northeast-flora-and-fauna

Though my Sibley Guide to Birds suggests they should be rarely spotted here in New Jersey, it's fairly common to see a flock of Sandhill Cranes in Franklin Township most winters. This is a species that's mostly been a bird living more in the central part of the continent, wintering in Mexico and Texas while wintering in central Canada and some parts of the Midwest US. (They're named after the Sandhills of Nebraska.) But these cranes apparently didn't get the memo and are wintering with us instead.  There seems to be a lot more NJ sightings of cranes , including some apparently hybridizing with a European cousin, the Common Crane . AFAIK the cranes in Franklin aren't hybrids but pure Sandhills. From a distance these guys might give you a Great Blue Heron vibe, though the Sandhill Crane is somewhat bigger bird with a straighter neck. They're also birds that are frequently found in a flock, while Great Blue Herons live more solitary lives. And while Great Blue H

Here's another bird that I'm seeing and hearing quite a bit of lately, presumably signaling their breeding season too: the Eastern Towhee . The towhees are our largest sparrows , and the Eastern Towhee is also one of the most distinctively colored sparrows too, making them easier to ID than the sparrows that are a variation of the little brown bird. My field guide says that they're singing things like "jink denk te-e-e-e-e-e" and calling things like "chewink" or "zhwink", but to me I'm hearing it more like a lispy "thweet". And I've been hearing quite a bit of it over the last couple weeks. Yesterday I talked about how the Northern Flicker used to be considered 2 different species but are now considered 1. That theme is reversed with the Eastern Towhee, which along with the similar-looking Spotted Towhee used to be considered the Rufus-sided Towhee. The Spotted Towhee is lives out west but will interbreed with the Eastern T

A couple weeks ago I told you about a fencing duel between Northern Flickers ; over the last couple weeks it's apparent that Northern Flicker breeding season is under way. I'm seeing and hearing way more of these woodpeckers than I usually do. (They sound a little like their bigger Pileated Woodpecker cousins, which in turn sounds slightly like a maniacal laugh to me.) If you're out in the woods this week, look (and listen) for these guys. I'm hearing them a lot right now. Our Northern Flickers used to be called Yellow-shafted Flickers (denoting yellow wing/tail feathers seen best during flight) while the western US had a species called the Red-shafted Flicker (denoting reddish wing/tail feathers). Eventually ornithologists determined that the Yellow-shafted Flickers and the Red-shafted Flickers interbreed sufficiently willingly (where both species are present) that the birds evidently considered one another to be the same species. This led to ornithologists to merge

Many people would like to think that the birds they see soaring above them are Bald Eagles , though Turkey Vultures , Black Vultures , and Red-tailed Hawks are much more common. And since the birds are frequently pretty high up in the sky, you aren't necessarily going to get a really good look at them. Here's sort of a beginner's guide to IDing these birds, where I'll stay away from the subtle points. First up is a Turkey Vulture. Sometimes like in this picture you'll see a flash of their red heads, but even from much further away you can usually see pale feathers starting from the ends of the wings, going along the backs of the wings, finally ending at the body itself. In this picture the pale feathers contrast quite a bit from the dark feathers to look white; most of the time the difference in feathers is more subtle than this, though the outline is always there, and this unusual amount of contrast demonstrates it well. February 1, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 184269

Here's another Belted Kingfisher I met extremely late last fall. I've shown these guys before , and although it's easy to "encounter" these birds (a fleeting look at a fleeing bird, a long distance look across water, or hearing their trilling call), getting recognizable pictures is a less reliable endeavor. People will sometimes try and get one of the birds they see identified though their descriptions match nothing in the area (or maybe nothing on the planet). A sighting of a "blue woodpecker" is an example of that. What could the bird have been? If it's a bird poking around on a tree, a Red-breasted Nuthatch  or a White-breasted Nuthatch are strong candidates. Though more of a bluish-gray than a conventional blue, they navigate tree trunks adroitly like woodpeckers, and they are looking for insect food up there. A Blue Jay might store food like acorns in a tree for eating later in the season and are happy enough to eat insects on trees if they f

Here's an American Red Squirrel I met last fall. Though smaller and less common than our Eastern Gray Squirrels, the ARS is considered a feisty competitor for the EGS. And while we think of squirrels being all about the nuts, the ARS is more omnivorous than you'd probably expect, and will raid bird nests if given the opportunity. Despite similar-looking fur, the American Red Squirrel isn't especially closely related to Eurasia's Red Squirrel . The Eurasian Red Squirrel is actually under threat from an invasive species, our Eastern Gray Squirrel, which is taking over the ERS's territory. This is one example of one of our native species that becomes a dangerous invasive animal elsewhere. I suspect that if I paid more attention to squirrels in general, I'd probably see more of our ARSs. But since most of the squirrels I do see are the extremely common EGSs, I do fall into the habit of ignoring them unless they're doing something special. November 27, 2021 at D

Last fall I met a little flock of Eastern Bluebirds . Our bluebirds are frequently found in these small flocks, at least when they haven't paired off to start a family. They are fairly small thrushes , noticeably smaller than their American Robin cousins. (Robins outweigh bluebirds more than 2:1, though the size difference may not be apparent when you see them.) Like robins, our bluebirds are year-round residents in New Jersey. While both our robins and bluebirds have orangish breasts, I can't tell you this typical of thrushes; most other thrushes lack this characteristic. November 21, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 170814186, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Late last fall I thought I was taking a picture of (part of) a flock of European Starlings , and that's mostly who was up there. When I got home though I saw an infiltrator/visitor in their midst, an American Robin . Both these species like to flock, but there are differences. European Starlings will sometimes team up with grackles and blackbirds to form those massive flocks of small birds you sometimes notice from far away. I'm not sure how big a robin flock can get. Though I frequently see them together, I usually see them in smaller groups like 2-15 robins. My impression is that if there are other birds around, it's more of a coincidence than birds actually flocking with the robins, though it's difficult to know how the birds consider each other. My impression is that starlings are frequently bullies around bird feeders, but I don't see robins at feeders a lot so it's difficult to know how these species interact . And generally speaking, birds like being in g

Here's someone that was probably migrating through NJ but stopped by the Duke Farms lakes to catch its breath and catch a meal, an Osprey . This fella was obscured by some trees but is still recognizable with that white head with the dark line going through the eyes. In this picture the Osprey was overlooking Otter Lake, though I suspect this is the same Osprey I saw a couple days later at Vista Lake. I suspect this was more of a rest stop for the Osprey since I haven't seen it in over a week now. I'm not sure why an Osprey pair hasn't AFAIK bred on property. It's possible that they'd consider it to be living uncomfortably close to the Duke Farms Bald Eagles . Bald Eagles are known for attacking Ospreys and stealing their fish, and it's possible the eagles would consider Ospreys to be competitors to be run off the property. And it's also possible they'd have run-ins with the Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls on the property, even though Ospreys

I'm not great with vocalizations, and this bird was so far up in a tree that I didn't know who was up there until I processed my pictures. Although I was pretty far out on an overgrown trail, he turned out to be a bird more conveniently seen at a bird feeder, a Common Grackle . And although this particular bird seemed to be all alone, grackles are relatively social birds seen in flocks with both more grackles and other birds like European Starlings and Red-winged Blackbirds. Perhaps he was vocalizing to find some company? This picture was from last November, so a mating call would have been premature.  The dark blue sheen and bright eyes generally make grackles easy to identify, at least when you get a reasonably good look, and this is the most likely grackle to find in my area. (I've talked a little about the other grackles before.) November 19, 2021 at Glenhurst Meadows Photo 170813206, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's an old invasive adversary of mine, Japanese Barberry , from late last autumn. Most of the year this bush is green, it eventually turns orange or red as cold temperatures arrive (though it does this later than most native plant rivals). This short video tells the story of how a garden shrub so effectively takes over an ecosystem. It's believed that the Japanese Barberry is tick-friendly because its dense branches/leaves provide an unusually humid environment that wards off the desiccation ticks typically face while looking for a host animal. And the thorniness of Japanese Barberry protects the mice that ticks prey on too, providing a convenient food source for the ticks. It's unclear just how much Japanese Barberry has increased Lyme Disease, though it's almost certainly helped this disease spread. Although Japanese Barberries do produce berries that birds eat, it does appear that birds avoid it until other berry sources are depleted. I've heard (though wasn

Oddly, I usually consider sightings of Red-winged Blackbirds as a sign of spring even though all my documentation implies they're here in NJ all winter too. I'm not sure what to attribute that to: The non-breeding plumage of the males has far less distinctive red patches than in breeding season, which certainly makes them stand out less. Perhaps they retreat to wooded areas and vocalize less, making them harder to spot. NJ is towards the northern part of their winter range. Maybe the Red-winged Blackbird community does shrink in winter even though some hardier ones will winter here. In any event, they're definitely out and about now. April 5, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 186782543, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

If you've been in some of the damper outdoor areas over the last month, there's a pretty good chance you've run across our Skunk Cabbage . Note that this is different from (though related to) plants called ... Skunk Cabbage  and Skunk Cabbage (found in the western US and Asia respectively). The name comes from the plant's skunky odor and large leafy appearance; there's no evidence that skunks use it to make coleslaw or sauerkraut . 😁 Though humans may not enjoy the smell of this plant, it could be considered one of the earliest harbingers of spring. Skunk Cabbage is one of the few plants capable of generating temperatures way above (nearly 100F above) ground/air temperatures. While other plants can't muscle through the frozen ground, the Skunk Cabbage can melt its surrounding soil enough to sprout up before its plant neighbors. And this ability no doubt lets them handle at least short cold snaps that might kill off other early-sprouting plants. March 22, 2022

Last month I heard someone rapping on a tree, assumed I was seeing a Downy Woodpecker , and snapped a couple pictures before it flew off. Although Downies are photogenic enough, I was pleasantly surprised when I developed the pictures (days) later and discovered this was the Downy's larger, less common cousin, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker . Like the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers , the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a small, mostly black-and-white woodpecker where the males can have some red on the head. But there are differences. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has red on the front of the head (both males and females) and red on the throat (only males) while the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers males have red on the back of the head.  One thing you probably shouldn't count on is to find the yellow belly on the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. While they can have a pale yellow belly, it's sometimes pretty darned pale. And from a distance I'd be more inclined to describe them as off-white-be

Here's a Wild Turkey I met late last autumn. I could argue that I met several of them, but most of them flew off so far and fast that I'm not sure I'd consider it an encounter. I don't know how well a supermarket butterball turkey flies, but Wild Turkeys fly pretty well, at least for short distances. Our Wild Turkeys are sort of the ancestors of the Domestic Turkeys of Thanksgiving Day fame; Domestic Turkeys are the descendants of a Wild Turkey subspecies found in Mexico.  I originally heard turkey clucking going on off the trail in some fairly dense vegetation but couldn't get a clear look at them. As frequently happens my attempts to get a picture ultimately scared the turkeys into flight, though at least one of them initially landed in a nearby tree. I'm somewhat fortunate to have gotten a picture since she didn't stay there very long, ultimately rejoining her flock in an undisclosed location. All things considered the picture turned out better than I

I met this Killdeer a couple weeks ago. For casual birdwatchers, these guys have a couple things you'll appreciate: You don't have to go someplace special to find them. Though taxonomically shorebirds, Killdeer aren't especially partial to the shore, and will frequently "nest" in open areas like parking lots. They're an easy ID too. Their 2 black bands around the breast are unique to other shorebirds, and probably any other birds you're likely to see around here. They're dramatic. If you accidentally get close to their nest, they'll put on an injured wing acting performance worthy of an Oscar to lure you away. (I'm assuming that their acting chops is the only reason they're able to nest out in open ground the way they do.) Though their vocalization is supposed to be calling for the execution of deer, it's unclear that they really harbor any grudge against those wild ruminants. April 2, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 186781572, (c) jpviolett

I posted about a questionable Clouded Sulphur in the past; I'm more confident of this one. This individual has the less ambiguous pale yellow color I'd associate with the Clouded Sulphur , and without the slightly orange or vibrant yellow I'd expect to see in their Orange Sulphur cousins. The picture was taken in mid-November, probably not the best time to be a butterfly. Certainly there aren't the nectaring opportunities found in the summer, and there aren't as many prospective mates around either.  November 17, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 170812868, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Even before I saw my 1st Mourning Cloak butterfly this spring, I saw my 1st Eastern Comma butterfly when it was still technically winter (though I'm sure it was an unseasonably warm day). With a little luck you might run across one of these guys yourself. The reason you can see these butterflies so early in the year is similar to why you can see Mourning Cloaks so early: They overwinter as adults, presumably hiding under bark or in leaf litter as they go dormant during cold temperatures. They don't rely on nectar (which is rare in winter and early spring) for sustenance, actually preferring to drink sap, the fluids of rotting fruit, or scat. They don't need flowers to survive. Note that we had some pretty cold weather after this date, but that doesn't necessarily harm this butterfly. It can re-enter a dormant state without much of a problem, and then become active again when things warm up again. March 11, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 186583629, (c) jpviolette, some right

After hearing some woodpecker drumming nearby and only getting an obstructed look at someone working on a dead tree limb, I was about to give up seeing anything more. But when I moved to the other side of the tree, I saw a pair of Northern Flickers perched near one another, and every so often they'd start bobbing their heads in unison. At the time I suspected this might be a courtship ritual between a male and a female, but I now believe this was a fencing duel between 2 males. It sounds like they do this without making physical contact, so it's mostly done to impress a nearby female rather than a physical attack to drive off a rival. No woodpeckers were harmed during this duel, except possibly to his ego. Apparently loops and figure-8s are considered impressive moves during these duels. Though there could have been 1 nearby, I didn't personally see any female swooning over the impressive dueling display. April 5, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 186782748, (c) jpviolette, some r

Here's a butterfly that you might be able to see this time of the year or earlier, a Mourning Cloak . I found this one a little over 3 weeks ago here in NJ. Because this species can overwinter as adults, they're ready to flutter pretty much as soon as the temperatures warm up. I've heard they can sometimes be seen even in the middle of winter if we get a string of unusually warm days, though March 8 is the earliest I've personally seen one. Another reason these butterflies can be seen this time of year is that they're not dependent on flower nectar for food, actually preferring to drink tree sap, and flowers are still a little scarce this time of year. They have to be careful though, since Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drill holes to get sap flowing but will frequently return to their holes to gobble up insects that were attracted to the sap. The Mourning Cloak's lifestyle almost certainly puts it on the menu of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I suspect that their un

Here's a pair of Bald Eagles I saw at Duke Island Park last week. Someone said they saw an eagle in a tree along the path I was taking, so I was certainly paying more attention than usual to the trees. I was just about at the point of thinking I had either gone past the eagle without spotting it or the eagle had flown off. That's when I spotted these guys. I'm pretty sure that the guy had said he saw "an eagle", so seeing 2 of them up in a tree was actually better than I expected. I didn't have the best line of sight in the world, but it still provided a pretty good view of them. I don't know whether the guy only saw the adult eagle (perhaps mistaking the immature eagle for a cluster of leaves/branches), or whether a 2nd eagle landed in the tree after the guy left. I wasn't exactly sure what the darker bird was until I got my binoculars on it. I have to wonder exactly what was going on here. The tree was on the opposite shore of the Raritan River, so

Last autumn I saw this  Red-tailed Hawk  up in a tree near my apartment. (I don't recall if the local Blue Jays or crows alerted me to the hawk, though many times when I hear them making a commotion there is a hawk in the area.) What I found cool about these pictures is that you see the difference between when I hawk is scanning the vicinity for a meal and when the hawk actually sees something it's interested in. If I were a squirrel foraging in the direction of that 2nd gaze, I'd be pretty nervous about now. FWIW I didn't actually see the hawk attack anything that day. November 12, 2021 in Bridgewater Photo 169044287, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) November 12, 2021 in Bridgewater Photo 169044304, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's another Autumn Meadowhawk , but unlike the non-red female a recent post or the immature male from an earlier post , this fella has the bright red color of a mature male. We're supposed to look for yellowish tan legs to help distinguish these dragonflies from other meadowhawks (most of which are also red), though most of the other meadowhawks are declining in numbers in October and it would be a bit of a surprise to see them a week and a half into November. Though I can't claim that Autumn Meadowhawks were everywhere last November, if you found one of their favored locales you could probably count on seeing them there pretty regularly for a couple weeks. The fella in the picture is doing one of his favorite things: basking on a rock in the sun for warmth while watching the air for a possible insect meal to come by. I'm sure that basking is more important for this species just because it's active during colder months than most other dragonflies. November 11, 2

Here's an Autumn Meadowhawk I met well into last autumn. While the males usually get attention from their bright red coloring, females like this one are more of a yellowish tan color. Besides being the most common dragonflies around well into autumn, these dragonflies are also known for their tan legs. The last time I showed one of these dragonflies I said I thought it was an immature male - they do look similar to adult females - but that I suspected it was a male due to the lack of what's called a subgenital plate . In today's picture, the subgenital plate is actually visible protruding down near the end of the abdomen. November 10, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 169043854, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's a fairly conspicuous plant, the Great Mullein ; presumably their height got them the "great" part of their name. They're also called Common Mullein, reflecting that they're not exactly rare. They can grow to 6 feet in height, with large hairy flowers near the bottom and lots of small yellow flowers near the top of the stalk. It's apparently used in plenty of folk remedies, though no medicine is made from it. It's considered invasive here in the US, though it rarely creates monocultures. It can be shaded out, so it generally disappears when meadows become forests. And tilling soil gets it out of the way of farmers. As invasive plants go, they're not the worst actors out there. It sounds like some pollinators benefit from it, though most animals don't acquire a taste for it. My picture is almost certainly a 1st year plant; it takes them 2 years to grow the large stalk with its flowers at the top. November 10, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 16904384

The family connections of Mallards are pretty complicated. This article mentions 2 aspects: Mallards may interbreed with other ducks like the American Black Duck , but the hybrids but they look more like Mallards, and these hybrids usually end up breeding with Mallards rather than American Black Ducks. (This might imply a breeding preference or just reflect that there are more Mallards out there for the hybrids to breed with.) The Mallards we have around here are mostly "hybrids" themselves between North American Mallards and Eurasian Mallards. (I used quotes because both North American and Eurasian Mallards are considered to be the same species.) And this article seems to suggest that true North American Mallards (generally found in the western US) are genetically closer to some North American ducks like the American Black Duck, the Mexican Duck , and the Mottled Duck than they are to Eurasian Mallards. (To me this makes it sound like either North American and Eurasian M

This is the 4th main yellowjacket species in my area and is also a native species. It's the Eastern Yellowjacket . (The other yellowjackets around here include the native Southern Yellowjacket , the (non-yellow, non-hornet) Bald-faced Hornet , and the invasive German Yellowjacket .) If you think Southern Yellowjackets are jerks, the Eastern Yellowjackets would probably agree with you. A common tactic used by Southern Yellowjacket queens when starting a new colony is to enter an existing Eastern Yellowjacket colony, attack (and if everything goes according to the SYJ's plans) kill the EYJ's queen, and usurp her role as head of the colony. This is called facultative social parasitism . (I'm assuming the existing EYJ workers don't realize they're now working for a queen of another species.) The EYJ, SYJ, and GYJ are all considered ground yellowjackets due to their normal preference to nesting in the ground (unlike their BFH cousins who are considered aerial yellow

In yesterday's post on a German Yellowjacket , I was surprised I hadn't done posts on out native yellowjackets [1]. Let's correct that with some older pictures. Today's picture is of a Southern Yellowjacket . Though perhaps hard to see (especially if you're in the act of running from them) there are clear differences between these 2 yellowjackets. The abdomen of the German is mostly yellow, and the yellow has little black spots on it. The Southern has an abdomen that's approximately 50-50 between black and yellow. Southern Yellowjacket nests frequently start in a way that's detrimental to other wasps like the Eastern Yellowjacket . In the spring a Southern queen will usually, instead of starting a nest from scratch, invade the nest of Eastern Yellowjackets, kill the Eastern Queen, and essentially become the new queen of the Eastern Yellowjacket nest. Another somewhat unusual thing about the Southern Yellowjacket is that sometimes nests will have more than 1

If you think yellowjackets are ill-tempered normally, you should see them before they've had their morning coffee. 😀 This wasp (all yellowjackets are wasps) appears to be a German Yellowjacket . These insects invaded the northeast in the 1970s and have spread out from there.  Though they are both pollinators and eaters of pest insects, as invaders they don't truly add value to our ecosystem. Nothing beneficial they do is an improvement on what our own wasps were doing, and in some cases they probably throw an ecosystem a little off balance by being an imperfect replacement for native wasps they're outcompeting. I suspect though that their similarity to native wasps means they're not the worst actors on the invasive scene. This is usually considered to be a species that nests in the ground over in its original European home, but here in the US it's more likely to build (sometimes huge) nests inside human built structures. (I wonder if there's something they like