WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT NOTES
August 4, 2006
Weather
The heat has been oppressive, with humidity over 80% every day. It’s
been overwhelming. We have been getting much-needed rain, however. Betty always
told us that a drought will break when hurricane season begins. This seems
to be true: since June 1st the frequent afternoon rains have brought 12.72
inches of welcome precipitation. The vegetation has responded, is green and
lush and growing fast. It’s a good thing we burn as hot and extensively
as we do; it is hard enough as it is to keep our trails open.
Land management
We are doing some mowing projects this summer to control brush in
various habitats. If you’ve walked the Gin House Field trail lately you
will have seen where Blair has mowed broad patches of winged sumac. This woody
plant is a good food source for many birds and other wildlife: in its flowering
stage it attracts dozens of insects to its nectar and pollen, and its fruit
is popular with birds. I’ve seen Robins eating sumac berries get chased
off and replaced by Bluebirds in the fall. If left unmanaged in a field it
will continue to spread and grow and shade out the diverse and valuable forbs
and grasses so important to the food web. We burn the Gin House hot every
year, but it only top-kills the sumac and it sprouts back. Every few years
we bush-hog the thickest swaths of sumac to keep it from getting too great
a foothold in this field.
Next we will mow some large patches of Crotolaria in the longleaf restoration
area west of the Farm Pond. It is now in bloom and this is the best time to
cut it, before it creates seed pods. We could really use some help with hand-pulling
the plants closest to the trees where the mower can’t reach. It is easy
to pull and you can come out very early before it is too hot and enjoy Birdsong
in the cool of the day. Give us a call.
We also will bush-hog all the little sweetgum trees that have come up in the
Live Oak Hammock. Being shady here and because live oak leaves are not very
combustible, it is unusual to get a hot fire to carry under these trees. Mowing
will be used to remove the small sweetgums and prevent them from shading out
other more desirable understory plants. This will also give our Wild Turkey
population better access to the acorns they love so much.
Back to the Gin House Field, the Eastern Bluebirds had an extremely successful
breeding season, which is not quite over. 194 Bluebirds and other cavity nesters
were fledged this year so far from the 42 Birdsong Bluebird Trail nest boxes.
Right now many young Bluebirds can be observed here, in their somewhat awkward-looking
young adult plumage, as they learn to feed and live independently. The Gin
House continues to be home to Kingbirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks,
and now Cattle Egrets. It is always an interesting birding destination and
is full of the food birds love the most – a huge variety of seeds and
insects is there for the taking.
Mushrooms
Just this past week mushrooms of all descriptions have cropped up in every
possible habitat, even our driest trails. The damper, shadier woods and drains
are dotted with their colorful and unusual forms. There are plenty of Lacterius,
Russula, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, and many different boletes. One of
Betty’s favorite edibles was the Caesar’s Amanita. It emerges from
the ground out of a pure white sac and looks like a cherry tomato. As it develops
the red cap spreads out and gradually turns orange. Usually there will be
three to five or so coming up at the same time. Betty used to see a group
of these striking mushrooms and say “There’s lunch!” They are
delectable, but you really have to be completely sure of the mushrooms you
collect to eat. I’m sure these are Caesar’s, but I just can’t
bring myself to pick and cook them without an expert’s confirmation.
The Amanita group is known for having both hallucinogenic and deadly qualities.
Chanterelles are another matter. They are unmistakable and prized. It is always
a real treat to find enough of them to make a special meal.
Gopher Tortoise Neighborhood
All four gopher tortoise holes are showing signs of recent activity. There
is evidence of fresh digging at two of them, including the newest one, and
at the two others, freshly moved earth has been smoothed by a tortoise plastron.
Gopher tortoises are apparently mushroom aficionados, because a huge bolete
(9 inches across) at the side of one entrance has tortoise-sized bites taken
out of it!
Wonderful News on the Botany Front!
We are pleased to announce that our friends and excellent botanists Gil Nelson
and Dr. Loren Anderson will be coming out to Birdsong to help us further develop
our plant species list. Dr. Anderson worked with the late Jim Keeler, a longtime
friend, Board member, and volunteer at Birdsong on his All-Taxa Biodiversity
Inventory of Birdsong’s plant and animal species. They plan to expand
Dr. Anderson’s plant list and use Gil’s botanical, GPS and mapping
skills to identify, locate and map all of our plant species. Thank you to
Gil and Dr. Anderson for their expertise and interest!
On Gil’s last visit, he found the “infrequent to rare” crested
fringed orchid, Platanthera cristata, down along the south drain that enters
Big Bay Swamp. He also found a number of these pretty yellow orchids just
off the dam near the spillway. They are easy to see from the trail. Now they
have been mapped!
Summer Flowers
The most visible wildflower of the moment is a white Eupatorium, abundant
across the property. The beautiful lavender butterfly pea is still blooming
profusely, always adorned with bees and wasps seeking nectar. Partridge pea
is in full yellow bloom in the open woods along the eastern trails, and elephant’s
foot has just begun to send up its central stem with the triangular pink flower
heads. Winged sumac’s tiny white flowers are attracting swarms of little
insects, and although the American beautyberry is through with flowering,
its characteristic clusters of berries are easily seen; they are green and
will turn purple later in the fall. Rhexia, or meadow beauty, surrounds many
of the ponds and damp open areas.
The Ponds and Big Bay Swamp
Even though we’ve had a lot of restorative rain, the water levels in
the ponds and swamp are still low. The Spring Pond, which had only a bathtubful
of coffee-colored water in it a month ago, now has clear water in it over
a geometric pattern of cracks in the mud bottom, a reminder of how low the
water was and how dried out the surrounding banks were. The Frog Pond, too,
has only a little water in it, and vegetation is growing across the bottom.
Big Bay Swamp is so low that the water tupelo roots are visible, and if you
really had to, you could walk across the swamp. In the deeper holes, fragrant
water lily covers the surface with its leaves and large white flowers. At
the Summer Solstice Star Watch we took a walk down to the dam while we waited
for it to get dark and, with flashlights on our noses, saw the brilliant reflections
of wolf spider eyes, numerous leopard frogs, and the red reflective light
from two alligators’ eyes not far from the dam. The Farm Pond has been
so low the last few years that Brasenia, or water shield, has rooted and is
covering more and more of the surface.
It is summertime. The middle of a south Georgia, north Florida summer. It
is hot out, humid, green, there is the constant drone of insects, birds and
other wildlife have fledged their young. It may seem too hot to go for a walk,
but we invite you to Birdsong to enjoy a wonderful sensory experience. You
are sure to learn something new!
Bird Window
The Bird Window has been very active. All our resident birds have been bringing
in their offspring and teaching them to fend for themselves. Daily we see
numerous Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpeckers
and more Cardinals than we can count. Many of the birds have started molting
and look very unkempt. The mister and pool are often crowded with birds trying
to find a cool spot in this hot, humid weather.
We have several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that can be seen and heard battling
over feeders and Clerodendrum. There have also been occasional visits from
Summer Tanagers, Indigo Buntings, White-eyed Vireos, Bobwhite Quail and White-breasted
Nuthatches.
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Revised -- February 23,2006