Rabbits

The hunting season for Cottontail Rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) starts on October 24th and I'm sure the neighborhood rabbits know they're safe for now.

I was driving to a field behind our barn and one of my local bunnies was playing a game of "chicken" with my truck (the rabbit would lose). During hunting season I'd never get this close to the rabbit, but I was able to get within 10 feet before stopping the truck.



When I did stop, the rabbit decided to get comfortable and wait for my next move. My next move was to get out of the truck and look, since I was too close to see the rabbit in front of the truck. The rabbit conceded its loss in the game of "chicken" and hopped into the tall grass, I continued my drive to the field.



On my return trip from the field the rabbit had returned to claim its right to set in the road, I proceeded to explain that a truck will always win a game of "chicken" with a rabbit. The rabbit conceded round #2.



I then proceeded to drive to our cabin and found another bunny waiting for me. No games this time, the bunny took a safer position off the road.

My question is; Where will these rabbits be on October 24th?

Groundhogs

Whether you call them groundhogs (Marmota monax), woodchucks, or whistlepigs, these large rodents are known for their burrowing habits and destructive behavior. Groundhogs are the largest species in the squirrel family.

During the summer and fall groundhogs eat approximately 1/3 of their weight in vegetation each day to accumulate fat reserves, which they use to survive through their winter hibernation period.

Here are a couple of the large rodents that live on our properties and are on my "watch list" for behavioral adjustment to terminate their destructive behavior.



Groundhogs two main activities are burrowing and eating, which makes them a serious nuisance animal around farms and gardens. They will eat many commonly grown garden vegetables, and their burrows can damage fields and farm equipment.

Groundhogs are known as an "edge" species, that prefer areas where forest or woodland meets an open field or meadow.

Other than looking for food, a groundhog spends most of its time in the security of its burrow, but this one enjoys an outdoor nap near the entrance to its burrow.

Fawns

The fawns continue to grow and are becoming more adventurous as they explore the neighborhood and socialize with other deer.



The fawns are becoming a regular sight along Joyce Road as they travel around the neighborhood memorizing food sources and hiding places.



These two fawns found the grass along the road tasty.





And it's always a good idea to check in with mom after a day of exploring.

Japanese Beetles

The annual invasion of Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) hasn't been too destructive for the past few years, but they have scheduled a family reunion at our garden this year.

They tend to be picky eaters with their crop selection and prefer raspberries, eggplant and as seen in this photo, rhubarb.



A photo of one of our rhubarb plants. All that is left of some of leaves is the main stem and some veins.

Storm Damage

Yesterday afternoon a violent storm struck the neighborhood and dropped a large white pine tree on Walt & Geri Romanik's house. Along with the strong winds the storm dumped 1.4 inches of rain, with 0.75 inches falling in just 25 minutes.

Lynn Rockefeller working to remove the tree from the roof.





The base of the downed tree.







Damage to the house.

Turkeys

I was checking one of my wildlife food plots and caught up with a flock of turkeys looking for lunch.



The turkey poults (chicks) are getting bigger and the individual family groups are merging together to form a larger social group. There were at least four hens and too many poults to count. Security in numbers.

Making Hay

It has been a tough haymaking season. The lack of spring rainfall and above average temperatures in May slowed hay growth and then the continuous rain since the first of June has prevented farmers from getting on the fields to make hay.

We finally got some contiguous dry days that allowed some fields to dry out enough to work on this year's hay crop. A photo of hay being made on one of our fields.

Honeysuckle

To most people, when they think of honeysuckle, they think of a bush with sweet smelling flowers in the spring. To many landowners the honeysuckle bush is an invasive plant that can take over hedgerows and fields.

The sweet smelling flowers of spring are now ripening into bright red berries. Birds find the honeysuckle berries a tasty treat and birds are the main source for spreading the honeysuckle seeds.




The honeysuckle bushes look very pretty this time of year, with the clusters of red berries against the deep green foliage.

While bird may be able to eat the berries, humans eating a few honeysuckle berries will likely result in a bit of upset stomach. If large quantities of potentially poisonous berries are ingested, a person may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and rapid heartbeat.



The thick, dense foliage of the honeysuckle bushes can soon take over and crowd out other native plants. I have a hedgerow where the honeysuckle bushes have grown 30 feet into a field and stand up to 15 feet tall. The honeysuckle bushes are so thick that other plants can't grow in this area. I plan to remove these bushes by pulling them out and try to regain more of the field.

Snapping Turtles

The turtles are on the move in the neighborhood. My prior posting was on a Wood turtle I found in our lawn and today we found a Snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) crossing the road.

While the Wood turtle is small, passive and makes a nice pet, the Snapping turtle has none of these characteristics. Snapping turtle are not an ideal pet.



Snapping turtles have fierce dispositions when encountered out of water. Unlike other turtles, they are too large to hide in their shells when confronted. Snapping is their defense mechanism. The turtle will try to scare off threats by hissing before it bites.

Its neck is very flexible, and a Snapping turtle can bite its handler even if picked up by the sides of its shell. The claws are sharp and dangerous.

Wood Turtle

I've posted several photos of Eastern Painted turtles and Snapping turtles, the two most abundant turtles in this area, but I had a third specie visit me at our barn.

I found this Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) in the lawn at our barn. Wood turtles use both aquatic and terrestrial habitats at different times of the year and can be found in open meadows, bogs, hay fields and wooded areas, but usually within 1,000 feet of a stream or pond. Wood turtles are omnivorous and opportunistic. They are not picky eaters and will readily consume slugs, worms, tadpoles, insects, algae, wild fruits, leaves, grass and moss.



Wood turtles are listed on the Pennsylvania Herp Identification web site as "Species of special concern" due to declining populations.

Butterfly - Common Wood-Nymph

I was "brush hogging" one of our fields and I noticed several dark gray butterflies clustered on a flowering plant. As I mowed closer and closer to the plant, the butterflies continued to stay on the flowers.

A photo of at least 8 Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala ariane) butterflies on Narrow-leaved Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium).

Chanterelle Mushrooms

We've had a lot of cool/wet weather this summer and mushrooms are popping up all over.



I recently noticed an area covered with yellow/orange mushrooms and decided to check them out.



After a little research on the web and checking with my mushroom experts in Iowa, the mushrooms were identified as chanterelles. Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) are a highly prized wild mushroom that can be found throughout North America.

Chanterelles are mycorrhizal meaning they associate with trees and I've found these in mossy areas under White Pine trees.



Chanterelles we collected within walking distance of our house.

Blue Heron (Still Here)

The Blue Heron is still at our cabin property, but he has increased his scope. I found him a couple hundred yards from the pond in the driveway to the cabin today. Maybe he was enjoying the view from the top of the hill.

Blue Heron

I see Blue Herons frequently on our cabin pond, but like a thief at a crime scene, they make a quick exit with their stolen loot. In most cases the stolen loot is frogs or fish from our pond.

For the past couple of days I've had a juvenile blue heron that won't leave the pond.



When I first saw the heron eyeing my frogs, I tried to scare him away ...



But the heron would just fly to the other side of the pond ...



And continue looking for its next meal.

Bottom Feeder

Earlier today I noticed the pond at our cabin was muddy and riled up. This evening I watch a deer walk around in the shallow end of the pond and stick its head into the water multiple times for 15 to 20 seconds. At times the deer would have its head in the water up to its ears and blow bubbles with its nose.

I saw a deer exhibit this behavior once before but didn't know why.



The deer was feeding on the underwater aquatic vegetation.

Bucks in Velvet

A couple of young whitetail bucks with their new antlers in velvet.



Whitetail deer grow a new set of antlers each year. Antlers are made of true bone that is fed by blood which is carried in the outer velvet covering.

Another Skunk

I've noticed a rabbit hanging around my garden and he seemed to be eyeing my lettuce and beets. I placed a trap next to the rabbit's favorite spot to view the garden and returned the next day to find another skunk in the trap. This is a juvenile skunk that has left its mother and not one of the skunks I trapped before.



Just like the other skunks, this one remained calm and didn't want to leave the trap. We left the door open and when we returned in the afternoon it was gone. I still have a rabbit problem.

Wood Ducks in the Barn

I never know what I'll find in the neighborhood and today wasn't an exception. I was in the lower level of our barn, working on my old John Deere tractor and I kept hearing noises in the upper level of the barn. The noise sounded like a squirrel, but after 20 minutes I decided to investigate.

What I found was a Wood Duck hen and 9 little ducklings. I don't know where the ducklings were hatched, but I'm sure it wasn't in the barn. The hen acted like it had a busted wing as it went out the door. The ducklings started to jump out of a hole in the side of the barn. It's about a 13 foot drop to the ground but this is normal for wood duck chicks to leap from their nests in trees just days after hatching.



I quickly went outside to the back of the barn and found the ducklings looking for a place to hide.



The mother duck flew in next to me and tried to draw me away from the duckings by acting like she a disabling injury.



After 10 to 15 minutes of "hide and seek" the duckings regrouped in the lawn.



The mother duck was never far away as she tried to plan her next move.



In the end the hen flew into the cattails below the barn and started calling to the ducklings. The ducklings were last seen walking through my garden heading for the cattails.



These ducklings were only a couple of days old and its seems a little late for the ducklings to hatch. This may have been the same wood duck hen I saw land on the pond at our cabin a couple of days ago. I think the hen was looking for a place to relocate the duckings.