The sounds or calls of what I think is a pack of Coyotes barking and howling way down in the valley below as I'm walking above the house in the morning. I have only heard these crazy sounds once before - fortunately I had my cell phone handy this time. They have never shown up on my night vision camera traps, there used to be foxes in the yard all the time - but they are gone this summer and we have a lot of rabbits so I don't think many higher predators other than bears live right nearby. There are a few domestic dogs in the area, but they don't sound like this and I'm no coyote expert by any means so if anyone has any other ideas about these howls and hyena-like barks I'm open to suggestion.
Cluck - Cluck or Knock - Knock on wood sound or calls echoing loudly through the forests and mountains - these incredible sounds are made by Chipmunks and seeing is believing! After three years of documenting these loud sounds that carry for 100's of yards through the forest and suspecting they were from Chipmunks, but not knowing how they could be so loud I've finally caught the little ones in the act. They put a lot of effort into these calls with full body involvement. This loud calling typically starts in late summer - here in the Great Smoky Mountains it was August 29th. These calls have absolutely nothing to do with a warning call after seeing predators such as hawks as some scientists have concluded in limited studies mostly in the northeast, but likely have everything to do with Chipmunk communication, perhaps territory. These sounds will echo through the forest sometimes for hours with several joining in especially in October. Because Chipmunks are so small and the forest so vast it is very hard to actually find the source of these loud wood-knocking noises, but today I got lucky with one sitting on a pile of rocks at the forest edge - the Chipmunk seemed to enter an almost trance-like state for a few minutes.
Here are the previous recordings in the deep forest - you can imagine how hard it is to find an individual Chipmunk:
Blue Cohosh is a beautiful plant when the berries turn ripe in late summer. This was a large patch in the Great Smoky Mountains that covered a hillside. Noted for its medicinal properties it's roots are used to make various mixtures. “Cohosh” is from the Algonquin Indian word meaning "rough," and it refers to the appearance of the roots. The root is used to make medicine.
Blue cohosh is used for stimulating the uterus and starting labor; starting menstruation; stopping muscle spasms; as a laxative; and for treating colic, sore throat, cramps, hiccups, epilepsy, hysterics, inflammation of the uterus, and joint conditions.
In foods, the roasted seeds of blue cohosh are used as a coffee substitute.
How does it work?
It is thought that blue cohosh might have effects similar to the hormone estrogen. It also may narrow the vessels that carry blood to the heart that can decrease oxygen in the heart. Caulophyllum thalictroides, blue cohosh a species of Caulophyllum (family Berberidaceae), also called squaw root or papoose root, is a flowering plant in the Berberidaceae (barberry) family. It is a medium-tall perennial with blue berry-like fruits and bluish-green foliage. It has been used as a medicinal herb by American Indians. Many Native American tribes, and later European herbologists and mid-wives, would use this herb in conjunction with other herbs and fluids for abortive and contraceptive purposes.
From the single stalk rising from the ground, there is a single, large, three-branched leaf plus a fruiting stalk. The bluish-green leaflets are tulip-shaped, entire at the base, but serrate at the tip. Its species name, thalictroides, comes from the similarity between the large highly divided, multiple-compound leaves of Meadow-rue (Thalictrum) and those of Blue Cohosh.
It is found in hardwood forest of the eastern United States, and favors moist coves and hillsides, generally in shady locations, in rich soil. It grows in eastern North America, from Manitoba and Oklahoma east to the Atlantic Ocean.
Plants that can kill you! White Baneberry ripens in late August and eating only a few berries can induce cardiac arrest and death. Fortunately it has a rather creepy look about it with a characteristic black dot at the end of each white berry that gives it the name "Doll's Eyes" and should say "beware"! In very small quantities it has been used as a herbal remedy in the past by native Americans. Here is some more information:
White baneberry Facts
White baneberry is herbaceous plant that belongs to the buttercup family. It originates from the eastern parts of North America. White baneberry can be found in deciduous and mixed forests and dense thicket. It grows on the fertile, moist (but well-drained), acidic soil, in the partial shade. White baneberry is listed as endangered in Florida and vulnerable in New York due to over-exploitation of the wild plants. People cultivate white baneberry in ornamental purposes because of its decorative flowers and long-lasting berries.
Interesting White baneberry Facts:
White baneberry has erect, multi-branched stem that can reach 1.5 to 2 feet in height and 3 feet in width.
White baneberry produces large, thrice divided leaves (composed of three leaflets) with toothed edges. Leaves are green colored and alternately arranged on the stem.
White baneberry develops small white flowers arranged in the form of dense, globular clusters (raceme) at the end of the branches, above the leaves. Flowers contain both types of reproductive organs (perfect flowers).
White baneberry blooms from April to June. Flowers emit rose-like fragrance which attracts small insects (such as European snout beetles) which are responsible for the pollination of this plant.
Fruit of white baneberry are white berries arranged on thick, red stalks. Fruit ripens during the summer and autumn and remains on the stem throughout the winter.
White baneberry propagates via seed and division of the root.
White baneberry is also known as "doll's eyes" because of its white berries with prominent black spot that look like eyes of porcelain dolls.
All parts of white baneberry (especially berries and root) are poisonous (contain cardiogenic toxins) and they should be avoided.
Typical signs of intoxication are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, blisters in the mouth, burning sensation, confusion and headache. 2 to 6 baneberries contain enough toxin to induce cardiac arrest in children if they accidently swallow them. Luckily, berries has unpleasant, bitter taste and they are rarely consumed on purpose.
Common name "white baneberry" refers to the color of the fruit and high content of cardiogenic toxins in the berries (bane-berries).
Even though white baneberries are toxic for humans, birds can consume these berries without any visible side effects. Birds eliminate undigested seed via feces and facilitate dispersal of white baneberry in the wild.
Native Americans used root of white baneberry in treatment of menstrual cramps and symptoms of menopause and to alleviate cough, common cold and rheumatism.
Infusion made of leaves of white baneberry was used to stimulate secretion of milk in women in the past.
Native Americans used juice squeezed from the white baneberries as a source of poison.
White baneberry is perennial plant, which means that it can survive more than 2 years in the wild.
Tufted Titmice and Chickadees take on a greedy Eastern Chipmunk for superiority of a stash of choice bird seed - note I said "bird seed" not Chipmunk seed! Watch to the end to see who wins this Titanic Battle of wits - I'm not betting on the hairy mammal's little brain!
Graveyard Fields is a very popular hiking spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway (Milepost 418.8). The Yellowstone Prong is the watersource for two waterfalls in a mile-high valley filled with wildflowers and surrounded by Blue Ridge mountains with 6,000-foot peaks. The area got it's name years ago from the tree stumps and surrounding trees that looked like grave stones in a graveyard setting. The trees were toppled by a huge wind several hundred years ago. Then in 1925, an intense fire burned the recently logged area, and the forest has been slow in recovering since. This provides a stark contrast to most hiking in the Asheville area.
- See more at: http://www.romanticasheville.com/graveyard.htm#sthash.3o7zoxpL.dpuf
Critically endangered Red Wolves only exist in the wild in a small part of North Carolina. Perhaps less than 50 exist in the wild and they are on the brink of extinction.
BASIC FACTS ABOUT RED WOLVES
http://www.defenders.org/
The red wolf is a smaller and a more slender cousin of the gray wolf. It is gray-black, with a reddish cast that gives it the color for which it is named.
Diet
The red wolf’s diet consists primarily of small mammals such as rabbits and rodents. Also known to eat insects, berries and occasionally deer.
Population
Almost hunted to the brink of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rounded up fewer than 20 pure red wolves to be bred in captivity in 1980. As of 2007, approximately 207 captive red wolves reside at 38 captive breeding facilities across the United States. Thanks to these programs, more than 50 red wolves currently live in the wild.
Range
Historically, red wolves ranged throughout the southeastern U.S. from Pennsylvania to Florida and as far west as Texas. Today, wild populations roam more than 1.7 million acres throughout northeastern North Carolina, including Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
Red wolves are primarily nocturnal (active at night), and communicate by scent marking, vocalizations (including howling), facial expressions and body postures.
Shy and secretive, red wolves hunt alone or in small packs -- complex social structures that include the breeding adult pair (the alpha male and female) and their offspring. Red wolves tend to form pair-bonds for life.
Size of the pack varies with the size of available prey populations. A hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals within the pack helps it to function as a unit. Dens are often located in hollow trees, stream banks and sand knolls.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Amazing sounds of a mother Red Squirrel giving the alarm call followed by furious barking call when her nest is discovered. Crank up the volume and enjoy! - Clearly they are the boss of the forest. Squirrels and chipmunks (which are really squirrels) makes some of the most unusual sounds in northern forests.
How fast can a Rabbit run – and how far can they leap? Well - pretty darn fast and far. Caught on a Bushnell Trail Camera - After a quick warm up lap this wild Appalachian Cottontail in the Great Smoky Mountains makes two amazingly fast passes and leaps in front of the camera including a classic “burnout”. Even slowed down to 1/8 normal speed at the end the rabbit is still a blur! Not sure what real or imagined threat the rabbit is running from. Gray foxes that live here are said to be as fast as the rabbits, reaching speeds of 40+ mph, but I might put my money on the Rabbit.
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds versus Yellow Jacket hornets at the nectar feeder. Besides fighting each other the hummingbirds have to contend with a few hornets who have claimed the nectar feeder and are vigorously - and quite successfully - defending it. When you watch the actions of the hornets it certainly gives the impression of intelligence and strategy. Sad to say the hummingbirds - which are birds with attitude after all - have been dominated by Bumblebees and Butterflies in the past so the hornets running them off is not too surprising. But despite all the battle they manage to get a drink of nectar in now and then. See also Hummingbird versus bee:
Song Sparrow calls its song from the top of an Arborvitae. An attractive and cheerful bird it will brighten your day. There is probably a Song Sparrow nest nearby but I haven't found it. Last years nest can be seen at:
Yellow Jackets building a Nest. Big Yellow Jacket gets upset with one of the smaller workers building the nest and dispenses some punishment which sets all of the Yellow Jackets swarming. I noticed the Yellow Jackets building a new nest just 4 feet off the ground under a tree branch and left the camera running for 30 minutes so these Yellow Jackets managed to get upset all by themselves. Does not take much to set them off. This particular kind of nest is quite dangerous because its in a place where one would bump into it mowing around the trees. I planned to leave it in place for a few days to film its rapid growth, but a Black Bear ate it the next night. A nice little snack for them. Filmed in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Two large Red Centipedes in their nests under a large rock in the Great Smoky Mountains where I was doing some landscaping. The largest at over three inches long is about as big as they get in this area. They are bright red for a reason - it says don't mess with me! It lives in a cavity nest under the rock, the other centipede nearby is much smaller and may be a juvenile. They are generally solitary creatures and can be found under rocks and logs. They are carnivorous eating mainly insects and will give a very nasty bite if messed with. Fortunately their nature is to live in places people don't generally frequent and they run really fast or hide if bothered. They are beneficial if outside where they belong. I do not suggest poking one with a stick! The most likely scenario for a human bite is when doing yard-work and picking up pile of leaves, sticks and yard debris that has been laying around - they might panic and run up your arm or leg - sorry for that imagery, but I'm trying to help. Personally I always wears pants, long sleeves and gloves when doing serious outside work.
Male Ruby Throated Hummingbird has claimed this small feeder as his own now that spring flowers have declined. This video, taken in very poor morning light, is a good example of how the ruby-throat can look pitch black at times and then light up like a Christmas bulb when he decides to flash it - even in an early morning overcast.
For HD hummingbird videos from the Backyard check out the Playlist:
Wild Turkey Hen with at least six poults has discovered me filming her and begins a series of unusual alarm calls or "Putts" to alert her young and any other turkeys in the area to danger. She gathers the poults and begins to lead them to safety into the deep forest. Filmed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
