“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” –Rachel Carson
February 8, Top 10 Ways to Help Birds in Bad Weather
by Bill Thompson, III | Editor, Bird Watcher’s Digest
Wintertime, and the livin’ ain’t easy. Birds are hungry, and the snow’s piling high. We all know by now that birds can survive without our help in the winter. Some ornithologists have even suggested that bird feeding is more beneficial to us (humans) than it is to the birds. Be that as it may, studies have shown that birds with access to bird feeders in winter survive at a higher rate than birds without access to feeders. The difference between the haves and the have-nots is not huge, but it’s there. Feeding birds in winter, if done right, is a good thing for the birds (and for us, too).
10. Make sure seed is accessible and dry. Hopper or tube feeders are good at protecting seed from wet weather, and they dole out food as it is eaten. Sweep snow off of platform feeders, or clear a place on the ground where you can scatter seed for ground-feeding species such as sparrows, towhees, juncos, and doves.
9. Make a windbreak. A few winters ago we had a week of dry, blowing snow. The drifts were five feet deep, almost burying the feeders. We couldn’t possibly keep the feeders free of snow, so we switched tactics. We made a windbreak using our old Christmas tree, the remains of our brush pile, and two large pieces of plywood. We placed the tree on its side near the brush pile. The plywood pieces were wedged into the snow and the brush pile to serve as walls that drastically reduced the wind. Behind this contraption (on the sheltered side) we cleared the snow from a patch of ground and scattered seed. The birds swarmed to our new, wind-free spot. Which brings me to another good idea…
8. Keep extra feeders for use in bad weather. We keep an extra-large-capacity tube feeder in the garage for use when nasty weather comes. It not only gives the birds another place to eat, which means more birds can eat at one time, but it also cuts down on our trips outside for refilling the feeders. Other extras to consider having: peanut feeder, suet feeder, satellite feeder (for the small birds to use), and a hopper feeder.
7. Scatter seed in sheltered places. Not all birds will venture to your feeder. Some species prefer to skulk in the thickets, brambles, and other secure places. For these species, consider scattering some seed (black-oil sunflower, sunflower bits, peanut bits, mixed seed) under your deck, in your hedges and bushes, or even along the edge of a wooded area. At our farm the eastern towhees, dark-eyed juncos, and Carolina wrens much prefer to feed on food scattered under our deck. Many of the tree sparrows and white-throated sparrows appreciate the seed we toss into the raspberry thicket on the edge of our woods.
6. Put out high-energy foods….such as suet, meat scraps, and peanut butter. Fat gives the biggest energy boost to winter birds, and without enough energy to keep them going, many songbirds would not survive a cold winter night. Suet (the fat removed from processed beef), meat scraps, and peanut butter all provide fat to birds that eat them. If you don’t have a suet feeder, use a mesh onion bag. Suspend it from a tree branch or iron feeder hook. To feed peanut butter, drill one-inch holes in a foot-long section of a small log. Insert a screw eye into one end of the log. Smear peanut butter into the holes and suspend the feeder from the screw eye. And, no, peanut butter will not stick to the roof of a bird’s bill and choke it to death.
5. Use a birdbath heater wisely. A water heater can keep your birdbath open in the coldest of weather, which is good and bad. It’s good because birds need water to drink when it’s cold. If there’s snow, birds can use the snow for water. But if there’s no snow they may have no access to water.
There is some anecdotal evidence that birds will bathe in open water in very cold weather (below 0o F), and the water may freeze on their feathers before it dries up. This can be very bad—even fatal—for birds. I suggest you place several large rocks in your bath so there is not enough room for a bird to bathe, but still plenty of places for a thirsty bird to get a drink. When the weather warms up you can remove the rocks and let your birds get on with their hygiene.
4. Offer mealworms in a heavy dish or small crock. I’m a big mealworm fan, although I don’t eat them. The birds at our house appear for their mealworms every morning, especially in winter. Where else are they going to get live food when the ground is frozen? Use a heavy dish so the wind can’t blow the worms and dish away. We use a small dog dish made of glazed crockery. The worms can’t climb its slick sides.
3. Furnish your bird houses. Imagine you’re a bird roosting in a nest box on a cold winter’s night. Wouldn’t it be nice to snuggle down into some dried grass or dry wood shavings in the bottom of the house? We usually layer three to four inches of clean dry meadow grass in the bottom of our bluebird boxes after the last nesting of the summer. Every one of our boxes is used as a roost site in the off-season. Wood shavings work well, too. Don’t use sawdust, however; it can retain moisture once wet, which does not help the birds keep warm.
Here’s another bird house tip…
2. Plug the air vent holes in your bird houses with removable weather stripping.We use the claylike weather stripping that comes in a roll (Moretite is one brand) to plug the air vent holes in our bird houses. Good ventilation is necessary on a scorching summer day, but it’s a real liability for birds seeking winter shelter. Think how cozy the birds will be in a well-sealed house.
1. Be ready for big changes in weather. If you keep abreast of the weather developments you’ll know when bad weather is coming, and you’ll be able to stock up on seed, suet, and other goodies. You can also be ready to take on some of the activities listed above. Conversely, when the weather breaks, take advantage by cleaning and disinfecting your feeders (one part bleach to nine parts hot water). Whatever you do, don’t let yourself be caught totally unprepared for harsh winter weather. The birds don’t have to live off of your feeder largess, but it sure helps make the winter livin’ a little easier.
January 28, Top Four Foods to Attract and Feed Woodpeckers (in the Winter)
excerpted from an article by Julie Zickefoose | Contributor, Bird Watcher’s Digest
Suet
Suet is number one on most woodpeckers’ list of preferred foods offered by humans. Suet is dense, hard, white beef fat. It can be offered raw in small chunks, but it is most conveniently purchased in square blocks, shaped to fit in metal cages or dispensers. Beware of commercial suet cakes that contain seeds in the shell and other filler. The shells of sunflower seeds that have been dropped into hot, liquid suet become soggy and unsuitable for birds. Suet cakes that contain mealworms, sunflower hearts, nut meats, and dried fruit—or plain suet—are fine. Commercial suet cakes are made of rendered (melted) suet, which has a longer shelf life than raw suet.
Peanuts
Bulk, raw, unsalted peanuts are a wonderful, fat-rich calorie source for birds year-round. Downy, hairy, and red-bellied woodpeckers find them irresistible, and lucky folks who have red-headed woodpeckers and sapsuckers at their feeders will see lots of action around the peanuts. Peanut feeders are cylinders of stainless steel square-mesh wire, capped by a heavy base and lid, and they’re perfect for clinging woodpeckers, as well as titmice, chickadees, and nuthatches. Taking the woodpeckers’ cue, jays, goldfinches, cardinals, nuthatches, siskins, and even chipping and field sparrows vie for space on the peanut feeders.
Sunflower Seed
Sunflower seed, that staple of feeding stations across North America, is accepted by a wide variety of woodpecker species, but perhaps most frequently by downy and red-bellied woodpeckers. Lacking the ability to crack seeds in their bills, like finches, or by hammering them between their toes, like jays and chickadees, woodpeckers are forced to take seeds to a nearby crevice, wedge them in, and pound them open. This can be a time-consuming proposition for a woodpecker. Hulled sunflower seeds, although expensive, are readily accepted by woodpeckers, as well as any other bird that likes seed. Failing that, most woodpeckers gladly switch to suet and peanuts as soon as they are offered.
Fruit and Nectar
Woodpeckers readily eat fruits and drink nectar from flowers and feeders. Halved sections of any citrus fruit or melon are eagerly eaten by woodpeckers, especially in southern locales. Grapes, raisins, apples, bananas, and other fruits will also be consumed. These may be offered on a platform or from a hardware cloth suet feeder. To make it easier for woodpeckers to get at nectar, offer it in a shallow dish on a platform feeder.
A Note on Woodpecker Feeders
Being adaptable, agile birds, woodpeckers are not picky about the types of feeders they accept; in fact, they’re able to negotiate just about any type, from globe to tube, platform to hopper. They feel most comfortable, however, if they’re able to cling vertically to the feeder; hence you will see them selecting food from cylindrical feeders, or those that are affixed to upright supports, such as posts or trees. Some suet feeders are designed with tail props to accommodate woodpeckers’ stiff, supporting tail feathers, and such feeders are especially attractive to pileateds. The need for keeping our suet feeder away from the reaching fingers of raccoons has forced us to suspend it from a thin, cast-iron shepherd’s crook in the middle of our lawn; it swings freely, and would seem to be a tough place to perch, but downy, hairy, and red-bellied woodpeckers fly right to it, merrily swinging and twirling as they fill their crops with fat.
December 10, Western Monarch Near Extinction
While the Monarch butterflies of the east and central United States famously migrate to Mexico, did you know that there is a separate west coast population that migrates to points south in California? Like the eastern population, the western has been suffering declines in population. Scientists estimate that between three and 10 million monarchs overwintered in California in the 1980s; in the late 1990s volunteers counted millions of them; more recently they counted 192,624 in 2017 and 298,464 in 2016.Two years ago, when volunteers counted only 27,212 monarch butterflies in the Xerces Society’s annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count, it meant the butterflies had crossed a threshold identified by scientists as the point past which western migratory monarchs were likely to become extinct.
Still, after holding steady through 2019, the numbers trickling out of the count so far this fall have stunned even scientists who expected the worst. A week after Thanksgiving, with more than half of monitored overwintering sites — including all the largest ones — reporting their numbers, the 2020 count is below 2,000 butterflies. The number represents an astonishing continuation of the near-total collapse of the western migratory population of the species over the last few decades. See the link below to read more and be aware that our Monarchs are vulnerable too.
https://baynature.org/2020/12/04/with-fewer-than-2000-butterflies-counted-western-monarch-takes-an-astonishing-step-closer-to-extinction/
December 4, Chief Quiet Thunder
“The Earth is our Mother, and we all have a sacred obligation to learn to live in harmony with her and protect her for future generations.” — Chief Quiet Thunder (1934–2020)
Water Research Center in Chester County honors and mourns the passing of Chief Richard Quiet Thunder Gilbert, late Native American elder from Woodbury, New Jersey, and tribal chief of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribe. For more than three decades, Chief Quiet Thunder inspired thousands of students and adults in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and southern New Jersey, including oral storytelling presentations at the annual Brandywine Watershed Discovery Day Camp led by the Coatesville Youth Initiative and the Stroud Center.
Often surrounded by hundreds of handcrafted cultural items, this “peaceful warrior” captivated audiences with authentic presentations, interactive music-making, the enduring wisdom of the Lenni-Lenape, and a profound passion for the Earth. His voice, like his name, harbored restrained power that left learners spellbound. And just as thunder accompanies lightning, the chief’s words brought essential light to our understanding of native Lenni-Lenape peoples.
His 86 years on the planet included two books co-authored with Greg Vizzi: The Original People: The Ancient Culture and Wisdom of the Lenni-Lanape People, now published and available for purchase, and The Seventh Generation: Quiet Thunder Speaks, which is coming soon.
November 19, A tiny owl hitched a ride on the Rockefeller Christmas tree
Source: Scottie Andrews, CNN.com
The reaction to the Rockefeller Christmas tree’s reveal this week was … less than enthusiastic. But its scrawny exterior hid a very small, very cute winged stowaway. A petite Saw-whet owl that had hitched a ride inside the soon-to-be Christmas tree when it was cut down in Oneonta, New York, this week.
The owl, nicknamed “Rockefeller,” is recovering at a wildlife facility about two hours from 30 Rock. Rockefeller was discovered during tree transport, according to Ravensbeard Wildlife Center. The wife of an employee for the company that gets the tree to Manhattan called the center to report a “baby owl” in need of help.
But Rockefeller is no baby. Saw-whet owls are the smallest species of owl in the region — about the size of a soda can, according to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. Losing his home while he was in it was relatively distressing for Rockefeller, so since arriving at Ravensbeard on Tuesday, he’s been gorging on mice and catching up on some much-needed R&R.
“So far so good,” the center wrote on Facebook. “His eyes are bright and seems relatively in good condition with all he’s been through.” When he’s ready to fly again, Rockefeller will be released on the grounds of Ravensbeard, the center said, where he’ll have acres of trees in which to make a new home. Saw-whet owls are migratory, which makes them quite capable of adapting to new places.
As for the withered tree, it still needs to be lit, decorated and spruced up before its debut on December 2, Rockefeller Center said. And if it was good enough for the bird, it should make a fine Christmas tree, too.
October 9, THUD! It’s a sound we hate to hear but is all too common: A songbird has hit a window. How can you help it?
Excerpted and adapted from Birders Digest
Your immediate goal is to keep it safe and reduce its level of stress without causing further harm. The best way to do that is to put it into a secure, dimly lit container. If the bird is lying in a reasonably safe place, go find a paper bag slightly larger than the bird. A lunch bag or a paper grocery bag is fine. If you need to move the bird immediately to keep it safe (from pedestrians, cats, traffic, etc.), pick it up as gently as possible with your hands. Hold it securely and well supported without squeezing it, or gently place it out of harm’s way (outdoors) while you go find that bag.
(Warning: While a stunned bird won’t bite, an alert injured bird might! These instructions are for an unconscious or groggy bird.)
Gently place the bird in the bag, fold the top over, and secure with a clip. This makes a secure container in which the bird cannot hurt itself. During hot weather, place the bag in a shaded spot where it will not overheat, or, if the outdoor temperature is frigid, place the container in the sun, but make sure the bird is in a dim or dark space and does not overheat. Check on the bird every 15 minutes or so by listening for movement. Don’t unclip the bag if you take it indoors; it might escape the bag and get trapped in your house!
When you hear the bird scratching about, it should it be ready for release. Slowly and gently turn the bag onto its side and unclip the top so the bird can walk, hop, or fly out when it is ready. (It might be difficult for a bird to fly straight up to exit a tall, upright bag.) It could take the bird an hour or more to recover from a hard strike. Give it time. Do not offer the bird food or water as it is recovering, and don’t try to force-feed it.
If the bird is alive but has visible injuries such as a broken leg or wing, open wounds, or injuries to its eyes or bill, it will need to be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible. Below is a list of local wildlife rehabilitators:
Philadelphia Metro Wildlife: https://www.phillywildlife.org/
The Schuylkill Center: http://www.schuylkillcenter.org/departments/wildlife
Diamond Rock Wildlife: http://www.diamondrockwildlife.org/
Don’t be surprised if the bird doesn’t make it. Internal injuries are usually invisible, and birds sometimes die from trauma alone.
October 1, Why Bats Matter!
October is for bats and the celebration ends in Bat Week at the end of the month (October 24 – 31). The following is from Bat Conservation International:
Humans need bats. Worldwide, there are more than 1,400 species of bats—that’s almost 20 percent of all mammal species. Bats live almost everywhere on Earth except the most extreme desert and polar regions. So, no matter where you live, it is almost certain that there are bats living near you. Bats are amazing animals that are vital to the health of our environment and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night. Most bats in North America eat insects, including moths, beetles, aquatic insects, and flies. A single bat can eat up to its body weight in insects each night. Eating all these insects helps protect our food crops and forests from insect pests, saving farmers and forest managers billions of dollars each year.
Consider these fascinating bat facts:
- Bats come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny, adorable bumblebee bat that weighs less than a penny to the big, beautiful flying foxes that can have a wingspan of up to six feet.
- Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly (although some other mammals “glide”). A bat’s wing is actually a modified hand—similar to yours.
- Contrary to popular belief, bats actually have good eyesight (similar to that of humans), but for most species, their main technique for navigating or locating prey is using echolocation (not all species echolocate!): emitting very high- pitched sounds that bounce off obstacles in their path, like trees, other bats, buildings, and food. main target—delicious insects. Not all bats that echolocate are insectivores!
- Bats eat lots of different things. Although almost 70% of bat species feed primarily on insects, some bats are carnivorous, eating meat like rodents, frogs, and fish. Only three species of bats feed on animal blood, with two of these species specializing on bird blood. Many other bats eat pollen, nectar or fruit—these bats are vital for pollinating flowers and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees.
September 22, Monarchs on the Move!
From Natural Lands 9-18-2020
Monarchs make the longest migration of any insect; some generations travel thousands of miles. This month is peak fall monarch migration in our region, with the last generation that has emerged from chrysalises now fluttering south. The monarchs who return in the spring will be a new generation, and the cycle will continue.
In recent years the monarch populations have declined due to climate change and habitat loss. Monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweed plants, which grow in open meadows. As land is turned into developments and shopping centers, milkweed is less abundant.
While milkweed plants have all gone to seed at this point in the season, it will be back in bloom next year to feed hungry monarchs returning from their winter migration.
August 20, An overlooked threat to the honey bee: Air pollution
By Emily Pontecorvo on Aug 11, 2020
It’s no secret that living near a highway, a power plant, or some other source of air pollution can slowly kill you. Health impacts related to the toxic emissions spewing from these places — especially the tinier particles that enter deep into the lungs — are well documented: asthma, heart disease, pregnancy complications, and lower life expectancies make up a non-exhaustive list. But surprisingly, much less is known about how the same pollutants affect the critters fluttering around us, breathing the very same air.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday presents some of the earliest research showing that pollution is bad news for our pollinators, too. Scientists in India studying the Giant Asian honey bee, a wild species native to Southeast Asia, found that bees in heavily polluted areas did not visit flowers as frequently, had negative circulatory responses, and died more quickly in captivity than those found in less polluted or rural areas.
“It’s really interesting because it calls attention to another type of bee stress that maybe we are not considering as much,” said Adam Dolezal, an insect physiologist at the University of Illinois who studies the effects of pesticides and pathogens on honey bees, and was not involved in the research on pollution. “I think it’s, unfortunately, just one more on a long litany of things that are bad for wild insects.”
The findings do not bode well for India’s economy and food security. The country is host to nine of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, and is one of the largest fruit and vegetable producers in the world. The Giant Asian honey bee is an important species that produces more than 80 percent of India’s honey and pollinates hundreds of its plant species, including important crops like mangoes and cotton. It also has a unique lifestyle — colonies migrate long distances repeatedly throughout the year, spending time in both cities and rural areas — which made it a good candidate for the study.
Scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India, chose three sites within the city with varying levels of pollution, and one rural site, to study how the smoke, soot, and dust in the air were impacting the bees’ health and pollination activity. Looking at affected specimens under a microscope, they could clearly see that the bees from more polluted areas were covered in gunk.
To understand how that gunk might be affecting behavior in the field, the researchers spent 20 days at each site, staring at the blossoms of yellow bells, a common ornamental flower, and counting the number of bees that came to visit. Although there were fewer flowers in general at the rural site, they experienced much heavier traffic than the more abundant blossoms in the polluted area — up to five visits per flower versus just one or two.
When the researchers brought bees back to the lab to see how long they would survive, more than 80 percent of the ones collected from the polluted sites died within 24 hours, and the rest died on the second day. Most of the bees from the rural and less polluted areas survived for more than four days.
The scientists also gave bees collected from the different sites a physical, of sorts, and found that the bees exposed to the most pollution had irregular heartbeats and lower blood cell counts. An analysis of gene expression showed their immune and stress responses were also turned on.
“All the results were more shocking and depressing than surprising,” Geetha Thimmegowda, the lead author, told Grist. Thimmegowda was surprised, however, by one finding: Although air pollution is most associated with respiratory problems in humans, it did not seem to impair the bees’ breathing. To measure this, the researchers sealed bees in a respirometer, a device used to measure the carbon dioxide produced from breathing, for an hour. All of the bees showed similar results.
Shannon Olsson, a chemical ecologist whose lab conducted the study, said that could have been due to a lack of sensitivity in their methodology. “However, another possibility is that the respiratory system of bees and other insects is entirely different than that of humans,” she said.
In addition to studying the wild honey bees, the researchers reproduced the study using lab-reared fruit flies in order to control for factors like age, diet, and physiological differences. They found nearly identical results after keeping the flies in cages at the lowest and highest-polluted sites for 10 days at a time.
“That’s another really important part of this,” said Dolezal. “This isn’t just a bee story. They saw it in bees, but the effects they saw are almost certainly occuring in other insect species as well.”
Thimmegowda said that more research into how air pollution is impacting wild plant and animal systems is urgently needed to better inform international air quality guidelines. Next, she plans to dig deeper into the composition of air pollution to determine what, exactly, is causing the effects she discovered in the bees and flies.
August 16, Bees and Wasps at Nectar Feeders
by Dawn Hewitt | Editor, Bird Watcher’s Digest
Just like hummingbirds, bees, wasps, yellow jackets, and other stinging things love sugar water. In late summer, they can swarm a nectar feeder, deterring or even driving off hummingbirds. What to do?
First of all, keep the exterior of your nectar feeder clean. Depending upon the design of the feeder, bees might be feeding from drips and spills rather than from the feeding ports. Rinse or gently spray your full feeder with plain water immediately after you hang it, and occasionally between refills. If the outside of your feeder is sweet and sticky, it will draw bees.
Some nectar feeders are designed with removable (washable) plastic bee guards. Bee guards are usually red or yellow plastic mesh devices that fit over drinking ports. They don’t prevent bees from getting to the nectar, but they make it difficult.
Here’s another approach. Fill a jar lid with the same sugar-water solution you use to fill your nectar feeder, and place it below or within a few feet of your nectar feeder. Bees can more easily drink from a jar lid than from any hummingbird feeder, and will prefer to use it. Every night, when the bees are not using the jar lid, move it a few feet farther from your hummingbird feeder. Use the jar lid to attract the bees away from the feeder. Obviously, don’t move the bees to a place where children or pets play!
Here’s what NOT to do: Use pesticides to kill bees. Along with wasps and yellow jackets, honeybees are frequent visitors to hummingbird feeders. They are an important pollinator whose numbers are on the decline. Please do not use pesticides to kill bees—ever. It’s also not a good idea to use toxins anywhere near hummingbirds.
These methods aren’t fool proof, but should reduce the problem. Good luck!
August 15, My Way: Birdbath Tips
by Julie Zickefoose | Contributor, Bird Watcher’s Digest
Keep your birdbath clean. It’s a simple adage, oft repeated, but there are reasons to be scrupulous that go beyond hygiene and aesthetics. Of course, the birds’ health comes first. If we’re going to provide water, we owe it to them to give the bath a good scrubbing when droppings and algae foul the water. Bird droppings contain nitrogen, which is algae fuel, so the quicker we get rid of them, the cleaner our bath will stay.
I’m often asked how to clean a birdbath. People have heard that a drop of bleach in the water will prevent algae growth. Well, maybe. Thanks probably to my German heritage, I’m more of a scorched-earth practitioner. The Bird Spa, a birdbath with a recirculating fountain, gets slimy every three days in summer. I drain the reservoir and bowl and sprinkle Comet sink cleanser liberally over the bowl, letting it sit for a moment while I clean and refill the eight-gallon lower reservoir. I then use a stiff scrub brush, going over every surface twice, and rinse the bowl thoroughly before reassembling the spa and refilling the reservoir. Yes, I do this every three days. It’s a lot of work, and I’ve yet to see a show of hands from volunteers when I announce—rhetorically, of course—that the Bird Spa is slimy again.
I like things to be clean. But I do it for the birds. This may sound like a scene from Snow White, but when I march into the yard with my Comet and scrub brush, and move to uncoil the nearby hose, a little cheer rises up from the goldfinches who mob the bath. Cardinals stand at attention. Bluebirds call softly and fly closer. Titmice high-five each other. Two by two, birds stack up in the branches of the birches, which lean gracefully around the Bird Spa. Their twittering sounds joyful, anticipatory as they watch me at my labors. I’ll look up, talk to them, and laugh. And when I’ve rinsed the bowl one last time and restarted the burbling fountain, sending clean water splashing, they don’t hesitate. Before I make it to the front door, the spa is ringed with birds that are jostling to be the first to bathe. I retreat to the studio, camera at the ready, because the best birds come to a clean bath. So keep your birdbath clean, for the birds and for you.
This article appeared in the July/August 2013 issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest.
July 11, Spotted Lanternfly,
Greeting members. Just when you thought you had heard the last of the Spotted Lanternfly, the information below comes from the West Chester Bird Club. Hope the links are informative and useful . Wilbur B. Amand, VMD (Acting President/HMNG).
Date: July 11, 2020 at 1:35:26 PM EDT
Spotted Lanternflies have been appearing in great numbers lately, and many people are searching for ways to eliminate them. One of the earlier suggestions was a form of sticky tape that works, but that also can kill birds, lizards, squirrels, etc. Below are two links where you can get information on the problem with sticky tapes in the first link, and possible alternate solutions in the second link.
Birds can get trapped in lanternfly sticky tape
Trap Lanternflies w/o sticky tape
John Mercer
West Chester Bird Club, Treasurer
June 17, Finding dead bumblebees
Bumblebee nests grow throughout the season, and produce new males and queens at the end of their life-cycle. Throughout the life of the nest a large number of worker bees help the nest to grow by collecting nectar and pollen – these make up most of the bees that you see out and about in summer. These workers only live for a few weeks, and then sadly die. It’s therefore quite normal to see a small number of dead bees in the garden. So long as you are still seeing live bees in the area, then it’s unlikely to be something new that we should be worrying about.
The reason why dead bees are often found in gardens and near nest sites is simply because that’s where they’ve been living and working. When bees are close to death, they often cling to flowers and look quite lethargic. When they do die, they then drop off the flowers, and you may find a number of these in your gardens, especially near the most bee-friendly plants. Also, you may find dead bees and larvae near nest entrances, this is because dead and dying bees are removed from the nest so that disease does not spread.
May 29, Fire Fly
Hi All. I trust that you all have been enjoying the brilliant weather of the past few days. Hopefully there are more to come. As we approach Summer and warm nights, we expect to see the flickers of light flying about our lawns — the Fire Fly. I have attached some information that you might find of interest. In the meantime enjoy nature and the outdoors but please stay safe.
Wilbur B. Amand, VMD (Acting President/HMNG)
Links
FireFly Official Insect of Pennsylvania
May 23, World Turtle Day 2020
The purpose of World Turtle Day, May 23, sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.
World Turtle Day is celebrated around the globe in a variety of ways, from dressing up as turtles or wearing green summer dresses, to saving turtles caught on highways, to research activities. Turtle Day lesson plans and craft projects encourage teaching about turtles in classrooms.
American Tortoise Rescue, a nonprofit organization established in 1990 for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle, is sponsoring its 20th annual World Turtle Day® on May 23. The day was created as an annual observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.
Hi All.
Hope all are well and able to get outside for a bit of sunshine and fresh air. Warmer temperatures would surely be appreciated.
Thought you might like to know that Purple Martins, Tree Swallows and even a few Barn Swallows can be found flying over the Lagoon next to the Community Gardens. Alan Soldwisch, one of the Community Gardeners, has a Purple Martin house (apartment) down by his patch in the Gardens and he has noticed a few PM investigating his house. He will also talk with other gardeners and find out what birds are using their nest boxes.
Saw several cormorants on the #9 pond yesterday.
And finally, the highlight of my day — observed a male bluebird aggressively take on a gray squirrel that ventured to close to the nest box it was guarding. Bluebird was the winner!!
Wilbur
March 30,2020
Hello All!!
Hope this note finds you well and weathering the COVID-19 storm.
We have just been advised by the Documents Review Committee that the HMMHOA has approved the final draft of the HM Nature Group Bylaws that were submitted for review/approval on March 24, 2020. We are not “legal.”
Although we have had to cancel/postpone a number of the early Spring events that we had planned as a 2020 kick-off for our Group. When conditions permit, we hope to reschedule some of these events. In the meantime, about 20 members of the HM Nature Group will commence our 2020 Bird Nest Box Monitoring Program.
Stay physically isolated to the extent possible, follow the federal/state/local public health advice regarding COVID-19, and above all stay well.
Wilbur Amand, VMD, Acting President HMNG.
The Lesser Yellowlegs is a graceful, slender, medium-sized shorebird recognized by its bright yellow legs and distinctive “tu tu” call. It is an active forager, often running in shallow water to catch invertebrates, especially snails, flies, beetles, and dragonflies of all life stages.
The Painted Turtle is the most widespread native turtle in North America. These turtles have long, oval, smooth shells with little grooves where the large scale-like plates overlap, and a flat bottom. Painted turtles have very distinctive heads. The face has only yellow stripes, with a large yellow spot and streak behind each eye, and on the chin two wide yellow stripes that meet at the tip of the jaw. Painted Turtles mate in spring and autumn. Females dig nests on land and lay eggs 
between late spring and mid-summer. I was lucky enough to find a female very near my deck, where I watched her dig her nest and lay five eggs.
On September 23rd, I notice a ball of mud over the nest area. I moved it away and sure enough—there was a baby turtle with its eyes open ready to crawl out. I could see another one and lots of eggshells. My camera was again clicking away. The first turtle headed into the grass, a second was slowly moving, and I thought I could see another one.
Darkness set in. The next morning, I checked and there was still a third turtle working its way out. And finally, on Sunday Morning, the last picture I took was of an empty hole. I feel truly blessed to have witnessed the whole process!