Tennessee Conservationist Magazine--A Nest Box Surprise: Prothonotary Warblers

Spring is on its way--at least we all hope so.  With spring comes nesting season.  Nest boxes are already being investigated by cavity nesters in Tennessee, but sometimes the bird that chooses your yard's nest box is not the one you expected!

    Photo credit:  Cyndi Routledge                 Pronthonotary Warbler 

This was the case with Cyndi and Steve Routledge in Clarksville, TN, during the 2012 nesting season when a pair of Prothonotary Warblers selected their nest box for raising young.  Their experiences with these bright yellow cavity nesters is described in the March/April issue of the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine. Cyndi and I co-authored the text, but the story comes from Cyndi's many hours of observation and her beautiful photographs illustrate the article's pages.

The Routledges' nest box is located in a suburban yard surrounded by woods with natural cavities created by woodpeckers, but the warblers chose a nest box right off the Routledges' front porch, farther from a natural water source than is generally expected for this species. The article's story describes Cyndi's reactions and experiences as she watched the nesting process, protecting the warbler family from competing House Wrens and even from a snake that caused alarm among all the nesting birds in her yard.

Cyndi was able to keep a vigilant watch over the nestlings and their parents, witnessing many significant events, including watching the nestlings fledge.

Prothonotary Warblers must compete with other secondary cavity nesters for nesting sites and the species shows population declines due to loss of wetland habitat and fewer available natural cavities. It is always special to have cavity nesting birds select your yard during the breeding season, but a pair of Prothonotary Warblers would add extra excitement to most any bird lover's nest box.

A special thank you to Louise Zepp, editor of the award-winning Tennessee Conservationist Magazine, and her staff for the beautiful layout of this article and for highlighting the article on the magazine's website.

Cyndi Routledge is a Tennessee Master Naturalist, photographer, avid birder and member of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and the Warioto Audubon Chapter.

Links and Resources:

Tennessee Conservation Magazine
Cornell on the Prothonotary Warbler
Other Tennessee Conservationist articles on this blog

Tennessee Conservationist Magazine--Tennessee Students Discover Birds

The January/February issue of the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine has just been delivered to the hands of subscribers and it includes my article on the Discover Birds Program, an innovative program that introduces students to the fascinating world of birds. 

Inspired by the Discover Birds Activity Book, and prompted by a desire to provide young people with a memorable introduction to birds, a team of volunteers from the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Association visits area schools, donating books to all of the classrooms of a single grade level, and takes the students and their teachers through a three-part birding program.   The students are divided into smaller groups and on a rotating schedule, they experience a slide show presentation of Tennessee birds and their songs and a show-and-tell treasure chest of bird related items, such as, talons, feathers and nests. They also learn to identify birds in their schoolyard through guided bird walks with a close-up view of birds through birding telescopes.

As the writer and illustrator of the Discover Birds Activity Book, I am delighted with the program and the excitement I see when children and teachers are introduced to birds in this memorable way.  

The Discover Birds Activity Book includes science, math and language activities contributed by a team of educators including members of the National Intitute of Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, and individual naturalists and educators.  Using actual data from the Geological Survey's annual Breeding Bird Surveys, students learn to graph bird population fluctuations and consider what may be influencing these changes.  Another activity includes a fun decoding math formula to learn which birds are the champions of speed, distance and size.  In other activities, students are introduced to the interesting traits that make birds unique members of the wildlife community and among the most fascinating to observe and study.

A special "thank you" goes to editor, Louise Zepp, for including this article in her award winning magazine published by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation . The issue is available for $3.25 and can be ordered at The Tennessee Conservationist Magazine website.

Visit the Discover Birds Blog to see more about the Discover Birds Program activities.  Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society's education page to find more information about the program and the Discover Birds Activity Book, including an online version of the book.

For more information about the Discover Birds Program, contact Billie Cantwell at bfcantwell@gmail.com or Cyndi Routledge at routledges@bellsouth.net.  For information about obtaining printed books, contact Cyndi Routledge at routledges@bellsouth.net.

TN Conservationist Magazine--The Peregrine Falcon in Tennessee

The July/August issue of the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine is in the hands of many subscribers now and if you haven't received your copy, its on its way. This issue includes my article on the "The Peregrine Falcon in Tennessee" and I am delighted that the article received the cover headline.

The recovery of the Peregrine Falcon is one of the greatest conservation stories in our nation's history.   Peregrine Falcon populations plummeted in the United States due to the widespread use of DDT after WWII, and the species was completely extirpated from the eastern United States.  A species that preys on small birds, peregrines absorbed the pesticide into their tissue and their eggs became too thin for incubation.  

The article tells the story of restoration efforts in Tennessee and the first breeding Peregrine Falcons discovered in 1997, fifty years after the species disappeared from the state.  But Tennessee's story is not complete.  USFWS reports that North America recorded from 2000-3000 breeding pairs of Peregrines in 2012.  Tennessee records currently confirm only one productive breeding eyrie, while neighboring states report from 10-23.  In the early twentieth century, prior to the species decline, Tennessee had 25 confirmed eyries.

It is uncertain whether more birds are breeding and remain undetected, or some unknown factor is interfering with the return of the species to historic breeding sites. Hopefully, the article will raise awareness and increase efforts to discover the reason for the Peregrine's slow recovery in Tennessee.

I would like to acknowledge those who contributed information to this article, especially fellow Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) members , Harold Sharp and Jack Gentle for their historical observations and photographs, and the TOS publication, The Migrant.  Greg Lavaty of  Sugar Land, Texas, contributed beautiful flight photographs.

A special thank you to Louise Zepp, editor of the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine, and her staff for the beautiful layout, cover headline and for highlighting the article on the magazine's website.

Links and Resources:
Tennessee Conservation Magazine
Greg Lavaty Photography and Bird Guiding
Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS)
The Migrant--TOS' scientific publication

Tennessee Conservationist--Bluebirds in Your Backyard

One of the most delightful birds to welcome into your yard's habitat, the Eastern Bluebird, is the subject of my recent article in the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine, "Bluebirds in Your Backyard."  

When I embarked on the mission of attracting bluebirds to my backyard, I had only a small idea of the enjoyment I would derive from my interactions and observations of this companionable bird and its nesting activities, including offering mealworms.  Monitoring a nestbox, watching bluebird behavior, and checking the progress of nestlings, from the appearance of eggs to the days after fledging, is an enriching journey into the natural world that will alter your appreciation for nature forever.

Bluebirds require all the basics--shelter, food and water--but the central ingredient to attracting bluebirds to your yard is the nestbox.  The article includes details of placing the nestbox and one type of predator guard that has been successful in keeping bluebird families safe from cats, raccoons and snakes in my yard throughout the nesting seasons.

Louise Zepp, editor of the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine, selected "Bluebirds in Your Backyard" as the feature article for the March/April issue to help celebrate bluebirds and promote bluebird conservation.

Links and Resources:

To visit my other TN Conservationists Magazine articles click here.

The Tennessee Conservationist website.

To see my bluebird posts on this blog visit:  Bluebird family

Tennessee Conservationist Features Majestic Sandhill Cranes

Louise Zepp, editor of the Tennessee Conservationist,  has selected "Tennessee's Majestic Sandhill Cranes" as the website's feature article for the November/December issue to help promote the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, scheduled for January 19th and 20th, 2013.

The most exciting part about being selected as the feature article is that the entire article is available for reading on line.   So visit the link provided below and enjoy!  The article features the Eastern Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes and their spectacular migration staging each fall when they stop to rest and feed at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.  That collection of thousands of sandhill cranes creates a majestic spectacle that we all enjoy seeing and celebrating each year at our Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival.

The beautiful four-page layout includes six full color images, including my watercolor, "Sandhills Landing", depicting one of my favorite sandhill crane postures as they float down for a landing.

If you do not already subscribe to this beautiful magazine, you should, so also visit the subscription section while you are visiting the article at the website.

A special thank you, again, to Louise Zepp, TN Conservationist editor, for promoting our majestic sandhill cranes and the sandhill crane festival!

Links and Resources:
Visit my blog posts on sandhill cranes and the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival  .
Visit this link to see my other Tennessee Conservationist articles.
The Tennessee Conservationist website

TN Conservationist Magazine--Helping Cavity Nesters

The March/April issue of the Tennessee Conservationist magazine is in the hands of most subscribers now and includes my article on Helping Cavity Nesters--A Nestbox Trail for Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.

The article is the result of time spent with Billie Cantwell, Vice-president of the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society (KTOS), as she monitored the nestbox trail at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge in Knoxville, TN.  She is part of a team that includes husband Colin Leonard, refuge manager and resource advocate, Wayne Schacher, and Mark Armstrong, KTOS President.

It was a delight to spend this time with Billie as we found and recorded eggs and nestlings in the 40-plus boxes we visited.  Carolina Chickadees, Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and Carolina Wrens all nested in the boxes along the trail last season.  I was also on hand to assist with bluebird nestling banding, a new experience for me, but one that Billie handles with skill and tenderness.

Below, I've included an exerpt from the article that includes a story told by Colin Leonard:

Monitoring begins in March, Cantwell explains, and closes in August when nesting activities have ceased.  Once nesting is underway, the boxes are checked every 10 days, or sooner if nestlings are present, and in late fall, boxes are checked to make sure old nests are removed and needed repairs are identified.  For Leonard, the challenge is often these repairs and innovative renovations, like improving predator guards.

Leonard tells the story of one of these challenges, "I wanted to make and put predator guards on the front of the boxes.  To do so, I needed to know the average length of a racoon's arm.  No one could tell me, not even Mr. Google.  One day, we were on vacation somewhere in the boonies of Georgia and stopped for a drink at a bar.  Lo and behold, on the bar was a stuffed racoon!"  Leonard improvised to take the arm measurement and says, if any one is interested, it's nine inches long.  He adds this caution, "The shop-bought predator guards are only four inches and not long enough. Ours are now six inches and our loss to predation is almost zero."

In addition to discussing the monitoring activities of the nestbox trail at the Refuge, the article focuses on the conservation history of bluebirds and why it is so important to continue providing safe, predator proof nest boxes for this species, as well as, other secondary cavity nesters.  

To read the entire article, visit the TN Conservationist website (link below) and subscribe to the magazine or contact the editor, Louise Zepp, to obtain a copy.  The award-winning magazine is funded entirely by subscriptions and is relatively inexpensive to purchase.  Published six times a year, it brings news about natural and cultural conservation efforts in Tennessee, including descriptions of parks and preserves people can visit.

A special thank you to Louise Zepp, TN Conservationist editor, and to Billie Cantwell, Colin Leonard and Wayne Schacher for their assistance in making this article possible.

Links and informaton:
Third image:  Billie Cantwell banding an Eastern bluebird nestling.  Image four:  Cantwell removing the top of a nest box to monitor its contents.

TN Conservationist Magazine

More about my articles in the TN Conservationist and about bird-banding at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge in this blog.  You may also want to visit the Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge website.

Tracking the Birds of Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge--TN Conservationist Magazine

The November/December issue of the Tennessee Conservationist magazine is now in the hands of subscribers and it includes my article on bird banding--Tracking the Birds of Seven Island Wildlife Refuge.  What a delight to see this article in print, a culmination of over a year of research, co-ordination, and the best part--participation in bird banding at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge.

Below, you can read the introduction to the article which features information about how the refuge is helping grassland birds, and how banding is not only telling us about the birds on the refuge, but contributing to a wider knowledge of bird populations.

In the pre-dawn darkness, a cluster of small glowing head lamps slowly fans out in all directions on a river peninsula in east Knox County, TN.  Field Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, and Indigo Buntings sing as mist nets are erected prior to the day's first light.  In July this occurs around 5:30 a.m., the rising sun bathing the fields in rose gold just as the first net-run takes place at 6:40.  When there is no breeze stirring or cloud cover, banding team members expect to face rising heat and humidity as the morning progresses.

Winter banding sessions call for mittens, caps, layered clothing, hot drinks and chemical hand warmers for comfort, and even then, finger tips numb before the first bird is processed.  Yet, none of these discomforts dampen the enthusiastic spirit of banding activities conducted year-round at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge (SIWR).

Established through the vision and generosity of the Pete Claussen family through their Seven Islands Foundation, SIWR is a 360-acre nature preserve and wildlife refuge located on the Kelly Bend peninsula of the French Broad River.  Bordering three miles of the river, the refuge's mission includes the restoration of native warm-season grasses, the enhancement of riparian and wetland areas and habitat diversification for the benefit of wildlife species, all under the watchful planning and direction of natural resource advocate and land manager, Wayne Schacher.  In addition to light recreational activity for the public, including nature trails and a small boat ramp for kayaks and canoes, the refuge offers educational and research opportunities. Partnering with members of the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society to conduct bird banding studies is just one of the many on-going research activities taking place on the refuge.

To read the entire article, visit the TN Conservationist website (link below) and subscribe to the magazine or contact the editor, Louise Zepp, to obtain a copy.  The award-winning magazine is funded entirely by subscriptions and is relatively inexpensive to purchase.  Published six times a year, it brings news about natural and cultural conservation efforts in Tennessee, including descriptions of parks and preserves people can visit in Tennessee.

A special thank you to Louise Zepp, TN Conservationist editor, and to bird-banding team members, Mark Armstrong, Wayne Schacher and Billie Cantwell for their assistance in making this article possible.

Links:
TN Conservationist Magazine
More about the TN Conservationist and about bird-banding at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge in this blog.  You may also want to visit the Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge website.

Upcoming:
A visit with birds at Dockweiler Beach, CA
The endangered El Segundo blue butterfly
A review of Ghost Birds, by Stephen Lyn Bales
The proposed sandhill crane hunt in Tennessee

Tennessee Conservationist

The May/June issue of Tennessee Conservationist magazine is out and features an article on whip-poor-wills written by Stephen Lyn Bales, friend and author of Natural Histories, Stories from the Tennessee Valley. Lyn's article, entitled "Whip-poor-wills, on the Borderland of Invisibility" is written with that same magical Bale's quality--lyrical story telling, enriched with historical and sensory detail --that has become his trademark and is fast making him one of the most sought after naturalists in our area. His book, a first publication, is destined to become a regional classic. I was delighted several months ago when Lyn asked me if I would be interested in creating some watercolor sketches to go with his article. He is an excellent pen and ink artist himself. And it is indeed a thrill now to see this article in print, accompanied by both my watercolor illustrations and his pen and ink.

enlargement of watercolor

A special thank you to Stephen Lyn for the invitation to join him in this endeavor and to Louise Zepp editor and Jeff Law, art director/designer of this award-winning magazine.

To see enlarged illustrations click on link to April 26 post, whip-poor-will seranade