March 25, 2008
Spring is for the birds!
The weather may still be chilly, but the birds are telling us that spring is here. The Cardinals are belting out their "chew chew chew" calls, the chickadees are singing and the woodpeckers are busy drumming their territory on tree trunks.
Spring also means the commencement of the nest box season. Carolina Chickadees, Eastern Bluebirds and Eurasian Tree Sparrows may begin nesting as early as mid-March (though April is usually the month the eggs begin appearing) and the boxes were already showing signs of activity the first week in March. After checking boxes yesterday it is safe to say that the nest building portion of the breeding season is underway. More than half the boxes contained material and several times I witnessed birds leaving the boxes. I was lucky to capture this photo of a Eurasian Tree Sparrow entering a box with some nesting material.
Many have asked me if any of the nest boxes contained evidence of Eastern Bluebird activity and sadly the answer is no. Though the Bluebirds are not true migrants and stay in the same spot year round, I think they only pass through our prairies for food before flying to a nearby area to breed. There are at least 2 golf courses near LREC and it has been my experience that Bluebirds find this type of habitat favorable for raising their young. Late last summer Malinda Slagle and I discussed possible ways to encourage Bluebirds to use the nestboxes and this past winter she and the Friday volunteers moved the boxes located on the woodland edge into the prairie. Time will tell if this entices the Bluebirds into our nestboxes. I do plan to continue research additional ways to encourage the Bluebirds to nest in our prairie.
However, Litzsinger Road Ecology Center is one of the few places in the United States that have a breeding colony of Eurasian Tree Sparrows. Back in 1870, German Immigrants homesick for the birds from their homeland released 20 Eurasian Tree Sparrows in Lafayette Park. Since then these birds have spread through St. Louis and St. Charles Counties and Madison and Calhoun Counties in Illinois. These sparrows are found nowhere else in the United States and birdwatchers from all over will make a special trip to St. Louis just to see them. Being an avid birdwatcher myself, I feel truly fortunate to have been able to check the boxes and handle these unique birds over the last 2 years.
The Eurasian Tree Sparrows were not the only birds active at LREC. One of our resident Red-shouldered hawks was seen flying around between the barn and the classroom.
A pair of Canada Geese were grazing on the pasture prairie.
And there were dozens of Robins foraging on and near the burned prairies.
Spring is a busy time of the year and there will be a great deal of growth and activity in the next few months. Be sure to stay tuned for further updates on the nest boxes and other spring sightings!
Posted by Colleen Crank at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2008
Crayfish!
Duchesne's 3rd grade classes came out to the site recently to investigate Who Eats What. Janice Weil's group found a frozen female crayfish with eggs along the edge of Deer Creek. She was in pristine condition, and the discovery gave the kids the opportunity to learn about the life cycle and physiology of crayfish. The students also had fun using the microscopes to observe insects and other discoveries they made while investigating rotting logs.
Posted by Sean Fears at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2008
Coyote hunting deer?
Yesterday morning as I was driving down the glass house driveway I had to brake for a coyote running across in front of me. After I parked, I saw two deer looking very startled coming out of the area where the coyote had run into the woods. Perhaps the coyote was frightened of my car, perhaps he was after some other animal, or perhaps he was chasing the deer! If so, he wasn't successful, I saw the same two deer today (pictured).
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2007
This is NOT a spider!
Based on the pictures and descriptions I've been able to find, I'm pretty sure that it's a harvestman, also known as a daddy long-legs.
While it is in the same class as spiders, it isn't in the same order (that's just a way of saying that they're "cousins")... if you look closely, you can see that its body isn't separated into two parts like spiders' bodies are. Harvestmen don't weave webs, either.
If you're interested in learning more check out http://www.arachnology.be/pages/Opilio_QandA.html.
Thanks to Whiteside 7th grade for finding this arachnid!
Posted by Sean Fears at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2007
Fungus weevil?
Here's proof that you can find something interesting wherever you might be... I found this insect on my office wall last Friday. As you can tell from the pictures, it has a very interesting coloration on its back. Malinda & I looked through the Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity book, and we think it's a fungus weevil. Positive ID can be difficult when you're working with a live subject!
Photos were taken with one of our rugged Brock scopes and a point-and-shoot digital camera, proof that you can do a lot with what you have at hand.
Posted by Sean Fears at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2007
Spring has Sprung!
The prairie plants are resprouting after an exciting burn on March 9th, the turkeys are gobbling and strutting, the spring beauties and spicebushes are flowering, the trillium, bluebells, jacob's ladder, and celandine poppies are flowering! It's spring!!!
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2007
Deer Carcass Discovered
Columbus Elementary third graders discovered the decomposed remains of a deer in the north prairie. A lower leg bone (tibia, fibula) was discovered first, in the firebreak. Then, two femurs were sighted just off the firebreak. A few more steps into the north prairie revealed the following sight. The radio, including antenna, is 12 inches long. Which bones can you identify?
Posted by ejones at 02:37 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2006
Turkey Vulture Eggs Have Hatched!
Posted by ejones at 11:15 AM | Comments (1)
June 12, 2006
Great Leopard Moth
Posted by Heather Wells-Sweeney at 03:09 PM | Comments (1)
April 26, 2006
Turkeys Strut Their Stuff at LREC
Posted by ejones at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2006
Bluewing Teals at Litzsinger
Martha sighted 5 pairs of bluewing teals this afternoon. They were observed in the creek just below the parking lot. See images and info on the web at Dave's Birds and Texas Waterfowler
Posted by ejones at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2006
Trees are Being Chewed!
We apparently have a new resident at Litzsinger Road Ecology Center. While no direct sighting has been reported, the evidence strongly suggests that we have a beaver engaged in some riparian corridor landscaping and dining.
These two photos were taken just a few days apart. Notice the progress.
Posted by ejones at 09:40 AM | Comments (1)
January 24, 2006
Watch out for Beavers!
We actually didn't *see* a beaver today, but Eddie and I saw the damage from one in the North Woods today. It has completely taken out 4 small trees (<1" diameter) by the creek and has chewed all the way around a hackberry tree (~10" diameter). So, watch out for beavers at LREC!
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:58 PM | Comments (1)
A Good Birding Day at the Glass House
Today, was a very good day for birding at LREC. First I saw a pileated woodpecker by the Glass House as I was walking down from the parking lot. Then, Lil Collins came into the Glass House talking about all the bluebirds she had seen outside. So, we decided to do a little bird watching. We saw many bluebirds, including one perched on the house by the South Prairie. We also saw many other birds such as goldfinches and chickadees. Lil noticed what we later discovered to be a yellow-bellied sapsucker on the yews by the Glass House. He has a red spot on his head and under his beak and has a yellowish belly but is otherwise colored like a downy or hairy woodpecker with a black and white streaked back. We also discovered this damage, characteristic of sapsuckers, on the yews by the Glass House.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:55 PM | Comments (0)
January 06, 2006
Coyote Sighting
I saw a coyote a little after 3 pm today running into the brush behind the chaff prairie by Bob's house. Maybe they are starting to look for mates for breeding season (February/March) or maybe it was just out looking for rodents or scavenging in the burned Pasture Prairie.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 03:49 PM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2005
Plains Pocket Gopher
Jennifer and I spotted a plains pocket gopher (Martha's "beaver") walking across the driveway to the glass house today. Gophers dig in the soil like another common LREC mammal, the mole, so be on the lookout for fan shaped mounds of dirt with no ridges in between the mounds. Gophers rarely go farther than 3 feet from their holes, so we're going to be looking for one up in the savannah.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2005
A St. Louis Specialty
A few weeks ago when I parked my car on the LREC parking lot, I noticed a bustle of activity in the bush directly in front of me and found a half dozen Eurasian Tree Sparrows. I smiled and continued to watch the birds hop around in the bush, foraging for seeds and chipping to their neighbors. Before my time with the LREC, I had checked songbird nestboxes for two summers and there were two locations where Eurasian Tree Sparrows used these boxes. I fell in love with these birds and watching them develop from naked tiny baby birds into fully feathered functioning birds of an avian community made the days of walking in the hot sun, trudging through stinging nettle and poison ivy and dodging wasps that inhabited the nestboxes worthwhile.
During that first year of checking the boxes, I learned that the Eurasian Tree Sparrows were found only in the St. Louis area (though now I have since learned that there are small populations as far north as Iowa) and serious birders from all over the country came to our city to get a glimpse of these birds. You can only imagine my excitement when I learned there was a small population of Eurasian Tree Sparrows on the LREC property.
The Eurasian Tree Sparrows can be easily distinguished from their House Sparrow cousins by the presence of a black dot on their white cheek patch. They also have a rusty brown cap and lack the black bib commonly found on the House Sparrow.
Eurasian Tree Sparrows are native to Europe, Asia, China, Japan, Siberia, northern India, Taiwan and southeast Asia. These little birds do not belong to the sparrow family but rather the weaver family and there are at least 33 subspecies of Eurasian Tree Sparrows found within its wide range.
In April 1870, 20 Eurasian Tree Sparrows were released in Lafayette Park. During this time, it was common for immigrant residents to release European birds to control insect populations and fulfill their desire to see the birds from their homeland. The House Sparrow, another European bird released in the eastern portion of the United States, began its encroachment into the St. Louis area around 1878, forcing the Eurasian Tree Sparrows out of their established territories. While the House Sparrow populations exploded over the United States, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow numbers remained small but steady in the St. Louis area and surrounding counties.
Today the Eurasian Tree Sparrow is commonly found in St. Louis County and City, the floodplains of eastern St. Charles County and in Calhoun and Madison counties of Illinois. These sparrows prefer to live on farmland and other open, cultivated areas but will move into parks and suburbs to avoid living in close proximity of their aggressive House Sparrow cousins.
Eurasian Tree Sparrows are primarily seedeaters, eating weed, corn, millet, wheat, and sunflower seeds, grass and seed shoots though the adult sparrows will feed their young offspring a diet of insects and spiders. Eurasian Tree Sparrows mate for life and will nest in colonies during the breeding season, raising their young from nestboxes, tree cavities and even the crooks and eaves of houses and buildings.
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow creates an orb-shaped nest with the outer layer composed of coarse grass material while the inner portion of the nest is lined with down and finer vegetative matter. The eggs hatch after about 2 weeks of incubation and the young birds fledge at 15-20 days of age.
Why is it that the Eurasian Tree Sparrows have remained in a limited area, while other introduced European birds such as the Rock Pigeon, European Starling and House Sparrow have flourished all over the United States? There is no definite answer, though there are several possibilites. It is common knowledge that House Sparrows are much more aggressive than Eurasian Tree Sparrows and dominate food and nesting sources where the territories of the two species overlap. Studies have also shown that Eurasian Tree Sparrows do not migrate and the newly fledged offspring do not wander far from the nest to establish their territories.
There are several places to find these St. Louis specialty birds. Keep in mind these birds like open land, will perch in shrubby areas and nest in big thick tree cavities. Be forewarned that finding these birds may be no easy task. Birding is like fishing. Both require a great deal of preparation, patience, tenacity and the ability to deal with disappointment if the day doesn't go as planned. Eurasian Tree Sparrows are easier to find during the fall and winter months, where they flock in fairly large numbers to feed and forage on the ground. Spring and summer are a hit-and-miss time of the year as the birds are busy breeding and raising their young.
There have been consistent sightings of the birds on the floodplains found on Aubuchon and Missouri Bottom Roads. Marais Temp Clair Conservation Area in St. Charles, the Riverlands Environmental Demonstration Area and the gravel road leading into the Edward "Ted" and Pat Jones - Confluence Point State Park, both in West Alton, are sure places to find the sparrows during the winter. You can also find Eurasian Tree Sparrows in Sioux Passage Park and St. Stanislaus Park in North County, Grafton Ferry Road and North River Front Park in north St. Louis. In Illinois, Eurasian Tree Sparrows have been spotted at Horseshoe Lake and the Brussels Ferry in Calhoun County.
The Webster Groves Nature Study Society leads weekly bird walks and have created a website that is rich with information on St. Louis wildlife. They have also published an excellent book, Birds of the St. Louis Area: Where and When to Find Them that include information on the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. You may also want to call their birding hotline to find out the latest bird sightings (314) 935-8432
For those of you who visit the LREC site with your students, look for the Eurasian Tree Sparrows in the shrubs next to the parking lot, at the feeders on the deck and along the south prairie. You may even want to try your luck and put up a bird feeder or a nestbox at your school. Good luck and I hope you get a glimpse of the bird found only in the St. Louis area.
RESOURCES:
Sibley, David Allen. 2001. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Webster Groves Nature Study Society. 1998. Birds of the St. Louis Area: Where and When To Find Them. Missouri: Murray Print Shop, Inc.
Chipper Woods Bird Observatory
Missouri Conservationist Online
Webster Groves Nature Study Society
Posted by Colleen Crank at 06:44 PM | Comments (2)
July 06, 2005
Wildflowers!
Blooming at LREC right now: bee balm, gray headed coneflower, big bluestem, ironweed, culver's root, butterfly weed, black-eyed susan, and many other prairie favorites! It's beautiful!
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
Hummingbird at Feeder
I saw my first ruby throated hummingbird at our hummingbird feeder in the pollinator garden yesterday. The feeder is nearly empty too, so maybe he's been visiting frequently (or it's all evaporated in this heat!).
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2005
Turklets
Check out the turkey family Eddie spied this morning!
Posted by Jennifer Krause at 04:19 PM | Comments (1)
June 06, 2005
Turkey Day
During a recent visit with a teacher, this amazing turkey kept us company for about 20 minutes on the cabin deck.
Posted by ejones at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2005
Duck Eggs!!
We unexpectedly found seven Mallard duck eggs near the vernal pond! The mother duck quickly left but returned and has been patiently tending her brood! I wonder what it must be like to sit on a nest of eggs for days??
Posted by Mary Voges at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)
May 06, 2005
Indigo Bunting Bath
This indigo bunting was taking a bath this afternoon on the patio of the glass house. The water came from a sprinkler that is watering the plants that we are propagating for the between prairie.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2005
Guess what this is!!
Recently, the hort staff was greeted by the birth of four Carolina wrens nesting in our garden wagon. The mother seems to tolerate us pretty well as we come and go.
Posted by Mary Voges at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2005
Jewel of LREC
Posted by Mary Voges at 08:54 AM | Comments (1)
Turkeys in the raingarden
Posted by Mary Voges at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2005
Pileated Woodpecker Nest
We think we have a pair of pileated woodpeckers nesting in this hole of this sycamore next to the rain garden. Look for the mama pileated woodpecker at 3 oclock from the hole.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2005
Turkey display
Jennifer Brown spotted this tom displaying for the female this morning at about 8:30 by the glass house.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
Turkeys and Ducks
On Friday, I saw a male turkey displaying, the female turkey and her 7 young from last year, and a male and female mallard duck swimming on one of the little ponds in the rain garden. It was quite a display, but none of my pictures turned out.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2005
3 male turkeys
I spotted these 3 male turkeys displaying near the 1 female and 7 yearlings who were eating in the rain garden. I think we are nearing mating season.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2005
Can you find the turkey?
This turkey couldn't find the door to get in the Glass House yesterday.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2005
Wood Duck
Jennifer, Eddie and I saw a male wood duck in Deer Creek yesterday near the gravel bar North of the Cabin.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:26 PM | Comments (1)
Butterflies
I saw an eastern tailed blue butterfly and a question mark yesterday in the North Woods.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:24 PM | Comments (1)
Spring Beauty
The first native wildflowers are blooming! I spotted spring beauties blooming yesterday for the first time this year in the woods yesterday.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:23 PM | Comments (1)
Belted Kingfisher
Hort volunteers Katie Swallie and Pauline Ashton spotted a belted kingfisher perched in a tree overlooking Deer Creek across from the creek overlook adjacent to the South Prairie. I saw one yesterday as well in the North Woods area.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
More Vultures
Volunteer Ray Potter spied these two vultures above the North Prairie.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2005
Vultures
We saw two turkey vultures circling overhead in the North Prairie this morning.
Posted by Malinda Slagle at 04:32 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2005
Prairie plant emergence
This new growth was sighted in the unburned south prairie. Can anyone identify these plants?
Posted by ejones at 04:55 PM | Comments (2)
February 22, 2005
Who planted the snowdrops?
The snowdrops at Litzsinger are apparently "invaders" from upstream, having been deposited during one of the many times Deer Creek overflowed its banks. According to one source, Galanthus nivalis (like other members of the Amaryllis family) are normally avoided by deer and rodents.
Posted by ejones at 03:24 PM | Comments (1)
February 19, 2005
Spring Snowdrops
During the week of February 14, Eddie spotted these snowdrops at Litzsinger and took a photo for us:
It seems that spring really is almost here. Thanks Eddie!
Posted by Jennifer Krause at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)