News From The Field

A walk through the woods, or checking our nestboxes on the power line cuts, can often be a real wildlife  adventure. 

Taking a quiet walk through the woods can be anything but when confronted by some of it’s smaller denizens.  During your next “quiet walk”, if you hear something that reminds you of a herd of elephants it is most likely either a squirrel or a box turtle.  You would think that something that noisy would be a large animal, like deer. However, deer are generally rather quiet unless surprised.  In that instance, both you and the deer are likely to have a heart attack from the interaction.

Since box turtles are low to the ground they plow through the leaves and make quite a lot of racket.  In the quiet of the woods that sound seems to amplify.  I always have to think twice when I hear the loud rustle of leaves in the woods--especially when I cannot see the source of all the racket.  Squirrels also make a ton of noise for such a small animal.  One would think that being a small animal they would not make much noise, since other animals prey on smaller animals.

A quiet walk can result in coming across a Pileated woodpecker, our largest woodpecker (with the exception of the Ivory Billed woodpecker which was thought to be extinct until just recently). When this large bird flies away it makes a call that almost sounds like it is laughing. No wonder this bird was the model for the Woody Woodpecker cartoon!

Off in the distance you may hear something that sounds like ”who cooks”, “who cooks for you all”, or even a terrible racket that sounds like a group of monkeys in the trees. This would be a Barred Owl. However, if you hear the high pitched sound like air being sucked in, then you may have a baby Barred Owl in the area. Birds are so much fun to encounter! They can be so noisy that the sound is almost deafening, or so silent you would not know they are present unless you are looking. It’s amazing how much you can see and hear if you just take the time to slow down, stop, and listen every so often. The woods are alive with sound.

A quiet walk through the power cut can results in butterflies and more butterflies, frogs, toads, hatched snake eggs, snakes, dragonflies, damselflies, and beautiful prairie flowers.  Always a fun find for naturalists are the blackberries and black raspberry bushes, and spending time picking and eating berries, yet leaving enough for wildlife. 

However, when you are walking quietly, you may find yourself getting just as startled by the wildlife.  For example, this summer as I was walking through the power cut in high grass I suddenly had a female turkey explode from right under my feet.  I am not sure who was more startled the turkey or me!

A quiet walk through the woods can be very relaxing, sometimes exciting, and can result in some amazing finds.

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary, Field Studies Coordinator