Birding

by Jim Schwartz

SPRING BIRDING ACTIVITY was more rewarding this season than it has been for many years. Not only did we identify more species than usual but numbers were up significantly over what they have been in the recent past. Our first Baltimore oriole appeared on May 11, pretty much on schedule, and several have been busily feasting at our feeders ever since. The hummingbirds were a couple of days late this spring, showing up on May 12 instead of their regular May 10 date.

WARBLER SPECIES we identified were: yellow rump (myrtle), black poll, black and white, yellow, magnolia, Nashville, orange-crowned, chestnut sided, prothonotary, Canada, and American redstart. Other species visiting our lot were the scarlet tanager, red bellied woodpecker, rose-breasted grosbeak, goldfinch, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, chickadee, ruby-crowned kinglet, blue jay, downy woodpecker, sapsucker, hairy woodpecker, flicker, pileated woodpecker, chipping sparrow, swamp sparrow, white-throated sparrow, junco, veery, robin, brown-headed cowbird, tree swallows, barn swallows, and two or three kinds of flycatchers. A goldeneye has occupied one of our two nesting boxes; the other stands empty as far as we can tell.

FOREST TENT CATERPILLARS

by Jim Schwartz

ALTHOUGH THERE IS no way of knowing for certain, it appears that the forest tent caterpillar infestation this season will range from light to moderate in this area. The evaluation was made by Bob Tiplady, Department of Natural Resources specialist, who surveyed portions of Chariton Beach. His estimate was based on the number of egg masses he found at several different locations. The late spring cold snap may also have had a limiting effect on caterpillar populations. That not only delayed the hatching process, but the occurrence of several successive nights of freezing temperatures could have killed off at least some of the little critters as they came off the hatch.

TIME WILL TELL. Typically, the caterpillars munch away on aspen, basswood and other deciduous tree leaves through June and into July, often defoliating trees completely. By the third week in June, the infestation usually reaches its peak; the caterpillars go into their final cocoon stage in July; the moths then emerge and lay their eggs on tree twigs and the next spring the whole process starts over again. Defoliation can set a tree back but it usually bounces back, produces new leaves and survives. If infestation turns out to be worse than expected, there are some web sites you can turn to for information on how to keep the caterpillars off your trees, buildings or wherever they may tend to lurk:

Besides songbirds, a natural predator that will eventually control caterpillar numbers is what is often called a "friendly fly," a non-biting insect that is slightly larger than a deer fly and can be recognized by its gray and black striped back.

top of page