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Pink Lady’s Slipper at Crooked Spring Reservation in Chelmsford

Bill Askenburg — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:08:24 +0000

Pink Lady's Slipper on the trails of the Mills Crooked Spring Reservation in Chelmsford, MA

Hiking on the hillside along the eastern leg of the main trail at the Mills Crooked Spring Reservation in Chelmsford, we found the showy and rare flowers of the Pink Lady’s Slipper.

Pink lady’s slipper is a wildflower in the orchid family. It grows 6 – 15″ tall with two large basal leaves at the base of the plant. It is easily identifiable because of its bulbous flower hanging at the top of a tall leafless stalk. It generally flowers between May and July, is pink to whitish-pink, and sometimes all white. Another common name for this plant is moccasin flower.

Like most orchids, the lady’s slipper is symbiotic as it has a mutually beneficial relationship with a fungus. The pink lady’s slipper uses a fungus in the soil to break open their seeds and to draw food and nutrients to its seed. When the lady’s slipper plant is older, the fungus draws nutrients from the orchid’s roots. Pink lady’s slippers also require bees for pollination, luring them into the flower pouch through the front opening.

Pink lady’s slipper takes many years to mature, living twenty or more years. Pink lady’s slipper usually grows on a wet, acidic forest floor with mixed shade in the eastern United States. The plants should not be removed from the wild because of their rarity and the near impossibility of successfully transplanting and maintaining the plant. New plants are difficult to start because of the need for the symbiotic fungi and their particular growing conditions.

If you Visit…

The 37-acre Margaret Robbins Mills Crooked Spring Brook Reservation was the first property purchased by the Chelmsford Conservation Commission in 1965. This reservation is located in West Chelmsford, between Crooked Spring Road and Graniteville Road. There are a number of trails on the property, with the main trail beginning at the parking lot on Crooked Spring Road and wrapping around the wetlands of the reservation. The trails on the property are easy to walk and bridges and boardwalks have been installed across several wet areas. There is a great diversity of wildlife here, including white tailed deer, red fox, beaver, muskrat, ducks, goldfinch and more.

Eastern Bluebirds at Red Wing Farm in Chelmsford, MA

Bill Askenburg — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:21:45 +0000

Eastern Bluebirds at Red Wing Farm in Chelmsford

On a cool, sunny New England spring morning bluebird love was in the air.

After dropping my son off at school, I visited Red Wing Farm (a great open space in Chelmsford,Massachusetts to bird watch) and was fortunate to observe a pair of Eastern Bluebirds grazing upon fat grubs while perched atop their nesting box.

The bluebirds seemed a bit put off by me at first, but I kept my distance and was careful to keep my movements to a minimum. Soon the bluebirds seemed to forget about me and began to go about their business of collecting grubs and insects, and defending their territory from encroaching tree swallows that had set up a nest in a cluster of nest boxes on the opposite side of the meadow.

The female bluebird sang throughout the morning. She remained perched atop the nest box, bouncing from corner to corner cheerfully singing to her partner as he repeated his dash from tree to tree, snatching insects in mid-flight. Her sweet songs were rewarded with a gift of the fattest grubs of the morning. My reward was being able to watch (and listen) on a beautiful New England spring morning.

If you visit…

Red Wing Farm (Maple Road, Chelmsford, Massachusetts) is an ideal area for the bluebirds and for those who like to watch them. The several acre area, once an abandoned apple orchard covered in thick vines and tall grass, now has large open fields, edged by large forested acres and wetlands.

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is accessible from Red Wing and it features a wetlands viewing station, as well as several walking paths. Red Wing Farm part of the Chelmsford Conservation Commission and is maintained by Chelmsford’s Open Space Stewards.

Sunny Meadow Farm Recycled Bluebird Houses

Bill Askenburg — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:17:34 +0000

Traditional box style bluebird house

I recently completed a couple of bluebird houses made from discarded fence rails that were “rescued” from a burn pile at Sunny Meadows Farm in Chelmsford, MA.

Over April vacation, my sons and I worked with our town’s Open Space Stewardship program to help establish a tree nursery at Sunny Meadow Farm. In addition to the plot used to grow trees for the town’s use, the half acre property includes the Walter F. Lewis Community Garden where residents are given plots of farm land to grow their own crops.

While building a large brush pile that day, I noticed a few pieces of the original horse chewed fence rails had been stacked in the burn pile. Seeing the beauty of the patina of the boards, which had taken decades to form, and being a big fan of recycling materials, I grabbed a few of the discarded boards and loaded them into my truck.

Peterson style bluebird house

Both bluebird houses share functional features such as a pivoting wall for easy clean-out, canopied roof, ventilation and drainage holes, and copper lined entry holes (to prevent predator chew out). I designed one birdhouse in the traditional bluebird box style and the other in the angled Peterson style.

With them placed in close proximity to each other (reduces chance of tree swallows nesting because of territoriality issues), I hope to see if the birds prefer one design over the other. I’ve read that birds prefer the Peterson box, because it requires less nesting material because of the sloped bottom.

Aesthetically, I was careful to orient the wood so that the aged patina (nail holes, lichen, rot and all) would be highlighted. I even incorporated the broken and worn edges of the age old whitewashed boards into the design.

The Askenburgs at work at Sunny Meadow Farm over April vacation

I am really pleased and excited about the completed bluebird houses. Creating wild bird shelters out of discarded materials was a very rewarding project.

Also, having a small piece of my town’s history as a functioning part of my backyard birding experience makes the bluebird houses really special.

The Chelmsford Open Space Stewardship is an independent group of volunteers working with the Chelmsford Conservation Commission. It was established in November 2005, and the Stewards maintain and improve the trail systems within these open spaces – anything from picking up trash and keeping the trails free of fallen trees to replacing worn out bridges and kiosks.

Stewards provide a daily presence and ongoing maintenance so these special properties can be enjoyed by all. If you would like to learn more about the great work that Chelmsford’s Open Space Stewards are doing for our town, I encourage you to visit their website.

A Family of Northern Flying Squirrels Moves Into Our Backyard

Bill Askenburg — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:59:39 +0000

A Northern Flying Squirrel pokes his head out of the second floor of one of our backyard birdhouses

While cleaning out a birdhouse this spring, I discovered that a family of Northern Flying Squirrels had moved in.

It’s been a while since flying squirrels have nested in our backyard, and my family is thrilled that they are back.

They are nocturnal, built for gliding, incredibly cute, kind of social, and very vocal with a bird like chirping sound.

Listen to the Northern Flying Squirrel

Northern Flying Squirrels eat nuts, acorns, lichens, insects and fruit. I also know that they are very fond of peanut butter, which my wife was able to practically spoon feed to the last family that visited some 10 years ago.

Unfortunately, Flying Squirrels also eat bird eggs and nestlings, so I’m guessing that the chickadees, robins and goldfinches are not as happy about their new neighbors.

Please share your Flying Squirrel story in comments below.

Homemade Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Jessica Layne — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:00:36 +0000

Pine Cone Bird Feeders

For me one of life’s simple pleasures is catering to the wildlife that frequent our yard. We live in a small, rural town where woodland surrounds our property. It isn’t unusual to see wild turkeys and deer trespassing across the lawn.

Now that Spring has sprung, we look forward to being able to open windows, feel the fresh air, and hear the chirps and chippers of our local and returning bird residents.

Filling the feeders has long been a routine and special time I enjoy with my kids. A couple of weeks ago we were performing the endless task of picking pine cones out of the yard, when I was inspired to make our own feeders. These are easy and cheap to make…and a great craft project for kids!

Peanut Butter Pine Cones: A WILD (Bird) Treat !!!

Spreading the Peanut Butter

What you’ll need….
peanut-butter-on-pine-cone

15 pine cones*
18oz jar off inexpensive creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1lb wild birdseed
medium weight string or pipe cleaners
shallow dish or bucket
butter knife, spoon, or fingers
newspaper
(scissors)

*If you don’t have any pine cones in your neighborhood, you can purchase them at your local craft store. Also, if your pine cones are closed up, try heating them up in the oven on low. This should open them up and fix the problem.)

Coating the pine cone with seed

What to do….

Cover your work area with newspaper for easy clean-up. Or even better, make your feeders outside on the lawn and skip this step all together!

Pour some of the wild birdseed into your shallow dish or bucket.

Tie a secure knot on the stem of each pine cone using about 12 inches of string or Twist the middle part of your pipe cleaner around the stem.

Using a butter knife or spoon to cover each pine cone with about two tablespoons of peanut butter. We used our fingers. We like to get messy!

Fully coated pine cone

Place each covered pine cones into the shallow dish or bucket and roll it around until it is completely covered with seed.

Set pine cone aside and repeat the above until all pine cones have been coated and covered.

Now it’s time to hang your feeders. If you used the pipe cleaners, you can attached your feeders to trees by twisting the pipe cleaners ends around the branches … You can do the same with the string and/or you may choose to string several pine cones together to make vertical wreaths as we did.

What you’ll attract….

Bluejays, Northern Cardinals, Squirrels…lot’s of squirrels…careful where you hang your feeders.

Happy Birding!

Contributed by Jessica Layne of AllThingsNewEngland.com, New England’s own online magazine and resource guide.

Color for the Garden- Food for the Birds

Scott Peterson — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:57:45 +0000

Mammoth Sunflower

Many of us watch birds for their beauty and the closeness we feel to nature. In return we provide them some food and even shelter in our yards. As an addition to your feeding, you could add some flowers that will provide your guests a meal and add beauty to your yard.

New England has some diverse climates that can vary from a growing zone 3 up to a 6. I have listed some varieties that will grow in all of these zones as long as you wait until the threat of frost is past before planting in the spring. This can be as early as April and as late as the end of June for mountain areas.

Purple Coneflower

Here is a list of some favorites:
Mammoth Sunflower: This bird magnet is the standard for attracting birds. This variety will grow 6’ plus and creates a dramatic accent for the yard.
Black-eyed Susan: These yellow flowers grow 2-3 feet tall, have drooping pedals, and protruding cylindrical centers.
Purple Coneflower: This perennial also reaches 2 to 3 feet. It blooms a lavender-purple daisy-like flower with mahogany cones.
Evening Primrose: This 3-5 foot bushy herb produces a soft yellow flower.
Sage: Most varieties of sage will attract birds. There are a lot of varieties to choose from but not a lot of color unless you need more green.

You can plant these directly in the garden or start them indoors and then move them out as starts. The indoor option can give your plants a head start against spring weather and protect them from being eaten before germination. This makes a fun project for the kids. They will gain a greater appreciation for the garden and enjoy watching the birds flock to the buffet they created.

Sage

Flowers can be left on the ground through the fall to allow birds to clean out the seeds. If you watch for plants that are dropping seeds you can gather them. Use your saved seeds to plant the next year or feed them at times of the year when they normally aren’t available. A glass jar makes a good seed storage container.
These are only a few varieties. Have fun experimenting and watching what your local birds prefer.

By Scott Peterson, Owner, Hometownseeds.com where you can find all of these flower seeds listed above.

Tampa Mystery Monkey Raids Bird Feeder

Bill Askenburg — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:37:19 +0000

Tampa Mystery Monkey

There’s been a wild monkey in the Tampa Bay area for the past year – and he’s been caught on video visiting bird feeders (see video below).

Homeowner Rick Coffey spotted the monkey in his back yard in the Pinellas Point neighborhood at the southern tip of St. Petersburg, FL. He said the monkey appeared to be hungry and scooped mouthfuls of seed out of a bird feeder and came back 45 minutes later for more seed.

Officials believe the monkey is a young male rhesus macaque. No one is sure where it came from, but wildlife officials believe it could be an abandoned pet, or could have gotten separated from a group of wild monkeys in a state park near Ocala.

Officials with Florida Fish and Wildlife have been trying to catch the monkey for more than a year, and caution residents to be careful when near the monkey.

The monkey has become famous, with thousands of followers on Facebook and a mention on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central.

Schoolyard Habitats Create Outdoor Classrooms

Bill Askenburg — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:53 +0000

The National Wildlife Federation assists schools in developing outdoor classrooms called Schoolyard Habitats, where teachers and students learn how to attract and support wildlife on school grounds. Students learn about wildlife in the outdoor classrooms, and expand their academic skills in a creative, unique and nurturing environment. For more information about creating a Schoolyard Habitat in your area, please visit NWF’s Schoolyard Habitat website. To learn about a Schoolyard Habitat that was created in Chelmsford, MA please visit the blog posting – Ribbon Cutting at the Byam Learning Garden, or visit this link for a slideshow about the Learning Garden.

NWF’s Schoolyard Habitat – Video 1

NWF’s Schoolyard Habitat -Video 2

Please let me know your thoughts or comments about this information by posting in the comments section of the blog.

Certified Wildlife Habitat: Certifying Your Yard for Wild Birds (7th of 7)

Bill Askenburg — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:00:09 +0000

Naturalist David Mizejewski discusses how to certify your backyard or garden with the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Visit NWF’s Wildlife Certification website for more information. Seventh of seven videos from the National Wildlife Federation about establishing a Certified Wildlife Habitat at your home or school.

Please let me know your thoughts or comments about this information by posting in the comments section of the blog.

Certified Wildlife Habitat: Sustainable Gardening Wild Birds (6th of 7)

Bill Askenburg — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:00:40 +0000

Naturalist David Mizejewski discusses the benefits of sustainable gardening, and provides examples such as composting, and eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He also discusses water conserving tactics such as using native plants and rain barrels. Sixth of seven videos from the National Wildlife Federation about establishing a Certified Wildlife Habitat at your home or school.

Please let me know your thoughts or comments about this information by posting in the comments section of the blog.