and it was still light out as we began our trek. I was excited though to hear Martha say that this night hike would be the darkest one yet, as it is starting to get darker earlier. As we walked about, she stopped us a few times to play bird calls from a tape player she had, but apparently the owls and other birds were feeling shy or just weren’t around right then, because the calls didn’t lure them out.

Although I was disappointed that we didn’t happen upon any owls, we definitely weren’t alone on our walk. There were many squirrels rustling around nearby, and we also saw two deer, separately. We only caught a quick glimpse of the first one as it dashed behind some trees, but we were able to watch the second one romp across the entire field before it too disappeared amongst the trees. We saw a rabbit as it wandering through the forest too, just before we headed out into the field. Unfortunately, I was too slow to catch any of the animals with my camera.

By that point, it was starting to get dark and we could see a couple bats darting around in the sky as they were catching insects. When we walked over to the Field Pond, the children on the hike spotted a spider on its web, and were extremely interested in investigating it up-close. I stayed back as I am not big on spiders myself, but it was fun to watch the kids so fascinated by the spider and asking questions about it. They were fearless!

As it grew entirely dark, we winded our way through the rest of the field and around the Central Pond. Throughout the walk, we could rustlings all around us and many different bird calls, but we could no longer see what was making these noises. The children and some of the adults whipped their flashlights around, but it was difficult to catch a glimpse of these creatures of the night. We could also hear splashes from time to time in the pond, but only see the ripples on the water.

After we made our way back to the Visitor Center, it was time for a bonfire and s’mores! And after that, since we hadn’t been able to see any owls in-person, Martha brought out some owl pellets for the kids to dissect. They were able to find quite a few animal bones inside the pellets, including a rodent skull (which is on the right below).

I am very glad I was finally able to attend one of these night hikes, though sadly it was the last summer night hike for this year. It was interesting to witness (through sight and sound) the nocturnal activities of so many different animals, which I didn't even realize are happening nearby while I am sound asleep inside my home.

Starting September 1^st, there will also be Fall Migration Bird Walks, led by the Capital Area Audubon Society. Check out Fenner’s calendar to learn more.

August Bird of the Month: American Goldfinch

In today's post, Nathan Martineau writes about the American Goldfinch, a bird that can be easily found at Fenner right now. Learn more about this small finch below, and come to Fenner to find it yourself!

At my feeders, the molting of the male American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) from his drab winter plumage into his brilliant summer garb is always the first sure sign of spring. You can find goldfinches almost anywhere here at Fenner, and in fact across most of this country. Its year-round range encompasses most of the USA except the southernmost tier of states, where it is a common winter resident. The winter range also extends south along Mexico’s Gulf Coast. Its breeding range includes much of southern Canada.  

Breeding Male

Adult Male in Winter

 




That said, the American Goldfinch is one of the commonest and widespread native birds in North America, just behind such birds as the Red-winged Blackbird and American Crow. This fact really becomes apparent once one learns their contact call, a whistled Po-ta-to-chip or per-chic-o-ry.  

Breeding Female

Male with Nest and Young

The American Goldfinch is an exceptionally late nester and is one of very few birds that nest into mid-August and even September.  There are two reasons for this: first, their primary nesting material, which is fluff from thistle and milkweed plants, is not normally abundant earlier in the year. Secondly, goldfinches are one of the strictest granivores (something that feeds on seeds and grain) in the bird kingdom, only accidentally eating the occasional insect. This means that they are better off to wait to nest in late summer, when nutritious seeds, such as those from thistle, burdock, pigweed and teasel, abound.

July Birds of the Month

In today’s post, one of our volunteers, Nathan Martineau, writes about two birds that can found at Fenner right now. Check it out, and try to spot one today!

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

One of four species of sparrows that nest here at Fenner, the Field Sparrow is a bird of pastures of tall grass, scattered with shrubs.  Due to its lack of prominent facial markings, this sparrow possesses a distinctive baby-faced look. While it is often quite a challenge to catch sight of one of these little sparrows, a much easier way to locate them is their song, which is quite loud and reminds many people of “a bouncing Ping-Pong ball.” 

From mid-March until mid-October, Field sparrows can easily be heard—and often seen—at two locations at Fenner:  the first is the vicinity of the Field Pond, which is often the only place where it is possible to see one of these birds.  The second place is the field that formerly held a buffalo for many years.  On the trail map, this area should appear to be south of the Service Drive (light gray), near the intersection of the Turner and Tamarack (blue and pink) trails.  You are practically guaranteed to hear Field Sparrows here, although the scale of the place, combined with restricted access, makes it extremely difficult to see one here.  In migration, it is often seen flocking with Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina), especially in spring.

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

Many people say that the bluebird is the bluest bird in North America, but a male Indigo Bunting certainly gives a bluebird a run for its money!  Indigo Buntings can be found in forest edges and weedy fields here at Fenner from May through September.  As well as being abundant in spring and fall migration, it is a common summer resident and breeder throughout Michigan.  Indigo Buntings commonly eat the seeds of plants such as grass, dandelion, thistle, goldenrod, and other weedy plants. The bulk of their diet, however, consists of invertebrates like grasshoppers, beetles, flies and caterpillars.  

Letting a few dandelions go to seed will often attract Indigo Buntings to your yard in migration. At Fenner, I recently saw Indigo Buntings on the ground in the parking lot, which is unusual. I have also seem them out in the prairie.  Right now, they are found in breeding pairs and sometimes they can be seen singing from the tops of the trees on the prairie.

A Summer Night Hike: Taking the “Adventurous” Trail

Today’s post comes from Katie Woodhams, our Program Manager. On a Summer Night Hike here at Fenner, she rediscovered an awe of nature through observing wildlife and the circle of life firsthand. Read about her rich experience, and come to Fenner for our next Summer Night Hike on Friday (July 13), 8-10pm!

Whenever I tell people that I work at a nature center, their first reaction is always some sort of exclamation about how lucky I am to get paid to be outside and having fun.  While I do have fun at work, I have to tell you – it’s a rare occurrence for me to actually get outside!  While our camp counselors and naturalists are out blazing trails, I can usually be found at my desk, in a cubicle, staring at my computer like a zombie!  You probably can understand why I jumped at the chance to tag along for our first night hike of the summer!

As the sun sank lower in the sky giving the prairie grass that lovely golden glow, my fellow eco-explorers and I started off on our adventure with binoculars, field guides, camera, and smart phone in hand, loaded up with Audubon Field Guide Apps.  We had decided that the Visitor Center needed a monarch caterpillar mascot so our first stop was to go in search of one among the milkweed.  Just as we were about to give up, we found this cute little guy munching away!

Chemicals in the milkweed that are produced as a defense mechanism do not phase the monarch caterpillars.  Instead, the caterpillars accumulate these toxins in their bodies, which in turn help to protect them from predators.

After our new caterpillar friend, Heinrich, was safe in his new home inside the Visitor Center we headed back out to the prairie.  We came upon this fork in the trail and faced the age old dilemma about choosing the right path….Should we take that which is most traveled, or that which looks more adventurous?  

To the left, along the deer trail it is!

As we headed down the narrow path we discovered animal burrows and trails that we would not have seen had we taken the route more traveled.  At this point my excitement was rising and I had already forgotten all of the stress of the day.  

Just a few steps down the trail we found this entire tiny skeleton right at our feet!  We decided that it was some sort of rodent, based on the teeth.  Nearby we found what looked like a woodchuck burrow, so we inferred that this was a young woodchuck that had a little bit of bad luck.  A few steps later we came across a dead mole and spent many minutes inspecting the insect life that was “recycling” the little guy.  Hey, I know it’s gross, but we were so enthralled by the circle of life happening right before our eyes!   In nature, nothing is wasted, and we felt privileged to observe this first hand.

As the sun dipped below the tree line we headed over to the field pond.  I had heard that there was a family of wood ducks out there and wanted to see them firsthand.  Even though we snuck out onto the bridge as quietly as possible, we didn’t see any wood ducks (darn!). Instead however, we saw two mother turkeys and about 20 babies, called poults. They were getting ready for bed and picking out their roosts along the railing of the pond overlook.  I took a video as I tried to sneak up on them, but I decided to spare everyone all the heavy breathing and shaky camera work….instead, look at this cute picture below!  Mind you, they don’t look like this for very long.  Soon they will have filled their cute quota and turn into lanky, awkward, and gangly juveniles (just like people!)

As we left the prairie and entered the darkening woods, we spotted a raptor nest of some sort at the top of a red pine.  Upon closer examination at the bottom of the tree we found owl pellets!  Owl pellets are balls of hair and bones that the owls regurgitate because they cannot digest those parts of their prey.  They are fun to pull apart and investigate, and they help biologists deduce all kinds of information about the owl’s health and even the types of other animals that are living in the area.

I decided at this point to whip out my fancy smart phone and play some owl calls to try to hear if there were any in the area.  We tried Screech-owls, Barred Owls, and even Great Horned Owls, but never got a response.  Maybe we were too early, and the owls weren’t ready to wake up for the night yet! Just as we were giving up hope, we saw a large bird fly overhead.  Could it be an owl?.... Nope!  It was a Cooper’s Hawk!  The hawk landed right above us, and as I played various calls of its kind on my phone, it looked around, puzzled.  We watched it in awe since none of us had ever been that close to a wild hawk before! 

Throughout the rest of the hike I continued to act like a kid in a candy store.  While I studied biology in college, and have had many memorable experiences with nature, I still get goose bumps when I get a close encounter with a wild animal, or even if I find a pretty flower that I have not seen before. Experiences like this night hike remind me of why I went into this field, and why I believe that it is so important for everyone, especially kids, to have these same types of experiences.  In a time where one can look up a video on Youtube or watch a T.V show about nature and see high definition close-up imagery, I am still convinced that these firsthand experiences are much more memorable, as well as meaningful. There’s just something about making a discovery on your own that is so much more rewarding than having someone explain it to you on T.V.  I frequently reflect on what former Fenner naturalist Joan Brigham often stated, “Man is a part of nature, not apart from it.” Whenever I think of that statement I feel alive, complete, and ready for my next nature adventure!

When It Rains, Go Outside!

Today’s post comes from Abby King, one of our Animal Care Interns. She writes about her love of rain and the enjoyment she’s had being out in the rain here at Fenner and other places in nature. Try taking her advice to experience a brand new appreciation for rain!

I like rain.

Many people seem to claim that they share this sentiment, and yet, when the skies darken and the air becomes still and heavy, I start to hear more complaints than celebrations. But, I fail to understand why.

Rain seems to keep people inside their homes. However, I find that staying indoors on a rainy day results in a multitude of missed sightings and sensations that only occur when it rains. Many of these can be experienced at Fenner.

In the woods, the leaves show their underbellies in the breezes that come before the rain. The birds change their songs, or become silent all together depending on the severity of the storm. The greens of the trees and grasses become richer, more vibrant, because of the cloud cover. Flowers register as their true colors instead of glaring spots of color in the sun. Rain quiets the gritty dust that works its way into my shoes, and turns it into smooth mud that squishes between my toes if I decide to go barefoot. When the trail slopes and the rain is fast, I see the temporary, tiny rivers that run down and make patterns of the different soil types. Rocks and trees become spotted with water at first, and then darken in color allowing the particles in the stone and the lichens on the bark to stand out. The raindrops also make a peculiar hissing noise when they hit the water of the ponds that I have yet to hear anywhere else.

In the rain, my first inclination is to huddle in my coat or under an umbrella in an attempt to stay dry. I think that this is a common reaction, and rather a shame because the feeling of rain on the skin is unique and an all-too-rare occurrence for most of us. During the next storm, perhaps remove your coat or step out from under the umbrella and embrace the water that saturates your clothing and rolls down your skin. We’ve all been caught in a storm and drenched as we dash for cover, but purposefully allowing the rain to soak you is, I find, a completely different experience.  

I’ll admit that there is nothing wrong with spending a rainy day inside, perhaps baking or catching up on housework or socializing with the family. However, the next time it rains, try something new and go experience the rain outdoors.

The Rewards of Monitoring

With the destruction and development of natural habitats and the introduction of non-native birds and outside cats, it has become much more difficult for wild birds to breed young that survive. Bluebirds are one species that has been drastically affected, but many are now working to help these beautiful birds. Providing nest boxes for birds in an area can help wild birds breed, but monitoring is also needed to make sure these boxes stay habitable and intact in order to protect the young birds inside.

The use of nest boxes has helped many species of birds increase from very low population numbers, along with the monitoring efforts of those such as our guest blogger today. Gene Wasserman is the Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton County Coordinator for the Michigan Bluebird Society. He monitors nest boxes extensively, and the following is an account of some things he observed this spring:

On one recent day of monitoring nest boxes at Harris Nature Center in Okemos and Fenner Nature Center in Lansing, I was lucky enough to observe the following:

I saw a Chickadee and its nest with
11 eggs (yes, 11!) and a new hatchling.

• Wrens took over two old Bluebird nests.
• Wrens had pecked Bluebird eggs in another nest.
• I observed a Wren on another nest box that had seven eggs.
• I saw a Bluebird nest with babies about 12 days old.                 
• I saw a Tree Swallow nest with babies about three days old.
• I saw a beautiful Chickadee nest with one egg, so far.
• I saw a beautiful Bluebird at its nest box with two eggs so far.
• Along the trail, I saw a female Cardinal on her nest with three eggs.
• I removed a dead, adult Tree Swallow from a nest with three eggs and observed the Tree Swallows on the nest box.
• I removed a nearby House Sparrow nest that had four eggs.
• I saw a Tree Swallow nest with six eggs that was previously occupied by a House Sparrow that had a halo installed.

I observed four Bluebird babies
about nine days old
with a Tree Swallow on the nest box
even though the Bluebird was on her nest.

I removed an old Bluebird nest that fledged five
but was infested with blowfly.

This is why we need to monitor our nest boxes; so we can learn, enjoy, and be responsible stewards for our environment.  If I had not, I would have missed a very rewarding day.