Woodchucks
I shouldn’t be, but I always am surprised when I point out a very common animal and people say they never heard of it. This happened several times this spring while running my Common Loon photo workshops. I had a family of Woodchuck, a mother and five young, living on my property, and just about everyone taking the photo tours asked “what is that?” The Woodchuck, also known as a Groundhog (Marmota monax), is a large marmot member in the squirrel family (Sciuridae). They are closely related to Marmots, which are commonly found in the western half of the United States. The Woodchuck is found in the eastern half of the country, into Canada, reaching into Alaska. Unlike the Marmots of the west, which are high elevation creatures, the Woodchuck are found in low elevations, typically in forested regions. The etymology of their name is completely unrelated to wood or chucking. It comes from the Algonquian name for the animal “wuchak”. They are also sometimes called Whistle-pig, or Ground Pig. Both of these names come from the overall chubby appearance of these animals. They are a type or kind of “ground squirrel”. Woodchucks are considered the most solitary of the marmot species. They are crucial habitat engineers, which means the burrows they dig improve the soil health. They are very intelligent critters, often forming complex social networks and lasting relationships with their young. They have complex communication skills, have well defined social behaviors and work cooperatively when doing things such as digging burrows. They have excellent hearing and eyesight, contrary to what a lot of people think. Male Woodchucks are larger than females. An adult male weighs around 6 to 8 pounds while females are around 5 to 7 pounds. Both males and females put on a considerable amount of extra weight by the end of summer. Typically, three to four extra pounds. This is extremely important because they are true hibernators. This means once they go down for hibernation in the fall, they don’t wake up until spring. If they don’t have enough body fat, or fuel, they can run out of energy before spring and will die during hibernation. They put on all this weight on a vegetarian diet. They eat only plants, including berries, but Dandelions are at the top of their preferred food list. An adult can eat around 1 pound of vegetation per day, and in the spring, most of that are dandelions. This is great news for anyone who doesn’t like dandelions growing in their yard. Woodchucks excavate burrows underground with multiple chambers. Some chambers are for sleeping, one for a nursery, one for waste, and another for hibernation. The length of the burrow isn’t very long, only about 6 to 10 feet, but one of the longest was 24 feet long. Often, people mistakenly believe that their burrows will undermine a foundation. According to the Humane Society of the United States, you would need to have a lot of Woodchucks all burrowing at the same time, and same place, over a very long time to cause any significant damage. Abandoned burrows benefit many other species by providing shelter for rabbits, raccoons, skunks, otters, chipmunks and many more in addition to helping to turn over the soils. Based on my own experience with a mother Woodchuck and 5 young, over a 2 month period, they were adorable neighbors who only brought joy and life to my yard. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Eastern Whip-poor-will
When you think of wildlife photography, you often think of spending hours in the woods, sitting in one place, watching and observing and capturing the perfect moment of time of a critter. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Most wildlife images you see are well planned out, and researched. Many times, it takes hours of preparation, researching where a species exists in populations large enough to increase the chances of seeing one, going during the season they are most active, driving to get to these locations, knowing your camera gear well enough to capture the images you have in your mind. And the list goes on and on. I was thinking about this the other evening when I was standing in a cemetery in the dark, hoping to get lucky enough to capture an image of a nocturnal bird. All of my research brought me to this location, on this particular evening for a very special bird, the Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus). The Whip-poor-will, is a medium size bird in the nightjar family. I know, right now you are thinking, what the heck is a nightjar family. This family of birds that are all similar looking, are nocturnal, hunt insects on the wing (while flying), have large eyes, and an exceptional largemouth opening called a gap. You might be familiar with the Night-hawk which is also in the same family. Whip-poor-wills are well camouflaged with brown feathers with white spots. This allows them to blend into their environment. They sleep during the day but when the sun goes down, they wake up to hunt for night flying insects. In spring the males give a whistle-like loud and repetitive call. They start calling when the sun goes down and call for several hours in a row. The call sounds like it is saying its name, whip-poor-will. Its name is onomatopoeically and it’s how this bird got its name. Many people have heard their calls, but few ever get to see this bird. I know right now many of you reading this are thinking to yourself, I used to hear this bird when you were young. Or maybe some of you are lucky enough to still hear this bird. The Eastern Whip-poor-will has been declining in population. Since the 1970’s the Whip-poor-will has over a 60 percent decline in population. This is a massive decline across its range. The reason for the decline is multi-fold. Loss of forest habitat, fire suppression which changes the forest landscape, predation from feral cats and dogs, and the worst one is poisoning by insecticides. Widespread use of insecticides bioaccumulates in the birds causing death. Whip-poor-wills nest on the ground. Females usually choose a shady spot with lots of leaves covering the ground. Females lay only 2 eggs and incubate for 19-21 days. She relies on her camouflage coloring to be undetected. Both parents help with incubation and help feed the young when they hatch. Some studies show that Whip-poor-wills synchronize nesting with the phases of the moon. As a result, the chicks hatch about 10 days before the next full moon. Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Western Grebes
When I was a child back in the 1960s, my family watched the Walt Disney program on Sunday evenings, like most families. It was one of the few TV programs that the entire family could watch together. I remember watching a particular show called Waterbirds, a 1952 short documentary film about several bird species that live in water. It featured a few minutes of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) performing mating displays set to classical music. I remember being shocked and amazed at this natural display. There is no doubt that these early experiences shaped my interest in nature. Fast forward 50-plus years, and I was leading a photo workshop/tour to see, learn about, and capture some images of this very bird, the Western Grebe. With the memory of this TV show in my head, we set out to capture images of the “rushing” behavior of the Western Grebe. The Western Grebe is the largest of the Grebes in North America. It is just over 2 feet long, with a long, thin neck and a long dagger-like bill. They have deep red eyes that stand out against their black cap on their head. They are a true waterbird, spending most of their lives either on or underwater. They are very fast swimmers underwater, which allows them to overtake and capture small fish, which is their main diet. Most of the time, they swallow the fish while still underwater. I don’t know the last time you tried eating something underwater, but I find this adaptation amazing. The Western Grebe is a colony-nesting bird. This means large flocks, often in the hundreds, gather in appropriate habitat and nest together. Nesting habitat is usually large stands of cattail or bullrush vegetation. They make floating nests/mats out of last year’s vegetation. Both the male and female help construct the nest. Females lay 4 eggs, which she incubates. But the images we were trying to capture were the elaborate courtship behaviors of the Western Grebe. Other species of grebe don’t display such complex courtship behaviors, so we were excited. Western Grebes are very vocal birds, giving a loud, raspy call that can be heard from a long distance. A male grebe returning to the nesting colony after fishing out in the deep water of the lake gives a loud call. This call is often answered by another male who is already in the colony. The calling male birds swim towards each other, repeating their calls. As they approach each other, one dips their bill into the water and then flicks their head, spraying a small stream of water droplets to the side. This is just the start of the display. The two birds face off just a foot or so apart from each other, lowering their heads to the water’s surface. They continue to dip their bills in the water and then flick water to the sides. This lasts for a few seconds before they both jump up, mostly out of the water, and they start to run on the surface of the water. This is called rushing. The two, or sometimes more, will run on the surface of the water, with their heads held high and their wings slightly open. Their large yellow feet can be seen slapping the surface of the water. Sometimes the rush goes just a few yards, while others last for 50 yards or more. Either way, there is a lot of splashing going on. At the end of the rush, each bird dives forward, headfirst into the water, completely submerged. During the three-day photo workshop, we witnessed and photographed about 30 rushes. Each and every one was thrilling to see and photograph. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Red-faced Warblers
I just returned from a trip to Southeastern Arizona. The objective of this adventure was to capture images of as many warbler species as possible. So, what are warblers and why did I go to Arizona to find them? Warblers are a group of small birds, often very colorful and produce rich musical songs. We are very fortunate because our New World warblers are very different from warblers in other parts of the world. The “New World” refers to the America’s. In other words, our warblers are not found in Europe, Asia or Africa. We have approximately 120 different species of warbler. Most of these birds are arboreal, which means they live in the trees, many of them inhabit the tops of the trees, making them sometimes very difficult to see. They are insect eaters, so a good supply of bugs is very important to their survival. Warblers are mostly found in the eastern half of the country where most deciduous forest can be found. So why would I travel to the deserts of Arizona for warblers? High up on mountains in Southeastern Arizona, around 8,000-foot elevation, is a group of warblers that are not found in the eastern half of the country, and it is these birds that I was after. Each morning, we would get up and drive up into the mountains. It would take 1.5 hours to drive up to the location where the warblers were located. Down in the desert the temperatures where plenty warm but up in the high elevations it was cold most mornings. Since warblers are insect eaters the cold temperatures kept insect activity down which wasn’t helping us. The forecast each day was for clear skies and sunshine. This is definitely not ideal weather conditions for bird photography. The strong sun casts unpleasant shadows and also creates hot spots in the image, while leaving other parts of the image underexposed. This meant that we needed to capture our images in the early morning light before the sun got too high in the sky. The challenge was to get up to the birds as early as possible, then not waste any time once we located one of the warblers. Here in the eastern half of the country, I can identify nearly every bird by its song. This makes it much easier when trying to locate a specific species. However, up in the mountains of Arizona, I was at a distinct disadvantage because I didn’t know the songs of the warblers we were trying to see and photograph. This slowed down the process of finding and identifying each species. The first few days were cold and crisp. This meant the birds were struggling to find enough insects to survive. By day four, the temperatures were slowly rising, and the warblers were able to find more insects. This allowed the warblers to move lower down in the trees and more visible. And that was the break we were looking for. The last four days we were able to locate and capture a few amazing images of the warblers we were hoping to find. One species in particular was extra gratifying, the Red-faced Warbler. It’s a species that lives in mountain forests from 6,500 to 9,000-foot elevations mainly in northern Mexico and into Arizona and New Mexico. While it took almost a week to track down and capture a few images of this cool bird it was definitely worth it. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Bald Eagle Alaska
Twisting and turning in mid-air. Spinning and cartwheeling, wing over wing all while its head remains level and focused on the target. Total acrobatics like these are all set against a beautiful blue sky. This is what was going on during my recent photo tour to Alaska to capture images of Bald Eagles. The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is one of our largest birds of prey in North America. It is found across Alaska, Canada and all of the contiguous United States and into northern Mexico. Its main source of food is fish so Bald Eagles are never far from water, both fresh and saltwater. They do not have bald heads as their names implies. The name “Bald” comes from the Middle English balled, which means shinning white. By the way, the word “eagle” comes from French aigle, which comes from the Latin aquila, meaning an eagle. The Bald Eagle builds the largest nest of all North American birds. In fact, they construct the largest nests in trees ever recorded. There are many record size nests, each around 13-15 feet deep and upwards of 8 to 10 feet wide and weighing several tons. I came to Alaska with my photo group for a couple reasons. Alaska has the largest population of Bald Eagles with an estimated 30 to 50 thousand birds. That is more than all the lower 48 states have combined. In order to capture the images that everyone dreams of, I charter a boat and we head out into the Kachemak Bay in the Gulf of Alaska. This is perfect Bald Eagle habitat. Lots of tree covered islands and open water filled with fish. The birds are fishing, and we take advantage of this activity to capture images of the birds in flight or pulling fish from the ocean. The trick is to position ourselves with the wind and sun to our backs. When the birds are flying into the wind they twist and turn in mid-air to spin around or cartwheel and come back to the ocean’s surface to snatch a fish. Using fast shutter speeds and relatively long lenses, approximately 500 mm, we hope to capture the eagle as it turns in mid-air with its feet extended out, wings spread wide and its head level with the horizon line. Since our cameras take 30 to 40 pictures per second, we need to follow the eagle as it is flying and fishing to capture just the right moment when everything comes together. Each pass of the eagle we would take hundreds of images hoping that one will be the perfect shot. In this part of Alaska, fish make up most of their diet. They use their incredible eyesight to spot fish, then using their amazing flying skills they approach the fish traveling at a high rate of speed. At the last second, they swing their incredibly large and strong feet forward and snatch the fish out of the water. Their toes are long and tipped with 2-inch-long talons. Each talon is sharp and easily penetrates the prey to help hold onto it. At the end of the four-day trip we had taken tens of thousands of images of these remarkable raptors. Each image represents a unique moment in time and an incredible bird behavior. If you are a photographer who would be interested in and experience like this check out www.naturesmart.com Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Sea Otter
For whatever reason, some wild animals are near and dear to people’s hearts. They have a universal appeal, resulting in admiration across the masses of people. For example, many are obsessed with owls. Any kind of owl. Big ones, small ones, it really doesn’t matter. The same can be said for other wild critters, such as otters. For whatever reason, everyone seems to love otters. This was on full display last week while I was leading a photographic tour of Bald Eagles and Sea Otters in Alaska. For 5 days my small group of photographers spent 6 hours a day photographing Bald Eagles and Sea Otters. There are 13 species of otter in the world ranging in size from the Small-clawed Otter, which is less than 3 feet long, to the Giant Otter which stretches six feet long. All otters are semiaquatic or marine mammals in the weasel family. They can be found on every continent except for Antarctica and Australia. The Sea Otter (Enhyrda lutri) is the heaviest of the otter species. Males can weigh upwards of 100 pounds. Females are noticeably smaller. This makes Sea Otters the heaviest of the weasel family but also makes them one of the smallest of all the marine mammals. When you get up close to a Sea Otter you notice right away that they are very large animals, reaching 4-5 feet long including their short tail. They live in cold ocean environments and their primary form of insulation from the cold water is not fat but rather fur. They have an exceptionally thick coat of fur, the densest in the animal kingdom. They have up to one million hairs per square inch covering their body. The density of the fur prevents water from reaching the body. Otters have two layers of fur, a dense underfur for insulation and longer guard hair that helps keep water off the underfur. Sea Otters lack blubber, a fatty layer which is common in other marine mammals. Pups are born with a buoyant coat of fur that helps them to float. However, it was the very fur that almost killed off the Sea Otter. Starting in the mid 1700’s Sea Otters were killed for their fur. By the mid 1900’s populations were down to only 1,000 to 1,500 total animals alive. It was believed that the Sea Otter would become extinct due to uncontrolled trapping. Recovery has been slow and now there are small populations in 13 regions around the world, from Japan to Russia, British Columbia, California and Alaska. To maintain their warmth and life in the ocean, Sea Otters consume at least 20 percent of their body weight in marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, sea cucumbers, mollusks, clams and mussels. Surprisingly, unlike River Otters, fish are not a big part of their diet, although they occasionally eat birds such as loons and grebes. Like others in the mustelid family, Sea Otters reproduce at any time of year. This means that young otters are born even in the middle of winter. We spent many days on a boat looking for the Sea Otters, and we found several mothers with babies which made for some adorable images. When we approached in the boat, the mother otters seemed to be more curious than cautious. They hold their babies with their two front paws to their chest and float around on their backs. Using a very long lens we were able to capture some intimate moments between the mother otter and pup. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Greater Prairie Chicken
I have just wrapped up a 9-day northern grouse tour. On this trip I have put over 2,000 miles on my truck in hopes of finding the photographing the four grouse species found in the upper Midwest. These are the Greater Prairie Chicken, the Sharp-tailed Grouse, Spruce Grouse and the Ruffed Grouse. Grouse are in the order of Galliformes and in the family of Phasianidae. The are commonly referred to as the “Chicken-like birds” because they appear very similar to chickens. This group of birds is found in the Northern Hemisphere and inhabit temperate and subarctic regions. Interestingly, the Turkey is closely allied with grouse but have been excluded and placed in their own family. Early spring (April and beginning of May) is when all four of these species engage in interesting mating rituals, which usually involves the male performing an elaborate display to attract females and prove that he is physically fit and would make good offspring. The Greater Prairie Chicken males gather in spring on a traditional performance ground called a lek. The lekking behavior takes place in an area, usually on open ground, and is usually no more than 100 feet across, that is used every spring (historical) where the males gather together and display (dance) as a group to attract females. For Greater Prairie Chickens the lek is sometimes called a “booming ground” because the males give a low frequency sound that some believe sounds like booming. I don’t hear it as a boom, but I understand the sentiment. Individual males will square off with another male. Both will crouch down and make some clucking sounds. Then one will lunge for the other and a small fight or battle breaks out. Usually, one tries to peck and bite the other. Females walk into the lekking ground to watch the male’s display. When this happens the males often stop fighting and concentrate on displaying. Females are often chased around the lek by eager males, which never amounts to any mating activity. When male Greater Prairie Chickens display, they lean forward, drooping their wings so they are along their sides, nearly touching the ground. They have prominent long feathers along their neck, called pinnae feathers. They raise these pinnae feathers to reveal an air sack called the gular sac, that is reddish to orange in color. The male inflates the air sack, causing the sack to bulge outwards. The males also have large yellow eye-combs which become enlarged while displaying. In order to capture images of these birds, we had to arrive in the dark, set up a very small one-person chair blind. Next, we would set up our tripod and camera gear which includes a very large and long lens. The objective is to be far enough away, so the birds have natural behaviors but close enough to be able to capture high quality images. We would wait in the dark for the light to come up and the male grouse would enter the dancing arena one by one. Often, they would run into the lek while others flew. The moment the birds arrive they start to display / dance and give their characteristic calls. The dancing and displaying goes on for 2 to 3 hours. Slowly the individual males would walk off the lek and into the tall grass surrounding the lek. Eventually all the males leave, which allows me to get out of my blind. What an amazing experience to see, hear and document. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Fox Squirrels
I find the variations or diversity in nature to be the special ingredient underpinning the strength of Mother Nature. This was abundantly clear last week when I was in Florida for a very specific variation of the Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger). I was in search of the Sherman’s Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger shermani) that only occurs in a handful of places in Florida and a couple other states. The Sherman’s Fox Squirrel is a subspecies of the more common and widespread Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger). The Fox Squirrel is the largest of the tree squirrels found in North America. They measure 20 to 30 inches from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail and weigh in at around 2-3 pounds. Fox squirrels are found throughout the eastern half of the United States, but there are several subspecies of this squirrel, and I was in Florida in search of the Sherman’s subspecies. This large and unusual looking squirrel requires stands of Longleaf Pine trees that has a scattering of oaks. This squirrel feeds on pine and oak seeds, so they are highly tied to a specific habitat. This squirrel feeds on pine and oak seeds, so they are highly tied to a specific habitat. Just the overall appearance of this squirrel makes it worth going out of your way to see it. It has a black head, forelegs and back. It has bright white ears and tip of nose making them stand out on the black head. The belly is tan to cream color, and it has a huge fuzzy tail that can be black to silver. Of course, in order to find one of these super shy and secretive squirrels, I did a lot of internet searches to learn of possible locations where I could find and photograph one. After sitting up late into the night, I made a list of possible locations. In the morning, I started making some calls. Most of the places were state and county parks. I called all of them. Only one had staff that picked up the phone. They told me yes, they have a couple of these squirrels. I dropped the phone and started driving. Upon arrival, I was given a map and location. It was a five-mile hike out to the location, so I packed up water, snacks, and camera gear and headed out. When I arrived in the area, I could see evidence of a Sherman’s Fox Squirrel eating the large cones produced by the Longleaf Pine trees but no squirrels. I was exhausted by the time I got back to my truck. The search continued. While driving through central Florida I stopped at another state park that had the right habitat. I drove in and talked to the staff who basically laughed in my face and said “good luck buddy” they are hard to find and super shy. The same thing happened at the next several parks that I stopped at. Next, I drove 1.5 hours south to a natural preserve that someone on Facebook had posted seeing one there. Upon arrival, the habitat wasn’t right. I drove down the road a little further and saw someone in their driveway. I risked it and drove onto their property. The homeowner wasn’t too pleased to see me. He said we don’t get many people out in the country. I inquired about the squirrels, and he said he had never seen one in the area. I was off again. I made a couple more phone calls and sent a few text messages to friends who know wildlife well and live in Florida. I got a few replies but no solid leads. The search continued like this for 3 days. Just when I got a promising lead, it never panned out. It was getting very frustrating, and I was beginning to think I wouldn’t be able to find one. A friend who was born and raised in Florida knew of the species and said the only place he had ever seen one was along a very rural road in the middle of nowhere. I had run out of leads and thought it was worth a try. One morning around 10 am I rolled up in the general area that my friend told me about. I had little to no hope of seeing one when all of a sudden, I saw one about 50 feet off the road heading towards a fence. I pulled the truck over and got out. I was able to grab a few images of the fleeing squirrel. It sat on the fence long enough to capture a few more. It jumped to a tree allowing for a couple more images. I came back a couple times over the next couple days and managed to capture a few more images. It was amazing. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Roadrunner AKD
Often when we look at nature, I think we assume that everything in a critter’s life is smooth and easy. No major challenges, risks or health issues. Just a clean natural way of life devoid of all the health and stressors that we humans relate to in our lives. Once again, I think we may miss the mark when we make such assumptions. I was thinking about this the other day while editing some images from my recent photo tour in New Mexico. On one cold and sunny morning, we spotted a Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) which was actively hunting along a small stream. It would run a short distance then stop and cock its head to look around for any prey. These birds often hunt small reptiles such as lizards, but it was too cold for any lizards to be running around. I got our small group of photographers to move up and get closer to the Roadrunner. When we got closer, we were able to capture some decent images of this adult bird but right away I could see something wasn’t right. Its upper bill had grown too long and was curved and starting to hook downward. Its lower bill appeared to be ok. This Roadrunner most likely had Avian Keratin Disorder (AKD) which is a disease that causes the beak to overgrow and deform. A Roadrunner uses its speed to overtake prey such as snakes, lizards and larger insects. But once it catches up to the prey it needs to grab them with its long-pointed beak. But if the top and bottom of the birds’ bill doesn’t match up, it makes grabbing and holding prey nearly impossible. AKD was first documented in southern Alaska in the late 1990’s in Black-capped Chickadees. Since that time, it has been seen all over the United States. The unchecked growth of the bill is caused by a virus in the Picornaviridae family. AKD is a debilitating and usually deadly disease for the bird that contracts it. The over-grown bill makes it difficult to obtain food and prohibits it from preening and feather care. A bird’s beak is made up mostly of bone. The upper and lower jawbone are modified to project outwards forming the base of the bill. The outer portion of the bill is covered in a sheath of keratin. This keratin is the same protein material that makes up our hair and fingernails. Just like your hair and nails, a bird’s bill continually grows starting at the base moving towards the tip. A bird’s bill doesn’t grow very fast, but when it does, it needs to be worn or filed down to prevent it from growing too large. Everyday activities in a healthy bird’s life work to keep the bill growth in check. Don’t get me wrong, there are other factors that can cause beak deformities in birds. It is thought that environmental contaminants such as toxic chemicals, in addition, nutritional deficiencies, trauma to the bill and or genetics can all lead to bill deformity. I am talking about AKD, a disease that was first reported in the 1990’s and in 2016 the virus was identified that is believed to cause this infection. Since this is considered a “newly” identified virus, studies are still underway and there is much to learn. How the virus is spread from bird to bird is yet to be understood. At least 30 species of birds are known to be affected by AKD. As of now, it is unknown whether a bird can recover from AKD, but it is assumed that they cannot, so the outcome is not good. What is known is that birds with beak deformities, no matter the cause, have a much higher rate of mortality. Having AKD makes it difficult to eat, thus a decrease in caloric intake. The decrease in food consumption causes the bird to become weaker. In addition, the deformed beak also prevents the bird from preening and cleaning its feathers resulting in feathers that are less effective in keeping them warm and dry, which also increases the weakness, and it just spirals downward. One thing for sure is that a bird’s life isn’t smooth, easy or tranquil. Every day is a series of challenges of survival. They need to find food and also not become food for another critter. I guess the bottom line is, nothing is easy in a bird’s life. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Long-tailed Weasel
I really am fascinated by the “uncommon” or different kinds of critters. I really like the kind of critter that are not like other animals and stand out with a specific feature or uniqueness. Which brings me to several encounters I had with a very cool and different kind of animal on my recent photo tours in Yellowstone National Park this winter. The Long-tailed Weasel (Neogale frenata) is one of those incredibly interesting critters that you hear about but rarely see or get a chance to interact. This animal is also known as the Masked Ermine or just Ermine. It is often mistakenly called Stoat. The Stoat is the Short-tailed Weasel (Mustele erminea) and is very similar but smaller and has a shorter tail. The Long-tailed Weasel in summer is brown with a whitish belly. The tail is also brown and has a distinct black tip. But one of the things that makes this critter so cool, is they turn all white, except for the tip of the tail which remains black, during winter. To add to this coolness, the Long-tails in southern regions don’t turn white in winter and the ones in the transition zone only turn partially white. This is an example of extreme adaptation to their environment. This adaptation is called erminism. The process of changing colors is triggered by the amount of available daylight. As the days get shorter in fall, the weasel produces a hormone called melatonin, which suppresses melanin production and causes the new growing fur to not have its normal coloring and as a result is white. In spring the hormone process reverses, and the newly growing fur is brown. The Long-tailed Weasel is a predator, make no mistake about that. They are an aggressive hunter, constantly moving around looking for its next meal. It hunts mostly small mammals such as mice and voles but will also hunt animals up to the size of a rabbit. They are technically called an obligate carnivore which means they don’t scavenge from dead animals. They are true hunters. Occasionally they will hunt small birds, especially ground nesting species, but it’s not unheard of for these weasels to climb trees. In fact, they often climb trees when they are being pursued by larger predators such as fox, coyote and bobcats. And yes, some small predators are hunted by larger predators. The Long-tailed Weasel dens in underground burrows, inside rock piles, under tree stumps but mostly in burrows made by other animals. They do not dig their own burrows. They also don’t use a burrow for very long. They have a nomadic lifestyle that is dependent upon their prey. One of their favorite burrows are that of chipmunks. They fit right inside and often use the fur of their prey to line the nesting chamber within. They are a member of the weasel family which means they have a well-developed scent gland, which produces a very strong and musky odor that is similar to skunks. Unlike skunks, weasels can’t spray their musk but rather it rubs its scent glands over surfaces like rocks and logs, which leaves the strong odor behind. During my photo tour of Yellowstone this winter, I found 3 Long-tailed Weasels over a 3-week period. Just a side note, seeing just one is amazing. Nearly all encounters with Long-tailed Weasels are usually super quick. Often, you see one running and jumping and then it’s gone, within a matter of seconds. The first two encounters were just like that. Saw them for a split second and then disappeared. But the third encounter was slightly different. The weasel was running across the road and dove into a snowbank. And just like that it was gone, but then it popped up out of the snow and took off across the road again. This time it jumped over the snowbank at the road’s edge and ran to the base of a fallen branch where it paused for just enough time to capture a few images. As funny as it might sound, this brief but exciting encounter with the Long-tailed Weasel was one of the highlights of this year’s winter trip to Yellowstone even though we had many encounters with wolves. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.