Amanda and the Screechy

Hey look! It's our naturalist Amanda holding an Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)! This is a full grown red-phase bird, and he is molting. That makes him a little cranky, but he was nice enough to join Amanda on her program today.

Eastern Screech Owls are one of the smallest owls in Maryland. They hunt from dusk to dawn in open fields or forest edges. They eat a wide variety of foods including insects, birds and small mammals. The ear tufts on their heads are not ears at all, but decorations of plumage that help cut down on wind resistance. This makes them silent hunters. The ears are actually located on the front of the owl's head by its eyes.

Humdinger of a Day!

I was lucky enough to receive this little Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)today at the Center. It is either a female or juvenile which unfortunately ran into a window. Two nice people brought it to us, so for a short time I am playing rehabber. Our wonderful friend and certified rehabber Kathy Woods will be picking it up later for more care. She beleives that it might have a humeral fraction. I hope it isn't too serious.

Taking care of the bird means feeding it a lot! I am using a 4:1 mixture of water to sugar. The little one sips it throught the end of a syringe. It is very interesting watching its tongue flick up the tube and drink the liquid.

You can make this mix at home for your hummingbird feeder. Just put 4 cups of water in a pan and heat it up on your stove. When it starts to get warm, add 1 cup of sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Let it cool and add it to your feeder. Make sure you change it every week! Otherwise, you will have rum in your feeder and drunk hummingbirds in your yard. Maybe that is why this one flew into a window.

Questions about hummingbirds? Email us or leave a comment!

Nest of the Chipping Sparrow

While on a meadow walk, this nest was pointed out to me by one of our weekend naturalists. The little female sat very still on her eggs until she decided we had looked at her long enough and flew away. This revealed her two beautiful blue eggs and intricately woven nest. I came back later and photographed the nest with the same activity from the little female.

The Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) likes to live in grassy woodland edges but has adapted well to human encroachment. It lines its nest with animal and human hair, earning it the nickname "hairbird". The males will sing from a high perch during the summer breeding season, and their song is a "chip" with a trill on the end all in one note. It has been described as sounding like the whir of a sewing machine. This bird is a summer visitor. It will migrate in the fall.

Why Mosquitoes Really Buzz in Your Ears...

This time of year, it is important to dump your standing water unless you like being bitten by mosquitoes! These insects love to dine on human blood and will bite you until they are full. Did you know that only the females bite? That's right, only the girls need blood. Your blood provides protein for them to lay eggs. And they lay a lot! Females can lay tens to hundreds of eggs that float on top of stagnent water more than once in their 5-week lifespan. Here is how a mosquito develops into an adult:


All of the rain we have been recieving does not help to cut down on their numbers. Here are some easy tips for keeping your backyard mosquito free:

• Clean out your rain gutters and store any open container in a shed or your house.
• Dump water out of plant plates twice a week and turn over wading pools when not in use.
• Check any tarps for signs of larvae. Dump standing water from them too.
• Empty and refill bird baths at least twice a week.
• Keep lids on trash cans right side up.
• Bring pet dishes inside when not in use and repair leaking outdoor faucets.
• Empty bilge water from boats.

These are just some easy tips for you to stay bite-free this summer. We also recommend natural bug repellents over chemicals, of course. Citronella is good, but mosquitoes also dislike certain plants, such as geraniums. To find out more about natural repellents, visit this site:

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa050503a.htm

I hope that this helps you to prevent those nasty bites this summer!