Winter Skunk Cabbage
Slow down there, Skunk Cabbage! This was the scene on the forest floor yesterday. It’s not spring yet…and we will be snapped back to winter behind today’s cold front.
Read MoreTufted Titmouse digging in leaf litter
Can you identify this bird with its back to us? The Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) does not have legs and feet specifically designed to scratch at the earth that many sparrows possess. Even if it did they would have a tough time getting through these layers of leaves. This bird was ripping away with its bill, leaf by leaf, sifting through them to find some food. It was an organized, frantic and impressively strong leaf tossing frenzy. Good hunting, little one!
Read MorePennsylvania forest in fall
The Pennsylvania forest in Warren County is a lovely place to hike even when it has such a manufactured feel. It may be hard to imagine at the moment but soon enough we will need snowshoes in many of these areas…
Read MoreApex predator or small meal?
When looking at a “teenage” Timber Rattlesnake from above like this it seems rather insignificant and certainly unimposing. We know it is a venomous snake, which may add a bit of intimidation, but we should also know it is shy, passive and uninterested in harming a human unless it is being directly threatened. At this time of year there are much smaller Timber Rattlesnakes – some less than a foot long – in the form of neonates. These newly-born young have fangs and venom but a significant percentage will perish in their first year from a variety of threats. Twan...
Read MoreTimber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) earlier today. More to come on this spectacular species…
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