Gone Fishin’

Remember how easy it was for Tom (aka Mon@rch) to talk me into owl banding instead of housework?  (Click here for full story.)  Well, today, I was supposed to go hunting - for new jeans and some grown-up shoes to wear with skirts and dresses.  Yuck.  I hate shopping.

So when Terry suggested a walk in the gorge to go fishing, how could I resist?  Perhaps I’d see some different wildflowers?  Maybe I could try a few more shots with (the other) Terry’s 70-300mm lens?  (Ha ha… I carried that lens in my backpack all morning and never put it on the camera…)

I did see some flowers… which I have seen this season… but hadn’t had a chance to photograph.  There were LOTS of Painted Trillium, and only a few white (Large-flowered) and red (aka purple) ones.  The breeze stopped just long enough to get a fairly good closeup of a tiny little flower called Miterwort, too.  There were Wood Anemone, Hobblebush, and other small trees in flower, as well.

 

 

I pushed past my aversion to spiders to photograph this scary fellow.

But the main thing is, I went fishing!  Here I am with my proud first catch:

I had to throw that one back, because it was kinda little.  Later, though, I caught a much larger one which I’m about to try to cook up for supper.

When I was little, I used to fish off the end of a dock in Chautauqua Lake all the time.  We would catch perch and sunfish.  This was my first time fishing for trout in a stream.  I loved it.

Aren’t I lucky to have such great friends who distract me from the yucky things in life?  Housework, shopping - ewww!  Owl-banding, fishing - Yeah!

Post-dinner update:  Oh my god, was that ever tasty!

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More Experiments with the 70-300

I’m thinking I could like this lens, though it will take me some more practice, and some coaching, to understand all the features and idiosyncrasies…

The white Large-flowered Trillium turns pink as it ages.

 

Fresh Maple leaves look as “teneral” as a new dragonfly’s wings.

 

Do you recognize this proud fellow?  He and his friends gave my Lolli quite a lecture as we came through the woods.

 

These new Christmas Ferns will be a darker, hardened green by Christmas…

I’m still planning to rent the 100-400 for comparison, though.

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I Love My Bluebirds!

When I first started working at Audubon, I took a workshop on attracting and caring for Eastern Bluebirds.  We put lots of boxes out all over the place.  I don’t monitor them as often as I could and I don’t submit the data, because I just don’t have time in the Spring.  But I do check on them!

I’m very excited that two boxes out in the big field that we sometimes call “Big Field” and other times “The Bluebird Meadow” have bluebirds this spring.

 

On April 24th, I found 4 cold eggs:

Bluebirds lay one egg each day until they have 4-6 eggs.  The eggs will be cold until mama decides she has “enough” and starts to incubate them.

I don’t know how many eggs she eventually layed.  She refused to get off the nest yesterday when I went to check, and while I have sometimes removed a mama bird to count eggs, I just didn’t want to disturb her… It was, after all, Mother’s Day.

Some of the other boxes on the field had Tree Swallow nests - one with  a couple of cold eggs.  At the far end of the field, I checked the last box and found another Bluebird pair and 4 more eggs! Here’s the daddy, courtesy of that 70-300 lens Terry loaned me:

 

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Happy Mother’s Day!

Canada Goose Babies (How many can you see?)

 

Eastern Bluebird Mother on the Nest

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Friends with Lenses

I mentioned to my friends at Photo Club that I plan to rent a couple of lenses in the next few weeks to see how I like them, before I invest in one of my own.  Terry Lorenc was kind enough to loan me his Canon 70-300 f4.5-5.6 IS.

I spent some time Friday and Saturday trying it out.  Here are a few shots I took:

I’m not overly pleased with the sharpness of the photos.  But that could be a lack of experience with the lens.  I’m sure with practice, I’d get better.

Here’s the whole set of photos I took with Terry’s Lens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferschlick/sets/72157604985173196/

It was certainly a completely different experience using this lens, compared to my usual - the kit lens (18-55mm) plus 10X closeup lens for variation.  I’m used to getting on my knees and getting close to fill the frame with an image.  With the 70-300, you HAVE to stand back or it won’t focus.  I’m hoping to try one more time tomorrow morning down at Audubon to see if I can catch a few pond-side critters that usually hop or fly away before I can get close enough for my 18-55mm to be able to capture them.

Next, I plan to rent (or borrow) the Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 IS L and maybe some others before I make my choice.  (Of course I’d love to have them all, but since I’m not wealthy, I’m just working one lens at a time!)  Any advice from readers on a good lens for capturing dragonflies or frogs at the pond’s edge - preferably something that can be hand-held and still give good sharpness?

Thanks, Terry!  You saved me a little money that I can put toward a lens, rather than toward a rental!

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Ewww…

When I posted this photo on my Flickr site, I got two comments:

Blech! - makeupanid

And:

Yuck!  I hate these things! - craftermom

The nests are created by Eastern Tent Caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum).  The eggs overwintered and hatched in spring.  The larva are social and live in this shelter they build together, emerging to eat tree leaves when the weather is fine.  Most often, the tents are built in the crotches of trees, but I have also seen them suspended from smaller branches, as pictured below:

Once the caterpillars have reached their last instar, they will leave the tent to find a place to pupate.  Adult moths will emerge later in summer.  The adults will mate, lay eggs, and die.

Because they can defoliate trees in years when their populations are high, they are considered a pest.  If you “google” them, you will find several sites that not only tell about their life cycle and natural history, but they will also give tips about controlling them.

Learn more:  The following websites have some neat pictures of the eggs, and adults.

• http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef423.asp
• http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/easttentcaterpillar.htm

Apparently, the populations fluctuate - there are lots one year, and fewer the next.  I’ve been seeing quite a few around this spring.  How about you?  Are you seeing lots around your place this spring?

UPDATE (5-9-2008):  Read this blog post from The Marvelous in Nature for some really, really good pictures and information on these guys!!!!  tenting-it-with-the-family

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Monday Hike at Timbercrest

Monday was the only day in this week’s forecast that showed sun.  Since I didn’t have to be to work until 2:00pm, I decided to hop in the car at 7am and head for my favorite place in the world:  Girl Scout Camp Timbercrest.  I thought I’d see what was blooming and take advantage of the wonderful early morning light.  Here are some of the photos I snapped:

Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica)
There are several of these lining the road between “Three-Bay” and Bellinger Lodge.

 

False Hellabore (Veratrum viride)
Keyser Lake is a little higher than usual which put these right in the lake.  I loved the reflections of the surrounding forest around these plants.  This photo was taken near the bridge over the creek that feeds Jackman Bay.

 

Early Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
I knew about the patches of this at “Lakeview” - that flat area past Sunset that looks out over Keyser Lake.  I guess I never paid attention before to how many of these are out on the Peninsula!  Why, the ground is nearly covered with them.  How come I never noticed before?

 

Sessile-leaved Bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia)
The Peninsula has fairly harsh living conditions.  The beavers keep the trees short so there is little shade out there.  The wind whips over most of the time.  As a result, the plants out there are often dwarfed.  This Bellwort looks normal in this picture, but it was soooo tiny compared to others I find in the woods.

 

Large-Flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
I found Red Trillium, too, but none of my pictures came out particularly well.  I forgot to go up to the road behind Sunset to see if the Painted Trillium were blooming.  Darn.

 

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
Oh my gosh… I found the BIGGEST patch of Wintergreen sporting the BIGGEST, ripest, most delicious berries ever!  (Yes, I ate some!)  You have to get off the trail and go close to the lake over in Beaver Bay.  Yum.

 

Fiddlehead
I’m not sure what kind of fern this is… Haven’t tackled ferns in earnest, yet.  It was right along the shore of the lake in pretty soggy ground - in fact, the stand, I’m sure, is sometimes IN the water.  Anyone out there want to take a stab at species?

 

Golden Saxifrage or Water Carpet (Chrysosplenium americanum)
There was just enough of a breeze to make photographing this tiny plant nearly impossible.  I spent several minutes on my knees on a rock on the side of a creek.  I snapped dozens of photos.  This one was the best of the lot.  Oh well…  Isn’t it tiny and weird?

 

Toothwort or Crinkleroot (Cardamine diphylla)
There were tons of these all over the place, but this was the only one I found blooming.  I also found tons and tons of Spring Beauties, but not a one with blooms open… Guess it was just a little too early in the morning.

 

Prickly Gooseberry or Dogberry (Ribes cynobati)
I found this one up behind Strawberry Hill.  The breeze challenged me on this one, too, as did the closing canopy.  But somehow I managed a couple of shots that were fairly well focused and in good light.

It was the perfect morning for a walk.  Started off cool, but warmed up quickly.  Well worth the drive to camp.  (I’m going to cross-post this at my Camp Timbercrest blog.)

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Birdathon

For several years running, the education staff at Jamestown Audubon, along with some stalwart and dedicated friends, has gone out birding for bucks.  Early in April, we begin begging friends, acquaintances, and strangers for pledges.  They can give a set amount, or they can be brave and pledge per species.

We pick a day early in May, late enough to include warbler migration, but early enough that the trees aren’t too thick with leaves, and we go out birding, checking off each species we see.  We pride ourselves in seeing over 60 species every year while doing very little driving.  This year, as in most years, we birded at the Audubon Sanctuary, Akeley Swamp, Chautauqua Lake Outlet, and the roads in between.

Our team, which varies slightly from year to year, consisted of Sarah Hatfield, Jeff Tome, Dave and Anita Cooney, Ann Beebe, and yours truly.  We worked to raise money for a scholarship for one of our college-bound volunteers, Tricia Bergstue.

I’m not much of a birder, as you may have gathered from previous posts.  So I always learn a great deal when I go out on these walks.  This year, I added a lifer!  (I don’t actually keep a life list, mind you.  But I never saw this bird before, I know that!  In fact, many of the birds on the list below were lifers from past birdathons…)

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.  I had to borrow this picture from the AMAZING photostream of the INCREDIBLE Jim Gilbert.  Please click on the photo to go look at his FANTASTIC photos.

Here is a list of the birds we saw (or in some cases only heard) on Saturday, May 3, 2008, a warm but rainy day:

1. Great Blue Heron
2. Green Heron
3. Canada Goose
4. Wood Duck
5. Gadwall
6. Mallard
7. Green-winged Teal
8. Hooded Merganser
9. Common Merganser
10. Red-shouldered Hawk
11. American Kestrel
12. Wild Turkey
13. Sora
14. Killdeer
15. Lesser Yellowlegs
16. Solitary Sandpiper
17. Spotted Sandpiper
18. Ring-billed Gull
19. Rock Pigeon
20. Mourning Dove
21. Belted Kingfisher
22. Red-bellied Woodpecker
23. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
24. Hairy Woodpecker
25. Northern Flicker
26. Least Flycatcher
27. Eastern Phoebe
28. Great Crested Flycatcher
29. Eastern Kingbird
30. Blue-headed Vireo
31. Yellow-throated Vireo
32. Blue Jay
33. American Crow
34. Tree Swallow
35. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
36. Black-capped Chickadee
37. Tufted Titmouse
38. White-breasted Nuthatch
39. Brown Creeper
40. House Wren
41. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
42. Eastern Bluebird
43. Veery
44. Wood Thrush
45. American Robin
46. Gray Catbird
47. European Starling
48. Yellow Warbler
49. Chestnut-sided Warbler
50. Magnolia Warbler
51. Yellow-rumped Warbler
52. Black-throated Green Warbler
53. American Redstart
54. Ovenbird
55. Common Yellowthroat
56. Chipping Sparrow
57. Field Sparrow
58. Song Sparrow
59. Swamp Sparrow
60. White-throated Sparrow
61. White-crowned Sparrow
62. Dark-eyed Junco
63. Northern Cardinal
64. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
65. Bobolink
66. Red-winged Blackbird
67. Common Grackle
68. Brown-headed Cowbird
69. Baltimore Oriole
70. American Goldfinch
71. House Sparrow

It was a warm, but rainy day.  We have seen more birds in other years… But we were pretty pleased with this list, given the weather conditions!

Many thanks to all who pledged.  Your dollars are going to a good cause!

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Three Buttercups

The Buttercup Family is called Ranunculaceae.  It’s a big family.  In the last week, three different species have been catching my eye.

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Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris) are spilling out of wet places into the ditches on the sides of roads where I drive to work.  They are under the bridges of the trails at Audubon.  They are in amongst the Skunk Cabbages on the sides of the trails.  They are gorgeous in the sun.  But even on rainy days, they seem to glow from within and make their own light.

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 There’s a spot along a tiny creek in the woods where I walk the dog.  The banks are covered in Swamp Buttercup (Ranunculus septentrionalis).

The buttercups share the bank with red and white trilliums, two or three varieties of violets, leeks, trout lilies, and more.  It’s a lovely spot!

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And, moving from large to small, the smallest of all is Kidney-leaved Buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus), also known as Littleleaf Buttercup or Small-flowered Crowfoot.  The flower is almost inconspicuous.  When you do notice it, you may think, “Oh, this flower already lost its petals.”  You’d be wrong, though.  It’s just a really tiny flower!

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I know Montucky has been seeing buttercups since early March.  How about you?  What buttercup species are blooming around your place?

Clusters of Four-Petalled Flowers

Oh my, there are several plants with clusters of four-petalled flowers - usually white, or pinkish - that are blooming now.  A bunch of them are called Toothworts, also Pepperroot, or Crinkleroot.  I was curious where these names came from and turned up this bit from The Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials by Wolfram George Schmid:

Many Cardamine species were used to spice up food.  The peppery roots were grated and used like horseradish (hence pepperroot).  The commonest name, toothwort, comes from the plants’ use as a popular but ineffective salve for toothaches and also alludes to the rootstock’s crinkled shape, which resembles teeth (this gave rise to still another common name, crinkleroot).

I’m afraid the more I read about Toothwort, the more confused I become.  For one thing, it has been reclassified since my field guides were written.  Formerly called Dentaria, they are now called Cardamine.  And, depending which field guide or Internet source you use, the common names appear interchangable between the species with a few exceptions.

Cutleaf Toothwort seems to bloom first here in Western New York.  Listed as Cardamine concatenata at the USDA database and as Dentaria laciniata in both my Newcomb’s and Peterson’s field guides, it is pretty easy to distinguish from its intricately “cut” leaves.  (Picture above.)

I believe I have photographed at least two other species in “my” woods, but as I read about the variability of the leaves on individual plants, and that to differentiate between them, you have to look at rhizomes… I’ve become unwilling to commit to a definite ID!  Here are a couple of photos anyway:

 

(To confuse things all the more, there is a completely different plant in Europe that is referred to as “Toothwort” that lacks chlorophyll and is a parasite on certain trees.  Click here for a picture of Lathraea squamaria.)

I’ve run across a couple of other plants that also have clusters of 4 petals… They aren’t toothworts.  But they are Cardamines!

Using Newcomb’s Wildfower Guide, I came up with Mountain Watercress (Cardamine rotundifolia) for this plant.  After poking around in the USDA database and other places on the Internet, I’m no longer 100% sure.  (According to the range map, it’s not supposed to be in Chautauqua County, though it is in neighboring Cattaraugus County.) These Cardamines are difficult.

 

There’s a species similar to Mountain Watercress called Spring Cress (Cardamine bulbosa) whose upper leaves are more lance-shaped and whose range map includes Chautauqua County…  Hmm…

I’m a lot more certain of this last species, Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis):

Towering above the grass, with spikey little leaves, this flower delights the children who come to the Audubon.  I point it out early in the walk and tell the kids that everytime they see it from now on, they have to point and say, “Cuckoo!”  (It drives their teachers crazy…)