Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

With the weekend upon me once more and a lack of an update this past weekend (Alison was visiting me so I have a good excuse), I figured I would update with a fun report from the field. On Friday night at about 8:15pm, I decided to go owling (not to be confused with the practices of "planking" or smuggling sheep in the early 12th and 13th centuries). While my goal was to find a Northern Saw-whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus ), I did end up getting an unexpected lifer Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) near the Pennypack Farm fence instead. Upon leaving the house and heading up the gravel road that leads to the girls cabins and eventually the back field, I felt the usual feelings of dread, fear, and anticipation at what I might find on my night hike around the Outdoor School property. My adrenalin was pumping as I had elected to walk most of the journey without a headlamp. The looming half moon overhead gave out enough light for my limited human night vision to use to gauge my surroundings. Al...

All puns aside, this is a post about the Whiskered Tern ( Chlidonias hybridus ) (sort of) and my visit to Cape May on Sunday. After working all last week and seeing report after report of this Code 5 Whiskered Tern at the state park at Cape May Point, I made the 2 1/2 hour journey from Horsham to Cape May and started my quest for the tern. After arriving at 10:45am and asking around at the hawkwatch platform, I was dismayed to find out that it had been visiting regularly in the afternoon instead. Despite this setback, I decided to comb the park for some year birds instead. I didn't have to wait long as I secured two Little Blue Herons ( Egretta caerulea ) and a Pied-billed Grebe ( Podilymbus podiceps ) on Bunker Pond, as well as a Blue-winged Teal ( Anas discors ) on the nearby ponds. The skies and bushes were filled with the sounds of nature. Overhead migrating raptors like Ospreys ( Pandion haliaetus ), an immature Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ), and soaring Turkey Vultu...

As the first week at the Outdoor School* ended and the weekend arrived, I thought about what to write about this week. I had made it a goal to learn some common night-singing insect calls by visiting the Songs of Insects website and while I haven't done that yet, Sunday isn't over either. After returning from Giant to get some milk, I went for a walk to find some subjects for this weeks post. I decided to settle on three invasive plants that have appeared on the property over the summer. We were introduced to the first during orientation while walking from the group challenge field over the Pennypack Creek that runs through the property. The plant's huge leaves were what surprised me the most, as well as seeming so tropically out of place with the mid-Atlantic environment they were now living in. Initially we were stumped as to their identity, but after one of my bosses did some research, he determined that they were Empress or Princess Trees. Their scientific name is Pa...

As my first weekend in Horsham continues, I took a trip to two nearby reservoirs to try my luck at finding some migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. It has been an interesting transition with having gotten a bigger room than I had last spring*, nearly getting Poison Ivy ( Toxicodendron radicans ) the first day here, dealing with itchy bug bite ridden legs from having refused bug spray at a barbeque on Labor Day, and anticipating the prospecting of using washing machines that I'm fairly certain use a type of detergent that I'm allergic to. Other than that, it's been smooth sailing. As I left this morning, I drove along the familiar routes that I'd taken in the spring to a local spot called Bradford Dam Recreation Area. Located about 5 minutes up the road from where I'm currently living, it's where I saw my first Bobolinks ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ) and Broad-winged Hawk ( Buteo platypterus ) of the year. As I trod near to the pond, I looked at the murky pond weed...

This was one of the best weekends I've had all year. Not only did I get to spend some quality time with my girlfriend, Alison, I also saw five life birds and went on a whale watch for the first time in nearly a decade. Despite the fact that I carried what I can only estimate as being a 20+ lb. backpack all day and was exhausted by the end of the day, it was still an amazing experience! We did the whale watch with the same company Alison had done so with her work colleagues the previous week. The company, called Dolphin Fleet, offered 3-4 hour cruises to the waters off of Race Point in Provincetown and to the southwestern section of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary outside of Cape Cod Bay. We boarded at 10:00am and after a fifteen minute wait, we were backing out of the docks and into the harbor and beyond. As we past the breakwater, our naturalist pointed out the large flock of resting Double-crested Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus ). She explained how their heavier b...

So after getting up this morning, I went to the basement to check on the sumac-ade. The water that the berries were seeping in had turned a light grapefruit juice pink and tasted vaguely acidic. I took the mixture upstairs and strained it. Some of the small red berries had escaped the clusters and floated to the top. The red hairs that covered the berries also floated throughout the mixture and remained in the liquid long after straining. After straining out the liquid, I taste-tested the concoction. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing either. It was tart, but waxy in texture. I took a smaller amount in a different glass and added some sugar. It tasted a little better after that. After that I cleaned out the pitcher, refilled with the sumac-ade, and added three spoonfuls of sugar. That made the difference! Below, I've photographed the steps to making the sumac-ade. If you want more concise instructions for doing so, consult Samuel Thayer's book, The Forager...