Harbinger of Spring

 

Harbinger of Spring

Shared by Melissa Donahue

Naturalist

January 2021

Photos by the authoress 

Can you feel the change?  The days are getting longer, the male goldfinches are getting brighter, shoots of daffodils are poking above the ground, and if you’re quiet you will hear owls hooting in the woods.  When I start to feel this change, I head to the wetlands.  It is at the wetland that spring starts for me. There are two wetlands that I visit.  The first is close to the ballfields, behind the row of trees in Edwin Warner.   I love to go there; the water flows across the land with an energy that reveals the promise of spring.  The second is on the Nature Center campus.  It is attached to the pond on the Nature Center grounds.

 

Water running through the wetland

 

According to the Izaak Walton Leagueof America, a wetland is an ecosystem that has both land and water characteristics. Although wetlands are often covered in water or saturated to the surface, some are wet only during certain times of the year.   Wetlands are a special place and here is why.

 

 

                                                                    Trees that show the high-water mark

 

Wetlands filter pollution and act as a buffer to floods.  Hydric soil, common in wetlands, is well-suited for this purpose.  This soil collects and hold floodwaters, then slowly disperses them.  Plants with special adaptations, such as hollow stems to allow oxygen to travel to the roots of the plant, are found in wetlands.   Examples of the plants you might find are cattails, pitcher plants and green ash.

 

 

Nature Center wetlands in early spring

 

The wetlands help our environment by providing food for animals.  At both the wetlands we see evidence of raccoon and deer.  A heron has been observed visiting the wetlands at the Nature Center.  And in the warmer weather you can never rule out nearby snake, waiting to eat.

  

Deer track

 

As well as providing food, the wetlands provide habitat for a variety of animals.  Bullfrog tadpoles share resources with turtles, insect larva, worms and aquatic arthropods.   Many species of frogs come to the wetlands to mate and lay eggs.

 

Bullfrog tadpole

 

It’s easy to see why the wetlands hold hope for spring.  On a warm February evening, take a walk behind the ball fields in Edwin Warner.  There is a good chance you will be greeted by a symphony of Upland Chorus Frogs, a sure sign that spring is coming.

Our Tiny Owl

 

Our Tiny Owl

Shared by Kathy Shaw

WPNC Bird Information, Research and Data (BIRD) Program & Master Bird Bander

Photos by Sandy Bivens and Kathy Shaw except where noted

As a federally licensed bird bander, I remind myself that science is serious business with no room for sentiment, but this notion flew out the window when our team recently caught a Northern Saw-whet Owl on a cold November night. I wanted to put this adorable fluffball in my pocket and make it my own. This “cuteness” factor may be why I have no problem finding BIRD team volunteers to forego sleep and work late on cold nights to try to net one. On a more serious, scientific note, much of what we understand about saw-whet migration is due to a network of dedicated banders throughout the U.S. and Canada.

 

Our saw-whet project began back in 2007. At the urging of experienced saw-whet banders and a grant from Tennessee Ornithological Society to buy equipment, we began our efforts. On our second attempt, we caught one! That was easy! Then we caught no more that year, or the next, or the next. We tried at Bells Bend in 2012 and caught nothing. The project was shelved until the bird chatter proclaimed that the 2020 fall migration would bring an “invasion” of these northern birds. We dusted off our equipment with high hopes.

In the East, saw-whets breed in coniferous/spruce-fir forests of southern Canada and the northern U.S. A number of birds migrate south each year, but every 3-5 years, they “invade” or “irrupt” in large numbers and can reach as far south as the gulf coast. This migration is timed after the tree seed/mast production cyclically drops throughout the breeding range, resulting in fewer mice and other small mammals, saw-whets’ favorite prey. When there are fewer mice, saw-whets head further south for the winter in greater numbers.

 

 

Breeding males “toot-toot-toot”, reportedly for hours while defending territory and attracting a mate. This call is compared to the sound of a saw being sharpened against a whetstone; thus, the owl received the name saw-whet. (I think it sounds more like the warning sound a big truck makes when backing up.) We use this mating call to our advantage when trying to catch a saw-whet. We place a wildlife caller next to the nets and project this call loudly to attract a bird that may be in the area.

 

Sandy Bivens setting up a net at dusk in hopes of capturing an owl.

 

Once an owl is captured, a federally issued band is placed above the foot.

An owl’s leg is covered with feathers.

The owl is weighed and measured to try to determine gender. Examining flight feathers can help determine age.

 

This photo was taken at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary in Indiana. Newly molted feathers glow pink under U.V. light. This helps us recognize different generations of feathers.

 

Differences in feather color and wear also aid in ageing the bird.

 

I happily released the bird. It winged its way across the pond and into the night.

 

Northern Saw-whet Owls are hard to spot in Tennessee. They rarely vocalize, hunt at night, and stay hidden in trees and dense shrubs. When you’re the smallest owl in town, it is prudent to stay hidden from larger owls that may prey upon you.

 

Saw-whets measure 7-8” long with a wingspan of 16-19”.

During migration, saw-whets may pop up most anywhere. Everyone remembers “Rockefeller”, the adorable owl that hitched a ride to NYC in the Norway Spruce Christmas tree.

 “Rockefeller” from Ravensbeard Wildlife Center

 The many merchandise items that can be purchased are a testament to the love we humans have for this tiny owl.

 

Spotting a Northern Saw-whet Owl may be difficult, but I encourage all to enjoy the Warner Parks on a cold, winter evening, and, if you’re lucky, you may hear the calls of a hooting owl in the distance.