Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Have you been hearing it?  Kon-ka-reeeee!  That’s our Red-winged Blackbird and what a great sign of spring! I started hearing the call in the last few days of February but more recently have had a few come to our platform feeder for sunflower seeds.

You can listen to their calls here.

The Red-winged Blackbird is occasionally seen here in Loudoun in winter but really returns as spring starts winding up.

They’re often found in marshy wetland areas and soggy fields. That kon-ka-reeeee call is the male’s song which it will profess from the highest perch it can find.  Females are, as is often in the bird world, less showy, making small chit calls as they hunker down in cattails and reeds.

In the springtime, the males start their territorial displays and calls as soon as they arrive at the breeding habitats. In the photo shown here, the male is doing what is called a “songspread”. This behavior is done when establishing territory. When the females arrive, there’s a lot of chasing around through the habitat until they settle down.

Territories are established starting in March with courtship occurring through April and May. The pairs then focus on nesting from late April into June, creating secret nests among reeds and grasses, often hung in mid-air from vertical supports.

When you watch the males, be sure to catch a glimpse of that red wing bar they they are so aptly named for. It’s quite stunning against their jet black feathers.

I LOVE this time of year!  Our amphibians are waking up, tree sap starts to run, groundhogs start to stir, and birds are on the MOVE!  It’s so exciting! So alive!  and yet still the signs are subtle for now, and then in a few weeks, Whoooooosh – the full chorus of Spring is singing and all the dancers are on the stage! Oh how I love it!

Ok, so what inspired me to write this morning is that I just got the first email of the season about the Chimney Swifts and even though it will be few weeks before they get here, I love knowing that they’re on their way! They’re part of this amazing dance of life and hearing that they’re gosh, about half way here already sets my heart a flutter! While we were digging out from the snow, something in them sparked and said, it’s time to FLY! and off they went!

The whole migration “thing” simply amazes me – actually, nature in general just amazes me – it’s such an incredible and beautiful dance of life through time and space, like some complex waltz with partners handing off partners to other partners, a nod and curtsy here and there yet no instructions needed. Just beautiful.

So, back to the point, here’s the news: the first Chimney Swifts of the season have been sighted on the Gulf Coast returning from their wintering grounds in South America. As in past years Driftwood Wildlife Center will be plotting the swifts’ movements northward over the next few months. We won’t see them for a few more weeks but you can watch their movement as fellow naturalists south of us post their sightings at: WWW.CHIMNEYSWIFTS.ORG

There’s a really neat Bald Eagle project going on right now in Fauquier and Loudoun Counties and it’s just too cool not to tell you about! Furthermore, our own Liam McGranaghan and Laura Weidner will be involved in this as they help monitor sites, 3 of which are located in Loudoun.

Basically what they do is identify areas that are likely to attract eagles and then ask landowners if they’d mind having a dead deer carcass in their yard to attract the birds. So far they’ve had a lot of support from people they’ve approached – hey, it’s just another form of bird feeding, right ?

The property owners keep a journal of the eagles that show up throughout the day and email it in to the project lead. With the data in hand, the project team, trained in handling eagles, returns to the property, traps the birds, collects the data needed and immediately releases the birds.

The goal of this Eagle Project is to develop a better understanding of the Bald Eagle population in the area as well as migratory patterns, health of the birds and information on the age distribution of the birds.

The project is led through the Virginia Inland Eagle Project under the auspices of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and is planned to go on for 10 years to gather the trend data needed to draw strong conclusions about the population.

For more information and an excellent story told from the perspective of one of the property owners, you can read the article online here or download our clipping from the paper here.

So, when I thought about doing this monthly series on Monarch Butterflies and “where are they now”, I thought it’d be a lighthearted fun set of posts throughout the year, tracking them as they went from Mexico to the US and Canada and back again to Mexico.

Then, I embarked on that first post in January with the reports of the lowest number of overwintering butterflies recorded but ending the post with a ray of hope….scientists modeled that with 6 more weeks of good weather in Mexico and enough milkweed in spring in the US, the population could rebound.

Well, as February hit and we dig out from our snow storm here, I was flooded by emails on a weather event of a different type in Michoacan, Mexico:  Rains, cold temperatures, mudslides and even a snowfall hit this tiny mountain area.  The towns of Angangueo, Ocampo, Zitacuaro and others were destroyed, leaving a trail of people dead, entire towns of people homeless and the future of Monarch butterflies as we know it in question.

Before I go further to recount the February events, I want to reflect on the words of Emily Dickenson that “hope is a thing with feathers”. To take that further, hope is a thing with wings, indeed, the wings of Monarchs. In this relay of life that our Monarch Butterflies endure, the surviving butterflies will start their journey northward in the next few weeks and we (you and I) play a key role in helping restore their population. The future of monarch butterflies is in our hands and it lies in the seeds of a simple plant, one that you and I can protect and grow far and wide: the Milkweed.

In coming days, I’ll do a post just on Milkweed, but for now, let’s step back into February to understand what happened to the people and the butterflies of Michoacan:

February 4^th was the first email I read and it started with this: “It has rained hard for 3 days and continues.  Angangueo’s river flooded all the way down to the Tuxpan river, and has done much damage in the area of the path of both rivers.  Also, a tornado went through the outskirts of Zitacuaro yesterday and destroyed some places we  know..…They have no electricity, which means also no water, no news….The hospitals have had to close.”

Then, Lincoln Brower sent this report:
“First killing winter storm for the 2009-2010 overwintering season.   I am just off the phone (4:30PM EST) with colleagues in Mexico 4 February 2010.   Pablo Span visited the Pelon colony when it was not raining on Tuesday 2 January and said there were more (presumably dead) monarch butterflies on the ground than he had ever before seen.   Pablo reports that the local Pelon guards told him that there are two colonies on Pelon, one called Carditos and the other La Costera.  According to our student, Raul Zubieta, there was a major winter storm occurring on the Sierra Chincua on Monday 1 February and that this likely has caused major mortality in all the colonies.

Second killer storm.  Pablo also told me that very severe weather is currently impacting the whole area.  At 6 AM on Wednesday 3 February heavy rain began falling and it is still raining at 5 PM on 4 February.  He measured the rain on 3 February at the hotel at 3.5 inches.  As of 740 PM 4 Feb, so far 15 inches of rain have fallen since Monday.  Two groups of tourists attempted to visit the butterflies at Rosario today (4 Feb). 

The first group succeeded, but the second did not because a bridge between Ocampo and Rosario washed out.  Pablo also said that the main highway bridge on Route 15 through Tuxpan washed out.  LPB tried calling Mitzi Mancilla in Tuxpan but could not get through.  Pablo also said that a colleague who lives near Crescencio Morales (located at the southern end of the Sierra Campanario – Rosario is at the northern end) reported serious flooding.  The ejido Crescencio Morales has been illegally and massively clear cut in the past 4 years.  It is likely that the erosion of the now barren former Oyamel forest area is extensive.  Another colleague in Angangueo reported frightening rain for 48 hours and still raining as of noon 4 Feb. and that a house fell down killing three children.  Little we can do…..”

While there was little to no coverage of this tragedy in our US news, there was some information gained through Mexican newspapers online and people posted videos to YouTube. Here is one of them: Angangueo Devastation

Reports show over 10,000 people impacted, 2,500 homes destroyed, hundreds injured and at least 37 killed. Dams broke, rivers overflowed, mountains deforested gave way to massive mudslides that buried homes and buildings below. The Mexican Army was deployed to help as they could. Through the rains, Monarchs clung to branches but were also pushed to the ground.

We hoped for weather above freezing so that they could survive. By February 7^th, the sun was out, rubble was being cleared and Angangueo was officially evacuated. I reached my friend Mario, who guided us through the sanctuaries and took us to special places when we visited last February. He and his family were fine but had lost friends in mudslides and floods.

Information on the Monarch population has been sketchy both because roads to the sanctuaries have been out so few people have been able to get to the colonies to check and because the clusters of Monarchs have dispersed some with the storms. I’ve seen reports that maybe 10% of the butterflies have died, but there have also been hopeful reports that while there has been mortality, it’s not as bad as it could have been for the butterflies.

Here is an account from Journey North with Lincoln Brower on data that has come in so far, pretty much leaving us with the recognition that we’ll have to wait and see: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/Brower022510.html

I’ll continue to follow this of course and will post again on our Monarchs in March. But in the meantime, start ordering those milkweed seeds!

Well Dave Thomas and his wife Anne came back from a trip overseas to both the snow and a hawk hunting around the feeders at Leisure World in Lansdowne.  I had a similar experience myself with a Coopers hawk that grabbed a Starling but alas, I didn’t get any shots of it. Dave was fast in grabbing the camera and has a great story of the event. You can click on the pictures to see them larger:

Here’s the story of these shots from Dave and yes, it is a Coopers Hawk: Neighbors told us that hawks had been visiting the area of the bird feeders behind our Leisure World condominium, so my wife Anne kept watching whenever she could.  Friday (February 12) shortly after noon she said we had a hawk!

The hawk shifted quietly from one tree to the fence, then to a second tree and to a lower branch on that tree (4th and 5th photos).  Two seconds after the 5th photo the bird flew off to the east, and I caught 4 shots with my 6-frames-per second burst mode. The action was very fast, so I had no idea that the bird had captured prey until I looked at the series on my computer screen.

My best guess is that the bird is a Cooper’s Hawk, possibly immature, or maybe a Sharp-shinned Hawk. More experienced birders might be able tell.  Regardless, it was time well spent to record something I had never seen, and which is hard to see with the unaided eye. The hawk was evidently hunting in its patient waiting mode. It is pretty well concealed by the tree, the snow, and its protective coloring, so the feeding songbirds were around, even though they scatter when hawks first arrive.

I thought it would be interesting to do a monthly posting on Monarch butterflies: where they are and how they’re doing throughout the year. I’ll apologize in advance for the news in this post because it’s a bit of a downer but hopefully the news of the Monarch populations will improve as we move through the year.

For those who attended my program on Monarchs this past year, you know that they have a pretty interesting lifecycle that takes them through 4 generations of butterflies over the course of the year with the fall generation being the one that makes the epic journey all the way to Mexico! They rely on habitat here and in Mexico and both are under threats of different sorts. That, combined with the usual challenges of weather that they face make the great Monarch migration an endangered phenomenon.

But let’s kick off with catching up with our Monarch friends - those Monarch butterflies that you saw in late August, September and into October flew 2,000 miles to a very special mountain area near the town of Angangueo, Mexico. That is where they are right now: in a tiny mountain forest area outside of Mexico City, at an altitude of around 8,000 – 10,000 feet, clinging to branches of Oyamel pine trees, resting and awaiting the change in season so they can breed and begin the migration back.

Unfortunately, the numbers this year are at an all-time low. The World Wildlife Fund’s Mexico staff have been monitoring the number of monarchs and I saw this report from them posted by Monarch Watch. The places I visited last February and showed in my program were the three colony sanctuaries mentioned in the report below:

“The news is not good. The total area occupied by monarchs at the overwintering sites in December was 1.92 hectares. Only 7 colonies were found. The three largest colonies El Capulin (Cerro Pelon) 0.53ha, El Rosario 0.50ha, and Cerro Prieto (Chincua) 0.47ha constitute 78% of the total area. The totals for both hectares and numbers of colonies are at an all time low.

Good records of the numbers of colonies and area occupied go back to 1992 and there is less complete data for most years going back to the late 1970s and numbers this year appear to be lower than observed for any year since the overwintering colonies became known to science in 1975. The lowest previous total, 2.19 hectares, was reported in 2004.

This decline continues a trend that started in the late 1990s. In the decade of the 90s the mean area occupied by monarch colonies was close to 9 hectares. The mean for the last 10 years, through the 09 migration, is now below 5 hectares per year and the three lowest monarch overwintering populations were reported in this decade.”

Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch offers explanations for the low numbers:

“Without going into great detail and wishing not to repeat the October report, here is a brief summary of the reasons for the low overwintering numbers.

1.) High temperatures in Texas in March and early April limited production of first generation monarchs. It is these monarchs that recolonize the northern breeding range and fewer monarchs moving north/northeast out of Texas from late April to June impacts the rest of the breeding season.

2.) Conditions were less than ideal for the first generation monarchs as they moved north in May and early June.

3.) Upon arrival in Minnesota monarchs encountered drought conditions that limited reproductive success of first generation in that area.

4.) As the summer progressed, cool and cool, rainy conditions prevailed in many areas, limiting reproduction and slowing development of larvae.

5.) Colder than normal condition prevailed for most of the western two thirds of the northern breeding area from mid June into early September.

In many respects the conditions during the monarch breeding season in 2009 were a repeat of the conditions seen in 2004 that contributed to the previous low overwintering population number of 2.19 hectares.

In spite of the recent cold snap that reached into Mexico, there have been no indications of weather related mortality at the overwintering sites. Let’s hope that normal winter conditions prevail during the next 7-8  weeks. Even if there should be some mortality, our experience with the disaster of 2002, in which an estimated 80% of the population died as the result of a January storm, showed that, if at least 1 hectare of monarchs survives to move north and, IF they encounter normal conditions as they move north through Mexico and in Texas, the population can recover.”

Ok, so the news isn’t great this month but there’s the glimmer of hope that Chip offers that the population can recover if they don’t encounter further setbacks. Let’s hope there aren’t any bad cold snaps in Mexico over the next few weeks.

If there is enough interest, I’d be happy to do my program on Monarchs and their lifecycle again this Spring – just let me know.

Water is a huge attraction for birds and other wildlife any time of the year but it is especially so during the winter. Having a shallow dish (max depth of 2 1/2 inches) with fresh water provides birds with the fluids they need to metabolize the nutritious seeds and other foods they’re gobbling up throughout the day. It also enables them to preen and clean their feathers which keep them insulated and warm as well as ready for flight.

During our snowstorm in December and the really cold weather we’ve had the last few weeks, the birds were particularly thankful for this fresh water, with all sorts of different species dropping in. The Bluebirds seemed to especially enjoy it and just last week we had six of them here at once enjoying the fresh water.

Throughout these chilly months, the birdbath I use has a thermostat and heater built in so it turns on when the temperature drops down below 40 degrees and turns off when the temperature rises. You can see in the photo here the plug where I plug it in. In the summer, I just remove the cord. There are also heaters that you can get to put in your birdbath just for winter.

Keeping the water clean is also important. Bird droppings will get in there throughout the day. At our house, we also have raccoons that come in the night to wash their paws in the birdbath. Their paws are always so muddy… oh what do they get into? So, I have it as part of my morning routine when I fill the platform feeder with seeds, to also head out with my brush and watering bucket to clean and fill the birdbath.

In terms of placement of a birdbath, it’s best to locate it within a few feet of some trees or other vegetation so the birds have some protection both from the elements and from predators.

Keep an eye on those birdbaths for interesting birds – we’ve had reports of hawks and owls coming in for a drink now and then as well as the songbirds.

Winter doesn’t seem like a time when you’d encounter warblers. We often think of warblers during the great spring and fall migrations as well as those times during the summer when we go birding and crane our necks to try to catch a glimpse of them at the tops of trees.

But here in Loudoun, we do have 5 species that can sometimes be seen in the winter: Orange-crowned warbler, Yellow-rumped warbler, Palm warbler, Common Yellowthroat and the Yellow-breasted Chat. Of these, the Yellow-rumped warbler is considered common in winter while sightings of the other 4 are considered rare.

So, why am I writing about all this?  Well, because one of our members, Beth Arsenault, had a Palm warbler at her homemade suet feeder the last few weeks!!  Isn’t that cool! 

She writes that it showed up with the Goldfinches, eats suet (not only from the ground but also by hanging upside down to get it) and enjoys eating the mealworms that she puts out. She also notes that it bobs its tail up and down constantly.

What a great sighting! And what a smart bird for going to Beth’s house where, with her TLC, she had all the best foods! (Who wouldn’t love homemade suet!)

You can learn more about Palm Warblers – see where they normally winter, hear their calls – on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Id site.

Let us know what birds are coming to your yard this season!

Here’s an exciting update on our Monarch Butterflies from Journey South, a great organization that uses citizen science to track migrations of wildlife across North America:

Migration Highlights: Monarchs Crossing Mexico by the Thousands At last! Thousands and thousands of monarchs appeared across northern Mexico this week. Observers in the state of Coahuila say this is the best migration they’ve seen in years. Señora Rocío Treviño, who coordinates Mexico’s migration-tracking program Correo Real, forwarded the news. She wrote late Tuesday night after her spectacular monarch-watching day:

October 20: Saltillo, Coahuila
Today monarch butterflies adorned the sky and fields across Coahuila like we haven’t seen for years. From Cuatrocienegas to Saltillo people reported thousands of butterflies. I went out into my garden this morning and counted an average of 60 per minute for nearly two hours. This evening, I took my granddaughters to a stream in the “Boca de Leon” canyon to search for roosts. At last, there were clusters of some three thousand butterflies and something incredible that I have never encountered in all my years–a monarch with a tag! Unfortunately, I didn’t have my net so couldn’t catch the butterfly to read the tag but I did take a photo.

Can you find the monarch with the tag (etiqueta)? Take a look!
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/fall2009/Caption3_102209.html

Read Rocio Treviño’s report in Spanish:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/fall2009/CorreoReal102209_Esp.html

Photos of the Week: What does northern Mexico Look Like?http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/fall2009/Image102209.html
The pictures at the link below were taken in the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon and posted on Google Maps. This week, you can explore the landscape of the monarch’s migration trail across northern Mexico through pictures!

Links: Monarch Resources to Explore
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/fall2009/Update102209.html#Links

Flying squirrels are all around but are often out and about after we’ve already headed indoors for the evening.  With their big black eyes they can see through the night as they glide from tree to tree! We did a Flying Squirrel podcast and an article on flying squirrels awhile back. 

For more fun with flying squirrels, check out our newest brain teaser….the Flying Squirrels crossword

More puzzles and other information on Loudoun nature and wildlife can be found on our Educational Resources page.