Milly’s first bird of the day is one of her favorites, it’s the Tree Swallow! Please help Milly and her Bird-a-Thon team by visiting her fundraising page here.
Tree Swallow perched on a nest box in the meadow at the Museum of American Bird Art.
Tree Swallows are one of the first migrants to return each spring and once they are here, they’re hard to miss. They are masters at flight, with dozens zooming in circles around one another over our meadow, collecting mosquitos, flies, and more with incredible aerial acrobatics. These birds put on mesmerizing flight shows all spring and summer in the meadow right behind the Museum of American Bird Art.
Milly watches these beauties fly over her sanctuary for hours. Tree Swallows are so named because like Milly, they live in trees.
However, since we have cut so many trees down, Milly and other conservationists place nest Boxes throughout fields to provide more homes for these incredible birds. Please help Milly and her Bird-a-Thon team by visiting her fundraising page here.
Owen Cunningham is MABA’s incredible property manager, Bird-a-Thon captain, and most importantly Milly’s caretaker. He is the author of Milly’s Bird of the Day posts.
Bush clover (Lespedeza capitate) Fabaceae (Pea or Legume Family)
The flower head of bush clover has many hairy bracts surrounding the small white flowers. After blooming the flower heads gradually turn brown. The Legume family of plants has super powers.
I grew up on a farm. My grandfather planted Lespedeza in the farm fields on a rotating basis. I learned as a kid that Lespedeza “fixes nitrogen”. Of course, I had no idea then why that was important but I loved to see the fields of clover and thought the name “lespedeza” was just a cool word to say and to write because it had a “z” in it.
Now I know why a plant that “fixes nitrogen” is so important. Inorganic nitrogen compounds are required for biosynthesis. Legumes convert nitrogen molecules in the air into chemical compounds such as amino acids and transfer them to the soil. Without this soil enrichment of Lespedeza food crops like tomatoes, beans and carrots would not grow well.
Lespedeza is also useful in Scrabble, because of that ‘Z”.
Julianne Mehegan at Arches NP
Our guest blogger, Julianne Mehegan, is a wonderful friend of MABA, a birder and a naturalist.
Photo Arizona Department of Game and Fish April 16, 2020
Wildlife biologists in Arizona have searched for bald eagles nesting in saguaro cacti for decades. The Arizona Game and Fish Department announced they finally have a photo to prove eagles will nest in these large, branched cacti.
Bald Eagle Nesting at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary by Barry Van Dusen
Hi everybody, each week I (Sean Kent – MABA’s education and camp director) deliver a live online illustrated lecture called Nature Notes for the residents of Orchard Cove in Canton. I love nature and am infinitely curious with what is going on natural world. I am an educator, naturalist, accomplished landscape and wildlife photographer, and field biologist with expertise in native bee biology, species interactions, and ecology in general.
This post contains additional resources that correspond with the lecture, but might also be of interest to readers of Taking Flight in addition to the residents of Orchard Cove. Please contact me ([email protected]) if you or your organization/residence might be interested in live online illustrated lectures, including lectures on The Secret Life of Backyard Birds and Native Bees and other Pollinators. Be well and safe.
Learning and Understanding Bird Songs
During our Nature Notes from April 10, several participants in the lecture expressed interest in learning more about how to identify bird songs. Here are a few references that will help with to learn bird songs this spring.
Located on YouTube: Avian Vocal Behavior by Bruce Byers and Donald Kroodsma in the Handbook of Bird Biology 3rd Edition from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Wiley Publishing. http://birdbiology.org Recordist: Wilbur L. Hershberger. Courtesy of Macaulay Library/Cornell Lab of Ornithology/ID100741
Located on YouTube: Avian Vocal Behavior by Bruce Byers and Donald Kroodsma in the Handbook of Bird Biology 3rd Edition from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Wiley Publishing. http://birdbiology.org Recordist: Wilbur L. Hershberger. Courtesy of Macaulay Library/Cornell Lab of Ornithology/ID85179
As migration begins to kick into high gear, many birds are returning to Massachusetts and their summer breeding grounds. In particular, this past week many Osprey have returned. They are setting up territories, returning and rebuilding their nests, and fishing.
“…True to the season, o’er our sea-beat shore, The sailing osprey high is seen to soar, With broad unmoving wing, and, circling slow, Marks each loose straggler in the deep below; Sweeps down like lightning! plunges with a roar! And bears his struggling victim to the shore. The long-housed fisherman beholds with joy The well-known signals of his rough employ; And as he bears his nets and oars along, Thus hails the welcome season with a song.” ~ The Fish-Hawk by T.A. Conrad
On April 16, 2020, I was walking with my three daughters at Wheaton Farm Conservation Land in Easton, Massachusetts. Each day we go exploring near our neighborhood and find peace with nature. As we were walking down the trail, I noticed a large bird circling overhead and realized it was an Osprey. We moved a little quicker to the pond and moved into a full run when I realized that it was hovering, ready to go fishing. Running full speed with a strolled while taking a camera out is a new skill that I’m well on my way to perfecting. Enjoy the photos of this amazing natural history moment.
The marsh marigolds are blooming! These early spring wildflowers come up in wet places and along brooks. Look for them when you are walking near shallow streams in the woods. The showy, bright yellow flowers, surrounded by green leaves, are easy to spot at this time of year.
Marsh marigolds are in the buttercup family (Ranunculacea). They look much more like buttercups than marigolds. The Latin name is Catha palustris. “Cup of the marsh” is the translation. The big, early flowers attract bees and insects to Marsh marigold aiding in pollination.
Birch is plentiful in the northern United States and Canada. Birch trees have distinctive bark making it easy to identify different species. Two birches common in our area are Gray birch and Yellow birch. Look for these trees on your walks in the woods.
Gray birch (Betula populifolia)
Gray birches have chalky white bark with black triangular patches on the trunk. As a gray birch gets older the black chevrons become more distinct. The bark is smooth and tough. Native American people used the flexible, highly waterproof sheets of bark for canoes and shelters.
Gray Birch Bark
Often several trunks will grow from one root source. Gray birches are easy to spot in the woods as they are the only trees in our area with a white bark.
Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Yellow birch is one of the largest hardwood trees in the northeastern United States. The bark is yellowish and slightly shiny. The outer layers of the bark peel horizontally in thin, curly strips.
The wood of Yellow birch is strong and even-textured. It is an excellent building material for cabinets, and interior woodwork.
