Free Day Birds

When a Free Day falls during the peak of spring migration, it's time to get out there and go birding.  Saturday, May 14, 2016 also happened to be the "Global Big Day" organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eBird, the digital database of bird sightings, so all species observed at Middlesex this morning were logged and uploaded for the world to see, while across the globe thousands of other birders did the same.  It was a banner day for campus birds, with an all time high of 76 species seen or heard on school grounds over the course of four hours.   A highlight was a calling pair of Virgina Rails, which aren't too rare but tend to be secretive.  They are more often heard than seen, and this pair was close enough for their duet of grunt calls to be recorded by an iPhone.  Listen here (pump up the volume) to the rails and a few Red-winged Blackbirds in the background.  Below is the full list, as generated by the eBird iPhone app.

Middlesex School, Middlesex, Massachusetts, US
May 14, 2016 4:29 AM - 8:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments:    All birds observed on Middlesex School grounds, including Bateman's Pond, school property between Lowell Road and Spencer Brook, and the cross country trail through portions of Estabrook Woods near the east fields.  Excellent variety, record high daily species total for campus.
76 species

Canada Goose  6
Wood Duck  4
Mallard  3
Wild Turkey  1    Distant gobbling heard from near main entrance.
Double-crested Cormorant  2    Flyover
Great Blue Heron  4    1 on Bateman's, 3 flyover at Spencer Brook.
Green Heron  1    Flyover, Bateman's dock.
Turkey Vulture  1
Cooper's Hawk  2    1 imm. being harassed by crows on the circle; 1 adult in display flight over Estabrook.
Broad-winged Hawk  2
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Virginia Rail  2    Grunting duet in Bateman's marsh by main entrance.  Seen and recorded.
Killdeer  3
Spotted Sandpiper  1    Bateman's dock
Mourning Dove  8
Chimney Swift  8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Downy Woodpecker  5
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1
Pileated Woodpecker  1    Heard only, across the pond
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Least Flycatcher  1
Eastern Phoebe  5
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
Eastern Kingbird  4
Warbling Vireo  6
Red-eyed Vireo  3
Blue Jay  4
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  8
Barn Swallow  5
Black-capped Chickadee  12
Tufted Titmouse  8
White-breasted Nuthatch  4
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  4
Eastern Bluebird  3    Lindsay Pond
Veery  5
Swainson's Thrush  1
Hermit Thrush  2
Wood Thrush  2
American Robin  14
Gray Catbird  13
European Starling  7
Cedar Waxwing  4
Ovenbird  8
Northern Waterthrush  1    Singing from NE Bateman's swamp, behind library.
Blue-winged Warbler  1
Black-and-white Warbler  3
Common Yellowthroat  4
American Redstart  2
Northern Parula  5
Magnolia Warbler  3
Blackburnian Warbler  1
Yellow Warbler  6
Pine Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  1
Black-throated Green Warbler  2
Chipping Sparrow  9
Song Sparrow  10
Swamp Sparrow  5
Scarlet Tanager  3
Northern Cardinal  4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  5
Indigo Bunting  1
Bobolink  2    Singing flyovers, Spencer Brook field.
Red-winged Blackbird  11
Common Grackle  18
Brown-headed Cowbird  5
Baltimore Oriole  8
House Finch  3
American Goldfinch  5
House Sparrow  3

Struggle for Existence

Trigger Warning: the following series of videos contains footage of Nature in Action, the struggle for survival on full display.  Note also the focal distance of the camera is not quite short enough, so the subjects in the foreground are slightly blurred. 

A dramatic scene was captured on the American Robin nest cam outside Clay Science yesterday afternoon.  At 4 pm, the male robin was diligently tending and defending the nest:


At 6:45, though, this happened:


An American Crow, one of the most voracious nest predators around, made quick and sloppy work of at least one egg and carried the other away to consume it in peace, away from the distraught robins.  Not long after, the male robin was back at the nest, apparently cleaning up the remains of the broken egg (and perhaps, one shudders to think, eating the scattered bits of yolk?).


Odds are the pair of robins will lay another clutch of eggs or build another nest, especially this early in the season.  But as you can see, it's an uphill battle to fend off the hungry, prowling hordes of crows, jays, weasels, raccoons, possums, cats, snakes, and yes, squirrels and chipmunks.

Red Red Robins, Bob Bob Bobbin', and Goslings!

Things are happening fast now that the raw April rains have come and gone, to be replaced by a deluge of May sunshine.  Trees are leafing out in profusion, insects are emerging, and the birds are already rearing offspring.  In the wetlands around Bateman's, several pairs of Canada Geese have set up residence, and the goslings are in their cutest, fluffiest, downy stage.  Special thanks to James Potter for these fabulous images of our goose neighbors!









Around campus, American Robins have chosen to build nests in some pretty high-profile locations, with one pair even using the play structure behind BP.






In such a high traffic area, it's not unlikely that the birds will abandon their efforts, but another pair, whose female is seen here attending three eggs just outside the Clay Science rotunda, has a better chance of fledging a brood.



On warm days, the eggs can sit for a while, unattended, but she'll incubate them anyway, panting in the heat of the day.

New Beginnings

Last week, we rang in a new academic year here on Bateman's shores, and to celebrate, here is a little fireworks display.  Well, not exactly fireworks, but the explosive seed pod of a Jewelweed plant, a.k.a. Touch Me Not.  Even shot in slow motion, the ejection of the seeds from the spring-loaded pod is too quick to really capture.  It is a sure sign of autumn's arrival when these plants begin firing scattershot around the woodlands and pond edges.



Pretty exciting stuff.  As we settle in for classes, though, it would behoove us all to take the time to relish the quieter, less volatile sides of Estabrook and Bateman's Pond.  At this time of year, as cool air masses come in over the warm waters of the pond, early risers will be treated to a misty ballet on Bateman's surface.  A recent such event was captured in a time lapse video that really showed the currents swirling gently through the morning air.  In real time, this phenomenon is not quite as dramatic but just as soothing.




And of course, this wouldn't be an EstaBlog post if there were no birds mentioned.  Fall migration is in full swing, so unexpected species like this Olive-sided Flycatcher, on its way from Canada to South America, are stopping for a rest and a bite to eat on our campus.  This individual was the first of its kind that we've spotted at Middlesex.

While it is not a terribly colorful or charismatic bird (to the casual observer), it is on an impressive and incredibly dangerous journey, so we should wish it well as it tries to avoid such predators as this young Cooper's Hawk, which was lurking nearby.

Please comment or email me with any sightings, photos, or questions that you have about nature at MX.  With so many eyes and ears on the alert, we are bound to find something amazing this year!

Of Nests, Frass, and Climbing Groundhogs

Nesting and fledging continues around campus, with the early season breeders already feeding young while the mid-season nesters are still working on construction. A pair of Cedar Waxwings was recently observed building their nest out of oak catkins (the oaks' "flowers") in a Plane Tree between Hallowell and BP:



Both of the pair work constantly to gather the materials and weave them into the walls of the nest, finally settling in and "shimmying" to shape the cup before heading out for another batch of catkins.

Down at the boathouse, two pairs of Barn Swallows have finished their mud nests after the first attempts failed. The dry weather may have prevented the mud mixture from adhering well to the concrete, but the second round of nests appear to be sticking well.

The wide gape of this perched swallow demonstrates how well-suited it is to snatch (and, ahem, swallow) flying insects on the wing.  In this case, though, the bird was just yawning.

In other news, the trees in Estabrook are being hit hard by several species of insects this spring, primarily the introduced, invasive Winter Moth, whose small, green caterpillars have effectively defoliated acres of the woodland.  After a late hatching due to the prolonged winter, the caterpillars emerged several weeks ago with a vengeance.

Usually, trees can recover from defoliation, sprouting a new set of leaves after caterpillar populations drop off in June and July.  The long term effects of defoliation are unclear, but if this becomes an annual event, it could result in increased tree mortality.  In the meantime, there are some side benefits for other species; birds now have a bumper crop of inchworms to feed their young, the plants of the forest floor have ample sunlight penetrating through the thinned leaves, and the organic material synthesized by the trees and passed through the digestive tracts of the caterpillars is falling down from the canopy and fertilizing the forest soil.  That's right, it's raining caterpillar poo.  The technical term for it is "frass," and if you stand quietly in the forest, you can hear it striking the leaves around you.  It builds up in other places besides the soil, of course, as seen here on the East Fields bridge:

And finally, if you're still reading, you may be interested to know, as I discovered on a recent jog through Estabrook, that Groundhogs (aka Woodchucks or Whistlepigs) can, in a pinch, climb trees.  After emitting an explosive, piercing alarm call, this one dashed out from under me and skittered up a nearby tree, stopping about 20 feet up the trunk, where it clung to a thick Poison Ivy vine and stared at me.  I was thrown for a loop at first, because not only are Groundhogs seldom found far from open fields (this was pretty deep in the woods), I had not known them to climb anything higher than a stump or a stone wall.  But here is photographic evidence, snapped with my phone:

While the Groundhog was a mammalian highlight of that day, I also kept track of which birds I heard on my run through Estabrook: 46 species, a new "running list" record.  Here's the list, in case you're interested:

Estabrook Woods, Middlesex, Massachusetts, US
May 28, 2015 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
7.0 mile(s)
Comments:    Jogging, birding by ear, pausing occasionally.  Circuit through northern Estabrook, starting from MX school, through Carlisle portion, down Two-rod Rd., across to old Estabrook Rd. <br />Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.8
46 species

Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
Broad-winged Hawk  1
Mourning Dove  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  4
Hairy Woodpecker  3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1
Pileated Woodpecker  2
Eastern Wood-Pewee  5
Great Crested Flycatcher  1
Red-eyed Vireo  12
Blue Jay  3
Black-capped Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  4
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Brown Creeper  2
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Veery  3
Hermit Thrush  1
Wood Thrush  5
American Robin  3
Gray Catbird  5
Ovenbird  10
Northern Waterthrush  3
Common Yellowthroat  5
American Redstart  1
Yellow Warbler  1
Pine Warbler  3
Black-throated Green Warbler  1
Canada Warbler  2
Chipping Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  2
Swamp Sparrow  1
Scarlet Tanager  4
Northern Cardinal  3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  2
Indigo Bunting  2
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Common Grackle  2
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Baltimore Oriole  3
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  2

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the wilds of Middlesex!

Plants!

Leaf-out is upon us.  After such a long delay (compared with recent years), the leaves on the Norway Maples seemed to explode out of their buds last week, and now many of the native species have almost fully leafed out, too.  When the birding gets slow, we botanize, so here are a few of the species found on a weekend ramble around the west edge of Estabrook.

Poison Ivy can be readily identified by it's reddish stem/petiole and three-leafed structure, but at this time of year, the glossy sheen and amount of green can vary significantly.  The newest foliage can be almost all purplish red...

...while older plants take on a more uniform greenish hue:

The species grows both as a free-standing plant or bush and as a high-climbing vine.  If you see a trunk that looks like this, don't hug it!  That's a Poison Ivy vine climbing into the canopy.

Some other interesting trees that you might come across on the trails are Hophornbeam, whose flaky bark is accentuated by this photo:

Striped Maple, whose bark is green and (wouldn't you know) striped:

and American Chestnut, a species that was once the dominant large tree in eastern forests of North America but now only exists as small sprouts from the rootstock, dying after only about five years of growth.  An introduced blight from Asia decimated the trees above ground in the early 20th century, but the roots still survive, sending up shoots that eventually will succumb as well.  This photo shows a typical chestnut specimen in Estabrook.  The leaves are fairly easily identified by their elongated shape and deeply toothed edges.

Lastly, it is blooming time for some of our more spectacular wildflowers, including the Pink Lady's Slipper, an orchid highly prized for its large single bloom.  Keep your eyes peeled, and you just might see one, but please leave it there for a friend to find!

Birds, Birds, and More Birds

Nesting and egg-laying are in full swing around campus.  Barn Swallows have constructed their cup of mud and pine needles under the Locke boathouse deck:

Red- Bellied Woodpeckers have taken up residence in a Red Maple snag at the east end of Bateman's:

Baltimore Orioles have strung up an intricately woven, sack-like nest above the road leading up to the tennis courts (just across the bridge).

Mid- May is the peak of songbird migration as well, so while our resident birds are settling in, dozens more species are moving through, leading to a peak in overall bird species diversity on campus.  In just one hour on Sunday morning, over 50 species were found on the survey, most of which were heard only!

Middlesex School, Middlesex, US-MA
May 17, 2015 6:09 AM - 7:09 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:    Sunday survey.  Main drive, dock, and east fields.  Orchard Oriole new for MX campus list. <br />Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.8
51 species

Canada Goose  4
Wood Duck  3
Great Blue Heron  1
Virginia Rail  1
Mourning Dove  3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  2
Chimney Swift  6
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
Eastern Kingbird  2
Warbling Vireo  4
Red-eyed Vireo  5
Blue Jay  6
American Crow  1
Tree Swallow  2
Barn Swallow  4
Black-capped Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Brown Creeper  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
Wood Thrush  4
American Robin  11
Gray Catbird  5
European Starling  3
Cedar Waxwing  4
Ovenbird  3
Common Yellowthroat  4
American Redstart  2
Northern Parula  2
Yellow Warbler  3
Pine Warbler  4
Canada Warbler  2
Chipping Sparrow  8
Song Sparrow  1
Swamp Sparrow  1
Scarlet Tanager  2
Northern Cardinal  3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  4
Indigo Bunting  1
Red-winged Blackbird  12
Common Grackle  16
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Orchard Oriole  1    RARE.  New species for MX.  Young male singing from maples at pond edge near dock.
Baltimore Oriole  6
House Finch  4
American Goldfinch  6
House Sparrow  3