Lagging - for Good Reason

So I keep coming up with excuses to defend why my blog posts are so few and far between.  If I had the extra time and energy, and less of an attention disorder, I could produce a new bog post almost every day.  The fact is that I am spending so much time actually DISCOVERING Northeast Ohio that I am pooped by the time that I get home for the evening.  Great blog post ideas have come and expired in my brain, but never materialized.  A lot has to do with the amount of time that I have to spend to keep my photo library updated...

On average, I'd say that I take around 200 photos per day.  If its a beautiful spring day where I'm exploring a new place, I may take up to 600 photos.  The beauty of digital photography is that I can come home and chisel those 600 down to about 30 or so that I really like.  The burden of digital is that I have all of those photos to look through and make minor adjustments, crop, etc.  My MacBook Pro is old and my iPhoto library contains 57,759 photos as of now.  My computer freezes all the time.  Hence, updating my photos becomes a major routine that I try to work on almost every day.

Beyond these excuses, I think that I may look into getting a desktop PC and a new photo library software; something that won't be such a time-leeching hassle.  If that ever happens then maybe I will have more time to write blogs and share my discoveries with all of you who are interested : )

To make up for lost times, I figured that I would post some photos and brief summaries of the best experiences/finds that I have had so far this season at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  I came back as a seasonal biological science technician this year; I started at the end of March.

This male held on for dear life as the jealous non-fertilizers tried to dislodge him from the female.  You can see her laying the eggs in this giant communal egg mass.

The male has left and soon these fresh eggs will absorb water and become enlarged like the rest.

I spent a ton of time visiting amphibian breeding sites this year, and this year was sure an amazing one!  It got so warm in late March that later breeding frogs came out way too early!  The Spring Peepers have been calling since Winter and they are still going right now.  Other species such as the Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica) pictured above have a much more brief breeding season.  They were out for less than a week and it was action-packed!  I explored pools around CVNP and Kent area to see this amazing seasonal spectacle.  I even found some behavior that I have never seen or heard of before.  Male Wood Frogs were ganging up on female Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and attaching to them as if they were trying to breed.  I found this occurring in three separate instances in the same pool in CVNP.  If anyone knows more about this behavior or has witnessed it themselves, please let me know.  I am guessing that there is some kind of chemical pheromone attraction going on that must be similar between these amphibian species...but I would love to know if anyone actually knew what was going on.

This male held the best position on this poor Spotted Salamander.  I still don't think that its going to work.  There were five males attached when I first came up.

Breeding for frogs is still going on for many species, this year the breeding season has been prolonged.  The same trend seems apparent for plants as well.  Many species have been in bloom all around for a much longer window than usual.  It is wonderful in my opinion to have this slow-moving Spring due to the weather.  It allows for plenty of time to observe usually brief seasonal wonders : )

Recently at work I heard about a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) who lives in the park.  Leucism means that the animal has very little skin pigments and usually appears white.  This is different than albinism because albinos are only lacking melanin.  Anyway, I was able to see this Spirit Hawk, and man was she gorgeous.  Nothing short of what I would have imagined though.  Apparently Lucy (as she has been named) has been around the Everett area in CVNP for a few years now, and she has a nest in some woods nearby.  It is truly a magical sight to see this bird, and interesting to think how this condition affects her life and behavior.

I've had numerous other encounters in the forests of "the valley" with wildlife, but one stands out above all.  Getting late after work one day I was out exploring in the Haskell Run area.  I was moving very slowly through the lowland riparian areas just observing plants and listening to Winter Wrens sing when I heard an angry noise behind me.  I was startled and my sights shot up to the top of the slope where I was standing at the bottom.  An angry Coyote (Canis latrans) was growling and snarling at me from above no more than 50 feet away.  My heart started pounding and my adrenaline flowing!!  It was a scary encounter being in the quiet darkening woods by myself!  I knew how to handle the situation and I stood there and yelled back at the Coyote as he started barking at me and howling non-stop.  He was angrily pacing the ridge side while I started to climb out of the ravine on the opposite side.  Every few paces that I took I would turn around and let the Coyote know that I wasn't afraid.  In my head though I was desperately looking for a nice stick in case he did try to attack me.  I was imagining a couple other Coyotes running up beside him and any more than one would have been actually scary.  It took me about 15 minutes to get back towards where I had entered the woods from and back to my car.  The coyote was in the distance barking and howling the whole time!

The reason why I had such an aggressive encounter with this Coyote was because he was a territorial male guarding his den with young pups inside.  These animals can be fierce!  If one ever comes across a Coyote, the best thing to do is just casually make your way out of that location.  In my case I acted "big" back towards the Coyote so that he knew that I wasn't something that he wanted to mess with.  You don't want to show weakness to any larger predatory animal.  

I'm glad that I got to end my blogless streak and post something up, but its my bedtime now so I have to cut off there for now.  There are so many amazing things to see in the park right now!  The neotropical migrants are starting to show up in big numbers around NE Ohio.  I have been hearing and seeing tons of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia).  I saw my first Great Crested Flycatchers, Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole of the year today.  Hooded Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Black-throated Green Warblers, Blue-headed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, and Wood Thrushes have all made their presence known to me this year so far as well.  I am very excited that I will be leading a birding hike for Blackbrook Audubon this Saturday at Indigo Lake in CVNP.  The hike starts at 8am if anyone is interested!  You can read more about it on page 2 here:

http://www.blackbrookaudubon.org/PDF/April2012HW.pdf

I will leave off with a few more happy photos of this Spring : D

Mallard momma was upset with a male following her...not sure if it was a different male or what was going on but she suddenly freaked and fled the scene.  The fresh ducklings were scootin along!!

 Three years in the making I was finally able to photograph a White-eyed Vireo : )

A large population of Wild Geraniums in Mesopotamia, OH 

This crazy Red Squirrel was tweaking out while listening to the loud Hairy Woodpecker nestlings inside the Cherry Tree here.  The momma woodpecker didn't seem to mind the squirrel.  I checked back today and the babies are still alive and making noise!

What To Do During Winter...

As much as I love the idea of keeping my blog updated, my photos updated, and generally staying in touch with the world, I find it hard to do.  I am never in shortage of passion, energy, or ideas, but my focus and follow-through always needs a boost.  I think there is a term to describe me (ADHD?)  I am working on it though : )

Living in Northeast Ohio is extraordinary for inumerable reasons, one of which that I really want to emphasize being our beautiful seasons.  It amazes me how many people that I encounter who just seem to complain about the climate here.  The Winter is too cold, not enough sunny days, blah blah blah.  Do these people ever stop to realize what a diverse and bountiful land that we call home?  Northeast Ohio is positioned so where many different eco-regions come together.  The land here has characteristics of lands surrounding it in all directions.  Such diverse habitats allows for great diversity in flora and fauna.  We also have had glacial history that has blessed us with some of the most fertile till soil that one could imagine.  Oh, and Lake Erie...one of the great lakes that supplies us with such generous amounts of fresh water among other things...Northeast Ohio really isn't so bad.

The seasons here are an effect of our latitude on the globe.  We have wonderful warm (even hot) Summers and cold snowy Winters.  Spring and Autumn are also beautiful transitional periods between.  I would argue that every season has cosiderable beauty, and especially from a naturalist's point of view, there are so many wonderful things to discover and anticipate year-round.  Personally, I enjoy getting outside all year; even during the Winter, but there are many things that one can do to celebrate the natural world even without being outside much.

Being the big nature geek that I am, I decided to use this Winter as a time to develop my tree (and shrub) identification skills.  Without leaves, tree ID becomes a matter of twig ID...and this can be challenging.  One major challenge is to obtain a representative twig from the tree of which you are trying to identify.  For me, twigs are the final step in identifying a tree.  I first take into account habitat, growth pattern, bark, and overall characteristics.  There can also be clues on the ground such as fruits, nuts or leaves.  Sometimes clues may allow me to have a few guesses as to what the tree might be.  If nothing else, I can usually narrow down the suspects and then hope to manage getting a twig (I've climbed many trees).

American Basswood (Tilia americana) is characteristically multi-trunked, and grows in clumps.  This was an extreme example found at Observatory Park.  

Another great thing about Winter in the amatuer naturalist's world is bird identification.  In Winter, we are left with our resident species (birds that stay in one place year-round) and Winter migrants (who come from further North).  Bird numbers are much fewer in the Winter, and diversity much less for most habitats.  I always tell people that Winter is a great time to learn because they can try to get the resident species figured out, so that once Spring comes at least they can recognize some birds.  These common birds include Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Nuthcatches, Titmice, and most of our woodpecker species.  Mixed flocks of these birds can be found moving as a group through woodlands often with Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and Juncos.  Wrens and Sparrows are around as well as other songbirds and raptors.  Winter is also a great time for seasoned "birders".  Many rare species are found in Ohio during Winter.  I saw my first Northern Goshawk this year...a species that only gets reported (at least credibly) in Ohio a handful of times each year.  Besides many raptors, songbirds and numerous waterfowl species also can be seen in Ohio for just the Winter.  Every season has it's own wonderful characteristics : )

Of course, many animal species become dormant during Winter, and some change habits or become much less active.  There are plenty of specific examples.  Some amphibians burrough in the mud and can actually withstand parts of their bodies becoming frozen!  Reptiles find some sort of Winter den such as a burrough or stick pile. Some mammals gather up large caches of food to help sustain over the Winter and become much less active, others remain active. All of Ohio's wildlife has it's own special adaptations for surviving through this tough season...a topic on which I still have much to learn.

Beyond actually getting outside, there are other things to do in Winter that can appeal to the nature lover.  I use this time inside for organization, and consolidation of the previous year's collections.  I like to keep somewhat of a loose almanac of happenings in the natural world around me.  Some in pictures, some in notes, others just in memory.  During late Winter it is exciting to think of Spring just around the corner, and the chain of events that occurs during the transition into better weather.  This is when I try to set goals for myself as far as projects to embark on and subjects to focus on for the year.  Once Spring hits, so much happens so fast it can be overwhelming!!

Early flowering Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) seen on January 11th 2012 in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

In 2012 I have already seen early signs of the changing seasons.  We have had such a mild Winter that I think nature may be confused.  February 1st I was listening to at least 3 Spring Peepers along the Mentor Marsh.  I've seen Skunk Cabbage in many places many times this Winter, with flowers and all!  More regular for this time of year, Red-shouldered Hawks have begun their courtship and territorial displays.  I first heard two pairs relentlessly vocalizing over territory at Geauga Park District's new Observatory Park in Montville on February 8th.  Here is a link to hear what they sound like - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/id/ac Keep your ears out for this screaming hawk and bring some binoculars.  Red-shoulders are among the most beautiful birds in my opinion, you may be able to witness territorial diving displays, or even courtship behavior and mating ; )  Here is a photo that I took a couple years ago in my backyard in Kent.

The moral of the story is that Winter is a great time for certain aspects of the natural world, and there are plenty of things to see and learn.  Even better for some Winter can be a time to refresh and organize to get ready for the next year.  VERY soon we will be amongst breeding amphibians, early spring wildflowers, breeding raptors (some of which have already started), early migratory birds and so on.  Once the chain of events in Spring starts, every day is different!  So I hope that anyone who is interested sets goals for themselves this year to get out and witness some of these amazing seasonal spectacles in nature.  They are so brief, and I for one look forward to them every year.

I even got this lovely lady out with me most of the time throughout Winter and she is a freeze baby : )  Here we are admiring a giant Red Oak (Quercus rubra) at the Mentor Lagoons