Visitors at Possum Creek

By Joshua York | Thursday, October 29, 2009, 08:21 AM

Blog: Katy Malcolm

For the last few days, Argonne Lake in Possum Creek MetroPark has been hosting twelve American coots. American coots dive for food, just like ducks. Once they dive, I like to guess where they will re-surface. I also like their feet. They are not webbed like members of the duck family, but lobed. Coots are members of the rail family. While most members of this family are solitary, coots are very social. They are almost always found in groups, and their interactions are entertaining to watch.

American Coots on Argonne Lake

American Coot

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Reflections of an Amateur Birder- Red-shouldered Hawk

By Doug Horvath | Saturday, October 24, 2009, 01:30 PM

Written by Lisa McGurk

My co-worker and I took a walk on the Blue Trail at Germantown Nature Center in search of Cedar Waxwings. While we struck out on those, we did see a couple of soaring hawks. He helped me to identify one of them as a Red-shouldered hawk (black banded tail, darker breast than a Red-tail Hawk). The Cornell Lab of Orinthology website (http://www.allaboutbirds.org) said that they are among the most vocal of the hawks, and this one was certainly living up to that reputation.

Another interesting fact about Red-shouldered Hawks is that while they may chase crows to steal their food (and vice versa), they also sometimes work with crows to chase Great Horned Owls away (the owls steal nestlings). Please share your favorite hawk tales in the comments section below.

Dan Voydanoff

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Reflections of an Amateur Birder- Waxwing Success

By Doug Horvath | Friday, October 23, 2009, 11:30 AM

Written by Lisa McGurk

We were leaving the Germantown Nature Center yesterday when my co-worker Skip stopped and told us to get a pair of binoculars. He said that there were Waxwings in the trees behind our Center. Sure enough we looked through our binoculars and saw Cedar Waxwings. It was a fairly large flock with about 30 birds. They are still hanging out today so we were able to get the spotting scope out and I had a really good look. One of the Waxwings very kindly sat still and groomed for me so I was able to see the red on his wingtips and details of the beautiful coloration of his head. If you get a chance to come to the Nature Center today, be sure to bring your binoculars and look for Waxwings in the trees behind the Center!

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A Simple Discovery

By Joshua York | Thursday, October 22, 2009, 11:52 AM

By Katy Malcolm

It is very difficult not to assume that the end of summer also means the end of butterflies. While walking around Possum Creek MetroPark this past Wednesday, I found a large number of butterflies still fluttering around the flowers. As a brand-new butterfly observer, it was a wonderful surprise. I had always assumed the butterflies would be absent by late October. My sightings included orange sulfurs, pearl crescents, and one mourning cloak. I went back to my notes from earlier in the year and found that it is not uncommon for several species of butterfly to persist into November. Sometimes you just have to see something for yourself before it sticks in your brain! Mourning cloaks usually vanish sometime in October, when they start hibernation. Since they over winter as adults, this butterfly can occasionally be seen flying around on sunny winter days. Pearl crescents over winter as larvae. Orange sulfurs overwinter as a chrysalis. I have managed to see three different types of butterfly with three very different strategies for facing the cold weather! What a fun thing to think about!

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Arizona Monarchs

By Beth Burke | Monday, October 19, 2009, 10:13 AM

What do you do for the winter if you are a monarch butterfly living in Arizona? Well, that’s what Chris Kline with the Southwest Monarch Study is trying to find out. Tagging the Arizona Monarchs and looking at the recovered tags will help with discovering the answer to this question. It has been understood for many years that the Monarchs living west of the Rocky Mountains migrate to the coast of California to spend the winter. The Monarchs that live east of the Rocky Mountains travel to Mexico to spend the winter. What happens if the Monarchs live below the Rocky Mountains? What Kline and other scientist have discovered so far is that Monarchs will travel either direction. Some of the tagged butterflies have been recovered in Mexico in the overwintering regions as well as on the coast of California in the overwintering colonies. How do the butterflies decide where they will send the winter? Is it just a random choice? Do the weather conditions or winds make a difference? Kline’s study will continue as he will look for the answers to these questions. Read more about Monarch migration at JourneyNorth.org

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Reflections of an Amateur Birder- American Crows

By Doug Horvath | Saturday, October 17, 2009, 12:43 PM

Written by Lisa McGurk

Skip, my co-worker at Germantown Nature Center, pointed out last week that crows are not protected from random killing by humans. Some people may see them as pests, but I have always admired crows for their ingenuity. A group of crows has been observed distracting a river otter to steal his fish. Some crows in captivity have been observed using tools such as sticks to get food out of difficult areas. I looked at the Cornell Lab of Orinthology website for more facts on crows.

They are social, sometimes forming flocks in the millions. They form communal roosts in the winter, reaching up to 2 million crows in a roost. Scientist believe that some roosts have formed in the same general area for over 100 years. Sadly, they are dying at high rates from West Nile virus- few seem to survive exposure. One captive crow amazingly lived to the ripe old age of 59. The more I learn about crows, the more I admire them. For more information, see: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Crow/lifehistory

Dan Voydanoff

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Watching Woodpeckers

By Joshua York | Thursday, October 15, 2009, 02:57 PM

Written By: Katy Malcolm

As more and more birds are pushing South I have begun to pay more attention to some of our year-round residents in MetroParks. Woodpeckers have always been some of my favorite birds to watch simply because they are so different from the others. Not many creatures have the ability to bang their heads repeatedly against a tree trunk and not get a major headache. We were lucky enough to spot this pileated woodpecker during our Adult Nature Walk at Sugarcreek MetroPark last week. The pileated woodpecker is our largest woodpecker and can be found in a wide variety of habitats. Woodpeckers can be fun to watch for extended periods of time. Their behaviors are entertaining and also give us an idea of how they live their lives. When looking for them, keep to forests or forest edges. Look for signs of woodpeckers, such as the above sapsucker holes. Make sure to listen closely for their territorial drumming as well as vocalizations. A woodpecker walk can be an incredibly rewarding experience!

For more information on Adult Nature Walks and Woodpecker Searches, visit www.metroparks.org.

Sapsucker Holes at Hills and Dales MetroPark

Pileated Woodpecker at Sugarcreek MetroPark Photo by Dan Voydanoff

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