Rabbit vs Hare
Everyone knows the old saying about comparing apples to oranges. Sure they are both fruit but they look completely different. How about comparing rabbits and hares? Just like the apple and orange they are different species but the confusion comes because some of the rabbits and hares look exactly the same. The Eastern Cottontail rabbit is the most common and widespread rabbit in the lower 48 states. They are found in every state in the eastern half of the country and in some of the southwestern states. This is the familiar backyard bunny that is often responsible for eating your tulips in the spring and gnawing the bark off your newly planted trees in the winter. The Eastern Cottontail is just one of 9 species of cottontails found in the US. By any measurement this is a very successful group. It inhabits all sorts of habitat. There is an Appalachian Cottontail that only lives in the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. There is a Swamp Rabbit that lives in the swamps of Louisiana and there is a March Rabbit that lives in (you guessed it) the marches of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The deserts of the southwest have a cottontail called the Desert Cottontail. Just about any specialized habitat found in the US has a cottontail that has evolved to adapt and thrive in that habitat. All of these cottontails look very similar with only the length of their ears and the body size varying from species to species. All cottontail babies are born naked, with their eyes closed and are completely helpless. They are dependant upon their mother for warmth and nourishment for up to a couple weeks. No matter what you think of these small furry critters, there is no denying that they play a very important role in the web of life. Just about all the major predators from the Red-tailed Hawks to the Red Fox and Coyote, find rabbits a good source of food. And we all know how important it is to have an intact and complete ecosystem. And now let’s look at the apple or is it the orange as it may be– the hares. Hares are a group of animals that look very similar to the rabbits but there are some major differences. There are 6 species of hare in the US. Most of these are called jackrabbits such as Black-tailed Jackrabbit, White-tailed Jackrabbit or Antelope Jackrabbit. These common names help to add to the confusion between rabbits and hares. Some of the hares have names that help to define their differences such as the Snowshoe Hare, Arctic Hare and Alaskan Hare. But no matter if you call them Jackrabbits or Hares they all have the similar traits. Young hares are born with their eyes open, they are fully furred and able to run within hours. The nest they are born is nothing more than a simple scrape in the ground with very little if any nesting material. They spend so little time in the nest after birth that a warm comfortable nest is not necessary. Most but not all the hares chance color from brown in summer to white in winter. This is something that rabbits don’t do. At this time of year the hares are turning white to match the coming winter landscape. Here is an image of a Snowshoe that is in transition. This can be a very vulnerable time in the life of a Snowshoe because if there is no snow on the ground they will stick out like a snowball on blacktop. Until next time…
Winter
In many parts of eastern US, winter has arrived with a blanket of snow and bone chilling cold temperatures just in time for the holidays. It’s always good to have snow for Christmas. There is so much to enjoy at this time of year in the natural world. For example we are approaching the winter solstice on December 22nd. This is the official first day of winter despite what it looks like outside. So what does the solstice mean? The solstice is either of two times of the year when the sun has no apparent northward or southward motion. It’s the day when the sun’s setting position along the horizon stops changing. Solstice means “sun stop”. I think everyone knows the earth rotates or spins on an axis which gives us night and day. One complete spin takes 24 hours. However, I am not sure everyone understands the earth also tilts as it spins. It is the tilt towards or away from the sun that gives us our seasons, not the distance to the sun. So at the winter solstice we have tilted the furthest away from the sun and marks the shortest amount of daylight all year. It also gives us the longest shadows at noon. So if you go outside at noon on December 22nd the length of your shadow will never be longer. It also means the longest night. The good news is, after the solstice the days will start to get longer. Another interesting fact, at this time of year we are actually closer to the sun in our obit than we are during the summer months. You might think we should be warmer due to the closer proximity of the sun but since we are tilted away from the sun we only get a glancing blow of the suns energy, not a direct hit. During winter we are about 91 million miles from the sun as compared to about 94 million miles during the summer. Since we are in an oblong orbit around the sun it is said that we average about 93 million miles from the sun. During the winter solstice we have slightly less than 9 hours of sunlight which means we have about 15 hours of night. At the equinox, which is when the earth is not tilted and the sun lines up above the equator we have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of night and during the summer solstice we have about 15 hours of daylight and only 9 hours of dark. The earths tilt is also why at this time of year the southern hemisphere has summer while we have winter. The sun lines up at 23 degree south latitude giving the earth south of the equator more direct sunlight and the results are summer. The opposite happens during June 22nd when the sun lines up over 23 degree north latitude. So, if you live anywhere north of 23 degree north latitude you never get direct sunlight overhead. Since 23 degrees north latitude runs just above Cuba and runs directly through the middle of Mexico no one in the US ever gets the sun directly overhead. The southern tip of Florida and Texas would be about the closest you can get while still being in the US. Degrees latitude are numbered from 0 to 90 north and south. Zero degrees is the equator, the imaginary line which divides our planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. 90 degrees north is the North Pole and 90 degrees south is the South Pole. So I hope I have given you something to think about during these long cold dark nights this winter. Until next time…
Photography adventure with Stan Tekiela
Award winning author / naturalist and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela is teaming up with noted photographer Nathan
Bird Irruption
Winter brings us many surprises. By the definition, surprise means something unexpected. So what does Mother Nature give us that is unexpected? Bird irruptions. And yes, irruption is correctly spelled. In the bird world, the word irruption is defined as a periodic movement of a number of birds into unusual ranges for a season. In other words, some winters due to reasons that may or may not have to do with lack of food, certain populations of birds will move out of their breeding home range of Canada and come down into the US. This is one of those winters for a group of birds collectively called the “winter finches”. It contains birds such as the Red-breasted Nuthatch, Evening Grosbeak and Common Redpoll. Not all the members of the winter finch group are technically finches; it’s a mixture of birds that are all lumped together and given the name “winter finches”. It works for me. You might be able to experience this irruption of winter finches in your own backyard. Many people throughout the northern tier of states are reporting Red-breasted Nuthatches at their feeders. This smaller relative of the more familiar White-breasted Nuthatch normally breeds and nests throughout Canada and Alaska. They also breed up and down the Appalachian Mountains and Rocky Mountains. In most years a few break out of their breeding range and can be seen throughout the US. But in some winters, like this one, huge numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches fly out of their normal range and show up in backyards all over the place. Reports are coming in from nearly every state in the nation. Another of the winter finch tribe is the Common Redpoll. This tiny finch (this one actually is a finch) with a red cap, yellow bill and a streaked chest nests way up north in the arctic. Some years we don’t see them at all but this year was predicted to be a good year because of the poor birch tree seed crop. So far the prediction seems to be fairly accurate. In just the past couple of weeks we are seeing large numbers of these finches. They are almost always seen in small to medium sized flocks and are happy to visit any thistle feeder you have put out for them. So make sure your thistle feeder is full with fresh seed. Another member of the finch clan is the Bohemian Waxwing. This large fruit eater bird from the far north nests way up in the Northwest Territories of Canada along with Alaska. It is a sleek gray bird with beautiful yellow and red markings on its wings and tail. They look very similar to the more familiar Cedar Waxwing. Large flocks of Bohemian Waxwings make their way down to the US when berry crops are low in their home range. This year large groups of several hundred are being reported all over the US from Colorado to Connecticut. The Bohemian Waxwings will descend upon any tree that still bears fruit and will feed until they have striped the tree of all the fruit. It may take a day or two to consume all the fruit but once they do, they will fly off in search of the next fruit tree. They seem to really like the bright orange fruit of the Mountain Ash tree. I have several of these trees in my yard and they are the first berries to go. There has been very little to no movement of northern owls this winter. A few Snowy Owls have shown up in all the usually places but there seems to be no large scale movement of Great Gray Owls and Northern Hawk Owls. Sure a few have popped up here and there but nothing out of the ordinary. This is not going to be a good year for owls. Until next time…
Season’s Greetings
I hope everyone on the Nature Smart column list has a Happy Holiday and a wonderful New Year. Stan
Search for the Spirit Bear
Just getting to Shearwater British Columbia is an adventure, it is one of many small islands along the BC coast.
Snow Buntings
For the first time in several weeks the weatherman predicted that we would actually get a day of sunshine. During a northland winter the sun makes few precious appearances. So with that in mind I gave some serious thought as to what my photographic plans would be for the sunny day. As a wildlife photographer the sun is good for some species and bad for others. I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph with the available sunshine—Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis). The following morning I woke before dawn and drove 2 hours north of my house where the week before I had seen a small flock of Snow Buntings. Upon my arrival I was happy to see the buntings were still there. I quickly put on my wind pants and extra jacket, hat and heavy duty gloves in preparation for spending the next 5 hours sitting outside in single digit temperatures. Thankfully the wind was not an issue. Next I set up my blind and assembled my camera. I was happy to see that within 30 minutes the buntings seemed to totally ignore my blind and landed within 30 feet of my blind. The problem is, as it is with many flock birds, the moment one bird becomes nervous and flies the entire flock takes flight. Which means the birds would spend 15 to 30 seconds on the ground before blasting off, swirling around and coming back for another visit. While sitting in my blind waiting for the birds to come back I started thinking about the Snow Bunting and what an amazing little bird they are. They are only 6 or so inches long, about the size of a sparrow, with long broad wings that measure about 13 inches long–larger in proportion to their bodies than most birds. Snow Buntings are closely related to sparrows and can be found in northern regions around the world (circumpolar). Their genus name Plectrophenax comes from the Greek “plektron” meaning a claw-like tool used to play a sting instrument and refers to the long straight hind claw on the foot, and “phenax” meaning false, referring to only appear similar to a plektron. The species name nivalis is Latin for snowy, which describes this mostly white bird. The Snow Bunting spends its summers on breeding grounds in the Arctic north of the 66 degree North latitude. They occur from the Aleutian Island chain, across the Arctic of North America, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Scotland, northern Scandinavia and the Siberian Arctic and several islands in the Bering Sea. It is fair to say this is the furthest north nesting song bird in the world. Some say it’s the furthest north nesting bird of any kind. They nest in areas without trees and where the ground never thaws and snow is a year round occurrence. That is one tough bird. They construct a cup nest on the ground, often amongst rocks for added protection from wind and predators. The nest is lined with feathers and fur in which they lay four to six eggs. It is so cold, even in spring, that once the female starts to incubate she has to stay on the eggs 24 hours a day or the eggs will freeze and die. The male feeds the female while she sits on the nest. Between incubating and fledging of the young birds, it takes a total of 23-25 days. At the end of the breeding season flocks of birds leave their homes in the Arctic and disperse to southern Canada and the northern tier states, which is where I am photographing these birds. They feed on the ground scratching for seeds. They love to bathe in the snow and will burrow into the snow to keep warm in very cold conditions. I see many truly beautiful sights in my travels and while photographing wildlife. I speculate that I get to see more sunrises and sunsets than most people. I would rate the sight of a flock of Snow Buntings twisting and turning in flight against a deep blue winter sky as one of my favorites. Their stark black and white plumage and exceedingly long wings makes them look like snow flakes blowing and tumbling in the cold winter winds. It is simply a sight that you will never get tired of seeing. Until next time…
House Finches
Sometimes I think there is something seriously wrong with me. This goes beyond my normal nature inflicted maladies. For example, whenever I travel somewhere I notice something different about incredibly common things. For example, I am writing this column while I am in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains. I am here to speak at a wildlife conference and of course take a couple of days to slip away and do some photography. On one of my days away from the conference I was set up to photograph some Bluebirds when a male House Finch landed in front of me. About a millisecond after I started photographing the House Finch I noticed how different it looks from the House Finches in my home state of Minnesota. His red plumage was more pronounced and his black streaking was more defined. Also its brown cap was not as well defined as I would expect it to be. I would say that over all it looks brighter than the finches in the upper Midwest but not as red as the male House Finches I see in Arizona. I spend a lot of time in the southwest and see lots of House Finches and I can tell you the males are very bright red. I made several mental notes of the bird’s appearances and as soon as I could, I started to do a little research into the differences I was seeing in the House Finch. Low and behold there is a documented difference. Here is what I found. But first, let’s look at the little history of this oh so common bird. Originally the House Finch was found only in the southwestern states and Mexico. In the early 1900’s, thousands of these birds were captured and sold all over the eastern half of the country under the name of Hollywood Finches. In the 1940’s enforcement of songbird regulations were increased and bird owners and dealers all over the country released their birds into the wild to avoid prosecution. These newly released birds found each other and started to reproduce. By the 1960’s and 70’s they had colonized most of the eastern half of the country and by the 1980’s and 90’s had started to reach the northern states. Backyard bird feeders all over the eastern half of the country were suddenly hosting dozens of these colorful birds and they were quickly on their way to becoming the most numerous bird that visits birdfeeders. They adapted extremely well to their new eastern homeland and their ability to reproduce rapidly was amazing with young birds reproducing the first spring after they are born and, on average, nesting three times each season. Like a wave the House Finch swept across the eastern and central part of the country meeting up with their natural range relatives in the west in just 30-40 years. Along with the massive range change came a morphological change. House Finch males in the east have become more grayish brown and dusky red. Birds in the northern states were even less red and often showing just a tinge of red. In addition to the color change, House Finches in the east and north have shorter wings and tails, along with larger bills and significantly shorter legs and toes than their western relatives. It is thought that the body size and shape changes came from adapting to feeding at bird feeders. There are more people with backyard feeding stations in the eastern half of the country and increased feeding opportunities has lead to the changes in the body size and shape. They have shorter wings and tails because they don’t need to fly as far and the larger bill is to cope with black oil sunflower seeds which is the most commonly offered foods in most feeders. Or so the theory goes. So to summarize. The House Finch males in the southwest have the most vivid color and are larger with the eastern birds being duller and smaller while the northern birds have least amount of color of them all.
Rule Benders
Continuing with our theme of rule breakers in nature, I would like to take a look at some rule benders not breakers this week. Science tends to look at things as black and white, static or dynamic. We try to draw hard lines between subjects or concepts in science that helps us to better compartmentalize which helps our minds organize and understand. This might work in science, however in nature this kind of thinking and organizing only goes so far before you run into one of the rule breakers or benders. The reason why it doesn’t work in nature is because nature doesn’t stay the same. It’s always changing and adapting to the changing environment. The next time you are out in nature, take a look around to see it for yourself. Trees grow changing grassy fields into woodlands, animal and bird species change and adapt to the ever changing environment. This ability to change and adapt or to explore new possibilities or niches is why nature is so successful. Which is where the rule benders come in. The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a classic example of a nature rule bender. The robin is one of the most conspicuous and well known species of bird in North America. And what is it known for? It is known for its migration. In fact, it is so well known for its migration that it species name migratorius means migration. Many look to the returning of the robin as the first signs of spring. So why is this bird a rule bender? Well, not all robins migrate. Each winter, in northern states where winter is alive and well such as Minnesota, (where I live) I estimate there is about 1 percent of all the robins don’t migrate. In mid continent states I would estimate only half of the robins migrate and in southern states most don’t migrate at all. In fact they are joined by the robins from up north for the winter. The other day I was out photographing in zero degree temperatures and with light snow fall when a flock of 30-40 robins flew over my head. I always like to see this kind of thing because it illustrates how nature is dynamic and not predictable. These birds were not having any troubles handling the temperatures. As long as they can find enough food to eat they will make it through the winter just fine.
Return of the Bald Eagle
I consider myself a lucky man. For more than 20 years I have been making a living at photographing wildlife, writing books and leading birding tours. I can recall many of the trips I lead in the early and mid 80’s When I was first starting to see iconic bird species such as Loons, Osprey and Bald Eagles. I would pack up a van full of eager birdwatchers, with binoculars slung around their necks, and head out with great anticipation to see if we could find some Bald Eagles. We would drive hundreds of miles searching up and down the Mississippi River in late winter looking for the large black and white birds. If the weather was right, the ice conditions on the river correct and the winds in our favor we would get to see a handful of eagles but only after an entire day worth of searching. It was such a trill for myself and the birdwatchers because it was the first time many of them saw an eagle in the wild. I’m sure you already know, the Bald Eagle was at its all time low numbers in the 1970’s. The effects of DDT took its toll on the symbol of our great nation and put the bird on the ropes, headed for extinction. In most places in the country the bird was already gone. Entire generations of people grew up never seeing this majestic bird. I was fortunate because I lived in an area (Minnesota) that still had a small population of eagles clinging to life. Now, jump forward 25 or so years and I am still leading birding trips to see the bald eagles only this time it’s not so hard to find the birds. In fact on a recent trip along the Mississippi River I counted nearly 1000 Bald Eagles in one day. The group I was with took it all in stride. We would stop and see 150 to 200 eagles soaring in the blue sky and perched in the naked trees. Seeing such large concentrations of eagles was a thrill but no one in the group was jumping up and down or doing cartwheels as we might have done 20 years ago. I didn’t even hear anyone exclaim that they got goose bumps when seeing an eagle fly majestically over-head. I took a moment to reflect upon my past experiences with the Bald Eagle. I have personally seen this species go from a species tittering on the brink of extinction to one that flourishing. From an endangered species to a common species. I saw first hand the slow but steady increase, year after year, of this great bird. Each year I would tell stories to the group about my experience from the last time I was along the river photographing or leading a trip to watch the eagles and each time it seemed less and less important to the group. Almost taking the eagles for granted. I am not sure taking the success of the Bald Eagle is a good thing or bad thing but it’s a true thing. So, I really want to say, I am not the only one who is lucky. We are all lucky to see such a great success story unfold in front of us and for me in front of my very own eyes. I feel very pleased to have had this first hand experience with one of my favorite birds. This experience lives inside of me and the thought of it makes me stop and take a moment each time I see a Bald Eagle flying across the sky or perched in a tree. I am still as thrilled to see the eagles now as I was in those lean eagle times, and yes, I still do get goose bumps from seeing an eagle fly across a blue sky. For all of this, I consider myself a very lucky man. Until next time…