Uninvited guests

All of us find wildlife in our homes at one time or another. A spider or ant may creep through a crack; a mouse may move in for the winter; a moth often flies through an open door to a light, and so forth. Birds only very rarely come indoors, and the vast majority of those encounters are accidents. Sometimes a species like a Carolina Wren may think an open garage with all sorts of nooks and crannies may be a great spot to nest...until that garage is closed. One of our readers recently had an intriguing experience as she found a different creature in the basement - a snake. Look at it in this photo after it had been removed from the basement and placed back outside.

This is a northern ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus edwardsii). Twan Leenders, our Conservation Biologist and herpetologist, says they are infrequently found in cellars and similar areas. They are more typically found hibernating in such spots rather than spending a summer day there. The species can be tough to find in the field with its secretive nature, the fact it is nocturnal, and because it is small (this was said to be not much more than a foot long). You can see what it looks like from above, and the undersides are yellow with orange/red near the tail.

They do not typically attack any larger predator, whether it be something like a cat or a human. Twan says their primary defensive method is to release a strong odor that can be quite pungent and unpleasant. This apparently did not happen in this case. A rarely seen defense is turning over to show off the underside of their tail. Here is an incredible photo by Twan showing this behavior by a juvenile.

Adults apparently learn that showing off their tail is relatively pointless and go straight to stinking up the place when needed. Watch your basements, and if you ever find a snake you would rather have outside, please try to do so in the most humane way possible. Many snake species are so poorly studied for a variety of reasons, and some populations may be in steep decline in Connecticut. They are not exactly my cup of tea, but they are critical to our natural world and protecting them is important. Twan mentioned how often shovels are used and how poorly that ends up for the snake. Gloves were used in this case, and everyone ended up happy. Please always feel free to send us wildlife stories or photos.

Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician


Contributed photo; photo #2 © Twan Leenders

Tiny hummingbird...moth

Usually around this time of year we receive phone calls and emails inquiring about the identity of mysterious creatures that appear in people's yards and which resemble miniature hummingbirds. These small animals visit hummingbird's favorite food plants, buzzing erratically from flower to flower and only stopping a split second at each to collect some nectar.

The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) is one of three species of clearwing moth found in Connecticut. All three have a hummingbird-like flight and all three favor the red, pink and purple flowers that are often frequented by our local Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.


Hummingbird Clearwings are members of the Sphinx Moth family (Sphingidae) - a large group of fast-flying moths. The clearwings are somewhat unusual in this group in that they fly during the day, while most moths are nocturnal. Different species of clearwings imitate hummingbirds or bees in their appearance and behavior, briefly hovering in front of flowers and slurping up some nectar from each through a long proboscis that acts as a straw. When not in use, this proboscis is rolled up underneath the moth's head. These moths have a very rapid wingbeat of 25-30 beats per second, making it hard to discern their wings at times. Gyrating movements of their wings allow the moth to hover in mid-air and move forward or backward with great ease - similar to a hummingbird's aerial acrobatics.


Occasionally one can see the moth briefly touching a flower with its first pair of legs but generally they feed at a slight distance from the flower. This behavior is thought to help them avoid unwanted confrontations with sit-and-wait predators that perch on flowers, such as crab spiders or praying mantises.

Take a closer look at your favorite hummingbird and butterfly plants during a sunny spell - you may very well spot one of these tiny hummingbird mimics buzzing around your own yard as well!

Twan Leenders
Conservation Biologist

Photographs copyright Twan leenders



ADDITION:

Mark Szantyr kindly shared a few images of a similar and closely-related species that is commonly found in our area, the Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis). This species differs in having a boldy banded black-and-yellow or black-and-orange abdomen, making it more of a bumblebee mimic than a hummingbird look-alike!

Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis)

Snowberry Clearwing Moth pictures copyright Mark Szantyr

Record-breaking heat

The end of last week, and Friday in particular, featured some of the hottest temperatures Connecticut and much of the east coast have felt in recorded history. Daily highs and highest minimum temperatures were shattered across the region. Unfortunately, our small state is covered by three different offices of the National Weather Service, but this summary below from Upton (covering Connecticut's four southern counties) is terrific. Bear in mind that there are only so many official weather stations so us looking at other states these offices cover is inevitable and necessary.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
743 AM EDT MON JUL 25 2011

...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...

THE FOLLOWING ARE UNOFFICIAL OBSERVATIONS FOR 7/22/2011 AND 7/23/2011
FROM MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT. THIS SUMMARY IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR
HOME PAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/NYC

******TEMPERATURE READINGS AND RECORDS FOR THE 6 CLIMATE SITES******

LOCATION                 HIGH           LOW           DATE
                   TEMPERATURE      TEMPERATURE

CENTRAL PARK NY         104              84        7/22/2011

*104 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 101 SET IN 1957. THIS TIED THE SECOND
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD WHICH WAS SET ON 7/21/1977 AND AUGUST
7 1918. THE ALL TIME HIGHEST TEMPERATURE REMAINS AT 106 WHICH WAS
SET ON 7/9/1936.
*84 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD FOR HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE.
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 80 SET IN 1957. THIS ALSO TIED THE ALL TIME
HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WHICH WAS SET ON 7/15/1995,
8/14/1908 AND 7/7/1908.

CENTRAL PARK NY         100              83        7/23/2011

*100 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 99 SET IN 1991.
*83 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD FOR HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE. PREVIOUS
RECORD WAS 81 SET IN 1978.

OTHER CENTRAL PARK NY CLIMATE STATISTICS:

*AS OF 7/23/2011, CENTRAL PARK NY HAS HAD 10 DAYS OVER 90 DEGREES AND
2 OVER 100 IN THE MONTH OF JULY. FOR 2011...CENTRAL PARK HAS HAD 12
DAYS OVER 90 DEGREES AND 1 OVER 100. THE TOP NUMBER OF 90 DEGREES
DAY FOR JULY IS 20 WHICH WAS IN 1993. THE TOP NUMBER NUMBER OF 90
DEGREES DAY FOR A YEAR WAS 39 WHICH WAS IN 1993 AND 1991.


NYC/LA GUARDIA AIRPORT   104             85        7/22/2011

*104 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 101 SET IN 1998. THIS ALSO TIED THE
SECOND HIGHEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD WHICH WAS SET ON 8/9/2001.
THE ALL TIME HIGHEST TEMPERATURE REMAINS AT 107 WHICH WAS SET ON
7/3/1966.
*85 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD FOR HIGHEST MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 81 SET IN 1957. THE ALL TIME
HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE REMAINS AT 86 WHICH WAS SET ON 8/2/2006
AND 7/5/1999.

NYC/LA GUARDIA AIRPORT    99             79        7/23/2011

*79 TIED THE SECOND HIGHEST DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WHICH WAS SET
IN 1955.


NYC/JFK AIRPORT          103             76        7/22/2011

*103 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 98 SET IN 1998. 103 IS NOW THE SECOND
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED AT JFK. THE ALL TIME HIGHEST REMAINS AT
104 WHICH WAS SET ON 7/3/1966.
*76 TIED THE SECOND HIGHEST DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WHICH WAS SET
IN 1998, 1978 AND 1949. THE ALL TIME HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE
REMAINS AT 82 WHICH WAS SET ON 7/6/1999.

NYC/JFK AIRPORT          102             79        7/23/2011

*102 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 100 SET IN 1972.
*79 TIED THE DAILY RECORD FOR HIGHEST DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE
WHICH WAS SET IN 1978.


NEWARK AIRPORT           108             86        7/22/2011

*108 BROKE THE ALL TIME HIGHEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD WHICH WAS 105
LAST SET ON 8/5/2001. 108 ALSO BROKE THE DAILY RECORD WHICH WAS 101
SET IN 1957.
*86 BROKE THE ALL TIME HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON RECORD WHICH
WAS 84 SET ON 7/10/1993. THIS ALSO BROKE THE DAILY HIGHEST MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE OF 78 SET IN 1978.

NEWARK AIRPORT           102             86        7/23/2011

*102 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 100 SET IN 1955.
*86 TIES THE ALL TIME HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON RECORD WHICH
WAS SET ON 7/22/2011.


ISLIP AIRPORT            100             76        7/22/2011

*100 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 96 THAT WAS SET IN 1998. THE ALL TIME
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE REMAINS AT 102 WHICH WAS SET ON 7/5/1999.
*76 IS NOW THE SECOND HIGHEST DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE. THE HIGHEST
REMAINS 77 WHICH WAS SET IN 1994.

ISLIP AIRPORT             97             77        7/23/2011

*97 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 95 SET IN 1991.
*77 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WHICH WAS
74 SET IN 1998, 1995 AND 1990. 77 ALSO TIED THE ALL TIME HIGHEST
DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS SET IN 1994.


BRIDGEPORT AIRPORT       103             77        7/22/2011

*103 TIED THE ALL TIME HIGHEST TEMPERATURE AND THE DAILY HIGH
TEMPERATURE...BOTH SET ON 7/22/1957.
*77 BREAKS THE DAILY RECORD FOR HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE.
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 76 SET IN 1994. THE ALL TIME HIGHEST MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE IS 80 WHICH WAS SET ON 7/2/2002.

BRIDGEPORT AIRPORT        96             75        7/23/2011

*96 BROKE THE DAILY RECORD OF 94 SET IN 1972.
*75 IS NOW THE SECOND HIGHEST DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE.

LN/JP

Yes, the airport in Stratford (Bridgeport's) hit 103, tying the all-time high recorded amazingly on the same date in 1953. Additionally, Hartford broke their all-time high as they hit 103 on July 22, and they have records all the way back to 1904. Connecticut's record high for the entire state is 106 from Danbury on July 15, 1995. Many educated people cast doubt on that reading, but it is our official record. If I were to list off all of the seemingly crazy new records this would be the longest blog post ever.

What came to mind for me from a bird and conservation standpoint was that fortunately this occurred late enough in the year for most young birds to have fledged. The exceptions would be late-nesting birds or species that nest multiple times in a given year. Many species that nest in boxes or gourds, like Purple Martins, can see their young perish from overheating. Any bird is vulnerable to temperature extremes, though. You probably noticed that most were tucked away in shady areas and less active during the hottest days. Let us hope most of them got through the heat without any harm done.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Fall migration heating up

There was no pun intended in that title considering all of the heat we have had. We will highlight some of the record-setting warmth later this week. It really has not felt like fall, but for the birds, it has arrived. Many are now moving south from swallows to shorebirds and early warblers. Stratford and Milford Points are filling up with these migrants and our surveys are tallying higher totals of species and birds nearly every day.

We may not have something like a White-tailed Kite hanging around, but we have plenty for visitors to enjoy. The last few weeks have brought mega rarities as well, albeit tough ones to "chase" or photograph, including a Sandwich Tern found by Nick Bonomo and a White-winged Dove found by our Coastal Center Director, Frank Gallo. There have been countless "good" birds that you can see below in this list covering only the last few weeks at the mouth of the Housatonic River:

Brant
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Common Goldeneye
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Osprey
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
American Oystercatcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Caspian Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
hummingbird sp.
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax sp.
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

August 1 is not only the one-year anniversary of discovering the White-tailed Kite; it is also the beginning of a month of many more migrants. The list above will nearly double in size very soon. We hope you visit the Coastal Center at Milford Point or the CAS-managed Stratford Point to help us find the next amazing Connecticut record and to enjoy the unique habitats we are working to restore and maintain.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

2011 Legislative Recap

Here is the 2011 Legislative Recap from Milan Bull, Senior Director of Science and Conservation and Conservation Advocate:


Open Space and Forest Conservation Finds Some Success:

HB 6157 – Establishment of a Timber Harvest Revolving Fund

This Bill allows DEP to recoup a portion of the revenues from timber sales on State Forests for reinvestment in forest management.

HB 6557 – Recreational Land Use Act

This Act now provides liability protection to municipalities and political entities, such as water companies,  that open their properties to public recreation.

SB 1242 – Authorization to Bond for Open Space Program

This Bill provides $5 million in each of the next two fiscal years for open space funding in the bond package.

HB 6263 – 10 Mill Program
This bill allows an owner of forest land who is currently enrolled in the “10 Mill Program” to enroll in the Forest Preservation Program without penalty.  What this means is that Connecticut landowners who own more than 14,000 acres of forest and made a 100 year commitment to protect their land will not see a 20-fold increase in their property taxes.

Beat the heat with a canoe

The following is a message from Coastal Center Director Frank Gallo:

Join us for a relaxing paddle through the Wheeler Salt Marsh this weekend; there's usually a cool breeze. It's an evening canoe starting at 4:15 p.m on Saturday, July 23. Tuesday's trip with our campers produced 10 Yellow-crowned Night Herons, 1 Black-crowned Night-Heron, 9 Great Egrets, 3 Snowy Egrets, 12 Willets (one flock), 2 Least Sandpipers, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper resting in the grass at high tide, 11 Marsh Wrens, 7 Bank Swallows and assorted other birds. We hope you can join us. Please call Louise at 203-878-7440 x 502. For a complete listing of canoe tours, check our webpage at www.ctaudubon.org under Coastal Center (http://www.ctaudubon.org/coastal-center-at-milford-point/) or read below.


Family Canoe Programs
Through the Charles E. Wheeler Salt Marsh
Saturday, July 23 at 4:15 p.m.–6:45 p.m. (evening canoe)
Saturday, July 30 at 10:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Saturday, August 6 at 4:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. (evening canoe)
Saturday, August 13 at 10:15 a.m–12:45 p.m.
Saturday, September 17 at 1:30–4:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 18 at 2:15 p.m.–4:45 p.m.
Join us on a guided canoe tour of the Charles Wheeler Salt Marsh. Steeped in local history, the Marsh offers an abundance of birds and other wildlife, beautiful vistas and a chance to paddle and relax. Bring water and wear shoes that can get wet. Contact the Coastal Center for more information. Trip routes are subject to change due to weather. Wind may cause trips to be canceled, even on sunny days; please call 1-1.5 hours in advance for trip status. Advance registration required. Sign-up early for these popular tours! Inquire about tour dates in October. (* Bring a lunch on these days)

Coastal Center Canoes
CAS Members $25/person, $65/canoe (3 people)
Non-members $35/person, $95/canoe (3people)

Private Canoe/Kayak
$19 CAS Members, $29 Non-members

Not a member? Join CAS here today: http://www.ctaudubon.org/join-us/

What the heck is that?!

That's the question I had in mind when I walked up and saw what is in the photo below. Twan and I were nearing the end of our survey and mapping work for the day at CAS' Banks South Farm last Friday when he went off trail and bent down to look at something. I thought he had found an intriguing plant or mammal mark of some sort. As I came up to him I thought, "Whoa, he saw that from all the way over there?" He has some incredibly sharp eyes from his years of experience across the globe, but some strange bird droppings on a plant on the forest floor from 25 feet away is crazy.

 

 

I was wrong. What is this?!

Go ahead, take a look at it for a minute. Examine it as closely as you can.

Have you thought of anything yet? Any clue whatsoever?

This is your final chance...

It is a Pearly Wood Nymph, a species of moth. It certainly has a fantastic defensive appearance. Not many predators would bother it looking the way it does. Even a tired human like myself would have dismissed it. At a distance it resembled bird droppings even more than this close photo. What made spotting it even better was that Twan had never seen one of them before, either. He can and does find anything and everything.

Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Photo © Scott Kruitbosch