Mission Statement

Bearing Witness to Local Natural History-- from the wildness of Indiana








Saturday, May 12, 2012

Plenty of Activity!

There has certainly been plenty of activity in the last couple of months! None from me on my blog, but plenty from the flora & fauna around here.
Tree Swallows havebuilt nests, laid eggs, and are now raising nestlings in my plastic gourds. The Carolina Chickadees have nestlings in a box next to my house. 

I participate in the citizen science project from Cornell Lab of Ornithology called NestWatch. I place boxes and plastic gourds in my yard for cavity nesters and then monitor them. The data I collect is submitted online to the NestWatch website http://www.nestwatch.org/. I encourage you to visit the website, read about it, and then sign up.

I awaken every morning to dawn song by Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Baltimore Orioles, American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, White-eyed Vireos, and Yellow-breasted Chats. The Chat sings during the night to accompany the many frogs and toads calling from the ponds.

I am busy teaching a nature photography class during the month of May and am enjoying it. It is a good group of people.

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring we are having-- that began in March!

Tree Swallow taking pine needles to build nest 
©Joni L. James


Carolina Chickadee guarding nest box  ©Joni L. James


Yellow-breasted Chat   ©Joni L. James