The Great American Eclipse

Annular Solar Eclipse "Ring of Fire"

Many people will be traveling long distances on August 21st to view the total solar eclipse that will be visible from the United States. We even know someone who is coming over from Europe to see the event. Cities from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina, and small towns in between have been preparing for over a year for the influx of visitors during this celestial event. Some experts are projecting that the days leading up to August 21 will see more air, train and auto traffic than any other time this year. Although I know that solar eclipse are spectacular events, I wondered what makes this one so special and why some are calling it a once in a lifetime event, since I recalled the occurrence of a solar eclipse visible in New Hampshire during my life-time. Many people I spoke with did not remember this event. However, the website timeanddate.com is great for researching specifics of past and upcoming eclipses. It turns out that on May 10, 1994 there was an annular solar eclipse that was visible across the United States. Although I mistakenly thought that this was a total solar eclipse, it was not, since the moon was too far away to block the sun entirely. An annular eclipse is pretty special in its own right, because from certain locations, while the moon's shadow is covering the center of the sun a "ring of fire" is visible around the shadow. Although the day does not become completely dark during an annular eclipse, seeing the "ring of fire" is pretty cool.

There are several things that make the August 21st eclipse eventful. First, if you are an American, it is a very unique event in that not only will this eclipse be visible in totality from the west to the east coast, the first time this has occurred since 1918, it will only be visible in totality from within the United States, thus the reason it is being called the "Great American Eclipse." Many of our Nation's public lands, including 20 national parks, will fall within the path of the eclipse, providing other sightseeing opportunities for visitors traveling to view the eclipse. When we were in the Grand Tetons National Park, the visitor center's gift shop had its own section devoted to 2017 eclipse paraphernalia. In this Washington Post report locations are highlighted that offer special viewing opportunities across the country. If you do plan on viewing the solar eclipse in totality, space.com offers an excellent page on safety precautions and eclipse lingo you may hear such as "Bailey's beads" and "Diamond ring."    

It is also exciting to know that everyone in the United States has the possibility of seeing at least a partial eclipse. In New England we will only be experiencing a partial eclipse and do not plan on traveling that day. However, if you are one of the several million people who plan to travel to view this event, you better have already booked your lodging and mapped in advance your viewing location(s). And, if you happen to live along the path of the eclipse, it wouldn't hurt to fill up your car with gas and have your cupboards stocked with extra food and beverages, in anticipation of these items selling out at the stores. For all the hype, let's hope that it is a clear day for everyone coming out to view this spectacular event in person.

Birds in Idaho - Part I

Mountain view from Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho

 In the beginning of June, Dave and I took a two-week vacation out West. We flew into Salt Lake City where we rented a car which carried us approximately 2,000 miles through northeastern Utah, western Wyoming and Southern Idaho. I hope to post a few blogs that will highlight some of the wildlife we saw. I was going to post one blog on birds, but we saw so many that I will divide it into two posts. This post will focus on bird sightings in Utah and at the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR.) Traveling at the beginning of June was a perfect time to see a lot of different birds that were either migrating or, having reached their summer destination, were staying put to breed. I have realized that after our trip to South Dakota last year, and now this trip that I need to acquire a North American Western Region field guide as many of the birds we saw would never be found in New England.  

We were only in Utah for a little over a day, but I was still able to check off two new bird species. The first was an American Dipper, spotted along the Logan Canyon Byway. We stopped to walk along a path by the river and saw the Dipper within a few minutes. I knew right away what it was since we met a birdwatcher last year who was looking for them in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota. This river and canyon here were very similar to Spearfish.

American Dipper (at left) dipping into the water in search of food

The American dipper is a songbird, but is unique in that it catches most of its food in fast moving streams by walking or diving underwater. He was fascinating to watch.

The second species we saw was the White Pelican. I have always associated pelicans with the ocean, but they actually spend summers on inland waters. We saw these birds on Bear Lake, which is located in both the Utah and Idaho. We spent the night on the lake in Garden City, Utah and then drove north the next morning to the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) just north of the lake in Idaho.We saw the pelicans in both states.

White Pelicans with Canada Geese at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho

White Pelicans are one of the largest birds in North America, with wing-spans up to nine-feet! Their large size is apparent in the photo above as the Canada Geese are dwarfed by them.

Idaho Birding Trail SE33 Bear Lake NWR

Idaho has mapped birding trails of the entire state. They also classify certain sites as "blue ribbon" sites. We were fortunate that unintentionally our travels took us by several "blue ribbon locations." The Bear Lake NWR is one of the ribbon locations site and it did not disappoint. Even before we turned onto the Refuge Entrance Road, there were different species of birds everywhere.   

This long beaked bird below appears to be a Wilson's Snipe. The Cornell Lab's website states that they like to stand on fence posts which is what this one was doing.

Wilson's Snipe

It was impossible to miss the bold color of the Yellow-Headed Blackbirds which were perched along the fences. They nest in the same habitat as red-winged blackbirds, but are larger and more dominant. Fossils of this bird have been found which date back 100,000 years.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds were common

We had still not even arrived at the refuge entrance when we saw an eagle in a farm field. It was a juvenile bald eagle, perhaps in its second year.

Juvenile bald eagle with Magpies

Later, while leaving the refuge and at approximately the same location, we thought we saw another  eagle...

However, when it turned its head we could see that it was a turkey vulture. I'm not sure why a bald eagle brings a feeling of awe, but for many a turkey vulture brings a feeling of disgust. I personally think that they are attractive in their own right.

Turkey vultures have a bald red head

Once we actually entered the refuge we started to see lots of waterbirds. Most were first time sightings for me. Below is what I believe to be a male and female Lesser Scaup. The colorings are a little different than what I have seen on-line, but the shape and description seem to match. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Lesser Scaup pair?

The American coot, although resembling a duck when swimming, does not have webbed feet and needs to "run" across water before taking flight.  Its white bill is unmistakable.

American Coot

Western Grebe

The Western Grebe was one of the first birds we saw in the refuge and they were common throughout. Their long neck and flattish topped head, reminded me of a serpent. They have a very elaborate courting dance which  we did not get to witness.

As you can tell, many of the birds we saw were at a distance, so it was difficult to get a good picture, but due to the unique color of a particular breed, identification was not difficult - like with the Cinnamon Teal below.

Stunning Orange Teal

Rudy Duck

Although it is difficult to see in my photo on the left, the blue beak of the Ruddy duck made it easy to identify. Another distinguishing feature of this bird is how its tail sticks straight up in the air.

One particular wetland area was filled with hundreds of birds - most we could not identify, but these  Black-necked Stilts were easy to recognize with their red legs and a white crescent over their eye.

Black-necked Stilts in wetlands

Note: smaller photos copied from Allaboutbirds.org

I need help with the identification of this bird?

I could have stayed in the NWR all day, but alas, we needed to continue on our journey north to Wyoming and the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks. As we exited the refuge, the bird sightings were topped off with a close-up look at an inquisitive badger.

This Badger came out from hiding to check out our car.

It's a Monarch Caterpillar!

After years of letting milkweed plants propagate in our yard I finally found a caterpillar. It was hiding underneath a milkweed leaf and I barely saw it out of the corner of my eye. I only found one larvae which is pretty big already. I will continue to keep on eye on the area to see if I can discover where it decides to pupate.

In addition to the caterpillar, the milkweed plants were also hosting lots of beetles and honey bees.

Have a Happy Fourth of July and in addition to fireworks, don't forget to enjoy some of the inconspicuous displays of color in the garden.

Save the Milkweed, Save the Monarchs

Common Milkweed in Bloom

A study just published in June that was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and conducted by the Monarch Conservation Science Partnership, re-confirms the importance of increasing milkweed in the landscape to restore monarch populations which have declined by over 80 percent in twenty years. 

An earlier report (April, 2017) by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that up to 1.8 billion new milkweed plants may be needed in North America for monarch populations to recover. 

Although the June study stresses that this goal cannot be accomplished without incorporating milkweed into agriculture lands, it recognizes that participation from all sectors of society are needed. That means that we all can contribute. Although you can now purchase milkweed seeds from a variety of sources, all that is needed in many cases is to leave portions of the landscape undisturbed. On our property, milkweed plants have come back on their own and are found scattered throughout our yard. We do manage it, as it would easily take over in the garden or other areas that would be detrimental. One area that we have let it run wild is next to our compost bin. For the most part I don't have to worry about it, and strays can be easily removed before they get too large.

Milkweed, when left alone will spread readily

Although I have not discovered any monarch larvae on these milkweed plants, every year I am hopeful. Now is the time that milkweed start to bloom and will attract butterflies and other pollinators such as this bumble bee (right) this morning. 

If you do not want milkweed in your yard, the study also mentions the importance of planting a variety of native flowering plants since adult monarchs do not feed on milkweed exclusively. This will not only be good for the monarchs, but will benefit other species as well.