Monthly Archives: July 2015

Father-Daughter Pair in Norfolk

Bird Behavior, Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
'Dad' and 'tHE Missus', Norfolk, Virginia (photos by Mike Inman, used by permission)
‘Dad’ and his mate ‘HE’ in Norfolk, Virginia, 2015 (photos by Mike Inman used by permission)

In a recent Peregrine FAQ I described how peregrine falcons are not social creatures like we are.  In fact most raptors don’t hang out with their relatives, so that siblings from different years and birds separated by more than one generation can’t know that they’re related.

Since they don’t know their relatives, how do raptors avoid interbreeding?  By traveling.

Young raptors naturally disperse far from home and females typically travel twice as far as males, thereby mixing the gene pool.  Here’s how far some of Pittsburgh’s peregrines traveled from where they were born:

  • Downtown Pittsburgh: Louie dispersed 2.3 miles, Dori traveled 93 miles from Akron, Ohio
  • Cathedral of Learning: E2 dispersed 2.3 miles, Dorothy traveled 450 miles from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Neville Island I-79: Beau dispersed 10.7 miles, Magnum traveled 79 miles from Canton, Ohio

Bald eagles are much more social than peregrines. They fish and roost together in early winter but when it comes time to breed they disperse far and wide.  Close interbreeding among bald eagles is rare.

That’s why it was such a surprise to discover that this year’s pair nesting near Norfolk Botanical Garden is father and daughter.

The male is not banded but he has a unique tiny black dot in his left iris, called an inclusion, that’s visible in good photographs. This identified him as the 25-year-old male that used to nest in the Garden.

His mate is banded with the code “HE,” a band she received six years ago when she was a nestling at Norfolk Botanical Garden.  Yes, she’s his daughter.

Their close relationship was reported this spring by the Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) that monitors bald eagles in Virginia and banded “HE” in 2009.   CCB’s blog article provides details and photos.

It’s unusual for a female to settle so close to her birthplace but this location has had many challenges.  After the old female was killed by an airplane at nearby Norfolk International Airport in 2011, eagles were no longer allowed to nest at the Garden.  The male and all his potential mates were harassed away.  Nine nests were destroyed.  All the females left. The male didn’t nest for three years.  (Click here for the story.)

Unusual as this pairing is, the good news is that he finally found a mate, they found a safe place to nest, and together they fledged one eaglet on May 29.

It all worked out in the end.

 

(photos of the NBG pair courtesy of Mike Inman, inmansimages.com)

p.s. As part of their monitoring efforts CCB recently identified a female bald eagle with an unusual story. Click here to read about ‘Dolly’, born at the Birmingham (Alabama) Zoo to injured, unreleasable parents, she now nests along the James River in Virginia.

Wall Of Water

Water and Shore
Wall of water in the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wall of water in the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

Lots of rain means a lot of water, especially in the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle.

When I visited Fern Cliff Peninsula on July 1, I was astonished at the river’s height and roar.  The site is downstream of two dams — Deep Creek and Confluence — yet the river made walls of water just above the falls.

Here’s what it looked like on July 1 after a very wet June.

For perspective: the wall of water is on the woman's right, Youghiogheny River, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
For perspective the closeup below is on the woman’s right.  Youghiogheny River atOhiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wall of water in the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wall of water in the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

Trees that had been on islands stood alone, fighting the river’s relentless pull.

A tree that had been on an island stands alone, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
A view from the other side: A tree fights the river alone, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

And this Joe-pye weed and a patch of grass are all that’s left of a ledge.

Joe-pye weed as an island (photo by Kate St. John)
Joe-pye weed as an island (photo by Kate St. John)

Despite the high water, rubber-raft whitewater trips were operating just below the falls.

You couldn’t pay me to ride these waves.

 

(photos by Kate St. John)

Indian Pipe Heads Up

Plants & Fungi
Indian pipe, fertilized flowers, Ohiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
Indian pipe, fertilized flowers, Ohiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

11 July 2015

Here are some pink flowers you don’t see every day.

Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is a parasite in a three-way relationship. It’s lives on a symbiotic fungus that gets its own food from tree roots in exchange for mineral nutrients.

Since Indian pipe doesn’t need chlorophyll the plant is ghostly white and can live in the deep shade of a dense forest.  When Indian pipe blooms the flowers droop downward.

Indian pipe blooming (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Indian pipe blooming (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

But as soon as they’re fertilized the flowers move into the heads up position.  Esther Allen taught us that this helps the plant disperse its seeds.

Most plants have erect flowers that nod when fertilized.  Indian pipe is backwards in many ways.

Learn more about Indian pipe in this article from the Arkansas Native Plant Society.

(heads up photo by Kate St. John. Heads down photo from Wikimedia Commons; click on the photo to see the original)

Baby Owls in a Bird Bath

Birds of Prey

This week on PABIRDS Carole Winslow described a family of six eastern screech-owls roosting in her barn in Clarion County.  Right now the family is sticking together because the youngsters haven’t learned to hunt yet.

Carole’s report reminded me of this video of screech-owls at a bird bath.  Filmed in Texas in 2011, it shows an adult at the bath first, then a baby, then …  it’s a party.

It was 105 degrees that day so the owls stopped by for a drink.  Who knew that they bathed!

 

p.s. Both eastern and western screech-owls occur in Texas. Sibley’s Guide says they are similar and best identified by voice.  Tony Bledsoe listened to the video and identified the faint screen-owl voice as an eastern screech-owl.

Note:  The adults have lighter faces and ear tufts. The babies have round dark heads and faces.

(YouTube video by TexasChickens)

 

He’s A Boy

Peregrines
Peregrine nicknamed "Silver" at ARL Wildlife Center, 8 July 2015 (courtesy ARL Wildlife Center)
Video screenshot of peregrine falcon “Silver” at ARL Wildlife Center, 8 July 2015 (courtesy ARL Wildlife Center)

Late yesterday afternoon the ARL Wildlife Center posted a short video and this update on their Facebook page.  Click here or on the photos to see the video.

Peregrine Update:

It’s a boy! X-ray reports have revealed that the falcon is a male. We have also received the results from initial blood tests which have all been normal. We are still waiting for the reports from the lead test, but the bird is gaining weight & his flight feathers continue to grow. We will continue to provide public updates on the peregrine as soon as new information develops, but are unable to respond to individual inquiries about this patient.

Screenshot of Silver, 8 July 2015 (courtesy ARL Wildlife Center)
Video screenshot of peregrine falcon “Silver” at ARL Wildlife Center, 8 July 2015 (courtesy ARL Wildlife Center)

 

(Posted on Facebook by Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center on Wednesday, July 8, 2015, approximately 4:30pm)

NOTE:  As you can see, my news cycle is typically 13-15 hours later than ARL’s Facebook posts.  For up-to-the-minute news from ARL, check their Facebook page at Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center. Their page is public.  You don’t have to join Facebook to see it.

p.s. Here’s an informative July 9 article from Pitts’ University Times and standing on one leg is normal.

Too Many Ticks? Hire a Possum

Deer, Insects, Mammals

Virginia opossum (photo by Drcyrus from Wikimedia Commons)

Pennsylvania won an award again though there’s no reason for applause.  For the third straight year we lead the nation in reported cases of Lyme disease.

One could argue that we won because Pennsylvania is a big state with a large population, but we also have too many black-legged ticks, too many tick hosts that carry Lyme disease (mice), and too many deer carrying ticks long distances to other locations.  Black-legged ticks are now present in every county in the state.

What to do?  In April I wrote about the many effective ways to reduce ticks around your house and protect yourself outdoors.  But here’s an unconventional solution.  Get yourself a ‘possum.

Like all mammals, Virginia opossums pick up ticks in their travels but the good news is that they don’t carry Lyme disease and they groom so meticulously that ticks don’t stay on them for long.  In fact, when a possum finds a tick on its body, it eats it!

Weird as they are, possums have some advantages.  They consume up to 5,000 ticks in one season and are practically immune to rabies and venomous snakes.

So as we do our best to combat Lyme disease — especially in May through July when black-legged ticks are so hard to see in their tiny nymphal stage — remember that having a possum in your yard is a good thing.

Too many ticks? Hire a ‘possum!

 

(photo by Drcyrus from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)

The Sneaky Little Vine: Dodder

Plants & Fungi
Dodder vine wrapped around a stem (photo by Kate St. John)

7 July 2015

This small yellow-orange vine is a native annual in the morning glory (Convolvulaceae) family that causes trouble for farmers.

Dodder (Cuscata) has virtually no leaves and is not green because it doesn’t have chlorophyll to make its own food.  Instead it’s a parasite that wraps itself closely around a host plant, inserts very tiny feelers called haustoria between the cells, and sucks nutrients out of the host.  Though it starts growing from seed, it loses its soil-based roots when it has found a really good host.

Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide has only one entry for dodder in eastern North America — common dodder (Cuscuta gronovii) — but there are 100-170 species around the world, especially in tropical and subtropical climates.

In Pennsylvania dodder blooms July to October in dense clusters of small white flowers.  According to Wikipedia “the seeds are minute and produced in large quantities. They have a hard coating and typically can survive in the soil for 5–10 years, sometimes longer.”  And therein lies the problem.

Farmers hate this plant because it eats some of the plants we cultivate including tomatoes.  If dodder takes over the best way to combat it is to plant something dodder can’t live on such as grasses or wheat, but it takes a few years before the dodder seed bed is too old to grow.  Hence, dodder has been declared a noxious weed/seed in 49 states.

On the other hand, I’ve rarely seen dodder act invasive in the wild (here’s a thick patch) and tomatoes have developed their own defenses against it.

In the end you might think dodder is good for nothing but in western North America it hosts the caterpillars of the brown elfin butterfly (Callophrys augustinus). (See comments.)

And so goes the circle of hosts.  Dodder eats from its host and, as a host, it is eaten.

(photo by Kate St. John)

From A Different Angle

Peregrines

Peregrine at Westinghouse Bridge, 3 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Peregrine at Westinghouse Bridge, 3 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

With access denied to private property under the Westinghouse Bridge(*) we’re exploring public property to see the peregrines who nest there.

Over the weekend Dana Nesiti tried two locations at the East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard Bridge.  The sidewalk (topside) is the closest and shows off the birds from a different angle.

Here he captured some great shots of the adults in the sun.

Peregrine lifting off, Westinghouse Bridge (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Peregrine lifting off, Westinghouse Bridge (photo by Dana Nesiti)

Peregrine lifting off, Westinghouse Bridge (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Peregrine lifting off, Westinghouse Bridge (photo by Dana Nesiti)

… and this one of Storm on the catwalk perch.

Peregrine at the Westinghouse Bridge, 3 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Peregrine at the Westinghouse Bridge, 3 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

The youngsters were hard to see on Friday but by Saturday they were ledge walking far and wide on the big arch.  With my scope, John English and I could easily see one walking and squawking for food.

On Sunday they made practice flights.

Young peregrine practice flight at Westinghouse Bridge, 5 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Young peregrine practice flight at Westinghouse Bridge, 5 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

And seemed to be train spotting. 😉

Young peregrines (pre-fledge) at Westinghouse Bridge, 5 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Young peregrines (pre-fledge) at Westinghouse Bridge, 5 July 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

As you can see, “topside” is closer to the action.

 

(*) NOTE!  The place where we used to stand under the Westinghouse Bridge — and the access to it — is owned by Norfolk Southern Railroad (NSRR) and we are not allowed on it.  DO NOT go there.  NSRR is closely monitoring the site.

(photos by Dana Nesiti)

 

Pretty. Invasive.

Plants & Fungi, Schenley Park

Purple loosestrife blooming on CMU's campus, 2 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
Purple loosestrife blooming on CMU’s campus, 2 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

When I saw this plant blooming in Schenley Park the other day I made sure to point it out to participants at last Sunday’s walk.  Most people aren’t aware that purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is highly invasive.

Purple loosestrife came to North America from Europe and was established on the east coast by the mid 1800s.  It grows 1.5 to 5 feet tall with opposite or alternate untoothed leaves and a spike of pinkish purple flowers. Here’s a closeup of the flower.

It spreads by seed and by massive woody roots in ditches, wet meadows and wetlands.  Once it takes hold it out-competes native plants and creates a monoculture that lowers the biodiversity of the site.  Amazingly it even affects ducks because, though dense at the top, it’s open at water level and provides no cover for nesting.

Purple loosestrife is listed as invasive in 27 states, including Pennsylvania, but many garden stores and garden websites still sell it to those who are unaware of the danger.  When its seeds get into flowing water, watch out!

Fortunately years of research found a beetle that eats it.  In the video below, Donna Ellis from the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension describes purple loosestrife and how the Galerucella beetle is an effective biological control agent. (Birders, listen to the audio track. If I’d been standing there I would have been totally distracted by those upset birds!)

I found only a single loosestrife in Schenley Park and an Urban Eco Steward pulled it up (yay!) but on Thursday I found two clumps on Carnegie Mellon’s campus.  Uh oh!

Pretty.  Invasive.

 

(photo by Kate St. John)

277 and Counting

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship

Hays bald eagle carrying nesting material, March 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Hays bald eagle carrying nesting material, March 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

277.  That’s how many bald eagle nests there are in Pennsylvania this year. What an improvement since the time when there were only 3 nests back in 1983!

As the PA Game Commission explains:

“So far this year, 277 bald-eagle nests have been documented in Pennsylvania, with nesting eagles present in at least 58 of the state’s 67 counties.  That shatters the 2014 preliminary number of 254 nests, which also was an all-time high. And more nests remain to be counted as the year goes on.”

The count will go up, not because bald eagles are building new nests in July, but because observers will report additional nests in the days ahead.

Many people don’t realize that the nest count starts over every year. Nests that are used year after year must be reported again to be included in the count.

Patti Barber, a biologist with the Game Commission’s Endangered and Nongame Birds section, says, “Even if nests are well known locally, please don’t hesitate to report them. You might be adding a new nest to the list, or making certain that one reported in a previous year is accurately counted this year.”

It’s easy to report a nest. Just email the Game Commission at pgccomments@pa.gov with “Eagle Nest Information” in the subject line, or phone it in to your Game Commission Region Office or the Harrisburg headquarters.

Perhaps your report will help bald eagles break the 300 mark.

 

(photo of a bald eagle at Hays by Dana Nesiti)

p.s. Peregrine falcons are rare compared to bald eagles. There are only 45 peregrine nests statewide this year.