December is the year in age and wisdom

December is summation of all the years’ completions. The month is like an older woman with starlight frosting her hair and snowflakes brushing her cheeks. A holly sprig tucked in her hair tells one that she is as young as the morning, and the look in her eye says she is as old as time.

December is bare tree limbs and lacy green evergreens. It is rustling flower stems in the garden and ruthless wind whipping over the mountain. It is seedling maples from two years ago clinging to a stray leaf of two.

It is stiff tailed half grown squirrels scrambling up a giant oak tree. It is mask-faced coon in a moonlit garden feasting on what is left of the corn. They listen for the hounds.

It is ice in the creek and moss covered rocks.

December is flocks of chickadees through the night.

December brings frost to the mountains like cake icing.

It is the Winter solstice, bringing the shortest day of the year.

December is a hungry owl and a rabbit on the run. The groundhog has already sought its winter bed, and the crows are recongregated proclaiming their presence loudly at the first crack of dawn.

It is winter wrens singing at first light, greeting dawn with melodious song.

The spectacular colors of fall now litter the forst floor. The quiet tones of winter dominate the landscape now.

Occasionally there is an accent of winter berries.

December is one of the short months. It doesn’t have 31 days such as they are. The Thanksgiving turkey has vanished, and then there is the Christmas tree waiting to be trimmed, and then New Year’s Day is knocking on the door, announcing the start of a new year.

December has only 288 hours of daylight. That is counting even the overcast days with the sun sulks behind masses of clouds. A December day is nine hours of daylight with just a few minutes left over morning and night. Then there is 15 hours of darkness.

It is approaching chickadee weather in the mountains. They enjoy cold nights, chilly days, and a bit of flying snow, and they will flock to your feeders. They are jaunty little beggars willing to pay for their handouts with hours of antics and entertainment. A full grown chickadee rarely weighs more than a half an ounce. Inside the feather covered tiny body is a heart that beats some 700 times a minute. On a cold day it must consume enough food to equal its own weight to keep its inner fire burning. Chickadees enjoy a generous helping of sunflower seeds.

Keep the water containers filled with fresh water, and be generous with your feathered friends.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

May is a magical time in the mountains

The fires of spring glow brightly in the mountains. May is truly a time of hope and promise, with bird song at full throttle.

May is the month when spring finally springs in the mountains. Suddenly, there are flowers everywhere, with more trying to bloom each day. It is a time when gardeners must dig in the dirt.

There is tilling to be done, fertilizing, and raking the dirt.

Once the garden is tilled there are earthworms to the delight of the robins.

Earthworms are tireless tillers of the soil, and their castings are the richest and best of all fertilizers. One can never have too many earthworms in the garden. They need moist soil in which to survive. During dry periods, they receded deeply into their burrows, which can be as deep as six feet.

If you want to increase the numbers of earthworms in your garden, add more organic matter.

Bears are up and on the move, even the mothers with cubs. Don’t leave out the bird feeders past 4 p.m. It is useless to rant at a bear raiding the birdfeeder. All you get is a mangled bird feeder and a non-impressed hungry bear.

Bears become used to people, birdfeeders, dogs, and noises that they hear frequently. It is up to humans to take the proper precautions when living in bear country. You can live with bears without encounters.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission recommends:

* Securing bags of trash inside cans stored in a garage, basement or other secure area. Place the cans outside, as late as possible, on trash pick-up days. Do not set out the garbage the night before and expect neighborhood dogs or bears to leave it alone.
* Purchase bear proof garbage cans or bear proof your existing garbage containers with a bear proof latching system.
* Black bears are rarely aggressive toward people, but they do become bolder when they are accustomed to people.
* Stop free feeding pets outside. If you must feed pets outdoors, make sure all food is consumed and empty bowls are removed.
* Do not throw table scraps outside. A bear will literally eat anything.
* Clean all food and grease from barbecue grills after each use. Bears are attracted to food odors and will investigate. It is not unusual to find a bear licking an uncleaned grill.

Contrary to what many people believe, wildlife employees will not trap and relocate bears, because this would simply relocate the problem, rather than solve it.

Pups, cubs, chicks and kits are welcome signs of spring in the mountains. You may be tempted to pick them up or feed them, but it is against the law to tamper with wildlife.

Capturing and handling a young wild animal can stress it and sometimes results in the death of the animal. Young wild animals that look abandoned are rarely orphaned. Many species do not stay with their young and only return to feed them. Rabbits are an excellent example. The mother returns three to four times in a 24 hour period of time to feed her young. When you see a fully furred, alert bunny that measure five to six inches on its own, it is normal. Do not save wildlife from nature.

Wildlife can transmit diseases, including rabies and roundworms to humans. Also, it is illegal to keep wildlife without a permit.

Keep the birdbaths full of fresh water, keep the hummingbird feeders filled with a fresh mix, and enjoy the season.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

The mountains are awash with pollen and spring migrants

Waves of warblers are back in the Valley now. . With their numerous color variations they add a lot of visual beauty to an already spectacular spring season.

Bring the birdfeeders in by 4 p.m. daily. Also, hummingbird feeders are tempting to hungry bears.

The Valley like most of the area is loaded with pollen. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported that pollen has reached record high level . It is at some of the highest concentrations since air quality agencies started measuring pollen in the late 1990s.

The high pollen levels are most likely due to several factors, including the weather turning suddenly warm after a cold winter and cool early spring. Also, there has been little rainfall this spring. In addition to dry weather, winds have been blowing the pollen around.

Also, the coldest winter in eons delayed some trees that normally flower earlier in the spring, so that more different tree species are flowering at the same time.

For some, the enjoyment of spring is an ugly price to pay with sneezes, watery, itchy eyes, ears that pop and crackle, and the chronic sore throat. Then there are those who cough almost non-stop.

The conditions from mid-April until now have been perfect for pollen and wildfire. The hot, dry conditions make both events worse. When you add a mild wind of five to seven miles per hour, conditions are just right for pollen and fire.

The yellowish stuff coating cars is not the culprit causing all the human manifestations of allergies. It is pine pollen that is causing people to suffer and vehicles to be yellow coated.

Rain, which has been missing from the Valley for too long again, will help alleviate the pollen sneezes, but it won’t solve the problem. Pollen will still be around to cause discomfort.

Pollen is crucial for survival of all species. We can’t live without it and it is difficult for many to live with it. Without pollen, seeds would not form, and plants would die out. The pollen that causes most of the severe respiratory problems in human comes from plants that depend on the wind to disperse it. The small lightweight pollen blows around easily and is small enough to get into nasal membranes. Those who are most affected can stay inside, clean the air conditioner filter and pop an occasional antihistamine tablet. All of these should help stoop the sneezes.

Animals summer from pollen attacks also. Your dog may sneeze, cough and scratch until there are unsightly marks on its body. Check the inside of the ears. If they are more red than usual, and the dog is scratching them, it may be due to pollen. Each time you take the dog outside; wipe it down thoroughly before bringing it back inside.

Remind yourself. This too will pass, and Mother Nature will have done her job spreading pollen for another season.

Copperhead snakes are out of their dens, so watch your step in the garden. Also, watch where you put your hands.

Bumblebees are out now. They are gentle and slow. She meanders through the garden collecting pollen and nectar. She is never in a hurray. The bumblebee is round and furry. There is the large queen, the smaller and somewhat imperfectly formed female worker bee and the tiny male or drone bee. Only the queen and the worker bees have a stinger.

Important facts about bumblebees include:

· They live in small nests and never swarm.

· Bumble bees produce enough honey only to feed their young.

The Bumblebee’s biggest enemy is man with pesticide spray. Like every other form of wildlife, they are under serious threat from the chemicals used in flower and vegetable gardens.

· Bumblebees are much less aggressive than honey bees.

· * Bumblebees are hard workers in the garden. They repay man’s kindness by pollinating flowers, fruit and vegetables.

· The best flowers for bumblebees are any kind that is simple and open. They carry more nectar and pollen. Bumblebees enjoy foxgloves, hollyhocks, heather, lavender, oregano, cornflowers, mint, clover, marigolds, and beans.

The main job of bumblebees is to pollinate flowers.

Keep out plenty of clean water for bathing and drinking, and keep the feeders full during the day. Bring them inside by late afternoon to prevent tempting bears.

Listen for toad frogs calling.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Hummingbirds return to the Valley

Photo by Tony Dill

The Valley is enjoying a breath of springtime for a few days.

The birds of winter have slipped away. Notice how few are showing up at the bird feeders now. Those migrating are hardly noticed as they leave silently vanishing often before dawn breaks the sky. The tempo of spring is increasing daily.

The sun swings north and the shift of the season gains momentum.

Squirrels are carrying cedar bark and bits and pieces of newspaper up the trees to their nest. The cedar and the newspaper deter moths and other insects that torment young squirrels.

Hummingbirds are showing up daily in the Valley for another season. The males arrive from a few days to two weeks prior to the arrival of the females. They are as eager as the songbirds to get a start on the breeding and nesting season. They visit the Carolinas from March through November, and have devoted backyard bird lovers who furnish an endless supply of sugar water. The hummingbird feeders are important especially now when there isn’t too much in bloom to feed the tiny, iridescent birds the nectar they have to have to live.

Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers and tiny insects. The flower garden can provide both. Hang hummingbird feeders in the shade. Make sure they are clean and refill the feeders at least every two-three days. If you plan to be away from home for a few days, take the hummingbird feeders down to prevent fermentation.

Fill the feeders with a boiled solution of four parts water to one part white refined sugar or commercially prepared nectar mix. Do not use a honey solution in feeders, because they can produce a fungal disease that is fatal to hummingbirds.

Clean the sugar water feeders with a brush and mild detergent solution and rinse well before refilling.

Some interesting hummingbird facts include:

*The hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world.

*Hummingbirds hover easily. They can move ahead, sideways or backward at will.

*A Ruby-throated hummingbird, those that call the Valley their summer home, weighs about one tenth of an ounce and travels a minimum of 600 miles during migration.

*Hummingbirds often drink up to eight times their body weight daily.

*Although their normal body temperature is about 103 F, it can drop to 70F at night. Unfortunately, a hummingbird in a torpid state cannot respond to an emergency situation. *They have the ability to endure temporary cool weather or cool nights by becoming dormant. To wake from a dormant state can take as long as one hour.

*Flying consumes a tremendous amount of hummingbird energy. Wing beats have been measured from 20-200 beats per second.

* Pesticides, especially sprays, can be lethal to hummers. Malathion, Sevin or diazinon is deadly to them. Also, when you use pesticides, the number of insects in the garden in drastically reduced, and in turn reduces the hummingbirds’ nutritional source. It can also cause starvation and death of the young in the nest.

* Hummingbirds winter in Central America from Mexico to Panama. Some go no farther than Florida. Most winter in the Mexico area. They migrate by day, with once exception. When they cross the Gulf of Mexico, they are over water when night falls and must keep flying until they reach the other side. That requires a lot of energy, and stored fat reserves. It takes about 18 hours in good weather to cross the Gulf of Mexico, and 24 hours if the weather is bad.

The hummingbird is an important contributor to the entire ecosystem. By flying from flower to flower, the hummingbird pollinates plants and feeds on them. Some plants can only reproduce because of the pollination.

Crows, jays, cats, and mice eat baby hummers. The small birds can also be caught by dragonflies and praying mantises. It is not unusual to find them caught in spiders’ webs. They not only eat nectar and insects, but enjoy the sap running from sapsucker drill holes. These are especially important food sources in early spring after a long migration.

Put the hummingbird feeders up, and plant lost of blooming flowers. Keep the water dishes full of clean water, and fill the bird feeders. Birds arriving daily have used up most of their reserves, and need to feed regularly and heavily when they arrive in the Valley for another nesting season.

Towhees and brown thrashers are back, scratching and searching for tidbits of food on the ground under the feeders. Bumblebees are out, and luna moths can be seen around porch lights. It is the peak birthing season for gray fox and beaver. Red tail hawks are beginning to nest, and copperhead snakes are beginning to leave their winter dens.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Waterfowl Flyways

For years, many wildlife lovers have thought of the migratory flyways as four giant funnels collecting waterfowl from the northern breeding grounds and delivering them to their southern wintering areas.
Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.

Sophisticated tracking methods reveal a far more complex, interlinking network for migrating waterfowl than we even suspected.

Today, wildlife biologists realize that the migration corridors of one single species such as the pintail or mallard may begin in Alaska or Canada and even in the northern US plain states.

From the northern breeding grounds, the migratory network literally blankets the US and even extends deep into South America.

The largest area of prime duck breeding habitat remains in the prairie pothole country of the upper central plains states and Canada.

A better understanding of the complex migration patterns of waterfowl helps in long-term efforts to restore waterfowl populations.

Future success lies in man ensuring there will be adequate breeding habitat, including sufficient winter resting and feeding grounds.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Early spring's light is a gift from the sun

Each year in early spring we remind our readers to be conscious of conditions in nature. All work simultaneously and affect wild creatures' behavior. In the rehabilitation network, birds waiting for spring release are becoming restless, beginning to sing, and many are molting due to inside temperatures.

All are waiting impatiently to join their own kind and enjoy the rites of spring. In nature that means find a mate and reproduce.

When most people feel they are still in the "dead of winter," many wild mammals are entering a period marked by a flurry of mating activity.

It is necessary for many animals to mate in late winter to synchronize the birth of their young with spring's milder temperatures, and more plentiful foods.

Wild babies are brought into the world in April and May when they stand a better chance of surviving the rigors of the wild.

People can easily recognize when wild animals are on the move again. All you have to do is look at the dead bodies littering highways to know that raccoons, skunks, and other mammals are out of their winter dens. Also, early spring snow is usually well marked with various tracks telling their unique stories.

Teaching people of all ages to recognize the tracks in their own back yards is one of the most enjoyable educational programs that the Center conducts. Once people get the hang of who is visiting their back yards, you can read enthusiasm for wild creatures on their faces, and hear it in their conversations. Young children in primary grades especially enjoy this program.

Skunks and raccoons have a gestation period of some 63 days. The first young enter the world around mid-April. From mid-May and early June, wildlife rehabilitators begin getting calls to nature orphans.

The eastern coyote is another mammal with a gestation period ranging from 60 to 63 days making its young arrive in early spring. Coyotes actually mate in late January or February making a litter of five to 10 pups arrive in mid-April or early May.

Female red and gray foxes come into heat in late January. Mating usually occurs in February extending into March in the northern and mountainous regions. Gestation is about 51 days.

The bobcat, one of America's most elusive creatures, mates in mid-February. Gestation takes between 50 and 60 days. Kittens are usually born in April and May.

By late February and early March, rabbits, mink, muskrats, woodchucks and chipmunks begin to find mates and reproduce. Approximately one month marks the gestation of these species.

However, the mink is a bit different having a gestation period of some six weeks rather than four. April hosts the arrival of mink kittens.

Winter is a time of silence in nature. You can go for a walk in snow laden woods and hear yourself breathe, walk and perhaps even think a bit. Winter birds move through the woods looking for insects and seeds without songs or calls. They are as mute as the time of year.

Suddenly, about mid-February, winter's long silence is broken. For the first time in months, day breaks with bird songs and calls. When you hear the birds sing again, you know winter is losing its grip.

The urge to sing is beyond birds' control. It is the photoperiod. It is the lengthening of days. It is early spring. The light is changing. Early spring's light is like no other.

Early spring's light activates birds' hormones through the pituitary gland. Birds respond to increasing light by returning to breeding conditions. Songs are sung to stake out territories and attract mates.

Winter's silence is broken by a territories permanent residents firsts. The cardinals, tit-mice, chickadees, and other birds that refuse to leave home territories during winter sing first.

One of the earliest avian singers is the black-capped chickadee. Traveling in roving bands forging for food in the winter, these birds become more solitary as the days grow longer. Often, when one chickadee sings, others soon join in song.

The tufted titmouse is a close relative of the chickadee. Formerly a southern bird, the titmouse has expanded its range north for some two decades now. It is well established even as far north as southern Ontario. However, it is still absent in northern New England.

Another familiar sound in early spring is the mourning dove cooing. The mourning dove positions a few twigs together, calls it a nest, and begins laying the two eggs that produce the familiar pair of babies. In many areas of the country, mourning doves may have as many as five clutches of two babies every year.

Cardinals and mocking-birds are also among the first early spring songsters to announce that winter is over. You can't really call some of the avian sounds songs, but announcements they are.

Woodpeckers are busy communicating as well as many of the song birds. They drum on dead tree trunks to attract a mate and announce territories. This is true from the smallest to the largest pileated ones. All are busy attracting mates or renewing old acquaintances.

Soon new families will be raised in protected territories. Listen carefully as early spring birds announce the arrival of another season.

Northward migrating Canada geese can be heard honking overhead as they make their way home to nest. It is a comforting feeling to look up and see them winging their way north.

Woodcocks can be heard again in the wetlands as their nest and reproduce. For those of us who work with wild creatures, the witnessing of nature's most ancient rituals is refreshing and challenging. Another year is beginning not only for the birds and wild animals, but for those who work with them.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education