WHAT'S NEW IN NATURE?

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December:

Pileated woodpeckers are the largest of the common woodpeckers found in North America. Body size 16 to 19 in. wingspan, 26 to 30 in and weight: 8.8 to 12.3 oz. These crow-sized birds present a memorable sight with their zebra-striped heads and necks, long bills, and distinctive red crests.
Pileated woodpeckers forage for their favorite meal, carpenter ants, by digging large, rectangular holes in trees. These holes can be so large that they weaken smaller trees or even cause them to break in half. Other birds are often attracted to these large openings, eager to access any exposed insects.
Pileated woodpeckers do not discriminate between coniferous and deciduous trees—as long as they yield the ants and beetle larvae that make up much of the birds' diet. It uses its long, sticky tongue to poke into the holes and drag out the ants. Woodpeckers sometimes access these morsels by peeling long strips of bark from the tree, but they also forage on the ground and supplement their diet with fruits and nuts. Although the pileated woodpecker is adapted to clinging to the sides of trees, it is a strong flyer and it will even sometimes hop around on the ground.
The call is a wild laugh, similar to the Northern Flicker. Their enthusiastic drumming sounds like a loud hammering, and is audible for a great distance. Woodpeckers also drum to attract mates and to announce the boundaries of their territories. Pairs establish territories and live on them all year long.
The birds typically choose large, older trees for nesting and usually inhabit a tree hole. In eastern North America, pileated woodpeckers declined as their forest habitats were systematically logged in the 19th and 20th centuries. In recent decades, many forests have regenerated, and woodpecker species have enjoyed corresponding growth. The birds have proven to be adaptable to changing forest conditions.
The Pileated Woodpecker was the model for the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker.
This information and more can be found at:
NH National Geographic Animals


November:

Don was walking in the woods near his house last month when he looked down and picked up something that looked like a green sea urchin (spines and all), he looked around the ground and saw another. Puzzled about what these were, he looked up and realized that the tree he was standing next to was an American Chestnut! It appeared to be very healthy and was making chestnuts.
Almost all of the American Chestnuts were killed by a blight that began attacking them early in the 1900s. The fungus was likely introduced to North America on nursery stock from Asia and was first observed killing trees in the Bronx Zoo, in New York City in 1904.  From there, Chestnut blight spread rapidly through eastern North America, and across the entire natural range of the Chestnut. An estimated 4 billion American chestnuts, one quarter of the hardwood tree population, grew within this range.
The American chestnut tree was an essential component of the entire eastern US ecosystem. A late-flowering, reliable, and productive tree, unaffected by seasonal frosts, it was the single most important food source for a wide variety of wildlife from bears to birds. Rural communities depended upon the annual nut harvest as a cash crop to feed livestock. Although the nuts are smaller than other kinds of chestnut, they are very delicious.
  The chestnut lumber industry was a major sector of rural economies. Chestnut wood is straight-grained and easily worked, lightweight and highly rot-resistant, making it ideal for fence posts, railroad ties, barn beams and home construction, as well as for fine furniture and musical instruments.
Early attempts at controlling Chestnut blight involved crossing the Chinese Chestnut with the American Chestnut, in hopes that some of the hybrids would show resistance as well as the upright form of the American Chestnut. It wasn't very successful. Recently, a new program involving several generations of backcrosses to the American chestnut was initiated in another attempt to breed resistance with good tree form. The American Chestnut Foundation is working hard to bring back this magnificent tree.
Visit their website to learn more: American Chestnut Foundation
And watch out for those "sea urchins" in the woods!

October:

Jed heard and then saw a large "roost" of crows in East Washington. Just before he took this picture he said there were literally ten times as many birds sitting in the trees and he caught this big group as they were taking off. They may have been chatting about the great meal they just ate in the Eccard's corn fields.
The crow is a big, glossy, black colored bird approximately 17 to 20 inches long with a strong stout build and a compressed bill. On a bright sunny day, crows sometimes look dark purple. They range all over North America, and are well-adapted to diverse habitats.
They thrive in mountains, woodlands, across plains and farmers' fields, and throughout urban areas. They are omnivorous - they will eat anything edible, and many things which aren't. Their regular diet includes animal and vegetable matter, insects, crops (especially corn), and occasionally the eggs or young of other birds. They also scavenge carrion, garbage, and eat wild and cultivated fruit and vegetables.
Despite their bad reputation for eating crops, crows also eat a number of pests which are harmful to those same crops, including cutworms, wireworms, grasshoppers and even noxious weeds.
The crow is one of the most intelligent of all birds.Their intelligence is apparent in their ability to communicate a wide range of messages with their call. A crow can communicate warning, threat, taunting, and cheer to other crows by varying the “CAW” sound it makes. Their cries of warning are specific enough that some animals other than crows are also able to use them as signals of dangerous predators.
They will congregate into huge flocks of up to several thousand in fall and winter. These large flocks are the result of many small flocks gradually assembling as the season progresses, with the largest concentration occurring in late winter.
Crows are smart, quite adaptable and noisy neighbors that can be lots of fun to observe.

September:

Photos by Lillian Stokes
September is considered by many birdwatchers as the month of the Hawk, for it is when hawk migration is at its peak. Hawks journey over many thousands of miles from their summer breeding grounds to their winter quarters and many of them travel together.
The birds known as diurnal raptors are birds of prey that are sometimes referred to simply as “hawks.” They include eagles, falcons, ospreys, kites and harriers as well as hawks. Among thirty-two species that occur regularly in North America, at least twenty are migratory ­ moving seasonally to exploit food resources. They range in size from the diminutive American kestrel (not much bigger than a robin) to the massive bald eagle with a wingspan of more than six and a half feet.
Many of these birds travel long distances, migrating from Canada to South America. During these annual migrations they often gather in huge numbers along coastlines and mountain ridges where geography and local weather interact to bring them together. At these special places, biologists, citizen scientists, birdwatchers, and the interested public also gather to identify and count these raptors or simply to enjoy one of nature’s most magnificent spectacles.
One place you can do this locally is New Hampshire Audubon's Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory, located on the summit of Pack Monadnock in Miller State Park in Peterborough. Pack Monadnock is one of several locations in the state where large numbers of migrating hawks are regularly seen in the fall; more than 10,000 hawks were counted from the Observatory in 2006. The auto road to the summit parking lot in Miller State Park allows almost anyone to reach the Observatory and experience this spectacle firsthand.
A short improved trail leads from the parking lot to the site of the Observatory where there is a stable outdoor observation platform with rock benches. Large interpretive panels describe the project and provide visitors with a full-color key to identifying the raptors of New England. The best days for viewing are warm and sunny, with winds from the northwest, especially during early to mid-September. The Observatory is open and staffed every day from September 1 to October 31. You are invited to visit and watch the show of migrating hawks and learn all about it.
This information and more can be found at:
NH Audubon Migrating Hawks

August:

Photo by the National Park Service
Someone mentioned seeing a pair of bear cubs out near Journey's End. Mama bear wasn't spotted but chances are she was near by.
Bear cubs are born in winter dens during January after a gestation period of about 8 months. Newborn cubs are born hairless, with eyes closed, measuring 6-8 inches in length, and weigh less than 1 pound. Cubs stay with their mother for approximately 18 months and den with her again during the following winter. When they are a year and a half old, cubs leave their mothers prior to the June/July mating season.
Mother bears are rarely aggressive toward humans, but they are protective of their cubs. A mother bear will usually give many warning signs (huffing or popping sounds, swatting the ground or even bluff charges) to let you know that you are too close. Move away as described below.
If you see a bear, keep your distance. Make it aware of your presence making sounds. If you get too close to a bear, it may slap the ground, huff, blow and chomp its teeth or rush you (this is referred to as "bluff charge") in an attempt to get you to move a more comfortable distance away. If this occurs, maintain eye contact with the bear, speak in a soft, calm voice and slowly back away from the bear. These actions will help appease the bear and show that you are not weak, but, at the same time, not a threat to the bear. Do not run, avert your eyes or turn your back to the bear. The bear may perceive weakness and enforce dominance. The bear's bluff charge and chomping of teeth are a defense mechanism to establish the bear's dominance in an encounter with humans or a more dominant animal in the wild. Bears can outrun, out-swim and out-climb you. If you are attacked by a black bear, you should fight back rather than "play dead."
Black bears are capable of killing people, but it is an extremely rare occurrence. The last time someone was killed by a black bear in New Hampshire was 1784. Black bears, like all wild animals, should be treated as unpredictable animals.
Here are a few tips:
• Normal trail noise should alert bears to your presence and prompt them to move without being noticed. However, if you see a bear, keep your distance. Make it aware of your presence by clapping, talking or making other sounds.
• If a bear does not immediately leave after seeing you, the presence or aroma of food may be encouraging it to stay. Remove any sight or smell of foods. Place food items inside a vehicle or building. Occupy a vehicle or building until the bear wanders away.
• Black bears will sometimes "bluff charge" when cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground and slowly back away.
• Enjoy watching black bears and other wildlife from a distance. Respect them and their right to live in wild New Hampshire.
• Black bears do not typically exhibit aggressive behavior, even when confronted. Their first response is to flee. Black bears rarely attack or defend themselves against humans.
This information and more can be found at:
NH Wildlife Bear Facts
Learn to Live With Bears
Frequently Asked Bear Questions

July:

Purple loosestrife is native to Eurasia. It was originally introduced to eastern North America in the early to mid 1800's. One of the most persistent invasive plant species in New Hampshire is also widely regarded as one of the most beautiful.
It is a perennial herb with a square, woody stem and opposite or whorled leaves that grows to between 3 and 6 feet tall. Purple loosestrife flowers from July through August in New Hampshire, and is named for its bright purple flower that spikes from the top of the plant. One plant may grow as an individual stalk or as several stalks clumped together.
Invasive plants share several characteristics that help them thrive and dominate in new environments. Most invasive plants produce a lot of seed-a single purple loosestrife plant can produce 2 million viable seeds per year, have aggressive root systems, colonize in disturbed areas, and are habitat generalists.
Optimum habitats include freshwater marshes, open stream margins, and alluvial floodplains. Purple loosestrife also occurs in wet meadows, river banks, and edges of ponds and reservoirs. It favors fluctuating water levels and other conditions often associated with disturbed sites, such as construction sites for docks or marinas. Purple loosestrife is often associated with cattail, reed canary grass, and other moist soil plants.
Purple loosestrife is a problem because it negatively affects wildlife and agriculture. Purple loosestrife displaces and replaces native flora and fauna, eliminating food and shelter for wildlife. By reducing habitat size, purple loosestrife has a negative impact on fish spawning and waterfowl habitats. The plant also diminishes wetland recreational capability. Purple loosestrife affects agriculture by blocking flow in drainage and irrigation ditches and decreasing crop yield and quality.
If you find purple loosestrife pull or dig it up, first year plants are easy to pull. It can be difficult to pull established plants, owing to the extensive root mat. Plants will resprout unless the entire root is removed by digging. Time your attack before it flowers or just as it starts flowering from the bottom up. Later than this allows the plant to make seeds which spread quickly. If you need to see the flowers before digging, do so but burn or bag your Loosestrife for disposal. Do NOT compost it.

More information can be found at:
NH DES site
NH DOT Report on Purple Loosestrife
Invasive Plants in the Upper Valley

June:
Turtles!

What to do if you find a turtle crossing the road
From the end of May to the end of June, New Hampshire motorists and pedestrians are very apt to meet turtles in the middle of the road. At this time of year, they are females out to lay eggs, a biological imperative that must be obeyed. Often people have a commendable desire to help these slow-moving creatures out of a risky situation. In that case, it is best to move the turtle to a safe place in the direction in which she was heading. It is also important to keep in mind that turtles have a home range and females often return to the same general area to lay eggs. Removing the turtle from the place where she is found and taking her to an area that seems "safer" is therefore not a good idea.
Snapping turtles tend to be out early in the day. These are large, solid-colored turtles with pointed heads and a line of bumpy spines going down the center of their long tails. Although smaller ones may be safely carried by the tips of their tails with outstretched arm and the bottom shell (plastron) facing you, treating larger ones this way may cause injury to their tails and they should be carried by their back legs instead. Given their surprisingly long necks and strong jaws, however, many of us feel hesitant about getting up this close and personal. If traffic is light enough to make it possible, use a stick to gently tap the edge of the shell near the tail to try to hasten the turtle to the side of the road. Bear in mind that a turtle, even when hastening, isn't moving very fast. If this is not feasible, it might be a good idea to keep a snow shovel in your car for carrying purposes. After all, who is to say that it won't snow in New Hampshire in May or June?
In the afternoon the turtle most often met is the familiar Eastern Painted Turtle with yellow and red head markings and red on the edges of the top shell (carapace). This species does not pose any danger. If small, the painted turtle may be safely lifted and carried by the edges of her shells with one hand; larger ones should be moved using two hands with the fingers holding the bottom shell and the thumbs on the top. Most painted turtles respond to being lifted by tucking themselves into their shells but some are apt to move their feet rapidly in an effort to escape. Be prepared for this reaction so you are not startled into dropping the turtle and causing harm. - This information and more found at: NH Audubon Society
More about turtles:General information on turtles of New Hampshire
Information on turtle conservation

May:

American Kestrel, Photo credit: USFWS
Mark had an American Kestrel hang out with him for about 5 hours when he was working outside one day. He said it was not shy at all and kept landing on his equipment (which was running at the time) and flying around between the barn and the yard. Carol said that Kestrels like to hang out around farms eating small rodents and birds, and bugs.
They are approximately 9-12" in size and recognizable in all plumages by a rusty tail and back. The adult male has slate-blue wings and the female has rusty wings and back with narrow bands on tail. Both sexes have 2 black stripes on face.
Unlike larger falcons, the "Sparrow Hawk" has adapted to humans and nests even in our largest cities, where it preys chiefly on House Sparrows. In the countryside it takes insects, small birds, and rodents, capturing its prey on the ground rather than in midair like other falcons. Kestrels are active during the day and prefer an "open country" habitat found in fields, heaths, and marshland. When hunting, the Kestrel hovers, almost stationary, about 10-20 m above the ground searching for prey. Once prey is sighted, the Kestrel makes a short, steep dive toward the target.
Kestrels use old nests of other birds or nest in holes in trees, cliff ledges or even man-made structures, such as bridges. 3-5 eggs are laid around late April to May, with about two days between each egg. The female does most of the incubating and is fed by the male. The male calls as he nears the nest with food; the female flies to him, receives the food, and returns to the nest. After the eggs hatch, the male continues to bring most of the food. The young stay with the adults for a time after fledging, and it is not uncommon to see family parties in late summer.

April:

This picture of Earth is provided by NASA's Terra satellite. Terra is the flagship of NASA's Earth Observing System, a series of satellites gazing down on our planet from the unique vantage point of space. You can find more beautiful shots of our planet here: NASA Terra and Visible Earth

In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd why don't we all try to "Go Green" in a few little ways to help out the earth and conserve our natural resources. The following are web links with suggestions for a few things you can do every day to help fight waste and warming and make your environmental footprint smaller.
Here are some "GO GREEN" web links:

Tree Hugger guides - "Tree Hugger's guides to going green" Tons of guides and tips for going green. Don't be afraid of this one just because it's called "Tree Hugger", there is a wealth of information here on many subjects.
GreenWorksGov - GreenWorksGov is a blog about how to organize a “green office” program and what to do to make “green” a reality.
World Watch Tips - "Ten ways to go green and save green"
Recycling tips - All about recycling, what it is , how to do it, why it is important
the EPA's Green Shopping tips - Ways to go green while shopping
For Teachers: Go Green Initiative - Ways to implement a Go Green Initiative at school and get kids involved in environmental responsibility
Green work place choices - Ways to help your workplace make green choices
Sierra Club's Green workplace choices "10 Ways to Go Green at Work"
Lighter Footstep "Ten first steps toward a lighter, more sustainable lifestyle"
For your Power - Recycle — Save Energy, Resources and the Environment
Eco Friendly gifts - Eco Friendly Gift Bags
Natural Resources Defense Council - Actions you can take in your daily life
Water Resource Use - Information about wise use of water resources
Water Conservation - Water conservation whys and hows
Solar and Renewable power - Facts about solar energy and renewable resources
For Kids:PBS for kids - PBS site with lots of info, games, and links for kids
EPA's site for Kids of all ages
For Teens:Youth Noise - Sustainability challenges to live a more eco-concious lifestyle.
The Story of Stuff - The Story of Stuff project, all about bottled water and more movies

Now go surf the web and see what else YOU can find and good luck going green! Little changes in your life style add up to big savings and a healthier planet!

March:

Both Mark and Nan reported recently seeing weasels running across the snow in different locations. We wondered what kind of weasels they could be and we were surprised to find out that New Hampshire has weasels in abundance with 6 members of the weasel family living here.
Which one of the winter weasels were they? The family includes (from smallest to largest): Ermine (also known as the short-tailed weasel), Long-tailed weasel, Pine marten, Mink, Fisher and River otter. All of these, except the marten, are common to abundant throughout most of New Hampshire, but most of us can count on our hands the number of times we have seen any one of them. They may be abundant, but are scarce to our view. Two species, the ermine and long-tailed weasel, disappear nearly completely in winter by turning white as snow! If you can spot any weasel, then you are doing remarkably well!
Weasels, by their very nature, keep themselves scarce. Most of them are either most active after dark, or, as in the case of the otter, are active at first light of morning. They leave an abundance of sign in our forests or along our rivers. When the Fish and Game Department did numerous winter snow tracking census lines in the early 1980s, fishers were the most frequently observed tracks -- even more common than squirrels! Fisher are found practically everywhere there is plentiful cover of softwoods, including our backyards. Their distinctive two-two-two (: : : :) cantered prints in the snow leave ample signs to find. Learning the signs of these small predators will open a whole new world of wildlife for you to discover in your area.
-- Eric Orff, wildlife biologist, N.H. Fish and Game
Lots more information about these 6 weasels can be found here: New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife Website


February:

Mark reports seeing bobcat tracks up in the hilly, wooded area above the corn field. It appeared to him that the Bobcat was chasing down a squirrel but wasn't successful in making a meal of it.
The Bobcat is the last survivor of three wildcats that once roamed the New Hampshire woods. Mountain lions (also called cougars, panthers or catamounts) were gone from the state by the late 1800s. The bobcat's taller cousin, the lynx, lived in northern New Hampshire through the 1950s. Today, only the tenacious bobcat is still here. No one knows for sure, but probably several hundred bobcats still live in the Granite State. The southwestern corner of New Hampshire has the most consistent reports of bobcat sightings.
For centuries, bobcats were killed for bounty in New Hampshire, and by the late 1970s, bobcats had become scarce. New Hampshire's hunting and trapping seasons for bobcat were finally closed in 1989. In less than a decade, bobcats went from being bountied in New Hampshire to being completely protected.
The bobcat population in New Hampshire has increased since that time, but not by much, because now the state's bobcats face new challenges. Fishers and coyotes compete with bobcats for a dwindling prey pool, and encroaching development breaks up the large blocks of habitat bobcats need. Humans have ushered in another dangerous element: busy roads that can be deadly for the wide-ranging animals.
Bobcats often roam between brushy swamp areas and the high-elevation habitat they prefer. Rocky, south-facing slopes and near-summit ledges of mountains offer protection, a safe place to raise kittens and a chance to soak up the sun. The bobcat's only real social grouping is females with kittens -- usually about 3 to a litter, dependent on their mothers for 9 or 10 months. This solitary lifestyle means bobcats need space, and lots of it. Females stake out a territory of about 12 square miles, and males roam over about 36 square miles. A lot depends on the availability of food -- snowshoe hare and cottontail rabbits are the bobcat's favorite, though they will eat mice, chipmunks, wild turkeys and even an occasional deer. Ongoing efforts to conserve, connect and manage protected lands continue to be the best bet for helping New Hampshire's last wildcat survive.
Winter is an especially tough time for bobcats in New Hampshire. Food is scarce, and the bobcat's short legs and small feet aren't well suited to hunting in deep snow. Driven by hunger during the cold months, bobcats sometimes gravitate to barns and porches in search of food, or stalk birds and squirrels at backyard feeders. Many young bobcats, as well as some adults, don't survive winters with long periods of deep, fluffy snow.
Information found at: NH Wildlife reports

January:

Here's a Bright idea for the new year!
In the United States, we use one-quarter of our average home energy budget in electricity for lighting. Most of that electricity powers incandescent lightbulbs, which are notoriously inefficient. If you replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent lights (CFLs) you conserve energy by yielding three to four times the amount of light as incandescents for every watt they consume. That's 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. Since they're so long-lasting, you'll only replace one CFL for every 13 incandescent bulbs you use, saving resources and landfill space. Plus, for every one CFL you install, you'll keep 180 pounds of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere. You won't just be doing the environment a service - you'll save $25 to $45 in energy costs for each CFL you use.
A typical Energy Star® rated Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) lasts up to 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb, meaning fewer bulb changes for a hard-to-reach light fixture. Energy Star® CFLs come in a variety of shapes, color temperatures and brightness. They screw into standard sockets, and give off light that looks just like the common incandescent bulbs - not like the fluorescent lighting we associate with factories and schools. They are safer because they burn at a lower temperature (100 degrees F) than incandescent and halogen lights, which can burn at temperatures up to 1000 degrees F.
PSNH promotes the use of CFLs with the nhsaves Lighting Catalog. You can look for energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs in the latest issue of this catalog, which features lighting and other energy saving products for an efficient, comfortable and safe home. PSNH customers can shop the catalog online at nhsaves.
To obtain a copy through the mail, call 1-877-647-2833 or provide your name and address information on this nhsaves catalog request form and a catalog will be mailed to you.
Look for the Energy Star® logo whenever you buy appliances or energy consuming products, it will help you save money and help the environment!

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