Preserve Observations

This was a good week for wildlife watching. We have been treated to a trio of pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) working over the trees around the visitor center and parking lot. These birds are huge and their cry raucous. Since we were doing manual labor nearby, the birds didn't pay much attention to us, and we got very good views of this somewhat shy species. When I see them I am reminded of the search in the swamps of Arkansas for the similar but ellusive ivory-billed woodpecker. I knew crows were nesting (living up to our preserve's name!) when I saw a crow repeatedly gliding down off the ridge across the road to the creek—presumably to feed—and then "rowing" back uphill to the nest. Then last week the young started making a lot of noise, squawking. They've fledged by now I expect, as things have quieted down. This skullcap (Scutellaria elliptica) is now blooming along Piersol Road. This Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is raising young on our porch, providing endless entertainment for my (indoor-only) cats. You can't tell from this photo, but there are a couple of little beaks sticking out of this nest. The phoebe co-exists easily with my occasional use of the porch. Their messy droppings are made tolerable when you realize what's in them: phoebes devour a lot of insects. Remember that winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) that was one of my favorite plants for the fruit (February 2, 2006 entry)? This is what the flowers look like, right now, on the female plant. Not very showy, but they make possible the gorgeous fruit in winter.