Spring Peepers
Spring Peepers are a type of small tree frog. Truthful to their name, they emerge from hibernation in early spring. Soon after, the males – often hundreds at a time – will take over wetlands and call on warm and rainy nights to stake out a territory and attract a mate. Their surprisingly loud “peep” calls are usually produced from a safe location hidden in dense vegetation, and it can be difficult to spot them. An inflatable vocal sac on their throat serves as an amplifier, which allows them to call very loudly. The sound produced by a chorus of these inch-long frogs can be truly deafening...
Read MoreNot So Sleepy Bears
While the landscape in Western New York is rapidly changing thanks to some lake effect snow, earlier this week the ground was completely uncovered, temperatures were above normal and some normally sleeping wildlife were out foraging on available food resources. These photos were taken by my dad while he and a friend were out on a walk. As you can see, that black shape isn’t a wandering cow in the corn field rather it is an American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) awake from its “hibernation.” According to NYS DEC and the North American Bear Center, the black bear is not a...
Read MoreEastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
I love happy endings! Several weeks ago, one of our neighbors contacted me because she had seen a gorgeous Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) near her bird feeders. She liked the snake, but liked her birds better and did not want to see her bird feeder become a snake feeder. I assured her that Milk Snakes are more likely to help her control the rodents in her yard than decimate her songbirds, but we agreed that if it would show up again I would come and get the snake and find it a new home. To my great surprise a few days ago I got a call from our front desk that somebody wanted to...
Read MorePeepers Peeping
Have you heard the Spring Peepers calling lately? These little frogs seem to be a bit confused as breeding season was over months ago! Although we are entering autumn and the frogs will soon be going into torpor (an amphibian’s form of hibernation), the current conditions closely mimic ideal breeding conditions in the spring. Low overnight temperatures, warm days, more frequent rainfall and a similar photo-period send the signal to the males to belt out their loud, high-pitched peeps in hopes of attracting some females. However, these little males will be disappointed pretty quickly as...
Read MoreWelcome Back, Chippy!
A big welcome back to this Eastern Chipmunk! It feels like it has been years since we have seen any of your kind in these parts…
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