Natural Lands Trust Preserve Blog

On the Water

Recently Natural Lands Trust purchased a fleet of kayaks for the Pennsylvania preserves.  This small fleet will compliment the work that Steve Eisenhauer has been doing for several yearsfor NLT in southern New Jersey.  We worked for several years seeking funding and contemplating the logistics of equipment and programs.  Thanks to funding from Northampton County, Williams Township, Paunacussing Preserve, Crows Nest Preserve and NLT's Membership Department, we were able to purchase a fleet of top quality boats, paddles, life preservers, and a trailer for transport and storage.  We would also like to recognize Old Town Canoe for providing a great package of gear.  Special thanks to our local dealer, Nature's Way Canoe and Kayak, for being our contact with Old Town, and then discounting the purchase even more.  Bill and Debbie were very helpful in guiding our boat and gear selection.  Here is a photo of me (left) and Bill from Nature's Way during the pick up.

Our first trip in the new boats was on a section of the Delaware River between Kingwood and Bull's Island.  Steve Eisenhauer set up this trip for the NJ OWL (Outdoor Women's League).  Jim Thompson at Paunacussing coordinated the trip.  We had great weather, great water conditions and a great group of people that enjoyed spending time on the water and learning a little more about nature.  Incidentally, it was a trip that I had done with the NJ OWLs a few years back that inspired me to work on this fleet.  The kayaks are a great way for NLT to fulfill one of its strategic goals of connecting people with nature.

I grew up around water and have revived my love for canoing in the last year.  The other night, Maureen and I took advantage of a full moon to go out at Lake Nockamixon with some friends for a sunset/full moon paddle.  It was a wonderful trip.  We saw a Great Egret, Green Herons and several Great Blue Herons.  At dusk, one of the Great Blues let us drift by it only 10 feet away.  A hawk flew over with a mouse in its talons.  We had Belted Kingfishers diving in front of the boats as we explored Haycock Run.  But it was the bats that made the evening wonder-filled.  We had thousands of bats dipping the surface of the lake grabbing insects as we paddled.  We could see them back lit by the setting sun and rising moon.  They flew by only feet away as we glided on the glassy water.  Fortunately, everyone in the group was mesmerized (instead of terrified) by the experience. 

   

Mariton - Bluebirds still doing well

Right now, there are three active bluebird nests at Mariton.  One nest, near the Nature Center has 3 chicks that will be leaving the box within days.  Another box has 4 young that look healthy and should fledge out in two weeks.  The third box has 5 eggs.  The timing and location of this last nest could be better, but we will hope for the best.  Mariton has had a lot of bluebird nesting activity - along with a lot of nests lost this year.  In the end, the same amount of bluebirds will probably fledge as in past years. 

Mariton - Butterfly Walk

It wasn't on the schedule, but after the Pipevine Swallowtail last week several wanted a chance to look at butterflies again.  We had several special treats.  Valerie brought a pair (male and female) of Luna Moths that she captured at her home.  (Thank goodness Show and Tell doesn't end when you leave grade school.)  She plans to release them after the female lays its eggs, and then rear caterpillars for release it suitable habitats.  It was a real treat for me to see Luna moths again, I haven't seen one in several years.  Not only did I get the treat of seeing them, but I learned so much about them.  Thanks Valerie.

One of the first butterflies we saw when we reached the meadows was the Pipevine Swallowtail.  It is a week older and little faded, but still a rare treat.  Other great finds of the morning included a Pearl Crescent, Eastern Tailed Blue, and some brand new Monarchs.  Carole stopped and discovered this Coral Hairstreak.  A really fabulous find and beautiful photo to accompany it.  (Photo by Carole Mebus).  There is still a little milkweed in bloom.  The butterfly bush (as you can see from the photo) is still very much in bloom.  Monarda is just beginning to bloom.  It is a great time to look for butterflies.

Mariton - Pipevine Swallowtail

We spotted a Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) butterfly on the Tuesday Morning Butterfly Walk.  As most of the readers know I am still struggling when it comes to butterflies.  This is one of the "black" swallowtails that I didn't think I would have to learn when I set that as one of my goals for this year.  So, when we saw a pair of these zipping around the first field, I did look at them for practice, but assumed they were Spicebush Swallowtails.  (I am still working on the jiz of butterfly ID and that comes from repeated practice.)  Fortunately, the butterfly in the photo stopped to feed on nectar when Virginia noticed the markings were that of a Pipevine Swallowtail. 

We were pretty excited as this would be considered a very uncommon sighting for Mariton (possibly rare?)  That is one of the joys of the the Tuesday Butterfly Walks for me.  It gives me more practice, and we see the variety of butterflies that inhabit the meadows during the whole butterfly season, instead of just a small window.  Very exciting.

Mariton - Another Sojourn Entry

I just returned from the Delaware River Sojourn.  (Another bus man's holiday for me.)  This year's theme was Conserving Our Wild and Scenic River.  The Sojourn was a great opportunity to commemorate the 40th anniversary of National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.  That law lead to the Wild and Scenic designation for the Upper and Middle Delaware River in 1978 (30 years ago!).

Our trip went as far north as Skinner's Falls.  I ended my trip at a favorite birding location, Giving Pond in Tinicum.  Others continued on to Matinicunk Island, near Burlington, NJ.  The Sojourn sampled different sections of the Delaware each day (each year the trip itinerary changes).  One can paddle from the beginning to end, or pick and choose sections by day.  Besides paddling, each day we had several rest stops that featured educational programs.  These programs were excellent and cultivated discussion among paddlers as we got back onto the River.  In the evenings, we shared campfires, stories and laughter. 

The Delaware River Corridor is awesome and inspiring.  The Sojourn is worthwhile just for the opportunity to experience the natural resources protected by a variety of entities (federal, states and private).  But the human resource provided by my fellow sojourners was an equally important part of the experience.  I gleaned information from expert paddlers, naturalists, photographers, eco-travelers and others who shared tips, instruction and enthusiasm.  It was a wonderful experience.  This was my first Sojourn, but not my last.

Mariton - Butterfly Census Results

There was a great turn out for this morning's Butterfly Census (both counters and butterflies).  In all we counted 19 species and 180 individuals.  Not bad.  Carole Mebus took this photo of a Hackberry Emperor that landed on a bunch of people before settling on Virginia's shirt. 

We also had this Painted Lady (photo by Carole Mebus).  The top butterfly species was the Cabbage White (43 individuals).  They started slow, but eventually overtook and passed the Great-spangled Fritillaries (33).  One of the things that I found interesting was that we counted more Hoary-edges (15) than Silver-spotted Skippers (13).  These two butterflies are somewhat similar looking at first glance, but the Hoary-edge is generally considered less common.  That has certainly been the case when you review the eighteen years of census data from Mariton.  So, the big increase in numbers this year is somewhat interesting. 

Mariton - Rhodies Blooming

The Rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum) have started blooming at Mariton.  It looks like there will be a good show this summer.  Expect to find blossoms until Independence Day, but the best looking blossoms will be between now and the end of June.  Walking down to the River Lookout is a great place to admire these flowers.  If you aren't up to the climb, you can see some beautiful blossoms along the Main and Chimney Rock Trails. 

If you come early morning or late afternoon, you should take a break on the benches at the the top of the River Lookout Trail.  A male Veery has chosen the area for his territory and sings there quite a bit.  Veerys (in the Thrush family) have this clear flute-like song that descends in a graceful spiral. 

You will notice that one of these benches is dedicated in honor of Polly Ivenz.  Polly was Mariton's Program Director for 3 decades.  She gets the credit for starting the Nature Day Camps, programs for schools, and even the Nature Center and its collection.  She is an amazing naturalist with a great knowledge for plants.  Her niece dedicated the bench in honor of her mother (Polly's sister) and her Aunt Polly.  It is a wonderful place to listen to a Veery singing.   

Mariton - Milkweed In Bloom

We had a great morning on the Butterfly Walk.  The Milkweed is beginning to bloom.  This attracts butterflies and holds them on a blossom so you can focus your binoculars and look for field marks.  Today, we saw some old favorites along with some unusual finds.  One of the "Unusual Suspects" was a black morph Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.  The Tiger Swallowtail is the familiar yellow butterfly with black stripes on its wings.  But it also has a black morph which is black instead of yellow and has cream markings along the edges of the wings.  I have trouble distinguishing it from the Spicebush Swallowtail and the Black Swallowtail.  This morning I studied it with the guide as a reference.  Next time I encounter one, we will see how well I studied.

The other uncommon sighting was when Virginia spotted a Common Checkered Skipper.  It was beautiful, but I understand not common.  This photo was taken by Carole Mebus last year.  Some of the other species were the Silver-spotted and Hoary-edged Skippers.  The Hoary-edged is usually less common, but we saw them about as often as the Silver-spotted Skippers.  We saw Little Wood Satyrs, although not as many as we saw last Tuesday.  There were more Spicebush Swallowtails this week; and more Great-spangled Fritillaries also.  We saw a few Northern Cloudywings.  (I think I am getting the feel for this species, but will be tested when the Confused Cloudywings and Southern Cloudywings come onto the scene.)

One of the interesting (non-butterfly) finds on the walk was a pair of Box Turtles mating. 

This Saturday, the milkweed should be perfect when we do the Butterfly Census (9 a.m. - noon).  So, join us and watch some of the most beautiful creatures out there.

Mariton - Extra Butterfly Walk

Due to an opening in the schedule, we will have a Butterfly Walk on Tuesday, June 17 from 9 a.m. to noon.  During the Bird Census, Carole Mebus and I were distracted by several butterflies.  We kicked ourselves for not carrying cameras when a Eastern Comma posed on a rock for several minutes.  When I got closer to examine it, the butterfly flew briefly and then landed on me and posed again.  Hopefully, we will see that type of activity on Tuesday.

Mariton - Bird Census Results

We conducted the 27th Nesting Bird Census on Saturday.  The count was a week later than usual, and I was slightly concerned that birds might be quiet; busy with incubation of feeding chicks.  Comparing past years' data, I don't think that was a factor, with one exception.  Red-eyed Vireos were particularly quiet and we counted about half what I would expect.  I think this was a factor of the census timing.

We ended up with 46 species and 275 individual birds.  Both numbers correlate with the last ten years of censuses.  We had one anomaly; a flock of 25 Canada Geese flew over us as we started out.  Geese don't nest on Mariton's property, but it has been the protocol to count species seen or heard from within the boundaries since Polly Ivenz started collecting data.  We usually count a few geese each year and understand the numbers.

The high species was Blue Jays at 22 individuals.  Next were Tufted Titmouses and Wood Thrush tied at 16 individuals.  We counted 15 different Ovenbirds.  Cowbirds (11) and House Wrens (11) were high compared to past data.  This might be due to the timing, but concerns me nonetheless.  House Wrens have taken a toll on Bluebird reproduction at Mariton this year, and I have no idea what impact they may have had on natural cavity nesters (nuthatches, chickadees, etc.).  Cowbirds are nest parasites.  They lay their eggs in other species' nests to be raised by foster parents, often at the cost of the biological offspring.  One year's data set doesn't warrant action, but I will be monitoring these numbers in future years.

There were no unexpected species, but we were excited to count a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers.  We also counted both Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos.