Day Moon
We tend to think of migration as a nightly event as we enter the spring – watching birds pass in front of the moon on a clear evening, catching them on radar, hearing flight calls in the darkness or finding new faces have joined us in our yards and patches when we wake up in the morning. While we often ignore the moon shining in the bright blue sky all day we also ignore the fact many birds are flying over us then, too. Yes, we see geese and certainly are aware of hawk watches and the many raptors that use thermals, but shorebirds might be migrating nonstop over the continent, while...
Read MoreHoles in the Trees
While you may know your birds, do you know your holes? This handy Birdwatcher’s Field Guide to Holes in Trees can be very helpful when inspecting trees for the presence of invasive insects. If you are out this holiday weekend birding or doing other fun outdoor activities, be on the lookout for these different holes in the trees around you and report any that look suspicious as Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is nearing a close.
Read MoreBirds As EAB Indicators
Being small in size as an adult and hidden underneath tree bark as larvae, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) can be rather difficult for humans to detect. For bark-foraging birds such as woodpeckers however, this is not a difficult task. As these birds move up and down a tree’s trunk and branches, they listen for larvae chewing on the wood and can even feel vibrations from the larvae moving through the galleries they create. Once detected, woodpeckers will hammer away at the bark in order to collect the larvae beneath. While the larvae is removed from the bark, a hole and missing bark around...
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