Background noise

Now is a wonderful time to be listening to that late summer background “noise” that we all hear but never pay much attention to. I’m referring to the myriad of insect sounds that can be heard on these hot and humid days.

Take some time out of your busy day and give a listen to the field crickets, ground crickets, and tree crickets in your yards, and neighborhood. Here’s a great site to help you learn these insect sounds and also learn a bit about their ecology and life history. Click on “Online Guide” for details. It’s worth looking over just for the great common names they’ve been given!

I have fall field crickets, and a species(still trying to figure out which one) of tree cricket calling in my yard and nearby woods. If I listen carefully I can hear the “typical call” of the fall field crickets with their constant “chirps”. But overlaying all the other calls is the very high-pitched whine of a species(?) of tree cricket.

Who knows, maybe some day I’ll hear a sword-bearing conehead!

Photo Credit: snowy tree cricket-/wikipedia

Pine sap, beech drops, and flying ants

August seems to be a good time to find the parasites in the botanical world. First a definition-parasite(in the plant world) refers to any plant that feeds solely off another plant(host plant), but not always harming the host.

In this case I’m referring to the non-chlorophyll-producing plants-like Indian pipes, beech drops(pictured above), pine sap, and giant bird’s-nest.

So what are they living off of? In the soil, growing among the many roots of nearby plants, are tiny hair-like fibers known as mycorrhizal fungi. These fibers are supporting the bigger tree & wildflower roots. But it is these mycorrhizal fibers that the pine sap, and others, are getting their nutrients from.

A slight deviation from that relationship is the parasitic life of beech drops which live entirely off of the nutrients of a host beech tree (Fagus grandifolia) root system. If you could dig down along the stem of beech drops you would find a connection directly to the beech tree root.

Amazing to think that there is a whole other world of plant relationships under the soil that we are just beginning to unravel!

A great spot to observe these parasitic plants(better in early August) is along the new trail system at Henry’s Woods in Lake Placid.

Other notes from the field are the recent swarming of winged ants that are coming out of their underground tunnels to fly around, mate, and then die…all in about 24 hours!

As I waited at a traffic light one early evening I saw hundreds of flying insects flying through shafts of sunlight and then they would disappear in the shadows. As I later parked my car at home I could see thousands of winged ants crawling all over the lawns, looking as if the ground was literally moving under my feet.

Can anyone tell us the species of these ants??

The next day I saw a large group of ring-billed gulls flying in circles and feeding on the flying ants. As a human I can relate to this….when blueberries come into season, I’m all over those fields plucking berries for a few days!

Photo Credit: Beech Drops(wikipedia)

Getting to know the Composite family

I always look forward to the gentle slide from late summer to early fall; the cooling nights that require one more layer on the bed; the sounds of crickets calling through the windless nights; and….having to re-learn all the goldenrods that I forgot last fall. This can be a pain in the aster!…sorry.

Anyways, I truly devote a few days each August to carefully look over the latest batch of goldenrods along the trail. But everytime I open the field guide I’m overwhelmed w/the possibilities.

The Peterson Field Guide to Wildflowers devotes 7 pages to the voluminous goldenrod family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide crams 30 species of goldenrod into 4 pages – not to mention the 37 species of aster that follow on the next five pages.

Well, have no fear, the New York Flora Association is here. On their blog they offer a few websites that look specifically at goldenrods and asters. However, I missed the memo on changing the family “Aster” to “Symphiotrichum”. I need a degree in plant taxonomy to understand that change!

Having said all this I think it best for you to go out to your favorite sunny trail and just admire, and learn if you’d like, all the wonderful goldenrods and “asters” that joyously demand our attention.

Locally I’ve enjoyed “botanizing” along the very level trail of Bloomingdale Bog (access off Rout 86 in Saranac Lake or Rout 55 near the hamlet of Bloomingdale) where I just found New York “Aster” growing. Another good site for both species is the north end of Adirondac Loj Road outside Lake Placid. Just by walking(carefully) along the road you might find 5-8 species of goldenrod.

On a walk up Cascade Mt last year, we found a few species of goldenrod that will only grow at higher elevations.  And while walking  over the boardwalk on the Forest Ecology Trail of the Paul Smiths Visitor Center, you will find Bog Goldenrod peaking its yellow head above her fellow bog plants.

Gosh, I’ve run out of time! Looks like next blog I’ll have to talk about the three species of Joe-Pye Weed and 8 species of Sunflower….you gotta love the composites!

Photo Credit: goldenrods among the blueberries-Brian McAllister

Shorebirds on the move

Shorebirds(by that I mean the family of birds made up of sandpipers, plovers, and related species) are slowly winging their way south from that magical region in Canada known as the tundra. Having arrived there in mid to late May, shorebirds quickly take advantage of the sun-warmed tundra surface to breed.

It’s not always that welcoming in the tundra with the occasional late spring snowstorm that arrives or the lingering snow-pac and ice still clinging to the shorelines of many tundra lakes and ponds. But a breeding pair usually find a soft, protected spot of tundra ground to hollow-out and call home.

The shorebirds endure the often chilly days and nights and eventually produce eggs and successfully brood/hatch 2 to 3 young on average, during June and early July. Again, the dangers of tundra living await the young in the forms of predatory falcons, jaegers, fox,  and the fearless gulls that come looking for an easy meal.

Once reaching fully-fledged status, the young are on their own(can fly after about 20 days). In the paradoxical world of idyllic settings of nature, we find many bird species (after a few quick lessons in feeding) leaving their young to fend for themselves.

Shorebird females are usually the first to leave the breeding grounds, then the males, followed by the “hatch-year” young a couple weeks later. All eventually “regroup” on the wintering grounds of coastal South America(Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil)

OK, but how do the Adirondacks enter into this amazing migration pattern? Well, we are not on a huge flyway for shorebird migration but we do get few winging their way over the Eastern Adirondacks, specifically along the Lake Champlain Valley.

On this map you can find Hudson Bay, and it’s smaller “tongue” of James Bay, directly north of the Great Lakes. Many shorebirds nest along the shorelines of these bays and nearby tundra. During the “fall” migration south(from late July to late September) many species of shorebird use a direct flight path from James Bay south through Ontario and Quebec, and are often funneled down through the Champlain Valley, eventually reaching the Hudson Valley and out to the Atlantic Ocean. Once on the ocean, most shorebirds make a bee-line for S. America!

Where should I look for shorebirds? In the agricultural fields of eastern Clinton and Essex Co’s., and over in Addison Co., VT, take a look at newly-plowed fields. It gets even better if there is standing water along the rows of the fields. This draws out the insects from the mud and reveals a good food source for the shorebirds.

One notable migration stop-over site is Noblewood Park, in Willsboro, NY. Slowly walk out onto the sand spit that builds-up at the mouth of the Boquet River. In mid August to late September, look carefully for some shorebirds and gulls sitting along the sand-spit.

Just watching one sandpiper feeding along the shore allows you a glimpse into the monumental journey that these bird make twice a year from Canadian tundra to the warm beaches of a South American winter.

Photo credit: Semipalmated sandpiper – Wikipedia photo

Waning July Orchids

In these final days of a very hot and humid July I finally grabbed a day to go photograph some of the amazing orchids at the Paul Smiths VIC.

I was a bit surprised, while walking on the Boreal Life Trail, to only find Northern White Fringed Orchis in bloom.  There were a few “past their prime” Rose Pogonias but nothing like what has been observed in summers past.

Sadly, the “Grass Pinks”, or Calapogon, was not to be found like in the profusions of the past. I found one solid flowering specimen(with binoculars).

Having said all this, it should be noted that orchids do not always produce plants year after year. There are some “restful” summers that the plants take to re-energize underground, only to return the following summer to all their splendor.

So here’s some photos of the current white-fringed orchis in bloom, and I’ve added a few other orchids to give you a taste of what Barnum Bog is capable of producing.

click on the plant name to see photo:

Northern White-fringed Orchis -is it me or do the individual flowers look like fat, white ducks flying away?

Rose Pogonia

Calopogon(grass pink)

Northern Club-spur Orchis(Platanthera clavellata) This is an interesting little orchid that only grows about 8″ tall so you have to get down on hands/knees to see this one up close. That is if you can find it. It has a greenish color to the flower so it’s hard to find among the grasses.

Photo Credits: Top photo(Lesser rattlesnake orchis), and all other photos-Brian McAllister

Steamy July birding

The alarm clock struck 6am and it was still 69 degrees out. The 3 “H’s” were going to make a third appearance this week.

Pouring myself into my kayak I took great joy in knowing that I would be birding atop a glistening river where tall trees along the shoreline, create a temperature-dropping shade to hide myself and rejuvenate.

With beaver dam obstacles, low-growing alder shrubs, and the occasional deer fly all behind me I can now focus on my task of surveying another boreal forest habitat for resident birds. I’m on “part two” of my Chubb River survey. Part one was from the DEC Canoe Access Site (along Averyville Rd in Lake Placid) to the 1/4 mile “carry” skirting some rapids and waterfalls. Part two is from the end of the carry to about a mile further up stream.

As I plop back into my kayak at the end of the carry, I hear the sounds of warblers and flycatchers nearby. I conduct this survey by listening to all bird vocalizations and recording them during a 10-minute point count. I have 5 points on this section of the River.

Suddenly I find myself writing down bird names furiously as they blend their songs and call notes into a chaotic melody. After 3 minutes I tick off Northern Parula Warbler, Alder Flycatcher,  Purple Finch, Magnolia Warbler, and Swainson’s Thrush.

Well,  I have to say, I’m surprised at the liveliness of the birds this hot, early morning. I was expecting a quiter survey. But once again the birds prove me wrong and belt out song after song in the steamy, jungle-like humidity of an Adirondack(?) summer.

My next three point counts continued along with the same unexpected results. Birdsong seems to filter down from the tall conifers and out onto the flat layer of sedges that line the river’s edge. Singing White-throated Sparrows sit among the conifer branches, and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, and Nashville Warblers top-off this Adirondack symphony from their hidden perches in the alder shrubs.

I finally make my way to the 5th and final point count of the morning. I’m still in a marshy habitat along the river with sedges, alders, and grasses towering over me and my kayak. Then, just beyond my line of sight, falling somewhere outside of my imaginary 50 meter circle that I sit in, I hear the emphatic request…”Quick-Three-Beers” of the Olive-sided Flycatcher

To me, no other bird carries the boreal region in it’s song more so than this bird. I long to hear those notes off in the distance on some far-off peatland or conifer swamp, telling me that it has safely arrived on the breeding grounds.

To our dismay the Olive-sided population, across the country, has dropped precipitously and ornithologist are scrambling to figure out the cause. Loss of habitat on breeding grounds?  Loss of habitat on wintering grounds? Answers elude us.

All the other birds I hear on this steamy morning share their notes with the landscape, and to one another. And they all go on with their lives having dodged disaster after disaster on yearly flights North and South. As they sing along this river they speak volumes to those who will listen.

Photo Credit: Royal Fern along River-Brian McAllister

A paddle through a peatland

Here’s a short pictorial collection from a wonderful morning paddle through a nearby wetland.

Click on the name to reveal the photo:

Round-leaved Sundew

Rose Pogonia or “Snake mouth”

Pitcher Plant

Marsh Cinquefoil

Large Cranberry -Vaccinium macrocarpon

Swamp Candles or “Yellow loosestrife”

Photo Credit: Flower of the pitcher plant(above) and all other photos-Brian McAllister

What’s in the woods, stream, soil,….?

On Friday, 19 June, over 50 science-loving-mud-seeking-water-diving-naturalist-types found themselves giddy w/pleasure at being the first public group to investigate the natural world of a 14,600 acre Adirondack Nature Conservancy property near Tupper Lake.

Taking about one year to plan and coordinate, the gates to Follensby Pond were finally opened to this select group of Naturalists, Researchers and Educators as they begin to inventory as a much as they can of the living world around them-in 24 hours….aka…a “Bioblitz”!

Yours truly was handed the task of coordinating the survey of all birdlife on the property during the 24 hours.  After choosing a great crew of birders we all set out on our given paths and started listing birds that we see and hear.

After all the data sheets were handed back in, and then tallied, and re-tallied just to make sure!, we ended up with a species count of 75-not bad for 24 hours.

Some highlights include a boreal chickadee, rusty blackbird, Lincoln’s sparrow, and a possible nesting merlin. All of these species are exciting finds for the property, and were not expected.

All the credit goes to the brave (for there were lots of blackflies and mosquitoes!) lads and lasses that endured the beating sun, the fresh summer breezes, the refreshing waters, and the startlingly beautiful scenery around us….OK, it was pretty darn nice out there but we did fight some bugs to count all our species.

An early count of around 280 species of various organisms were tallied by the end of the 24 hours but many organisms still have yet to be identified due to similarities w/other species or details that can only be seen under lab conditions. For example, many dragonflies and damselflies can only be identified under microscopes and the same goes for many species of mushroom and some sedges that were found. Also many aquatic and terrestrial insects needed to be taken to a lab for further investigation.

The deep interest levels that all 50 of us shared that day was very evident. As we slowly filtered our way back to “base camp” to break for lunch, or tally up species, many colleagues were asking, “What’d you find? Anything unexpected?”. Or if a crew spotted something out of their own specialty area they would tell others all about it.

A wonderful sense of camaraderie filled the 24 hours as each taxonomic group performed their work.  Many would gather at the tote board to see what new species were collected or identified.

A tip of the hat goes to The Adirondack Nature Conservancy who’s tireless work and coordination allowed for all of this data collection to occur. Of historical note, all this data was gathered on a piece of property that was once visited by Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russel Lowell, Louis Agassiz, William James Stillman, and other great minds of the day. This “gathering” of minds took place on Follensby Pond during the month of August in 1858, and became known as Philosopher’s Camp. They also named the camping area “Camp Maple”.

As we walked the woods or followed the shoreline, we all had, in the back of our minds, a developing picture of what it may have felt like to walk these woods back then and perhaps to discuss nature with them.

Photo Credit: Bioblitz tote board- Brian McAllister

Our beautiful boreal habitat

I set out this morning to get in another boreal bird survey that I conduct for the Wildlife Conservation Society. My destination was Madawaska Pond, about 10 miles northwest of Paul Smiths, NY.  As I got out the car I new it would be a fine morning, because instantly I heard a Boreal Chickadee calling 20 feet from my car. I was right, things got better.

As I wandered down the densely forested logging road with several pockets of boreal wetlands along the way, I encountered wonderful views of a Gray Jay family w/two very darkly colored young.

The Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were also very vocal.

A Black-backed Woodpecker revealed itself with gentle tapping on a decaying black spruce tree along the trail. And the Olive-sided Flycatcher was calling out for his “Quick-three-beers!”

However, the highlight of the day turned out to be a poor viewing of a singing Tennessee Warbler in an area where the dense conifer forest merges into the boreal wetlands of Madawaska Pond. I was so excited that I pumped my fists into the air in final victory of this great encounter. Well that victorious bubble  soon burst after I returned home.

Turns out three birder friends were at this very same spot and heard the very same bird I heard only several days earlier. They, unlike my poor viewing of the bird, were able to see the bird singing, and one of them officially recorded the song with his recording equipment. But much to his amazement and bewilderment, he was witnessing a Nashville Warbler singing the song of a Tennessee Warbler. He would not have believed it if he had not observed it.

Alas, my victorious pumping of fists was all for not. However, this brings to mind what a very interesting bit of bird vocalization “anomalie” we just witnessed.

So what was going on there? Did this Nashville Warbler just randomly pick up the song of a Tennessee Warbler. Was this Nashville, as a chick, raised in an area where Tennessee’s were also breeding and singing and simply learned a Tennessee song?

Or was this bird just not satisfied singing a “city” song and felt compelled to sing a “state” song!!…sorry.

Whatever the answer, it is still a mystery that birders, across the globe, face as we learn more about bird song. It is not all that uncommon for birds to learn whatever song they hear growing up as a chick in the nest(other than parents). This has been replicated in laboratories.

Yes there is also that instinctive process of learning the song that your parents sing for you. But to add another twist is the fact that some birds (of a different species) can take over care and feeding of a unrelated nest.

Well, we like to think we know a lot about nature but then there’s always that curve ball that humbly sets us back a step or two.

Photo Credit: Boreal wetland -Brian McAllister

Red fox video

In an earlier posting I described the movements of a fox I was observing in St Lawrence County.

After a few days of watching the adults hunt to feed the young ones, it looks like the family came out to check out the surroundings, and there I was with my camera and so I turned on the video button.

Well it’s not National Geographic video quality but it’s pretty darn cute! Click below to see video. Enjoy!

Fox with young

Photo Credit: Red fox adult with young – Brian McAllister