Recently in Wildlife Sightings Category
If so, then you could help with Project Swallow CORE
Swallows are back and will be building nests soon. NH Audubon needs volunteers like you to help with swallow observations over this summer season. Volunteers for Project Swallow CORE help monitor nesting colonies of Purple Martins and Bank, Cliff and Barn Swallows – four species that have declined in the state. You can visit a nesting site just once or monitor a colony all summer long. The most important thing is to record your information using the special forms we provide. The 2012 volunteer packet with instructions and forms is on the project web site. You can also receive a packet by email by contacting us at SwallowCORE@nhaudubon.org, or call Becky Suomala (603-224-9909 x309) with your mailing address and we will send you a packet by mail.
Just got this nice news from Coverts Cooperator Leslie Bergum (CC2008), who owns land in Jefferson, NH:
"Exciting news from our property in Jefferson!! On April 29th I was at the edge of the opening we created 2 years ago to release yet another apple tree when I was lucky enough to spot a Woodcock which appeared to be sitting on a nest. I was so happy I spotted her as I could have very easily stepped on her she was so well camouflaged.
Needless to say I abandoned the plan to release the apple tree or work anywhere in that area for that matter. I quickly went back to get my camera and was able to get a few really great photos.
My neighbor has a larger open brushy field where perhaps the aerial display and mating takes place, then perhaps the Woodcock found my nearby edge a good safe nesting spot. Last summer I had seen evidence of what I think was Woodcock foraging but have never seen or heard one on the property until now :)."
Thanks for sharing the news - nothing like seeing a direct result of habitat management work on your own land!
I received this message from Coverts Cooperator Kris Burgard who lives and volunteers outside in Grantham:
I’ve been out checking all our vernal pools, and in addition to extremely early activity, a lot of our pools are extremely low on water already, and some have already dried out completely. I’ve seen many the dried up eggs, plus a lot of unfertilized wood frog eggs.
I assume the same scene is playing out throughout NH this year?
What have others observed in other parts of the state?
The NH Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program (RAARP) has just published the 2011 sightings report, available now on their website here Biologist Michael Marchand asks of interested volunteers across the state, "Keep those sightings reports coming in 2012!"
This just sent in by Coverts Cooperator Dave Govatski of Jefferson:
This one page article describes the decline in Monarch Butterflies and how we can help by planting milkweed. I have done this for three years in some openings and I am seeing additional milkweed plants and use by these migratory butterflies.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321172210.htm
Backyard Wildlife Habitat Management Workshop
Friday, April 13, 2012, Slade Brook Farm, Etna NH
4 p.m. - evening
The American Woodcock is a bird which is considered a species in greatest need of conservation in the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan. The “singing fields” and brushy habitat that woodcock need also benefit many other wildlife species and these habitats can be managed on a small scale right in your backyard.
At this workshop information will be presented to help homeowners make their yards and house lots more attractive to wildlife. We will also visit the Huntington Hill Wildlife Management Area, which has been managed for woodcock and grouse for over 25 years. The event will conclude with a walk at twilight where participants can visit local singing grounds to witness the aerial courtship display of this amazing little migratory bird!
Featuring "Landscaping for Wildlife Habitat" by landowner and host Jim Kennedy, Coverts Cooperator & Wetland Scientist
5:00 p.m. - Field Tour of Huntington Hill Wildlife Management Area 7:30 p.m. - Twilight Walk on the Woodcock Singing Grounds
Click here for Event Flyer (includes directions, etc.)
Dinner will be provided for anyone attending the evening woodcock walk. Space is limited, so please RSVP by Friday April 6, 2012 to Jim & Deb Kennedy at 603-643-6446, or e-mail James.Kennedy@valley.net. Please be sure to indicate if you will be staying for dinner.
[Note from Coverts Project Coordinator Malin Clyde: This event is really wonderful - the Kennedy's are the most gracious and welcoming hosts, and you will DEFINITELY see and hear woodcock. So if you never have, make sure you come!]EXPECT BEARS TO EMERGE FROM DENS EARLIER THIS SPRING
RECOMMENDATION: TAKE BIRDFEEDERS DOWN BY MARCH 15
CONCORD, N.H. - What a winter it has been -- or lack thereof! Mother Nature has not fooled the bears either, and they are ready to emerge from dens in search of spring foods. Bears den primarily to avoid being active during a period of time when food is limited. Weather conditions do play a role in the timing of den entry and emergence, but the influence of weather on denning behavior is less significant than food availability. Select favored bear foods were abundant last fall and will continue to be available to bears for a limited time this spring. Additionally, there is limited snowpack around the state, so bears can easily find food in leftover fall mast. The bottom line -- bears are not going to wait to the official end of winter to emerge from dens this year.
This knowledge should be a call to action for homeowners, who need to be proactive and take action now to reduce the chance of attracting a bear to their home. We generally use April 1 as the recommended time when bird feeders should be removed, says New Hampshire Fish and Game Bear Project Leader Andrew Timmins, however, this year we are suggesting that feeders be pulled by March 15. Read More
Learn more about living with bears at NH Fish and Game's Something's Bruin website.
Marjorie Goodson, a Coverts Cooperator and landowner in Whitefield, contacted us recently to tell us what she's been up to:
"I've been using the Guide to Designing Your Own Field Walkto work with the local school. I thought it made sense to invite them to my property, since the school is only a half mile down the road." Working with County Foresters Sam Stoddard and now Brendan Prusik, Marj has implemented some significant habitat management projects on her land, making several large wildlife openings for woodcock and other species. "Brendan is helping me with tree ID," reports Marj, "and all of my trails are handicapped accessible, so anyone should be able to use them." She's planning what to show and what stories to share, and then she'll start bringing groups of students to walk her land.
We can't wait to hear how her project goes off!
 | Marjorie Goodson (CC05) with her dogs. |
 | Brontosaurus at work (2009) creating openings for woodcock. |
 | Woodcock cuts a few years later |
 | A visiting bear |
 | Another visitor |
32nd Annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey Results
NH Audubon recently published information about its mid-winter bald eagle survey. Read all about it here
More Dire News about Bats
"On the verge of another season of winter hibernating bat surveys, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and partners estimate that at least 5.7 million to 6.7 million bats have now died from white-nose syndrome. Biologists expect the disease to continue to spread." Read Full Fish and Wildlife Service Press Release Here
More Bats information from NH Fish and Game
