3.13.2005
A Frog in the Hand
Brimley's Chorus Frog 
Took me a while to find this elusive little frog as it sang in a puddle in a field. I zeroed in on him as he sang, but whenever I got close he would get quiet. Finally I was able to see him and swoop in for the catch. He cooperated nicely and was soon back out on the edge of the puddle trying to call in a female.
(The picture was there, honest!! Oh well, Blogger seems to be acting a little odd. I'll just send the picture again.)
Took me a while to find this elusive little frog as it sang in a puddle in a field. I zeroed in on him as he sang, but whenever I got close he would get quiet. Finally I was able to see him and swoop in for the catch. He cooperated nicely and was soon back out on the edge of the puddle trying to call in a female.
(The picture was there, honest!! Oh well, Blogger seems to be acting a little odd. I'll just send the picture again.)
Cast-offs
An accidental garden
This morning, my husband and I went out walking to see if we could find any bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) in bloom. It is a pretty little flower and there is a population of it about three-quarters of a mile from our house. We were unable to find any blooming so we decided to poke around in an adjacent area that at one time was used by county residents as an impromptu dump. This site holds everything from old washing machines to chamber pots, as well as quite a collection of bottles and jars. I have never been able to figure out why people insist on dumping trash in a swamp, but I digress...
I found several little terraria among the cast-off items. Mother Nature trying to make the best of a bad situation, I guess.
This morning, my husband and I went out walking to see if we could find any bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) in bloom. It is a pretty little flower and there is a population of it about three-quarters of a mile from our house. We were unable to find any blooming so we decided to poke around in an adjacent area that at one time was used by county residents as an impromptu dump. This site holds everything from old washing machines to chamber pots, as well as quite a collection of bottles and jars. I have never been able to figure out why people insist on dumping trash in a swamp, but I digress...
I found several little terraria among the cast-off items. Mother Nature trying to make the best of a bad situation, I guess.
3.11.2005
Gator's Out
Gator catching a few rays.
There was a brisk wind blowing on the pond today as we led a group of college students out to learn a little bit about the plants that grow here. Since we had some novice canoeists with us, we didn't want to venture too close to this alligator as it was sunning on a log in the water. I just sort of aimed the camera in the general direction of the log and hoped for the best. My technique yielded a picture that, while not great, is at least recognizable as a gator :)
This particular gator is about six to six and a half feet long. It uses this log frequently but we weren't sure it would be out today. Our temperatures were in the upper 50s to low 60s and there was a fair amount of cloud cover, not ideal conditions for basking. The students seemed to enjoy seeing the alligator and the alligator didn't seem to mind being seen, so all in all it was a good thing.
There was a brisk wind blowing on the pond today as we led a group of college students out to learn a little bit about the plants that grow here. Since we had some novice canoeists with us, we didn't want to venture too close to this alligator as it was sunning on a log in the water. I just sort of aimed the camera in the general direction of the log and hoped for the best. My technique yielded a picture that, while not great, is at least recognizable as a gator :)
This particular gator is about six to six and a half feet long. It uses this log frequently but we weren't sure it would be out today. Our temperatures were in the upper 50s to low 60s and there was a fair amount of cloud cover, not ideal conditions for basking. The students seemed to enjoy seeing the alligator and the alligator didn't seem to mind being seen, so all in all it was a good thing.
Blogger Woes
Is it just me or is everyone experiencing problems with posting comments? For the past few days the problem was the looooonnnnnngggggg wait for the comment box to open. Something new has popped up today -- Blogger can't find the blog when I click on the "Post a comment" button. It is a little annoying to be told the blog you just visited doesn't exist ;).
A Glorious End to a Challenging Day
We didn't finish our mop-up until 8:00 last night, so it was full dark before we got out of the woods. It was a challenging and tiring burn -- lots of downed trees, huge holes created by the rootballs of the fallen trees, and spots of deep muck made for less than easy walking while carrying five gallons of water on our backs and fire rakes in our hands. After nine hours of work it was nice to just sit for a moment in the dark woods and listen to life all around us. Tundra swans called to one another as they flew over; spring peepers, Brimley's chorus frogs, upland chorus frogs, and leopard frogs serenaded us; barred owls called from the woods and overhead the stars were clear and bright. Have I mentioned lately that I love this place?
Other critters encountered during the day included a couple of fence lizards, a pine woods treefrog, two pickerel frogs, a woodcock, various spiders, at least three species of grasshoppers and a couple of different types of katydids.
Other critters encountered during the day included a couple of fence lizards, a pine woods treefrog, two pickerel frogs, a woodcock, various spiders, at least three species of grasshoppers and a couple of different types of katydids.
3.09.2005
A Cautionary Tale
If only...
I looked out my window this morning and there, not 15 feet away, sat this hawk. A golden opportunity for a picture, right? Wrong. I knew I wouldn't be able to sneak out the back door and around the side of the house to get a clear view so I just took the picture through the window -- the dirty window pane and the dirty screen foiled me. And just whose fault is it that the window was so dirty?? Mine. As soon as I get the chance I'm going to wash that window, inside and out, and take down the screen. I've seen this hawk use this particular perch more than once so maybe I will be granted a second chance...
As close as I can tell, my visitor appears to be an immature red-shouldered hawk. But, I'm not too great with immature birds, so it could be a red-tailed instead. If only that window had been clean, I could have a better look at the field markings.
I looked out my window this morning and there, not 15 feet away, sat this hawk. A golden opportunity for a picture, right? Wrong. I knew I wouldn't be able to sneak out the back door and around the side of the house to get a clear view so I just took the picture through the window -- the dirty window pane and the dirty screen foiled me. And just whose fault is it that the window was so dirty?? Mine. As soon as I get the chance I'm going to wash that window, inside and out, and take down the screen. I've seen this hawk use this particular perch more than once so maybe I will be granted a second chance...
As close as I can tell, my visitor appears to be an immature red-shouldered hawk. But, I'm not too great with immature birds, so it could be a red-tailed instead. If only that window had been clean, I could have a better look at the field markings.
3.08.2005
Swamped
Sadly, I have no time to blog! Thursday and Friday of last week we had back to back burns; Saturday we had a lovely nine mile canoe trip in the rain; Sunday we hiked five miles to check on a population of Trillium pusillum; Monday I dipped up some aquatic macroinvertebrates and had to prepare suitable habitats for them so I can use them today and tomorrow in programs for middle and high school students. On top of all this, I have to update my resume, fill out a job application, and write a cover letter (yuck, yuck, and yuck).
I did, however, want to share some pictures with you. Hope you enjoy them!
(Wish me luck on the job thing...I really want this job.)
I did, however, want to share some pictures with you. Hope you enjoy them!
(Wish me luck on the job thing...I really want this job.)
Anybody home?
Tis the season for us to start sticking our heads inside hollow trees to look for bats. The man in the picture is using a mirror and a flashlight to check out the cavity in this beech tree. We are looking for two species in particular: eastern big-eared bats and southeastern myotis. In late June or early July we will do some mist netting to see what other species we can come up with.
Tis the season for us to start sticking our heads inside hollow trees to look for bats. The man in the picture is using a mirror and a flashlight to check out the cavity in this beech tree. We are looking for two species in particular: eastern big-eared bats and southeastern myotis. In late June or early July we will do some mist netting to see what other species we can come up with.
3.06.2005
3.03.2005
Things Green
After three days of cold and windy weather we finally caught a break and were able to burn today. The unit we burned was a long narrow strip of woodland beside the pond. There was a lot of fuel on the ground, the wind was squirrely, and we were working with a short crew so I didn't have time to take many pictures. When I downloaded the few that I took I discovered that there was a theme: Things Green.
I really do love the small things out in the woods, as the next few photos show.
I really do love the small things out in the woods, as the next few photos show.
What's all the noise?
Before we started our final mop-up we took a little break on the fire line. While we were sitting down the burn boss noticed this green treefrog as it climbed up out of the leaf litter. It was nice enough to sit still while I took its picture. Green treefrogs are one of our most common frogs in this area.
Before we started our final mop-up we took a little break on the fire line. While we were sitting down the burn boss noticed this green treefrog as it climbed up out of the leaf litter. It was nice enough to sit still while I took its picture. Green treefrogs are one of our most common frogs in this area.
Warm and cozy on my finger
I didn't want the treefrog to get stepped on when we went back to work, so I picked him up to move him to safer ground. He decided he liked my finger and pulled himself into a classic resting pose. The warmth of my finger and the heat of the sun probably felt pretty good to him! With a little patience I was able to persuade him to move from my finger into a nice little cave I had scooped for him in the leaf litter. It is supposed to be down in the 20s tonight so I hope he stayed where I put him.
I didn't want the treefrog to get stepped on when we went back to work, so I picked him up to move him to safer ground. He decided he liked my finger and pulled himself into a classic resting pose. The warmth of my finger and the heat of the sun probably felt pretty good to him! With a little patience I was able to persuade him to move from my finger into a nice little cave I had scooped for him in the leaf litter. It is supposed to be down in the 20s tonight so I hope he stayed where I put him.
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