Eagles Fly In Indiana--Morgan County

Eagles fly. . . and nest in Indiana. It is not unusual to see these magnificent raptors in most areas of Indiana. Before the recovery program began in 1985 in Indiana, these birds had not nested in the state since 1897. 

Between 1870 and 1970, over-hunting, habitat loss, and the now banned pesticide, DDT, were largely to blame for the eagle's rapidly declining population. Nesting Bald Eagles were extirpated by 1900. In 1985 Indiana's efforts to restore them began when 73 young bald eagles were reintroduced at Lake Monroe within a four year span. In 1991, the first successful nest was documented.
In 2007, the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalous) was removed from the state's endangered species list Today 100 pairs have been documented. 

What I believe was the last helicopter survey done by Division of Fish & Wildlife in 2010, documented active nests at four areas in Morgan County.
Reports of immature and adult bald eagles are frequent within Morgan County, Indiana. A couple of months ago I was driving near downtown Martinsville and pulled over to watch an adult with its white head & tail reflecting the sunlight, soaring low overhead.

You can access my Facebook Page to view photos I took recently of one of the nesting pairs near my home perched in a tree. I was able to photograph it from the road. This pair has nested five consecutive years in the same location.

The eagles in these images were photographed from the road as I was driving on Burton Lane near Indian Creek. I have to thank one of my nieces for alerting me to their presence.

The Bald Eagle has five recognizable different plumages: 
Juvenile: First Year
Basic I: Second Year
Basic II: Third Year
Basic III: Fourth Year
Adult: Its fifth plumage when four years old
(Raptors of Eastern North America: Brian K. Wheeler)

You can find out more about Bald Eagles at Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds.

Last Fledging of Tree Swallows

Today the last two plastic gourd nests of Tree Swallow nestlings fledged. One nest  had two nestlings and the other had four. It is always bittersweet when the day comes for the last brood(s) to leave. I am always happy and relieved that they successfully fledged their nests but sad that the nesting season for them (and me) has ended. It has been a strange nesting season here. The early spring/summer, the heat, and the severe drought has taken its toll. We still have had no rain. 


Best wishes to all "my" Tree Swallows for a safe migration to your wintering grounds and a safe return in March 2013.

Tree Swallow-Adult                            ©Joni L. James

     Tree Swallow at Nest-Adult            ©Joni L. James

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

Bald Eagles Incubate

For the 5th consective year, the Bald Eagles near my home are on the nest incubating. They began last Friday, February 17, 2012. Both adults have been busy renovating the nest for weeks. How many eggs are present?

Bald Eagles usually lay one egg  per day, but not always on successive days.  The clutch is usually completed in 3–6 days. The incubation period averages 35 days and hatching occurs over a period of days. So by March 23rd, the first egg could be pipping open. Both male and female incubate with the female serving the majority of the time.

If you are mesmerized by the behaviors and activities of nature, I recommend you tune into the fabulous Bald Eagle nestcam from Decorah, Iowa. This is a 24/7 camera with tremendous views of the eagle nest. They have 3 eggs present. http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

I wish a nestcam could be erected here in Morgan County to observe the activities of the Bald Eagle nest I watch from my home. Nestcams are a wonderful tool to involve the public in learning about wildlife and creating a connection. Although not the same as being outdoors and observing first hand . . . the nestcam does allow a  intimate and consistent connection.

Advances in technology allow us to peer into the daily lives of wildlife both night and day now. I have observed tree swallows nesting in my plastic gourds in the past. The behaviors and interactions were fascinating and revealing. This technology allows us to learn a great deal and dissolve some of the mystery about the breeding behaviors of birds. The key words here are "some of the mystery". There is still plenty of mystery. Without mystery . . . what is life?

CAWR Nest, TRES Egg, & Traces

I spent some time cleaning out a few of my nest gourds this morning. I always place nest boxes and nest gourds out for cavity nesting birds. I especially enjoy my tree swallows (TRES). Each nesting season I have several families of tree swallows nest on my property. This year I have had TRES, Carolina wrens (CAWR), house wrens (HOWR), and Eastern bluebirds (EABL). Each year I  participate in the citizen science program, NestWatch, by Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Anyone can participate. You simply become knowledgeable about cavity nesters (plenty of information on Cornell Lab's website: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/), monitor your nest boxes/keep data, and then submit that data to NestWatch via online or mail. (TRES, CAWR, etc. are codes used in bird banding to identify bird species--it allows an abbreviated usuage rather than writing out the full common name).

In one of my tree swallow nesting gourds, one egg did not hatch. Below is a photo. As you can tell the eggs are very small. This pair laid 6 eggs and 5 fledged. Tree swallows feed on flying insects and some berries. They nest in tree cavities or nest boxes. Mine love my white plastic gourds for nesting. Nests are made from grasses and feathers. The feathers help to keep nestlings warm and reduce the presence of ectoparasites. They are one of the lovliest nests with all the downy feathers added to the bed of dried grasses. They always look inviting!

                                           Tree Swallow Egg-unhatched   ©Joni L. James

                                          Male Tree Swallow
I also cleaned out the Carolina wren (CAWR) nest gourd which hung inside an open-sided "shed". I pulled the globe of grasses and leaves from the gourd in order to photograph it. CAWRs are very small birds with surprisingly loud voices. They definitely make their presence known! Males and females bond for life and will travel their territory together eating insects and spiders all year round. They typically lay 3-7 creamy white eggs -- finely spotted with brown. This nest produced 5 eggs and they all fledged.

Incubation takes usually 12-16 days and the nestling period lasts 12-14 days.

                                          Carolina wren nest.  ©Joni L. James


In this image the nest is sitting upright on a stone wall-- it is globular in shape with the opening on the front side. This is the positioning it had in the plastic gourd. It is an interesting nest of dead grasses, fine hair, and dead leaves.

                                          Carolina wren    ©Joni L. James

I searched  the trunk of an old maple tree outside the my home this morning hoping to find gray treefrogs hiding in the grooves and folds of the lichen covered bark. Instead I found evidence of the feeding by either a tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee, or white-breasted nuthatch. These birds snatch sunflower seeds from my feeder and fly off to the surrounding trees to open the hulls to enjoy the meat within. They will frequently lodge them in crevices and then hammer open the sunflower seed. Seeds will also be cached for later.

                                                        Sunflower Seed Hull  ©Joni L. James

As always, interesting discoveries are awaiting if you only take the time to observe closely. Look up, look down, and look around. What might you find if you look carefully?

Nesting Ending & Junior Naturalists

Summer Solstice has passed. Summer has "officially" begun. All of my nesting birds as of this week have fledged their young. The Eastern bluebirds safely raised their young. My tree swallows (all three families) fledged a week or two ago. Yesterday the Carolina wrens fledged and the house wrens are gone.

I am enjoying the cool weather. I am not a creature who is most comfortable in hot and humid weather conditions. I thrive in low humidity and temps below 75 degrees. As I stood at the door noticing the absence of adult birds diligently delivering food to noisy begging nestlings, I heard the soft warbling song of a male bluebird. Sitting on top of the nest box in the front yard was a colorful male. They are ready to attempt brood number two. Later I checked the box and discovered the beginnings of a nest. I still have company.

Today was the final day of Junior Naturalist Camp. I had a fun and rewarding three days with 14 kids ages 9-12 (and the other two staff members). We learned to identify several of the most common Indiana frogs & toads by their calls as well as their life history. Exploration of the creek brought study of  macro-invertebrates. Nocturnal bird-life included learning about three of our most common owls, Eastern screech owls, great-horned owls and barred owls, their adaptations, and how to identify them by their calls.  We also dissected owl pellets to discuss anatomy and the prey of owls. On our last day we discussed what to look for when tracking mammals, followed by making flash cards with track replicas and stamp pads then creating actual plaster casts. Our days also included environmental education games, sit spot time, saunters, and journaling. The young people enjoyed their time. Hopefully seeds were planted which will continue to be nurtured to flourish into adults who care about nature and our environment.

It is growing dark and the indigo buntings are singing  . . .

Bluebird vs. Chipmunk

A pair of Eastern Bluebirds are nesting about 15 feet from my front door in a nest box. Five nestlings are present---only a few days old.

Today I watched a Chipmunk foraging in the leaves, run into the yard (in the direction of  the nest box). Immediately the male Bluebird dropped like a rock out of the branches above and dive-bombed the small mammal. The Chipmunk shot straight up and took off back into brushy area.

A Carolina Wren has been building a nest in a old plastic gourd which hangs in my open shed. I will keep everyone posted on the progress.