The Monongahela River at Duck Hollow, 19 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
22 October 2024
Last month’s outing was rained out by the remnants of Hurricane Helene so I’m going to try again …
Join me at Duck Hollow on Sunday 27 October 2024, 8:30am to 10:30am for a bird and nature walk.
Meet at the Duck Hollow parking lot at the end of Old Browns Hill Road. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars, field guides and a birding scope if you have them.
When I stopped by there yesterday I saw only two mallards(!) but there were three golden-crowned kinglets similar to this one, photographed by Charity Kheshgi last year.
Golden-crowned kinglet, Frick Park, 26 Oct 2023 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
As always, remember to check the Events page before you come in case of changes or cancellations!
What Best Bird will show up next Sunday? Come to Duck Hollow and see.
Thornless roses are the rose fancier’s dream but are difficult to breed, are usually infertile, and require a genetic mutation to block the prickles from emerging on the skin. Because the underlying trigger is still present, new growth on a “thornless” rose can produce prickles at the drop of a hat — injury, root suckers, etc.
What we call “thorns” on roses are technically prickles because they grow out of the skin. Roses, wineberry and devil’s walking stick have the same gene coding for prickles.
Wineberry prickles, Schenley Park, Nov 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)Devil’s walking stick (or maybe Japanese angelica), Jan 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)
What are the genes underlying prickle development? Two studies published in August 2024 investigated Solanum prickle plants (eggplants, tomatoes) and found that they share the same LOG family genes. When scientists disrupted those genes it resulted in prickle loss in multiple species and did not adversely affect other parts of the plant.
Because roses have prickles and may share the same gene coding, there is new hope for creating a truly smooth stemmed rose.
This week the Good News Network reported on a study published in ScienceDirect that shows fungi perceive shapes in the world around them, have memories, make decisions and solve problems. All without a brain!
A Japanese study of fungal networks set up an experiment with wood cubes pre-colonized with a wood decaying fungus, Phanerochaete velutina. The fruiting body and mycelia are shown below.
The scientists laid the cubes on a bed of clean soil in two patterns, a circle and an X, then observed and photographed what happened over a period of months.
By Day 13 the fungi had grown filaments (hypha) that made the cubes look fuzzy, particularly in the X shape. (hypha are collectively called mycelia)
By Day 34 some filaments from each cube had joined with the mycelia of neighboring cubes, but the rest of the hyphae were still seeking so the shapes were super fuzzy.
By Day 116, almost four months later, the “chatter” had subsided and the fuzzies were mostly gone in favor of strong, efficient networks.
Over time it became obvious that the fungi were not acting randomly. They remembered shapes and were making decisions.
If the fungi didn’t display decision-making skills, they would simply spread out from a central point without consideration for the position of the blocks.
For the X arrangement, the degree of mycelial colonization was greater in the outermost four blocks. It was hypothesized that this was because the outermost blocks can serve as “outposts” for the mycelial network to embark on foraging expeditions, therefore more dense connections were required compared to the five blocks inside the X.
In the circle arrangement, the degree of mycelial colonization was the same at any given block. However, all the empty space inside the circle remained clear. It was proposed that the mycelial network did not see a benefit in overextending itself in an already well-populated area.
In order to optimize their patterns the fungi must be communicating through the network. That’s where the beautiful split gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune), shown at top, comes in.
Two years ago a study of electrical signals in the filaments (hypha) of enoki, split gill, ghost and caterpillar fungi discovered that their signals pulse when there’s something important to say such as “Found a new source of food.” Sometimes the pulses were similar to words and it appeared that the fungi knew 50 “words.”(*)
(*)NOTE: Some skepticism was reported at the end of the Good News Network “words” article:
Some scientists are skeptical that the research was done looking for ‘language’, suggesting that this puts a shroud of exaggeration and overexcitement about the findings.
To his credit, Adamatzky explained to the Guardian that it could be simply that the electrically-charged tips of hyphae were just creating electromagnetic reactions as they explore the forest underground.
Insect on New York aster, Toms Run, 16 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
19 October 2024
This week brought:
Fall colors and the first piles of fallen leaves
Late flowers and insects
“See Your Breath” cold mornings
The first juncos … and …
Several thousand crows in Oakland.
In photos, late asters attracted an insect at Toms Run and morning sun slanted through the trees in Schenley Park.
Fall colors and fallen leaves, Schenley Park, 18 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Many trees are changing color. The oaks aren’t there yet but they have dropped their acorns leaving empty acorn cups on the branches. It’s a big mast year for red oaks in Pittsburgh.
Red oak leaves and acorn cups, 13 October 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
A rhododendron in Shadyside is confused. Is it spring?
Confused rhododendron blooming in Pittsburgh, 13 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
This week crows were absent from Oakland during the day but arrived in huge flocks at dusk, staging on rooftops before flying to the roost. I fumbled to photograph them on the RAND Building last Sunday. This is only a fraction of the flock that flew away.
Crows make a stop on the RAND building before sunset, 13 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Obviously they’ve been roosting on Pitt’s campus. I found evidence below trees at the Pitt Panther statue. The Crows Slept Here Last Night.
Evidence at Pitt that The Crows Slept Here Last Night, 17 October 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
I have heard that mangroves protect coastlines during hurricanes and tsunamis but I could not imagine how they did it until I saw this video from Licypriya Kangujam (@LicypriyaK), Special Envoy for the President of the Republic of Timor-Leste and 13 year old climate activist.
Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, is the eastern half of Timor island, located north of Australia. The other half of the island is part of Indonesia.
Timor island is located in the region with the highest diversity of mangroves in the world — 26-47 species in one place. Compare this to just one or two species in Louisiana.
When a hurricane hits Louisiana we often hear that the damage would not have been so great if they had more mangroves. Louisiana is now trying to restore their mangrove forest but it is slow going.
Learn more about mangroves in this award-winning video from The Marine Diaries.
Crows bursting off a tree along Forbes Avenue (photo by Kate St. John)
17 October 2024
The crows are back in town!
On 1 October I counted 1,800 crows staging in Shadyside before they flew west to a roost. Last night I counted twice as many heading toward the Cathedral of Learning. 3,600 is only a fraction of the flock that will be in Pittsburgh by the end of December. As their numbers grow they quickly wear out their welcome. That’s when they move the roost.
In transit a flock this large is kind of mesmerizing (video from Dec 2023).
Crows flying toward the roost, December 2023 (video by Kate St. John)
But if they sleep in your trees they are really messy.
Evidence that crows roosted in the trees above this sidewalk, 7 Nov 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)
On Monday I saw Pitt’s maintenance staff spray-washing the sidewalk on Bigelow Blvd and I found “poot” evidence across the street as well. I’m sure Pitt is on the verge of moving them along, if they haven’t already done so.
Last year Pitt used flashing lights to convince the crows to leave the Bigelow Blvd trees. Crows really hate strobe lights.
Pitt works to move the crows, 13 Nov 2023 (video by Phillip Rogers)
I suspect there were strobe lights last night because … When the crows sleep near the Cathedral of Learning I live in their flyway. Last night thousands flew past my window but this morning none of them made the return journey. So did the crows sleep at Pitt? I wonder.
This tug of war with winter crows happens every year. They might end up roosting where the whole flock can sleep without bothering anyone, or they might split the roost to reduce their impact. One thing I know for sure. The crows will be hard to find for the Christmas Bird Count. 😉
UPDATE 17 Oct, 1:30pm: The crows *did* sleep in the trees at Pitt. I saw the evidence this morning.
Ravens are well known to cache food but who owns the stash operates on the principle: “Unless another raven is actively guarding it, whatever food I see is mine.” The finder eats or re-hides the cache. We would call this thievery.
To prevent thieves, a raven with lots of food waits until all the other ravens leave before caching his treasure. He’ll even go to a place where no one can see him hiding it.
Scientists thought that a raven had to see another raven before he went to all this trouble. Then a study in 2016 tested whether ravens can imagine potential thieves they cannot see.
The study, published in Nature Communications, found that if a nearby peephole was open, ravens guarded pockets of food against discovery in response to the sound of other birds — even if they didn’t see another bird. This was not replicated when the peephole was closed, despite hearing the same auditory clues.
Ravens are so smart that they can imagine thieves, just like we can. Is it a blessing or a curse to be this intelligent?
Watch how ravens imagine what another raven is thinking in this video from BBC Earth.
What happens when you irrigate? Irrigation inevitably leads to the salinization of soils and waters. In the United States yield reductions due to salinity occur on an estimated 30% of all irrigated land. World wide, crop production is limited by the effects of salinity on about 50% of the irrigated land area. … Concern is mounting about the sustainability of irrigated agriculture.
Where does all the salt come from? Application of irrigation water results in the addition of soluble salts such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfate, and chloride dissolved from geologic materials with which the waters have been in contact. Evaporation and transpiration (plant uptake) of irrigation water eventually cause excessive amounts of salts to accumulate in soils unless adequate leaching and drainage are provided.
This worldwide problem will get only worse as climate change increases drought, so a team of researchers looked for salt tolerant crops.
Focusing on the tomato’s closest wild relative, the tiny currant tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium), they selected “over 2,700 cultivars, raising the seedlings in two environments: a greenhouse, and an open field.”
The best results came from five cultivars from Peru.
Two evening grosbeaks in flight, western Washington State (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
14 October 2024
When North Americans go south for the winter they do it to escape the cold. When boreal finches leave Canada in autumn it’s not about cold, it’s about food.
Winter finches are cold hardy and could stay up north all year but when seed cones and fruit are in short supply they fly south to find food. Every year the Finch Network examines finch food crops across Canada and predicts southward movement by species. Their 2024-25 Winter Finch Forecast came out in late September, summarized below.
This winter we will NOT see these species.
Pine grosbeaks (Never come to southwestern PA anyway.)
Redpolls
White-winged crossbills
Red crossbills
Redpolls (It feels like a very long time since redpolls came to PA.)
Bohemian waxwings (Never come to southwestern PA anyway.)
This year, the majority should leave Canada with a likely moderate flight to the Great Plains and southern United States. … At feeders, they prefer black oil sunflower seeds.
Areas from Manitoba eastward affected by Spruce Budworm infestations have a poor cone crop. Siskins that bred in these areas will be on the move. While band recoveries show siskins will move straight across North America from coast to coast, there should be some small movement south in the eastern half of the United States this fall in search of food.
Evening grosbeak, January 2013 (photo by Steve Gosser)
Spruce budworms caused problems with the cone crop this summer but there were lots of berries. However, the berries gone now so…
Evening Grosbeaks should visit areas from the Maritime provinces south towards Pennsylvania. Areas even further south to the mid-Atlantic states may see grosbeaks this winter.
— 2024-25 Winter Finch Forecast
These species are not finches, but are part of the prediction.
In eastern North America westward to Manitoba the deciduous tree crop (they love acorns on oaks) appears below average with scattered areas of average crops, so expect a moderate to strong flight this fall.
When I saw this NASA video of a spinning T-handle flipping in zero gravity it blew my mind. Does this weird flipping behavior happen only in outer space?
Naturally it is quite impressive in outer space as the object stays suspended while it flips!
Learn about the science, physics and math in this 14+ minute video: The Bizarre Behavior of Rotating Bodies, including why the Russians kept Dzhanibekov’s outer space discovery secret for 10 years.
