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Product Placement
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
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EXPECTATIONS
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One Nice Bug Per Day
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2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
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@mohonkpreserve
The tiny crustacean's superpowers include
DidYouKnow? The Shawangunks is home to a tiny, eyeless cave shrimp that can survive being frozen!
Read more about these amazing creatures in this article featuring Preserve Research Associate and Marist College cave biologist Luis Espinasa.
As temperatures rise, spring rains roll in, and the ground thaws, the amphibians of New York are preparing themselves for a great migration. On the 10th of March, a group of about 30 volunteers con…
Find out where these amphibians are going and why!
Walkling in woodlands? Keep your eyes open for Jack-in-the-Pulpit!
This plant was one thought to cure madness!
The evergreen leaves of Mountain Laurel can carry out photosynthesis in the winter!
First observed in the Shawangunks in the 1930s, this amphibian is found all along the ridge.
The green color Rock Tripe turns when wet indicates it is photosynthesizing and revitalized. We have several species of Rock Tripe on the Ridge, observations going back into the 1930s: Blistered R.T, Smooth R.T, Pennsylvanian R.T, and Grey Rock Tripe. The Grey Rock Tripe was determined to be a rare and northern alpine species in the Northeast; something that adds to the unique and special ecosystem that the Shawangunks provides to the land.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It's the "Turning of the Green!" All day, we're posting about how the Preserve wears its green for Spring!
This male Peregrine has been enjoying the warm weather on the Trapps cliffs. In this video from Glenn Proudfoot, you can see him cleaning up after a tasty meal!
Thanks to the climbing community for helping us keep them safe this season!
It’s that time of year again! Mammal March Madness has arrived!
This is the annual tournament of simulated combat between mammal species organized by four biologists. 65 species enter … and only one is crowned the champion. Here’s how it works:
Scientific literature is cited to substantiate likely outcomes as a probabilistic function of the two species’ attributes within the battle environment. Attributes considered in calculating battle outcome include temperament, weaponry, armor, body mass, running speed, fight style, physiology, and motivation. Through the scientific information embedded in the bout descriptions, participants are educated about inter-species interactions, the importance of ecological context, how natural selection has shaped adaptations, and conservation management of endangered species.
The first bout - a wildcard match between the Thor Hero Shrew and the King Midas Bat has already finished (winner: HERO SHREW) - but you still have time to fill out your bracket before the first round of regular match-ups (the “chill mammal” division) begins tonight. Download your bracket here and fill it out!
You can follow the matches on twitter via the #2016MMM hashtag. Tournament schedule:
Week One 3/8 Chill 3/9 Mascots 3/10 Mighty Giants 3/11 Nouns
Week Two 3/14 MG & C 3/16 M&N 3/17 Sweet 16
Week Three 3/21 Elite Trait 3/22 Final Roar 3/24 Championship
My favorite to win? Ursus maritimus.
Here’s my terrible, punny sports-radio style send-up of last year’s competition:
The illustrations in the poster up top were created by Charon Henning - check out more of her artwork here.
Species Spotlight: Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern chipmunks are extremely vocal and can produce a variety of calls, trills and chirps to communicate alarms, alerts and note territory.
Invasive Species: Thinking Locally, Acting Globally
Blogger’s Note: That’s right. We said “Thinking Locally, Acting Globally”. It’s not an editorial error. While the more common slogan is “think globally, act locally”, we are switching it up during National Invasive Species Awareness Week to capture the scope of the battle against biological invasions. Effective prevention and management of invaders transcend local efforts, requiring national and international cooperation. We are in this together!
Photo: Healthy coral reef systems like those at Palmyra and Kingman National Wildlife Refuges are threatened by invasive organisms from shipwrecks. Credit: Susan White/FWS
Think locally. In the Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we’re lucky to host coral reefs, old growth forests, and alpine streams that teem with native plants and animals unburdened by the stress of nonnative predators and competitors. But many places in the Northwest, and particularly in the Pacific Islands, are degraded by the effects of invasive species. Visit your state’s invasive species council website to learn more about the existing problems in your vicinity, and those that loom on the horizon. Think about how you can help…and then of course, act.
Photo: The invasive blackberry is being removed from the soil surrounding the grape vines. Students from Pacific Middle School carefully remove the vines that threaten the health of the grapes. Credit: FWS
Figure out what that strange plant is growing in your backyard, and if it’s a known invader, remove it. Better yet, take part in a weed removal project by your watershed council or other local conservation group…no need to wait for Earth Day! Scrub your hiking boots before and after you hit the trail. Clean, drain, and dry boating and fishing gear so that you don’t accidentally transfer unwanted plants, snails, and other hitchhikers. Awareness, and prevention, starts at home.
Photo: Zebra mussels. Credit: FWS
But we also need to act globally. Many pathways that spread invasive species, such as shipping or the pet trade, are transcontinental. So in turn are many of our invaders. Common carp that have severely harm waterfowl habitat and abundance at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge cause similar problems in places ranging from Minnesota to Australia. The good news is that collaboration is occurring. International efforts are underway to improve how countries prevent movement of shipboard stowaways like zebra mussels. The National Invasive Species Council and Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force are enhancing how U.S. federal agencies coordinate on communication, management, and research. And back at Malheur Lake, lessons learned from colleagues in the Midwest and Down Under are helping improve carp control strategies.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee Danny Morris moves a small mountain of carp with heavy equipment. Credit: Carla Burnside/USFWS
National Invasive Species Awareness Week may not be as fun as International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19) or as delicious as National Chocolate Cake Day (January 27)….although the growing “eradication by mastication” movement is producing quite a cookbook of invasive species recipes! But whether it’s baking your neighbor a Himalayan blackberry pie or ensuring that you use only locally-sourced firewood, celebrate this “leap week” of February by thinking and acting to reduce the threat of biological invasions.
Peregrines have been spotted at the nest box atop the Tappan Zee Bridge - check them out in the live webcam!
Hey, Sweetie! Love is in the air—actually, as it turns out! During our recent bout of warm weather you may have noticed a few more melodic notes than usual as our winter resident birds start turning their thoughts to courting. One of the first species to begin this early singing is the Black-capped Chickadee.
During most of the year you can hear males and females making their familiar chickadee-dee-dee call, which they use to communicate with each other about territory boundaries or danger nearby. Once they turn their thoughts to breeding, though, the males (and to a lesser extent the females) begin singing a different tune. This breeding song is recognizable as a clear, whistled two or three note fee-bee or hey, sweetie. Listen for the sounds of Chickadee courting at your feeder, on the edge of woody fields or marshes, or near shrubs in your neighborhood as they flit around looking for seeds and bugs to eat.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
For the first time, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have documented migratory movements of bird populations spanning the entire year for 118 species throughout the Western Hemisphere. The study finds broad similarity in the routes used by specific groups of species—vividly demonstra
We’re memorized by this map from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: watch 118 bird species migrate across a map of the western hemisphere.
Berta's Top 10 Birding Tips
1) Get up early: birds and other wildlife are more active in the morning
2) Get out late: Dusk can be a great time to see birds during the warmer times of year since many get active to grab one last snack before they hunker down for the night. In the winter, however many birds fly to their roosts before dusk so become much less active during the hour before sunset. Evenings are always good for species like owls who are just getting up for a night of hunting. During the winter, it may take the birds a little while to warm up, so whereas noon in the summer would be a slow time, lunch time in the winter might be just in time!
Photo credit: Common Loon, Joe Sands #USFWS
3) Get the right light. Stand between the sun and the bird. Keeping the sun behind you gives you the best light to see the colors and features of a bird. It also helps camouflage you. If the bird has to look at you, it’s looking into the sun, and may not even know that you are there.
4) Get quiet!: Have a no-chatting policy. Talking while walking, shuffling your feet and ever wearing clothes that swish while you walk will give wildlife a heads up that you are coming, and they will politely move out of your way. That’s no fun! If you want to discuss a bird you see, stand close and talk quietly. If this is your only social time, try timing yourself for five minutes of silent birding time. See how many more birds you’ll see!
5) Go slow : Fast movements may scare birds away
Photo credit: Ruby crowned Kinglet John Flannery, C.C.
6) Just relax : Try just sitting for a while. Animals that might have been scared out of your path move back into the picture within a few minutes. A sitting human is less of a threat than a moving human.
7) Bring your binos. Binoculars are a critical piece of equipment for birding by sight. You can see close up without getting too close for comfort. Sometimes birds that look very small and plain at a distance pop with color and detail once you put your binos up. But don’t whip them up to your face, giving yourself whiplash and scaring the bird half to to death. Bring them up to your eyes slowly and smoothly.
A spotting scope can be a useful tool while birding. They can be spendy and heavy but are definitely worth it if you are out to see shorebirds because they are small, fast and subtle. For most birding, though, binoculars are the perfect tool.
8) Bring your ears! One of the best ways to identify a bird is through its call or songs. After a while, many birders can recognize a bird using a single call note and don’t even have to look at the bird to identify it. Try downloading birding apps made by Sibley, iBird, National Geographic, and others, that include bird vocalizations (see reviews at: https://www.audubon.org/news/the-best-birding-apps-and-field-guides). Most of them include bird calls that you can plan after you get back home, and get to know their voice that way. Don’t play calls in the field. It can be very disruptive for birds who are trying to defend their territories by singing and calling. This causes them to waste energy trying to chase YOU away!
9) Have Fun. It’s not a contest but you can make it one if you want to. If you are feeling mellow, just enjoy the sounds of the birds in the trees and watch their behavior. When they eat, do they pull caterpillars from a crack in the bark, or do they wrestle a nut out of a pine cone? If you are feeling competitive, try to name before your friend does, or secretly keep a list to compare at the end of the walk. It doesn’t matter how you do it. Nobody’s watching. Just enjoy yourself!
10) Get out with other birders/bring friends- birding with other people is a great way to speed up your learning curve. Audubon Society trips are a great start. There are local chapters in most areas http://audubonportland.org/. You can learn a lot by participating in local online birding groups, listservs or facebook groups to help you learn where different species can be found and network with other birders.
Learn more about the Migratory Bird Centennial: Celebrating 100 years of Migratory Bird Conservation http://www.fws.gov/birds/MBTreaty100/index.php
