Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Great Blue Heron Eats Large Fish



Great Blue Heron Eats Large Fish

Great Blue Heron spears a large Mullet and then quickly swallows it and washed it down with a few sips of water. Great Blue Herons are some of the largest birds in Florida and are always fascinating to watch as they patiently stalk their prey and often spear it with their sharp bill.

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Great Blue Heron Eats Large Fish


Saturday, December 26, 2015

Squirrel Mother and Father - Tender Moments - Beautiful Music



Squirrel Mother and Father

Gray Squirrel Parents show incredible tenderness with the father attending to grooming and massaging the Mother who has been nursing three kittens for almost two months and no doubt needs some attention. It is very rare to capture this parent bonding behavior on film. This kind of non-sexual interest in the Mother's well-being is rather striking and charming and implies there is much more to squirrels than just base "animal" instincts. Typically the male who in this case is the "Bull Squirrel of the Backyard" has nothing to do with raising the young and is rather gruff - see  - Male Gray Squirrel Dominance Behavior  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFl2v0rO1zw
The story of this incredible mother raising her three Kits whom she spends a lot of time grooming and cleaning to keep them healthy in the cramped nest is at this Playlist:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9ODW2GQ3n8J5c5QH_0U05TwHnttEBnMW

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Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird photograph taken at: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge


The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather. This species has rarely been observed in Europe. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema Naturæ in 1758 as Turdus polyglottos. The northern mockingbird is renowned for its mimicking ability, as reflected by the meaning of its scientific name, 'many-tongued mimic.' The northern mockingbird has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its wings have white patches which are visible in flight.

The northern mockingbird is an omnivore. It eats both insects and fruits. It is often found in open areas and forest edges but forages in grassy land. The northern mockingbird breeds in southeastern Canada, the United States, northern Mexico, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and the Greater Antilles. It is replaced further south by its closest living relative, the tropical mockingbird. The Socorro mockingbird, an endangered species, is also closely related, contrary to previous opinion. The northern mockingbird is listed as of Least Concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The northern mockingbird is known for its intelligence and has also been noted in North American culture. A 2009 study showed that the bird was able to recognize individual humans, particularly noting those who had previously been intruders or threats. Also birds recognize their breeding spots and return to areas in which they had greatest success in previous years. Urban birds are more likely to demonstrate this behavior. Finally, the mockingbird has influenced United States culture in multiple ways. The bird is a State bird of 5 states, has been used in book titles, and has also been used in popular songs and lullabies among other appearances in U.S. culture.

Gray Squirrels Eating Pine Cone Nuts


Pine Nuts are tasty! Squirrels are excited about a bumper crop of Longleaf and Slash Pine Cones this Fall. It takes much hard work, but under each "leaf" of the giant cones is a tasty pine nut that squirrels - and humans - love. The Longleaf Pine's cones are huge up to a foot long and heavy - weighing more than the squirrel. Once the squirrel has chewed a skinny "handle" it will try and drag the cone to a safe place to finish them off. This is also great food for humans. Stands of Longleaf pines once covered much of the southeastern US, but today they are becoming rare due to past timber harvesting and rampant development as they take many decades to reach up to 60-100 feet tall. Even the more common in this area Slash Pine's are getting rarer. They are both a critical part of the natural habitat and the conservation area behind the Backyard has a rare stand of original native longleaf pines exceeding 60 feet. Toward the end of the video you will see another squirrel in a slash pine eating pine nuts and note the difference in the cones.

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Gray Squirrels Eating Pine Cone Nuts

Cooper's Hawk Kills Dove At Bird Feeder


A Cooper's Hawk took out a large Eurasian Collared Dove at the bird feeder right before my eyes!  That is the way of Nature.... The big Dove is considered an invasive species in Florida and is probably a choice target of the Hawk due to it's large size and slowness to take off compared to native Mourning Doves. The Hawk was apparently hiding in the dense cover of the nearby oak tree and hit the Dove with an explosion of white feathers from only about 10 feet away with incredible acceleration. The bigger,slower Red Shouldered Hawks could never do that - they need much more room. Only the Red Shouldered Hawk has been seen in the Backyard before so the Cooper's Hawk is a new species documented. The jungle behind the backyard is good  Hawk habitat with dense undergrowth and tall longleaf pine trees, but that has traditionally been the breeding area of the Red Shouldered Hawks. I suspect this Hawk will be back.......it is the new top predator of the Backyard ecosystem and the squirrels need to be wary - I will need to re-examine my feeding practices if these new Cooper's Hawks start staking out the Backyard so that I don't make it any easier for them.
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Cooper's Hawk Kills Dove At Bird Feeder



Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Mockingbird Singing


Northern Mockingbird calling from the top of the Backyard oak tree. Mockingbirds are common in many backyards but here they keep a lower profile owing to a large family of Blue Jays that run the backyard. Mockingbirds never come to feeders here, but love birdbaths and prefer fruit and insects they can pick from the trees. Morning is their time to sing from the highest tree, but alas the ever-growing noise pollution of civilization competes with their beautiful songs as you will hear in the middle of the recording.
It is becoming harder and harder to find true silence in Nature.

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Mockingbird Singing

White Breasted Nuthatch Attacks Camera


A White Breasted Nuthatch - the Backyard curmudgeon - takes his unwillingness to share food out on my camera lens which must look like another nuthatch and a poor, but determined, Dark-Eyed Junco who keeps trying to snatch a quick meal.




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White Breasted Nuthatch Attacks Camera



Black Bear Abnormal Stereotypic Pacing At Nature Center


A large male Black Bear repetitively pacing endlessly on his well- worn path at the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville, NC. Sadly, this is all too common behavior of large carnivores in zoos. This bear is making the exact same moves that polar bears and grizzly bears often make in captivity. There are many articles on this unfortunate side effect of putting large animals in captivity and what might be done - a few are linked below. The WNC Nature Center was clean and the people no doubt well-meaning and caring and the enclosure was actually quite large with boulders and trees etc., but this poor bear exists for a fair amount of time each day judging by the path he has worn pacing within an "imaginary cage" about 30 feet long. This "psychosis" and the very exaggerated head turns made at each end are classic symptoms many large bears display in captivity. The large Black Bear that I film in the wild in the Great Smoky Mountains each summer has a territory of thousands of acres and only visits every 10-14 days - perhaps this lack of territory has a lot to do with this captive bears behavior (see: https://youtu.be/r-byBTm43c8 ). I don't know the history of this bear, perhaps he was a rescue bear that had a hard cage-confined life in captivity starting at a young age. I have always had mixed feelings about zoos - preferring to see animals in the wild in their natural habitat - but zoos reach millions each year and large carnivores are a big draw, but they are the animals least suited to captivity.  There can be no enjoyment in seeing a captive animal exhibiting this behavior.  
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Black Bear Abnormal Stereotypic Pacing



Friday, December 4, 2015

Painted Bunting Spotted in New York City!







Amazing bird news out of New York City this week as a mature male Painted Bunting was spotted in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It has caused quite an uproar among the birding world and no wonder - the mature male Painted Bunting is known as the most colorful songbird in North America and a personal favorite of J. Audubon himself. A very rare and elusive bird Painted Buntings have been coming to the Florida backyard every October for years. The eastern population tends to breed and summer in the coastal Carolinas - rarely as far north as New Jersey in the summer, but New York City in winter - that's almost unheard of. This handsome fellow in NYC should be down here in my backyard! The immature males and female Painted Buntings are and attractive jade green and wonderful in their own right - but nothing can compare to the male - that is why he is called nonparallel. Typically they stay in the dense brush behind our backyard from October to April and the ratio of mature males to "greenies" is typically 4 or 6 six green to one crayola. Enjoy him Big Apple while you can - even the amazing Painted Bunting can get New Yorker's excited that's saying something! Press story from the New York Times!













Thursday, December 3, 2015

Barred Owls Amazing Hooting Contest


Incredible Barred Owl Hooting Contest!  Haunting "Who Cooks for You" calls echo through the deep forest as two Barred Owls compete back and forth in the afternoon in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Who will Out-Hoots who? Filmed in October 2015 this may be a territorial squabble as they are several hundred yards apart and high in the forest canopy. 

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Barred Owls Amazing Hooting Contest
Photo Source:  US NPS, Everglades NP, Florida


Carolina Wren Song "Cheater Cheater Cheater"


Carolina Wren calling "Cheater - Cheater - Cheater" rapidly eleven times loud and clear. The Carolina Wren is a small bird with a big singing voice and in my experience prefers the cover of deep brush and woods and is difficult to photograph in their true wild forest environment like this. I caught a glimpse of it making the first string of "cheater" calls, but could not find it in the deep cover on video. Often their call is a loud "Teakettle Teakettle Teakettle" but here the rarer "cheater" call is unmistakable!

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Carolina Wren Song

Eastern Phoebe Calling Fee-Bee


Eastern Phoebe rapidly singing their primary song "Fee-Bee" high in a treetop on a cloudy, windy day. In case you weren't sure how to pronounce "Phoebe" the little bird is telling you! Later you'll hear their "chip" call. Poor filming environment at long distance in poor light, but in this case the bird call was the goal. These birds are arriving on their winter roosting area and behave very differently that when they are up north in warmer months breeding. Down here they are quite elusive - typically staying high in the big trees like their equally elusive full-time resident cousin the Great Crested Flycatcher. I left this video unedited so you can get a sense of the challenges.
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Friday, November 27, 2015

Motorola Droid Turbo 2 4K Video Test - Squirrel Eating Peanuts -


Cute Male Eastern Gray Squirrel assisting me in evaluating 4K video on new Motorola Droid Turbo 2 Smartphone. He works for peanuts! Uploaded directly from Droid Turbo 2 using YouTube App including adding music. 1 minute file size 350 MB. Sound is pretty good, you can hear the squirrel crunching his peanuts at close range and hear the backhoe very loud digging up the neighbors backyard. Droid Turbo2 4K video player has very basic editing features, but trim process was very quick and easy. A test example of a seascape using 4K can be found at: https://youtu.be/5aYMHDwhJLc
Should be viewed at full 4K resolution on a 4K device to be fully appreciated.


Limpkin with Apple Snails

Limpkin with Apple Snails
Limpkin with Apple Snails

An unusual bird of southern swamps and marshes, the Limpkin reaches the northern limits of its breeding range in Florida. There, it feeds almost exclusively on apple snails, which it extracts from their shells with its long bill. Its screaming cry is unmistakable and evocative. Photograph taken at Loxahatchee NWR, Florida.

Painted Buntings Arrive In Florida For Winter



Painted Buntings - called nonpareil by Audubon for having "no equal" have begun returning to the Backyard for winter - so far they have been "Greenies" - females and immature males in emerald green. The mature male Painted Buntings in red, blue and green - known as the most colorful songbirds in all of North America have not shown yet. The first glimpse of them is always an exciting moment. They generally stay until late April. You will also see the arrival of the Catbirds with the Buntings!

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Painted Buntings Arrive In Florida For Winter

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Baby Red Squirrel Afraid of Blue Jay


Baby Red Squirrel's first foray out into the world and it smartly runs for cover when a big Blue Jay wants some of the suet. A full grown Red Squirrel with over-sized ego would fight off a Blue Jay for food, but this little babies survival instinct is correct. You don't realize how small it is until you see the size of the Blue Jay in comparison. So far I have only seen one red squirrel fledgling this fall, this may be the eldest with more to leave the nest soon.

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Friendly Ostrich - Happy Bird!



The World's largest bird is cute and irresistible in its own way - what with those big brown eyes and outgoing nature. Amazing how it towers over a large SUV. Not filmed in the Backyard, but at Lion Country Safari, Florida.
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Friendly Ostrich




Handsome Feral Jungle Cat Meditation




 Feral Jungle Cat

Relax and contemplate the life of this truly wild and feral Bengal mix cat that survives in the conservation area behind the Backyard. He is rarely seen and it's even rarer to get this big tomcat on film. But checking out some Blue Jay noise behind the back fence I accidentally discovered the big cat's daytime napping spot without him knowing - it was windy and noisy and I was upwind - you will see him smelling into the wind. This encounter was filmed with the camera held over my head just above the fence using the tilt screen so the cat didn't see or sense me until about the six minute mark when I made some noise. Like the ghost that he is - he disappears into the jungle - where humans don't tread! He is a descendant of an abandoned Bengal Cat - his existence - and the plight of all feral cats is human-caused. I have no intention of interfering in this cats life, he is a rat and invasive lizard eater for the most part and he lives with and like the wild creatures that he is - you can see it in his lean, hard cougar-like face. He will never habituate to humans and will live a much shorter life than a typical pet house cat! For previous videos on this amazing cat see:  The Secret Life of a Feral Cat:
Feral Cats, Birds and Rats:
Feral Cat Staring Contest:

I hope to have a full-length documentary update on this cat later this Fall. If you want a cat for a pet - go to a shelter and adopt one!
Most feral/stray cats lead much different lives than this cat and live in colonies in high density. To find out more about feral cats and what you can do visit the National Feral Cat Day website: http://nationalferalcatday.org/
Or visit Alley Cat Allies -
http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=388
Background Music:
The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/darkglow/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

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 Feral Jungle Cat


Monarch Butterfly Fall Migration


Monarch Butterfly Migration


Monarch Butterflies heading south on their Fall migration pass through the vast forested Great Smoky Mountains looking for isolated meadows with wildflowers to refuel. It is getting late for this area as most wildflowers at higher elevations are dead, but I managed to spot three in an hour on October 12th. Monarch Butterflies are under considerable environmental pressure and in danger of disappearing. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a Monarch banding program. More information at the links below:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/migration/index.shtml
http://www.gsmit.org/CSMonarchTagging.html

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Baby Gray Squirrels Recorded Live in a Woodpecker Nest Box!

 Live Today - Baby Squirrels in Nest Box!


A Live feed of three fast-growing baby gray squirrels now about six weeks old living in a Woodpecker Nest Box has been broadcast daily since late October. This Youtube playlist contains the archives of these broadcasts!  Their eyes have started to open a bit at time and their fur is filling out fast and there tails are long and curly. Mom leaves them alone most of the day because it is so hot and checks in a few times and spends all night with them. If you have never seen baby squirrels in nature you are in for a rare treat. Below are a few daily snapshot of their development. Cute and funny doesn't begin to describe these little ones! Subscribe to the YouTube channel and keep up on the squirrels and all the other nature subjects that appear in this blog :
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Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box

Baby Gray Squirrels in Nest Box



Saturday, November 7, 2015

Monarch Butterfly Meditation With Soothing Music


Relaxing, soothing, and healing feast for the eyes and ears - Monarch Butterflies feeding on purple thistle on their annual migration to Mexico set to ambient music. No loops, static images or repeats - this is 20+ minutes of original migrating Monarch Butterfly videos set to an outstanding ambient soundtrack. Filmed on October 20th, 2015 at 3,500 feet in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina this is very late for Monarchs to be passing through - and they are hungry. I noticed a patch of thistle on the roadside with just a few blooms left, all other fall wildflowers were dead, this became a migrating Monarch Butterfly magnet!  Enjoy, relax and contemplate the healing power of the Monarch of Butterflies.......
The outstanding soundtrack is credited to:
Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100630
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

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Monarch Butterfly



Monarch Butterfly



Timber Rattlesnake - Up Close and Personal!

Timber Rattlesnake

Timber Rattlesnake - Yellow Phase - Business end! I never notice how much they match the autumn leaves on the ground, but soon they will all be sleeping for the winter! Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Garter Snake Mating Ball


A Garter Snake mating ball - unusual as it is up in the bushes and not on the ground.  Only two heads are visible, but there are three snakes in this small mating ball - a fourth left after I disturbed them - sorry. Filmed high in the Great Smoky Mountains. This was taken on October 5th on a warm day - typically mating takes place in spring right after they emerge from hibernation, but it can also take place in fall as snakes begin to congregate to hibernate, but these snakes should not be hibernating for at least another month. Garter Snakes are very beneficial snakes to have around the yard and are easy to tell from poisonous snakes - so let them live!

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Garter Snake Mating Ball



Sunday, October 18, 2015

Barking Squirrel - The World's Angriest Red Squirrel


Worlds' Angriest Red Squirrel!  This season's mother Red Squirrel sets the bar for the best upset squirrel rant I've ever seen as I finally found her nesting tree. Mid-October is peak Red Squirrel baby season and I expect to see them emerge from their nest on their own any day now! Last year there were six babies!

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The World's Angriest Red Squirrel



Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Crow Calling Close Up



American Crow caw calls and extreme closeup of the features of these amazing birds. These are deep forest crows that live in a family unit. They are typically very difficult to capture on camera in the forest cover. Here they are checking out the remains of a corn feeder the Chipmunks have finished off - a lucky capture! A note on crows - they are extremely social and intelligent birds and are  protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a federal act resulting from a formal treaty signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico and they can not be indiscriminately killed. Individual states may require permits to control crows and may regulate the method of take. Federal guidelines permit states to establish hunting seasons for crows. During these seasons, crows may be hunted according to the regulations established in each state. Regulations or interpretation of depredation rules may vary among states, and state or local laws may prohibit certain control techniques such as shooting or trapping. Check with local wildlife officials if there is any doubt regarding legality of control methods.

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American Crow Calling

Friday, October 9, 2015

10 Funniest Chipmunk Videos



Their cute looks hide the heart of a comedian - A compilation of 10 of the funniest all-original Chipmunk videos from the Backyard! What makes Chipmunks so cute and funny - perhaps it is their amazing hoarding instinct that takes over when free food is offered which often leads to comedy! 

Chipmunk Attacks Its Reflection in Camera: 
Chipmunks Fourth of July Picnic:
Cute Chipmunk Smells Rabbits: 
Funniest Chipmunk Ever! 
Funny Talking Chipmunk Falls Off Deck ! 
Chipmunk Eats Ear of Corn Time Lapse 
Cute Chipmunk Kisses a Rabbit
Chipmunk Stuffing Its Face 
Bunny Rabbit and Chipmunk Dinner Party Goes Very Wrong! 
plus new original material.

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Cute Funny Chipmunk

Groundhogs Climbing Trees


Groundhogs are excellent tree climbers - who knew! Thinking Raccoon's were eating late season peaches - hard sour peaches not fit for humans - I set up several camera traps and the culprits were "GroundHogs" or perhaps "TreeHogs"! One was so heavy he barely made it up, but despite their considerable size and weight they are a close relative of squirrels and their claws are huge - so perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. The National Wildlife Federation's article on 10 things you may not know about groundhogs does not list "tree climbing" which should now be at the top of the list: 
More to come on these fascinating creatures.

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Groundhogs  Climbing Trees

Ladybugs Mating - a Tango



Ladybugs or Ladybirds mating dance - little beetles and the timeless tango of Nature. This is a process that goes on for hours apparently - and they cover a lot of territory on a large white SUV - these are just the "highlights". Late September seems like an odd time to mate, but they can have multiple broods throughout the warmer weather. You will see a brief glimpse of a Ladybug larvae - all stages of ladybug evolution can co-exist at one time in the late summer. These are Asian Ladybugs or Ladybird beetles (Harmonia axyridis) in a very remote area of the Great Smoky Mountains.  More information from the Ladybug Lady  http://www.ladybug-life-cycle.com/ http://www.ladybuglady.com/ladybugmating.html

Ladybugs Mating

Friday, September 25, 2015

Rattlesnake On The Art Loeb Trail


Big “Yellow Phase” Timber Rattlesnake "Crotalus horridus" on the Art Loeb Hiking Trail passing through a rocky outcrop near the summit of Black Balsam Knob in the Shining Rock Wilderness in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina at nearly 6 thousand feet elevation. We were tipped off by a passing hiker that the snake was up ahead – that's good trail etiquette - and so were prepared. I can't say for sure if we would have seen the snake and not stumbled upon it – this is how most snake bites on the trail occur – but I think we would have seen it. Timber Rattlers do have some of the strongest venom of all the rattlers and their bites can be fatal! Note that I resisted the temptation to bother or otherwise molest the snake to get better video action – this video shows their normal behavior when encountering people – they are not aggressive or dangerous and would much rather run – or freeze - than fight!

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Rattlesnake On The Art Loeb Trail

Rattlesnake On The Art Loeb Trail





The Real "Itsy Bitsy Spider" Nursery Rhyme



Real cute "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Incy Wincy Spider" entertainment and education for babies and toddlers set to music. Let a real "Smiley-Face Spider" introduce very young children to the fascinating world of real spider web building  - not a cartoon. This remix of my original: Spiny Orb Weaver Spider Spinning a Web" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwLn11KJS9Y  was inspired by a visit to my grandnephew who at six months love to watch Youtube animal videos with music. "Itsy Bitsy Spider" vocals by the Green Orbs courtesy of the YouTube audio library.

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Spiny Orb Weaver Spider

Bald Headed Blue Jay


Blue Jay with the bald head look of late summer molting - but still a very handsome fellow and loud and proud as most Jays are as you will hear! This is when you can clearly see the birds ears which are at the bottom back of the skull. Although this is a known seasonal phenomena the fact that sometimes only one or a few of a dozen Blue Jays displays this characteristic and it is usually only the head is interesting. Last year's bald Blue Jay can be seen here:
More information at:
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Bald Headed Blue Jay


Thursday, September 24, 2015

Chipmunk Wood Knocking "Clucking" Sound In Deep Forest


Mysterious wood block knocking sounds in the deep, high forest of the Great Smoky Mountains have returned - is it the call or song of a  Chipmunk or the rare, ever elusive "Cluckmunk" that is louder than thunder?  First documented in 2013:
the noises did not occur in 2014, but have returned with a vengeance in September 2015 - crank up the volume and even a growing thunderstorm can't drown out these incessant calls that echo through the forest canopy.  These bizarre creatures seem to enjoy making this sound for hours on end - and when two or three get going at once it is as strange a sound as you ever want to hear in the deep dark forest. Amazingly, I only hear these sounds in the forest not around houses where there are plenty of Chipmunks making the typical "chipping" call that is their namesake. The elusive "Cluckmunks" are not to be seen in the dense forest and one of the reasons their sound is so loud and carries so far is that it sounds like they are calling high up in the trees rather than on the ground. The mystery continues - I must get video of these critters making this sound in the high forest to prove the theory below - it is clearly not a response to danger or predators but highly seasonal.
This bizarre knocking on wood phenomena has actually been researched, but is not well known or documented. I managed to find the expert on the subject at: http://miracleofnature.mystagingwebsite.com/blog/chipmunk-clucks-revisited

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Chipmunk Wood Knocking "Clucking" Sound