Archive | May 2024
EVIDENCE 13-YEAR CIDADAS HAVE BEEN HERE
For some of us, the appearance of the XIX brood of 13-year cicadas is just about over. I am now hearing just a few males singing. Yesterday while mowing the lawn, I saw only three. However, I am finding cicada wings and bodies scattered everywhere. My wife Donna spotted something I overlooked. She noticed that the leaves on the tips of several branches on a small oak tree growing in our front yard had turned brown.
This was a clear indication that cicadas had successfully mated and deposited their eggs in those now displaying dead leaves. This is because after mating, female 13-year cicadas lay their rice-shaped eggs in the very tips of branches. In some cases, this causes the leaves to die. However, this is rarely a detriment to the tree. Once the eggs hatch, cicada nymphs topple to the ground and burrow into the soil that will be their home for the next 13 years.
Dead leaves on oak tree; Photo credit: Donna Johnson
BACKYARD SECRET – HUMMINGBIRDS CAN FLY IN THE RAIN
We have had more than our share of rain this spring. While the rain resulted in our having to delay and even, cancel some outdoor activities. However, have you noticed that, except during the heaviest showers, hummingbirds were flying about and feeding? How is this possible?
One of the reasons is the hummingbird is able to fly while raindrops are pelting down on it because it has the ability to quickly toss off water droplets that fall on its head. The bird does this by rapidly shaking its head at a rate of 132 times per second and rotatig it 202 degrees. In spite of all of this, the bird never has to change the direction of its flight.
This is just one more example of why this fly jewel is such an amazing bird.
WHY DO MOCKINGBIRDS SING AT NIGHT?
Mockingbirds frequently sing throughout the night. If they live in your yard, chances are you often hear their nocturnal serenades. If so, this begs the question, why do mockingbirds sometimes sing almost continuously under the cloak of darkness?
Although both male and female mockingbirds sing, immature males are the ones that are the most insistent nocturnal songsters. This is especially true for those young males that have not found a mate. However, adult males that have lost their mates will also sing around the clock. Although they often sing throughout the night, they are most vocal from midnight to 4 a.m. The birds also vocalize more frequently on bright moonlit nights.
Most of the nighttime serenades take place in the spring and summer; at times, they also sing at night during winter. However, they rarely sing in the dark during autumn.
HOW SHOULD HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS BE POSITIONED?
Finally, after weeks of only occasionally seeing hummingbirds at my backyard hummingbird feeder, during the past few days five or more are now vying for the opportunity to drink sugar water from the feeder. When this happens, what do you do? Some say you should scatter a number of small feeders each equipped for a small number of feeding portals across your yard. Others opt for replacing a single small feeder with one that has eight to more than a dozen spots to feed. Which is best?
As a rule, since hummingbirds are so territorial, it seems to make sense that a number of small feeders equipped with places to feed placed at different locations positioned at different locations would cut down territorial disputes among the birds and allow more hummers to feed without expending a lot of time and energy trying to compete for food at a single feeder. Consequently, employing this strategy might attract more hummers to your yard than a single huge feeder.
Since every yard is different, the best way to find what works best for you is to experiment. Try feeding the birds with a large feeder for a few days and then replace it with multiple feeders.
I would be interested in learning what works best for you.
BACKYARD SECRET – RECIPES FOR FOLKS THAT EAT CICADAS
If you live within the range of the XIX brood of the 13-year cicada, during the past few weeks one of your main topics of conversation has been the emergence of literally millions of these large, noisy insects. During this time, I am sure one topic has been, “do people eat cicadas?” The answer is a resounding yes!
If you have been a little too squeamish to try one yourself, perhaps it is because you do not know how to properly prepare them. If this is indeed the case, the University of Georgia’s Department of Food Science and Technology has posted a wealth of information regarding how you can cook mouth-watering dishes using cicadas, their nutritive value, and much more.
If you are willing to expand your dining experiences to include cicadas, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Keep in mind, if you don’t eat one of these odd insects this year, you will have to wait 13 years before you can pop one into your mouth.
Here is the UGA link. https://site.extension.uga.edu/foodscienceandtechnology/add-a-little-crunch-to-your-diet-with-cicadas-how-to-harvest-store-and-prepare-food-from-brood-xix-emergence-in-georgia/
BIRDS KNOWN TO PREY ON RUBYTHROATS IN BACKYARDS
There are at least nine species of birds that capture ruby-throated hummingbirds in backyards. Some of these species might surprise you.
It is common knowledge that birds of prey feed on rubythroats. The list of these birds includes the kestrel, merlin, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk, and Mississippi kite. However, from time to time other birds also capture and eat hummingbirds. Examples of these birds are the loggerhead shrike, blue jay, tanagers, and grackles.
If you have seen any of these or other birds prey on a ruby-throated hummingbird in your backyard, please let me know.
SOME CITY BIRDS HAVE SMALLER EYES THAN THOSE LIVING IN THE COUNTRY
Many birds are adapting to the changes taking place in the world around them. An excellent example of this is the eyes of some birds living in brightly lit habitats are actually getting smaller. Jennifer Phillips, assistant professor in Washington State University’s school of the environment explains the situation this way, “Animals living in a bright area don’t need to gather so much sunlight.”
For some time, biologists have known that the eyes of birds that live their lives in dark forests are larger than those inhabiting locales bathed in natural sunlight. A similar phenomenon seems to exist with birds living in well-lit cities. Here some birds have smaller eyes than those that make their home outside of the inner city. This is thought to be due to city birds have to live in the constant glare of bright city lights.
In an effort to test this theory, Phillips and her research team used mist nests to capture Carolina wrens and northern cardinals in and around San Antonio, Texas. The researchers carefully measured the size of the eyes of all birds netted. They recently published the results of their study in Global Change Biology. Their findings demonstrated the Carolina wrens and northern cardinal living in the brightly lit core of San Antonio were smaller than their counterparts inhabiting the perimeter of this large Texas city. Phillips interpreted the findings this way, “That makes sense. If you’re trying to build a nest or sleep in bright urban areas, it’s likely beneficial to have smaller eyes.”
FREE SNAKE GUIDE AVAILABLE FROM GEORGIA DNR
There are 47 species of snakes native to the state of Georgia. Only seven of these reptiles are poisonous. If you would like to learn how to identify them, a great place to start is to go online and Google the Georgia DNR’s Venomous Snakes of Georgia. When you download the brochure, you will find there is also a Quick Guide to Georgia’s Non-venonmous Snakes.
