Flandrum Hill

Although winter isn’t over yet, today’s calm and sunny weather looks ideal for beachcombing.  Winter storms often wash natural treasure in the form of seashells onto the beaches.  Some common finds at local beaches are shown at left:  a Green Sea Urchin, Blue Mussels, Sea Biscuits (a type of Sand Dollar), a small Surf Clam,  Irish Moss seaweed and a small starfish. 

There’s a large bed of Blue Mussels at nearby Rainbow Haven Beach that’s revealed only at low tide.  The tidepools are ideal places for finding some of the creatures that prey on the mussels, such as   Dogwhelks and Northern Moon Shells.  Sometimes, a Rock Crab that’s managed to hide from the hungry seagulls can also be found. 

 Many of the rocks in the mussel bed are covered with algae, making them very slippery to walk on.  Periwinkles feed on the algae and are also numerous in some spots.

The carnivorous Northern Moon Shell is shown at left along with a Mermaid’s Purse, which is an egg case for a skate, a type of ray.  The hooked ends of these egg cases cling to seaweed but are sometimes loosened by the currents and washed ashore.  The moon shells are very beautiful but have become less common finds in recent years. 

Whenever I find shells with live animals still inside them, I’ll throw them back into the water.   It’s such a shame to find a pile of live molluscs dying in the parking lot, picked off the beach by children but discarded by parents prior to getting into their vehicles at the end of the day.  It might seem like a small thing, but in the summer, when so many people frequent the beaches, this thoughtless act is repeated enough times to have an effect on the fragile ecosystem.  Though live molluscs are a wonder to find, in this instance I think it would be less cruel to just love them and leave them.

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This Ring-necked pheasant has become a regular visitor and seems to enjoy the black oil sunflower seeds that are intended for the Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays.  He usually runs into the woods as soon as he hears a door or window opening, but managed to stay around long enough for a close-up photo to be taken today.

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I’ve wanted to live inside a tree ever since I saw My Side of the Mountain when I was a child.  In this film that’s based on the story by Jean Craighead George, a young boy hollows and burns out a big old tree in the mountain wilderness.   Not much square footage of course, but cozy.  The tree can be seen in the background of the movie poster at left.  Covered with fungi and in a sure state of decay, trees such as this (often called ’snags’) are becoming more and more difficult to find.

The one shown below is located a couple minutes walk from my backyard.  I was surprised to come across it again a couple of weeks ago after not seeing it for many years.  I thought for sure the winds would have taken it down by now.  These days, it’s surrounded with so many fast-growing Balsam Firs that it’s only visible from one angle.  It’s riddled with more holes than ever and is much slimmer than it was when I first saw it almost two decades ago. 

Although it’s always appeared a bit too small for my dwelling purposes, I’m sure it’s been used by numerous wild animals and birds over the years and suited them just fine.  It probably provided them with lots of insects to eat too.  Imagine a home that doesn’t just provide shelter but built-in stores of food as well?  (I guess it would be the human equivalent of living above a convenience store).  Snags also provide look-out roosts for birds of prey while crevasses in their peeling bark offer comfortable nooks for bats, frogs and beetles.

Though it used to be common practice to remove snags and dead wood  from a forest floor, these trees are now valued so much for how they encourage bio-diversity in an environment, that some people are even creating artificial ones.   They limb, girdle, remove the crown and drill holes into trees that are deemed more useful dead than alive in an effort to provide a habitat for wildlife. 

The photo below is quite long and may require scrolling to view completely.  I was concerned that if I reduced it too much in size that some of the texture would be lost.  It certainly is beautiful.

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Red Squirrels don’t hibernate and are seen year round in my neck of the woods.  They are normally active in early morning and late afternoon.  Although there’s usually only one that comes regularly to take sunflower seeds left for the birds, lately there have been two and sometimes three who have shown up at the feeder.

They’ll sometimes come onto the back deck, and in some years have tried to make nests or middens (food stores) in the barbecue.  They certainly aren’t shy creatures and can be tamed enough to feed by hand.  I’ve managed to do this a few times, but have also had my fingers bitten more than once, which is extremely painful. 

Squirrel mating season is soon to be upon us, if it hasn’t started already.  I should more correctly say ’squirrel mating day’ as that’s how long a female is in estrus for.  Though she can only mate for one day, prior to that time, males will start to hang around her.  I’ve witnessed numerous wrestling matches in the past week.  They’re usually quick, noisy and over before they’ve barely started.  The two squirrels in the above photo seem to be dining in a civil manner, however, tension is always in the air, and a squabble can break out at any moment.

Red-belted Polypore (Fomitopsis pinicola)

Out of damp and gloomy days, out of solitude, out of loveless words directed at us, conclusions grow up in us like fungus:  one morning they are there, we know not how, and they gaze upon us, morose and gray.  Woe to the thinker who is not the gardener but only the soil of the plants that grow in him.

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Violet Toothed Polypore (Trichaptum biformis)

Mossy Maze Polypore (Daedalea unicolor)

Above, a few photos I took of the many fungi found growing in my yard.  They are quiet decomposers of the deadwood that was mostly the result of damage from Hurricane Juan in 2003.   All polypores, these ones are perennial and capable of surviving the winter frost.  Please let me know if I have been misguided in my identification of any of them.

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Snow sculptures the rough contours of the land in cold perfection…. and spikes of ice, like frozen tears, cling to stark black branches…. as the earth sleeps through the white silence of winter.  But beneath the ermine robes of snow beats the heart of spring.  For there are sleeping seeds dreaming below the drifts…. filled with life…. waiting for the warm winds and the strong sun.  Little packets of life cling to the barren branches of trees.  And all the animals are content in their hiding places…. knowing that spring shall come.   ~ Dean Walley

The snow is no longer on the trees (as it was when I took this photo a couple of weeks ago) but it’s still on the ground.  I can’t remember when I last saw grass on the lawn. Walking on the icy driveway is still treacherous and though the sun may be shining, the wind is still harsh and bitter.  On some late winter days, it seems like spring will never arrive…  but it will.  If only we humans were as patient as the plants and animals.

Most people think chickadees are cute and in the winter, wonder how such tiny birds manage to survive in the brutal cold.  Yet there is more to the average chickadee than most would assume…

Black-capped Chickadees are frequent visitors to my yard.  Unlike many other birds, chickadees aren’t skittish and will actually allow you to get close to them while they’re eating.  Some have been bold enough to take food out of my hand.  They are dear little creatures, with a musical chorus that regularly enhances the outdoor experience in my neighborhood. 

Chickadees have quite an established hierarchy within the flock.  Birds at the top eat first and command the safest feeding spots and sleeping nooks.  An alpha male will inevitably mate with an alpha female leaving the rest of the flock to fight among themselves for next-in-line pairings.  In a well established flock, fights are few, as everyone seems to know their place.  Though most pairs will mate for life, certain females will opt for divorce in an effort to improve their social status.

Chickadees maintain a body temperature of 107 degrees F during the day.  On cold winter nights, this drops about 10 degrees as the chickadee enters a state of torpor that reduces its need for food.  Dominant chickadees in the flock manage to acquire the coziest spots for night roosting, scrunching themselves into tight tree holes, but also under branches where they receive some protection from winds and predators.

Chickadees cache food and an individual’s ability to survive a harsh winter will depend greatly on its ability to recall where caches are located.  Each morsel is hidden in a separate spot and there may be 100 of them hidden in a single day.

If you’d like to attract chickadees to your yard, try offering some black oil sunflower seeds, suet and/or fresh water.  Due to their tame nature, chickadees are one of the easiest wild birds to handfeed. 

For tips on handfeeding wild birds see my post on this subject at:

http://flandrumhill.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/how-to-handfeed-wild-birds/

References:

Divorce and Extrapair Mating in Female Black-capped Chickadees http://www.springerlink.com/content/qbmjt2dt9qk71gkd/

Between-year survival and Rank Transitions in Male Black-capped Chickadees http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/auk.2008.07092

Poecile atricapillus  http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/poat/all.html

“Some things you must guard with care:
There are Rowans in the dooryard;
Rowans in the yard are sacred,
Rowan branches too are holy
And the leaves upon the branches -
And the berries even holier.
By their means a girl may learn,
A young woman may be guided
To affect her sweetheart’s feelings,
Even to command his heart.”

~ from ‘The Teaching of the Bride’ in ‘The Kalevala,’ Finland’s great epic poem

 Late winter is a good time for dreaming up plans for springtime plantings.  I’ve been wondering what type of tree or bush to plant near my front door to replace the Cedar that gave up the ghost last year.  I’m leaning towards Mountain-ash, a tree very closely related to one known as Rowan in the Old World.  Rowans are supposed to bring good fortune and repel negative energies, qualities that make them ideal plantings near the entrance to one’s home. 

Referred to by the Celts as ‘Fid nan Druad’ or ‘wizard trees,’ Rowan Trees have been regarded by Northern Europeans as magical trees since ancient times.  They are often found growing near ancient settlements, churchyards and henges (stone circles).  A large number of Mountain-ash saplings, just the right size for transplanting, are presently growing towards the edge of my backyard. 

Rowan Leaves & Hole - by Andy Goldsworthy

A Scottish superstition warns that it’s bad luck to cut down a Rowan Tree.  Its wood was traditionally employed in the fabrication of walking sticks, coffins, crosses and wizards’ wands.  The trees are associated with prophecy and creativity.  Quickbeam, one of Tolkien’s Ents from the Lord of the Rings saga was a Rowan.

The name of Mountain-ash is misleading, since this tree is not a true Ash but rather a member of the Rose (Rosaceae)  family of plants.  Mountain-ash leaves are a favorite of White-tailed Deer, Moose, Fishers, Martens, Snowshoe Hares and Grouse.  Squirrels, mice, voles, grouse, jays, robins, thrushes and waxwings all enjoy the berries.  Fermented berries can be intoxicating to small animals.  Years ago, I stopped to pick up a robin that had flown into my windshield while I was driving.  Its mouth was full of Mountain-ash berries.

I’ve yet to figure out exactly why the above lines from the Kalevala say that a young woman can affect her sweetheart’s feelings through the use of Rowan berries.  Certainly any food or wine prepared with care and a loving heart will inspire good feelings, especially today, St. Valentine’s Day.

For anyone who has access to rowanberries and is curious about their possible ‘love-potion effect,’ here is a recipe for rowan jelly that I found in Pamela Michaels’ cookbook All Good Things Around Us. 

Rowanberries make a light red jelly with a sharp flavour that goes beautifully with venison or game, as well as with lamb and pork.  You can make the jelly with green cooking apples, but crab apples give the best flavour.

1-1/2 kilos / 4 lbs rowan berries  +  1 kilo / 3 lbs crab apples  +  water  +  sugar

Wash the berries and strip them from their stalks, wash the crab apples, cut them in half and nick out any bad bits.  Put both fruits in a large pan, add enough water to barely cover, bring to the boil and cook for about 20 minutes until the fruit is soft and pulpy.  Pour into a jelly bag or double thickness of muslin and drip overnight.  Measure the juice into a pan and add 400 g / 2 cups / 1 lb sugar for each 500 ml /2-1/2 cups / pint of juice, heat slowly, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly for about 7-10 minutes until the liquid jells when dripped on to a cold saucer.  Skim and pour into warm dry jars, cover with waxed circles while hot, seal with cellophane covers when cold.

For more information about Rowan trees, see: 

www.rowantree.info

http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/rowan.html

Pheasant sightings are fairly common in this neck of the woods.  These large ground birds are quite comfortable wandering around the neighborhood, crossing the roads and through yards.  This one was balancing himself on the birdbath moments before this shot was taken yesterday from the kitchen window. 

Today I spotted five females pecking at some sunflower seed in the same spot.  (The females are VERY camera shy).  As I mentioned in an earlier post, this male is likely practicing ‘harem-defence polygyny’ whereby a male defends a territory that includes several females.  One can only wonder which one he’ll pick for his Valentine…

The weather forecast today:  freezing fog.  Living close to the ocean at the edge of a bog, fog is a frequent visitor.  Like clouded, overcast days, at its best, fog is cozy.  At its worst, it can be oppressive and dulling to the spirit.

I saw my thought a hawk

Through heaven fly:

On earth my words were shadow of

His wings, his cry.

How many clouded days

Precede the fair -

When thought must unrecorded pass

Through sunless air.

~ Dorothy Livesay