The Nature of Delaware

By Derek Stoner, Conservation Project Coordinator and Jared Judy, Flintwoods Preserve Land Manager

A new type of land managment tool is arriving in the Piedmont of Delaware, and this is one of the most simple techniques with which to revitalize grassland habitats:  Fire!

This past Spring, on March 29, for the first time in known memory a prescribed fire was conducted in the Piedmont region of Delaware.  The challenge of managing a fire and timing it safely so as not to damage surrounding habitats is crucial.  When the right conditions arrived in late March, the call was made for the fire crew to assemble and get to work.

Prescribed fire specialists from the Delaware Forest Service teamed up with staff from Flintwoods Preserve (led by land manager Jared Judy) and Delaware Nature Society Land and Biodiversity staff to conduct a prescribed fire on a 6-acre planted plot of native warm season grasses (Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, and Indian Grass) at Coverdale Farm Preserve.

The burn went extremly well, and in less than 20 minutes, 6 acres of dried grasses were reduced to black ashes and a patch of ground that looked empty.  The ashes would help fertilize the growth of grasses from the rootstocks underground, and within just a few days the field would turn green and lush with  new plant life.

The idea for this prescribed fire came from Jared Judy, who brings extensive experience with this managment technique from his time in Texas working as a land manager of  extensive grassland habitat.  Jared writes:

I received my training in prescribed fire along the Gulf Coast of Texas with the Nature Conservancy.  Nationally, the Nature Conservancy has adopted the standards of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) for their prescribed fire operations, allowing them to partner with state and federal agencies to conduct burns.  Land managers and conservation staff within the Texas chapter are encouraged to obtain NWCG certification and training.  When a land manager had units on their preserve ready to burn they would put out the call and the other land managers would travel from around the state to assist with the fire.  It was termed the “fire militia”, as we all had other job responsibilities but understood that if we wanted to burn on our preserve we had to be there to assist others. 

When discussing warm season meadow establishment and management, prescribed fire must be part of the conversation.  The scale of fire will be very different on the Delaware Piedmont than it was from the Texas Coast, but its role in meadow management should remain undiminished.  Without the use of fire in our meadows on the Piedmont, their diversity and usability for wildlife will never reach its full potential. 

Prescribed fire associations, a collection of land managers and property owners interested in using fire as a management tool, are becoming common in many areas of the Midwest.  The establishment of such an association allows for each landowner involved to dip into a collective pool of resources and personnel to accomplish a burn on their property.  Also, grants are available to such associations to build an equipment cache to be shared among the members.  Developing a burn association in the Delaware Piedmont could be an effective way to reintroduce fire into the system on a broad scale.

Enjoy this fascinating video of the whole process of the prescribed fire at Coverdale Farm Preserve– you can hear the fire crackle and almost feel the heat!    And stay tuned for an update of how the field re-generates immediately after the fire.

By Joe Sebastiani, Seasonal Program Team Leader

Photos by David Smith; Plant Information by Janet Ebert

Birders have their Christmas Bird Counts.  Lepidopterists have their 4th of July Butterfly Count.  Astronomers have their Star Parties.  Herpetologists have their reptile round-ups and calling frog surveys.  Why should botanists miss out on the fun!

This is why we created the New Year’s Plant Count as an annual program offered by the Delaware Nature Society.  Led by Botanist Janet Ebert each year just after the champagne bottles have been recycled and confetti swept up after New Year’s parties.  This year the count was held at the Society’s headquarters, Ashland Nature Center.  The goal is to find and list as many plant species as can be found in a 3-hour walk. 

 Any plant counts for the Count, including trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, moss, ferns, and others.  You might wonder why this is done in January.  Most of the plants are present in one form or another, even though some might be a withered, brown stem that was a colorful, vibrant wildflower just months ago.  Perhaps it is the challenge of identifying these species at this stage of their existence.  Perhaps it is the anticipation of the coming spring and the need to prove that you can still see an awful lot of life, even in the middle of winter.  For instance, even though we are months from spring beauties blooming in local woodlands, the counters found green leaves of the plant poking above ground last week, getting a head start on photosynthesis for the year.

Many alien plants are green and growing, and sometimes blooming in the middle of winter.  Most of these are annuals or bienniels, whereas most of our native herbaceous plants are perennials, and are safely dormant underground until at least late March.  This is a good time of year to spot the weedy non-native plants in your garden or yard…some of them are growing already!

 There are some native evergreen plants in our area, however, and the photo above shows two of them.  The tree clubmoss is not a moss, but a primitive, vascular, non-flowering, spore-producing plant related to ferns.  The striped wintergreen to its right is a sub-shrub (I like that term) related to blueberry bushes.  Both of these grown in dry, bare soil within forests.

The skunk cabbage above (not a cabbage, but an Arum, related to Jack-in-the-pulpit), was found on the New Year’s Plant Count, and was blooming.  A participant stuck their finger in the spadix, (hood that holds the flower), and some pollen rubbed off on them.

Another strange native plant that was found was a species of dodder (Cucuta sp.) that had the group scratching their heads as to its identity.  This parasitic plant starts its life innocently enough…sprouting from a seed on the ground.  Before long, however, it wraps its spaghetti-like yellow stringers around the stems of other plants, stealing nutrients from them, and detaching itself from the ground.  There are 5 species of dodder in the Delaware Piedmont, and Janet was pretty sure this was not the common type.

Winter appreciation of plants many times simply has to do with form and structural beauty rather than naming species.  The delicate swirling strands of a willow-herb (Epilobium coloratum) are really long seed pods that are split open, whose seeds have long since floated away on the wind. 

Register for this program next January to get out and appreciate the winter plant scene with professional botanist Janet Ebert.  Like botany?  Try the upcoming programs…Winter Identification of Trees and Shrubs March 4, Spring Wildflower Walk and Brunch April 24, and the Susquehanna Wildflower Adventure April 30. 

Also, visit David Smith’s Delaware Wildflowers website, which is filled with great photos of our native plants.

 

By Brian Winslow, Executive Director

I would like to introduce myself.  I am Brian Winslow, the new Executive Director of the Delaware Nature Society.  In the coming months I will be touring the Nature Society’s sites and facilities as I learn more about the programs and activities.  So I thought it would be a good idea to post a blog about some of my visits in the coming months.  Some of the sites might be familiar to you, but maybe you haven’t visited them in awhile and others may be entirely new to you.

After my first week on the job, I decided to take a hike at Ashland Nature Center on Saturday, January 7^th.   It was 55 degrees with partly cloudy skies.  On my drive over, I was pleased to see how many people were out enjoying the weather with full parking areas at Brandywine State Park and Woodlawn.  The roads were full of bikers as well (I wish I had brought my bike instead of cross country skis!).  When I arrived at Ashland there were many hikers there as well as a cub scout troop. 

Hiking the Tree Top Trail was beautiful with great views of the Red Clay valley afforded only in winter with the leaves off the trees.  My favorite spot was where the trail goes between two large Tulip Poplar trees, almost as if a grand entrance to the mature woods.  On top of Hawk Watch Hill I met a young man, Sean, who had come up to watch the sun set and moon rise.  What a great place for panoramic views, bird watching and just relaxing!

A short distance down the trail I met former director Mike Riska with his wife enjoying the good weather.  I feel so fortunate to follow Mike as Director and I am grateful for all the amazing things he has done in growing the Delaware Nature Society to what it is today.  Seeing so many people outdoors hiking, biking, relaxing and learning affirms my belief in the value of open spaces, parks and scenic by-ways.  It was a great end to my first week here and a great beginning to continuing the good work of the Delaware Nature Society.

By Jim White: Associate Director, Land and Biodiversity

The Delaware Breeding Bird Atlas has just started its fifth and last year. While it is far too early in the year for most birds to be nesting, it is in fact a great time to look for nesting owls.  There are four species of owls that regularly nest in Delaware: Great Horned, Eastern Screech, Barred, and Barn Owls.  The former three are nesting now and the latter will be nesting soon. Jean Woods, Curator of Birds at the Delaware Museum of Natural History, is collecting data on nesting owls for the atlas project and is encouraging all birders to keep an ear out for calling owls and report any that are heard. In fact, she is challenging us to go out and actively look and listen for owls. This may sound a bit of a difficult, if not crazy task; however, it can be quite enjoyable and not that hard.

Owls can be spotted during daylight hours; however, surveying for owls is best done on a quiet, windless night. Dusk can be a particularly good time to hear owls but owls can also be heard later in the night.  For logistical, safety, and enjoyment reasons, owling is best done with a companion.

Great Horned and Eastern Screech-owls are relatively common in our area and can be found in most woods. Barred Owls typically are found in or near swamps, wet woodlands, or floodplains, while Barn Owls are birds of open areas such as freshwater marshes, saltmarshes and agricultural fields. Stopping safely along roads that pass through these habitats and listening for the owl’s distinctive calls can produce good results. Of course you have to know the calls of each species but don’t worry: learning them is not that hard. Owls have more than one type of call: fright calls, begging calls, aggressive calls, and the most commonly recognized advertisement call.   The advertisement call, as you might expect, is usually the loudest call and is used to attract a mate or declare territory.  The Great Horned Owl’s advertisement call is a classic hoo – h’HOO – hoo – hoo. The Eastern Screech-owl’s is a eerie high trill. The Barred Owl’s well known “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all“ is hard to confuse. The Barn Owl has the least musical call of the four and is a high-pitched hissing scream. Owl calls can be heard at several websites, including Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds.

You can report any sighting or hearing of owls to Jean Woods at jwoods@delmnh.org. Click this link for more information about the Delaware Breeding Bird Atlas.  To find out what breeding bird atlas blocks still need owl breeding records, click here.

So get out there, have some fun and collect some valuable data on Delaware’s breeding owls.  If you would like to join me on a day-long owling adventure, register for the Delaware Nature Society program Owls at Other Winter Raptors which takes place Sunday, February 12.  On this field trip, we try to find the owls mentioned in this story plus wintering Northern Saw-whet Owl, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, and if we are really lucky…Snowy Owl.

By Helen Fischel, Associate Director, Education

After posting the blog about insects in my backyard habitat I was asked several questions about my yard. Every season has color, interest, and surprises for me which I will share over the next several months.

Daytime in Thornberry: A sweep of winterberry holly berries add color from the street with the Southern Gentleman (male of this species) being tucked into the back of the garden.  The male produces no berries, but is necessary for the female to produce hers.

Over the next few months the birds will enjoy the bounty of berries. It depends on which species you plant whether or not the birds devour the berries early or late in the season. For some interesting texture in the winter garden, try River Birch, whos peeling bark adds interest to the leafless tree and nooks and crannies for overwintering insects and spiders. 

By Joe Sebastiani: Seasonal Program Team Leader

Final post in a 4-part series about the Delaware Nature Society trip to Costa Rica in November, 2011.

We finally made it to the west coast of Costa Rica.  After a long day in the bus, we were rewarded with a gorgeous beach, new wildlife and looked forward to a few more days in this green and wonderful country.  With the Pacific Ocean in view, we stayed at Punta Leona, a quiet beach resort which is smack in the middle of the best place in the country for a very rare bird…Scarlet Macaw.  The simultaneous sounds of waves crashing and macaws screeching as they winged by will not be forgotten soon. 

Manuel Antonio National Park was a day-trip while we stayed here.  Picture a mountainous tropical forest flanked by sand and rock beaches with clear blue water.  On the beach, White-faced Capuchin monkeys walk right by, looking for a forgotten sandwiches left behind.  These monkeys have no fear of humans here, as you will see in the video below.  We stood within 5 feet of some of them, resulting of some pretty scary face to face monkey photographs.

Finally, check out the end of the video which features the highlights of our crocodile boat tour where we saw many birds, and a crocodile breakfast.  I am not a big fan of feeding wildlife for show, but I must say, my tip for the boat tour operator went up drastically after watching his dangerous skill.  I still have wonderful dreams and memories of our trip to Costa Rica with Collette Vacations.  Come join the Delaware Nature Society on a trip someday…you won’t regret it.  Enjoy the video, and check out the complete list of wildlife seen on the trip below.    

 

Birds seen on the trip:

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Blue-wiged Teal

Gray-headed Chachalaca

Crested Guan

Black Guan

Great Curassow

Wood Stork

Magnificent Frigatebird

Neotropic Cormorant

Anhinga

Brown Pelican

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Little Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Cattle Egret

Green Heron

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Boat-billed Heron

White Ibis

Green Ibis

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

King Vulture

Osprey

Gray-headed Kite

Double-toothed Kite

Crane Hawk

Common Black-hawk

Roadside Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Gray Hawk

Short-tailed Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk

Crested Caracara

Laughing Falcon

American Kestrel

Bat Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Black-bellied Plover

American Oystercatcher

Black-necked Stilt

Northern Jacana

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Willet

Whimbrel

Sanderling

Least Sandpiper

Royal Tern

Rock Pigeon

Pale-vented Pigeon

Red-billed Pigeon

Short-billed Pigeon

White-winged Dove

Inca Dove

Ruddy Ground-dove

Crimson-fronted Parakeet

Scarlet Macaw

Orange-chinned Parakeet

White-crowned Parrot

Red-lored Parrot

Mealy Parrot

Squirrel Cuckoo

Mangrove Cuckoo

Groove-billed Ani

Short-tailed Nighthawk

Common Pauraque

White-collared Swift

Chimney Swift

Costa Rican Swift

Gray-rumped Swift

Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

White-necked Jacobin

Bronzy Hermit

Long-billed Hermit

Stripe-throated Hermit

Purple-crowned Fairy

Green-breasted Mango

Black-crested Coquette

Green-crowned Brilliant

Long-billed Starthroat

Purple-throated Mountain Gem

Magenta-throated Woodstar

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Violet-headed Hummingbird

Violet Sabrewing

Violet-crowned Woodnymph

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

Coppery-headed Emerald

Steely-vented Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Blue-throated Goldentail

Green Violetear

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Gartered Trogon

Orange-bellied Trogon

Blue-crowned Motmot

Keel-billed Motmot

Broad-billed Motmot

Turquois-browed Motmot

Ringed Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Amazon Kingfisher

Green Kingfisher

Green-and-rufous Kingfisher

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Collared Aracari

Fiery-billed Aracari

Black-mandibled Toucan

Keel-billed Toucan

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Hoffman’s Woodpecker

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Spotted Barbtail

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Northern-barred Woodcreeper

Barred Antshrike

Black-hooded Antshrike

Chestnut-backed Antbird

Yellow Tyrannulet

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Paltry Tyrannulet

Common Tody-flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Western Wood-pewee

Eastern Wood-pewee

Tropical Pewee

Least Flycatcher

Black Phoebe

Long-tailed Tyrant

Bright-rumped Attila

Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Kiskadee

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Social Flycatcher

Gray-capped Flycatcher

Streaked Flycatcher

Tropical Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Purple-throated Fruitcrow

White-collared Manakin

Masked Tityra

Cinnamon Becard

Rose-throated Becard

Yellow-throated Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Lesser Greenlet

White-throated Magpie-jay

Brown Jay

Blue-and-white Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Gray-breasted Martin

Mangrove Swallow

Barn Swallow

Rufous-naped Wren

Black-throated Wren

Stripe-breasted Wren

Bay Wren

House Wren

Gray-breasted Wood-wren

Tropical Gnatcatcher

Black-faced Solitaire

Swainson’s Thrush

Wood Thrush

Clay-colored Thrush

Gray Catbird

Louisiana Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush

Blue-winged Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Gray-crowned Yellowthroat

Masked Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Tropical Parula

Bay-breasted Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Three-striped Warbler

Buff-rumped Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Slate-throated Redstart

Bananaquit

Passerini’s Tanager

Cherrie’s Tanager

Blue-gray Tanager

Palm Tanager

Silver-throated Tanager

Bay-headed Tanager

Golden-hooded Tanager

Spangle-cheeked Tanager

Green Honeycreeper

Shining Honeycreeper

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Buff-throated Saltator

Blue-black Grassquit

Variable Seedeater

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Orange-billed Sparrow

Black-striped Sparrow

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Common Bush-tanager

Summer Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Red-throated Ant-tanager

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Red-winged Blackbird

Melodious Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Bronzed Cowbird

Black-cowled Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Montezuma Oropendola

Yellow-crowned Euphonia

Olive-backed Euphonia

House Sparrow

Mammals: 

Common Opossum

Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth

Red-backed Squirrel Monkey

White-faced Capuchin

Mantled Howler Monkey

Central American Spider Monkey

Variegated Squirrel

Central American Agouti

Greater White-lined Bat

Neotropical River Otter

White-nosed Coati

Northern Raccoon

Kinkajou

White-tailed Deer

Reptiles and Amphibians:

Spectacled Caiman

American Crocodile

Black River Turtle

Yellow-headed Gecko

Green Basilisk

Striped Basilisk

Spiny-tailed Iguana

Green Iguana

Northern Cat-eyed Snake

Hognosed Viper

Giant Toad

Smooth-skinned Toad

Tink Frog

Green-and-black Poison Dart Frog

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog

I am sure I am forgetting to include some, but you get the point…we saw lots!