The Nature of Delaware

By Derek Stoner, Family Programs Coordinator

An immature female Rufous Hummingbird captured and banded in Avondale, PA in October 2009. Photo by Nick Pulcinella

Continuing our story of wintering hummingbirds, the big question is: how do you attract one of these birds to your yard?

During migration, these remarkable birds navigate through the landscape of suburbia and manage to find tiny a tiny oasis of habitat that can sustain their basic needs.  If an ideal location is found, then that is where the bird may spend its wintering period.  

Blooming Pineapple Sage is very attractive to hummingbirds. Photo by Derek Stoner.

Of the backyard “winter hummingbird hotels” that I have visited(eight in total), there are four key components that each location has in common:

1.  A feeder that is kept full of fresh sugar water(and not allowed to freeze solid).  Heat lamps on the feeder are a way to solve the freezing issue.

2.  Thick cover for the bird to roost in at night.  Rufous Hummingbirds  seem to prefer to roost in an evergreens or thick vines.

3.  Late-blooming flowers such as sage, that provide a natural nectar source.

4.  Native plants that host a variety of insects and spiders for the hummingbird to eat.  Arthopods make up a large percentage of their winter diet.

Bruce Peterjohn, a professional bird bander, places a wire cage trap around the hummingbird feeder at Jim White's home. Photo by Jim White.

If you are so lucky to attract and host a hummingbird during the winter, you have the unique opportunity to have the bird banded for science.  A professional bird bander with special training in hummingbirds can use a simple trap to capture the bird, which is then weighed, measured, banded(with the tiniest of metal bands on its leg!), photographed and released. 

Through banding efforts, scientists have learned that some hummingbirds will return to the exact same backyard winter after winter.  This evidence points to the fact that we are observing a natural phenomenon, and not just the case of some birds getting lost and ending up on the east coast.  An example of adaptive behavior may the reason for this situation, as these hardy birds are finding suitable habitat here without migrating all the way to Mexico or Central America.

An immature male Rufous Hummingbird rest on a branch after being banded. Photo by Jim White, November 2006

So, keep your hummingbird feeders up, cross your fingers, and let us know if a little rust-colored hummingbird shows up in your yard this winter!

By Derek Stoner, Family Programs Coordinator

A young female Rufous Hummingbird sips from a nectar feeder in Avondale, PA. October 2009 photo by Kathy Weaver.

The 30-degree weather this past weekend did not faze the young female Rufous Hummingbird visiting a backyard in Avondale, PA.  Weighing in at 3 grams and possessing a stove-hot metabolism with a heart beat of 600 beats per minute, this tiny bird is thriving on the nectar of late-blooming flowers, tiny insects and spiders, and a generous suppply of sugar water offered by the owners of a vibrant backyard habitat.  

A young male Rufous Hummingbird perches on a feeder in Dover, DE. Notice the spider silk caught in his beak, as spiders are a key dietary component of hummingbirds in winter. January 22, 2009 photo by Derek Stoner.

A Rufous Hummingbird perches on branch on January 22, 2009. This bird survived overnight temperatures of 5 degrees! Photo by Derek Stoner.

A Rufous Hummingbird stretches his wings. December 1, 2006 photo by Jim White.

The Rufous Hummingbird is the most widely-distributed hummingbird in North America, breeding as far north as Alaska.  The Rufous has been recorded in every US state except Hawaii, and undertakes the longest migration of any North American hummingbird.  The majority of Rufous Hummingbirds spend the winter in Mexico and Central America, but new evidence points to the fact that more of these birds are wintering in the eastern United States than we may realize. 

A Rufous Hummingbird visiting Jim White's feeder in Winter 2006. Notice the silver band on the bird's leg! Photo by Jim White.

Other species of hummingbird are also being documented wintering along the East Coast, from Calliope to Allen’s to Broad-billed Hummingbirds.  Scientists and birders alike are re-thinking their ideas about hummingbird migration and the selection of wintering habitat.

There is a lot more to learn about these amazing hummingbirds.   Stay tuned for part two of this story! 

By Derek Stoner, Middle Run Reforestation Coordinator

Red Maples along the edge of a pond at Brandywine Creek State Park. (photo by Derek Stoner 10.25.09)

When asked what is my favorite time of year, I am often torn between the months of May and October.  Both have profusions of color, wildlife spectacles, and great scenery.  But the magical days of October when trees reach peak fall color are hard to beat.

The reds, oranges, and yellows of Sassafras line a hedgerow at Woodlawn Preserve(photo by Derek Stoner 10.25.09)

Today was one of those perfect October days.  After a gray and rainy day Saturday, a front cleared the skies for abundant sunshine and fantastic lighting on Sunday.  Travelling the backroads of northern Delaware, one stunning vista after another greeted my eyes.  Maples, tulip polars, sassafras, sycamores, oaks, witch hazels, and other spectacular native trees poured forth with color as a signal of the death of their leaves. (Technically, the shortening photoperiod forces a stoppage of chlorophyll production, causing leaves to reveal their true pigmentation “underneath” the green.)

Sycamores and Ash lend brown and yellow to the vibrant red of the Smith's Bridge over the Brandywine River (photo by Derek Stoner 10.25.09)

While May is a season of re-birth and the start of the growing season, October brings us the death and end of a growing season.  While it is tough to see all the leaves finally fall to the ground, they provide a magnificent curtain call to honor another season of growth. 

Maples, Ash, and Spicebush color up the banks of the Red Clay Creek (photo by Derek Stoner 10.25.09)

 Bravo for the great show!

By Derek Stoner, Education Program Assistant

A White-tailed Deer buck with velvet-covered antlers, photographed 7/8/09.

One of the many marvels of nature is the rapid growth of antlers on deer.  Summer time is when our local White-tailed Deer are in growth mode, and the buck’s heads are sprouting  ” velvet.”   Antlers can grow an inch a day!

A mature buck munches on apples at night, captured on a motion-sensing camera.

Antlers are an organ unique to members of the deer family.   Every year, the males grow these mineral-filled ornaments on their heads, which help display their dominance within the deer herd.   In the fall, the soft velvet that is full of blood vessels will dry up and the buck will peel away this outer layer, leaving a shiny white rack of white bone with many points. 

A pair of bucks graze in a meadow, fueling the growth of their antlers.

In mid to late summer, bucks may be seen hanging out together in what are called bachelor groups.  But come the month of October and through the rest of the deer’s mating season(known as the “rut”), males will use their antlers to do battle and sort out who is the boss.  Friendships end in the fall!

Until then, enjoy watching their antlers grow!

By Joe Sebastiani, Members Program Team Leader

Yes, it is true.  We saw the sun for a good portion of the day yesterday, and we even had a sunset.  I was fortunate, because it was the evening of our Flint Woods to Granogue Hike and Dinner, one of my favorite programs. 

This exclusive hike, on land not accessible to the public, is about 3 miles long.  It began in the old-growth forests of the Delaware Nature Society’s Flint Woods Preserve.  Here, we saw Pileated Woodpeckers, and heard the beautiful songs of the Wood Thrush and Veery as we passed large oaks, hickories, beeches, and the ghosts of dead American chestnut trees.

Eventually, we emerged from the woods and entered the open country of  Granogue, which is in my opinion the most impressive of the northern Delaware duPont estates.  We were just in time for a sunset and a superb dinner at the water tower. 

The big water tower in the center of the Granogue Estate is the ending point of our hike and where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by Michele Wales, Coverdale Farm Program Coordinator.

 After a 3-mile hike, it was very nice to end with a gourmet dinner prepared and delivered by Michele Wales, Coverdale Farm Program Coordinator.  We happily plated our meal, and went to the top of the tower.  Here, we ate and viewed the Brandywine Valley, with its undulating hills of forest.  In the distance, we could see hills around Downingtown, PA.

Sunset from the Granogue water tower.

By Jason Beale, Manager, Abbott’s Mill Nature Center

Abbott’s Mill Nature Center has thrived in recent years due to the dedication of staff, volunteers, and partners in state and private conservation organizations.   The land base around the center has grown from just a few acres in the early 1980’s to 106 contiguous acres along Johnson’s Branch. 

Morton Farm, December 2008, looking toward Abbott's Mill

A key acquisition was the 13.8 acre Morton Farm.  This piece sits between the Lindale/Isaacs Tracts and Nature Center/Mill complex on the western edge of Abbotts Pond.  In 2008, volunteers, staff, and the Division of Fish and Wildlife worked to clean-up the site for educational use and wildlife. 

Pond Prep - A human home becomes a home for wildlife

A seasonal pool now hosts breeding Fowler’s Toads and Cope’s Gray Treefrogs where a house stood just a year ago.   A series of bird boxes provide nesting habitat for Eastern Bluebird, Tree Swallow, House Wren, and Purple Martins.

Fowler's Toad Tadpoles in Morton Pool

Exciting changes are currently underway in the roughly 10 acres of fallow farm field.    1.5 acres along the pond edge have been planted with native tree seedlings donated by Milford Parks and Recreation.  The remaining 8.5 acres are currently being planted in native warm season grasses and wildflowers through a USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program) grant that Delaware Nature Society received.  The grant also includes 6.5 acres in the Lee Meadow to the north of the Nature Center.  Site preparation and planting is slated to be completed by late June.  This site should improve habitat for a variety of insects, mammals, and birds including Grasshopper and Savanna Sparrows.

Grasshopper Sparrow by Chuck Fullmer

This project, with its the native meadows, riparian buffers, and thriving wildlife, is an excellent example of local citizens and conservation organizations coming together to protect and enhance Delaware’s natural beauty.  Thanks to all who have lent a hand.

Upcoming programs with the Delaware Nature Society: Whip-poor-will Evening June 12, Pine Barrens Orchids and other Wildflowers June 18.  See www.delawarenaturesociety.org for more details.