Spring Shorebird Migration

I spent a day along the Jersey Shore (Delaware Bay side, away from the beachgoers) in search of migratory shorebirds making their way north. In particular, I was after the rare and elusive red knot. I failed to find any, but they were at the first beach I visited just hours before I arrived. Instead, I saw sandpipers, terns, laughing gulls, some oystercatchers, and even a few ruddy turnstones. Some of these birds nest and breed in New Jersey, while others are taking advantage of the horseshoe crab spawning as an opportunity to fatten up after flying nonstop from South America on their way to other areas. I also strolled around inland and found some egrets, osprey, purple martins, swans, geese, ducks, and songbirds. There were non-birds running around too: a muskrat, snake, deer, and of course lots of bugs. The sightings kept coming after I left. I spotted a great blue heron flying overhead, and a turkey flew across the road ahead of me as I made my way back home.

Unidentified sandpipers jumping for joy

Those sandpipers have friends

Here, we see hundred of birds flying over Delaware Bay

This beach had maybe a thousand laughing gulls.
Not pictured: the noise 

Species of the Month

Wherever you live, fishing season is in full swing. This month we'll profile one of the most common game fishes, the rainbow trout. They can be found in lakes and streams almost everywhere around the world, though introduced to many of them.

Rainbow trout (State Department)

Scientific name: Oncorhynchus mykiss

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Salmoniformes 

Range: Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico

Habitat: Aquatic, some also have a marine phase

Lifespan: 6-8 years average, up to 11 years
Diet: Insects, insect larvae, crustaceans, small fish, algae
Predators: Lampreys, eagles, osprey, herons, mergansers, bears, mink, river otters, seals, sea lions, other fish, humans

Fish on! (NPS)

Conservation Status: No special protection for freshwater only fish; nine populations of steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered

Steelhead (NOAA Fisheries)

Other information: Rainbow trout get their name from a colorful iridescent streak along the sides of its body. State fish and game agencies around the country raise them to stock streams and lakes for fishing season. Stocked trout remain in freshwater; some native trout along the west coast are anadromous (have a saltwater phase) and return to their birthplace to spawn and die. The anadromous trout are called steelhead. Females lay eggs in a gravel nest called a redd. Fertilized eggs hatch after a few weeks, and the hatchling remains attached to the yolk sack as a food source before leaving the redd for the wider world. Young trout tend to stick to slower, shallow water. Young steelhead remain in the stream for up to three years before heading out to sea. Due to habitat degradation and loss, several western steelhead species are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, introduced trout are becoming a problem in some areas. They eat and/or outcompete native fishes such as cutthroat and brook trout. They threaten genetic integrity by hybridizing with native species. They also carry a parasite responsible for whirling disease, which causes deformities that make a fish easier prey.

Steelhead (NOAA Fisheries)

This week's information comes from University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web and the US State Department, of all places.

Pond Life

Having spent three seasons doing amphibian egg mass surveys, I can tell you that there are two kinds of people: those who look at a pond from the outside and just see a pond, and those of us who have been in a pond and have seen little world contained within.

Northwest salamander egg mass

Just getting close to the pond changes your view of it. Driving by, you can easily define the shoreline. Walk up to the shoreline and you aren't so sure anymore when the ground gets softer and wetter.
The most obvious pond life is visible before you get to spongy edges. Ducks and geese are patrolling like an avian navy, while a great blue heron flies overhead. Lily pads dot the surface and the whole northern and eastern sides are cloaked in rushes and reeds. If you are still, you might hear the bullfrogs and Pacific tree frogs.

Pacific tree frog

Mallard duck

Put on your waders and step into another world. Look into the water and you'll see insects and their larvae on and below the surface: mosquitoes, craneflies, dobsonflies, and more. Tadpoles and the occasional small fish dart by. A squeak and a splash reveals a startled river otter. Attached to the plant life, you'll find frog, toad, salamander, and newt eggs. Some are below the surface, covered in algae. Some are on the surface, anchored to the stem of emergent vegetation.

Caddisfly larvae

Scoop up a water sample to look at under a microscope. In addition to the floating dirt and plant material, there are tiny shrimp-like critters a quarter inch long. Even tinier are the microscopic algae, protozoa, and bacteria.

Freshwater shrimp- either an isopod or a copepod

If it's a rainy day you won't see much below the surface, but the raindrops take on a totally different sound when they are falling all around you and only landing on more water.
I hope you enjoyed today's aquahike. Ponds are full of life, even if hidden in plain sight. It's a fragile ecosystem, so be kind to your local ponds.

Caution: beavers working

Species of the Month

Celebrate America with July’s Species of the Month. An American icon, the bald eagle is synonymous with freedom and power. Looking at them through a naturalist's eyes, they are also a symbol graceful elegance, keen vision, and superb scavenging skills.

Eagle in flight over Puget Sound

Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Aves (birds)

Order: Falconiformae (daytime birds of prey)

Range: Subarctic North America south to Mexico

Habitat: Large trees typically near water (freshwater or saltwater)

Lifespan: 15-19 years

Diet: fish (freshwater or saltwater), water birds (murres, herons, geese, etc), squirrels, voles, otter pups, rats, carrion, human garbage          

Predators: Adults not subject to predation; eggs and young are preyed upon by bears, raccoons, wolverines, bobcats, foxes, gulls, and corvids

Conservation Status: Species of least concern

Bath time (Photo by Ken Sutliff)

The intense gaze (Photo by Ken Sutliff)

Other Information: The bald eagle has been the US national symbol since 1782, despite objections from Ben Franklin. Listed as endangered in 1978, populations have rebounded dramatically and it was delisted in 2007, an Endangered Species Act success story. Some eagles are migratory, others are year-round residents, depending on location. In addition to hunting and scavenging, some will steal food from other species, particularly osprey. Bald eagles have a long lifespan. Eggs have a low success rate but one-year mortality rates are low. They mate for life but may take a new mate after one dies. Mating rituals include death-defying aerobatics. Bald eagles go through several color morphs before maturing into baldness at age five. Immature bald eagles are frequently confused with golden eagles. Bald eagles are extremely shy and will avoid humans as much as possible. I have a hard time sneaking up on them to get close enough for a good picture.

A whole pile of bald eagles over Mashel River in Eatonville, WA

This week’s information comes from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Haliaeetus_leucocephalus/ and special thanks to Ken Sutliff for the bald eagle photos.

Species of the Month: Garter Snakes

March’s Species of the Month is actually a genus containing species. To celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, Nature Minute will take a broad look at the many different garter snakes, which likely did not immigrate to America after being driven out of Ireland. We’ll also explore the myth of Patrick’s divine snake charming. Information and picture this month come from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web and Gartersnake.info. Our history lesson on Saint Patrick comes from National Geographic.

Scientific name: Thamnophis species

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Reptilia (reptiles)

Order: Squamata (lizards and snakes)

Range: Subarctic Alaska and Canada to Central America

Habitat: Varied. They can be found in forest, grassland, desert, and marshy areas. Commonly found near water.

Lifespan: 2-3 years on average, 6-10 years in captivity

Diet: Varied. May include amphibians, small rodents, small birds, small fish, insects, worms, snails, and slugs.

Predators: Fish, bullfrogs, snapping turtles, larger snakes, raccoons, great blue herons, hawks and falcons, foxes, skunks, weasels, squirrels, owls, house cats, coyotes, and crows.

Conservation Status: Dependent on species. Butler’s garter snake is listed as threatened in Canada and Wisconsin and listed as endangered in Indiana. Narrow-headed, northern Mexican, and giant garter snakes are threatened throughout their ranges and San Francisco garter snake is endangered. Eastern ribbon snake is threatened or endangered in the US and Canada. The two-striped garter snake is protected in California but not yet listed as threatened or endangered. The checkered garter snake is listed as threatened in Kansas.

One of three near-identical species of garter snake in the Northwest

One of three near-identical species of garter snake in the Northwest

Mountain garter snake (from California Herps)

Red spotted garter snake (from California Herps)

Other Information: There are 35 species of garter snakes and many have numerous subspecies. On the whole, garter snakes are very numerous, in spite of the above listings. Like all other snakes, garter snakes swallow their prey whole. They do not squeeze their prey (non-constricting). Most garter snakes are semi-aquatic and will likely be found in or near water. They are cold-blooded and require less food energy to regulate their body temperatures than mammals, birds, and other warm-blooded animals. However, that requires them to bask in the sun or on hot rocks to keep warm. This is why most snakes you encounter are just sitting idly. Here in Washington, there are three species of garter snake: The western terrestrial, northwestern, and common. All look very similar and come in a variety of colors. The only way to tell them apart is by counting scales.

The legend of Saint Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland stems from the absence of snakes on the Emerald Isle and ties in nicely with the Christian image of the serpent as an agent of evil. The myth of driving snakes from Ireland is likely a metaphor for Patrick’s Christianizing the people, driving paganism out of Ireland. Snakes were driven, or rather kept from Ireland by the last Ice Age. It was too cold for snakes to live there and by the time it became warm enough the sea level rose to the point that they could not slither there from England.

UM Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.org/

Gartersnakes.info: http://www.gartersnake.info/

National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140315-saint-patricks-day-2014-snakes-ireland-nation/

California Herps: http://www.californiaherps.com/index.html