Video courtesy of Main Audubon Media
During mating season, males of many species engage in ritualistic courtship behaviors. We find numerous examples in this area. The throaty croak of a bullfrog, the rhythmic flashing of a firefly or the purchase of a Porsche 911 by a middle aged divorcee. These all serve the same purpose; to demonstrate the male’s desirability to the female of the species. From an evolutionary standpoint, this allows the female to select to most desirable father for her offspring. And few creatures work harder at this than the male American woodcock.
Early spring at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge offers a unique opportunity to observe the courtship rituals of this somewhat cartoonish looking bird. Typically at dawn or dusk, the male woodcock finds a favorable spot in a brushy location and begins with a series of ground calls that have been described as a short, buzzy “Peent”. He then launches himself up to 300 feet into the air and rapidly descends in a zig-zag pattern while emitting a soft chirping song amid a flutter of wings. Should this attract a female, he then struts around with wings outstretched to further demonstrate his connubial worthiness.
Having said this, it’s worth noting that the male woodcock is not exactly a model family man. He is likely to mate with several females during the season, and does not participate in nesting, incubating the eggs or caring for the young. Perhaps like that fellow with the Porsche.
Although it is still winter, the days are getting noticeably longer, the chickadee starts singing its spring mating song, and the first wildflower of the year – skunk cabbage – is in full bloom. How is this possible when the ground is frozen and the threat of snow still very real.
Skunk cabbage has a remarkable ability to produce its own heat which allows it to melt the snow around it and bloom even when the ground is frozen. But what pollinates a flower in winter? The skunk cabbage has a couple of tricks. The flowers emit the smell of rotting meat – which is like perfume to flies and carrion beetles. But the hood also serves as a little warming hut where insects can heat up their flight muscles. The plant not only produces heat, it regulates the temperature as well, keeping the air inside the hood at a comfortable 68 degrees regardless of the outside temperature.
Do not try to eat this plant! It contains calcium oxalate crystals, which will cause a severe burning sensation in your mouth, throat and esophagus. Some animals, however, seem immune to these crystals. For the black bear, just coming out of hibernation – and ravenous – skunk cabbage is an important food source.
You can see the brown/green hoods poking up through the wetlands along the Bockoven Trail near the vernal pool and also along the boardwalks at the Wildlife Observation Center, but you have to look closely. By April, when the showy spring wildflowers are appearing, the flower of the skunk cabbage will have withered. But its huge, bright green, cabbage-like leaves carpet the wetlands. They are visible well into the summer and are often the first time that many people even notice the skunk cabbage plant.
This is a wonderful time of year to get outside and start looking, and listening, for early signs of Spring. Hope to see you around the swamp.
Photo: Chuck Hantis
February 14 – 16, 2020, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm every day at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center
Join us for three days of birding fun. Help volunteers count the birds at the feeders from inside the Visitor Center. Daily bird counts will be reported to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to aid in citizen-science research on bird populations and distribution. Can’t tell a house finch from a goldfinch? No problem. Our volunteers will teach you how to identify the common feeder birds.
There will also be some fun bird-related activities for kids and adults. Make a suet bird feeder to take home, play bird bingo for a prize, paint your own tree cookie ornament, try your skills at our (indoor) Birding “Find It” game.
Great Backyard Bird Count Schedule
Every Day – Indoors
- 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Count the birds! Volunteers will be on hand to help identify and count the species. It’s fun and easy!
- Bird Bingo for kids – play our game and win a prize!
- Make a pine cone bird feeder to take home.
- What’s Your Bird Name?
- Paint your own tree cookie ornament.
- Birding “Find It” game.
Special Events for Saturday, February 15
1:00 – 2:00 pm: Learn to identify common winter birds. Indoor presentation by naturalist Dorothy Smullen.
2:00 – 3:30 pm: Guided bird walk along Pleasant Plains Road to count the birds. Bring binoculars or borrow ours. Dress warmly.
This event is free and registration is not required. Join us!
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an international citizen science event launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Now more than 160,000 people of all ages from around the world join the count each February to create an annual snapshot of bird distribution and abundance worldwide. This data is critical in wild bird research to find ways to protect these wild creatures for future generations.
Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center
32 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding Township, NJ
973-425-9510
Photo: Robert Stapperfenne
Thursdays, 10:30 a.m., Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center
We all know that exercise is good for your health, and research shows that it’s even better if you do it outdoors. It’s official! Spending time outside can improve your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. But winter often makes it harder.
Friends are here to help with weekly Winter Walks. Join Friends President Steve Herdman every Thursday beginning January 2 at 10:30 a.m. for a brisk walk on Pleasant Plains Road from the Visitor Center to the Bluebird Parking Lot – a round trip distance of about 2.5 miles.
Walk at your own pace, walk as far as you want, bring friends, your dog, your binoculars. Enjoy some exercise, fresh air, and good company. Join us. Let’s get outside!
Call the Visitor Center at 973-425-9510 for announcements of weather cancellations.
Following nearly 2,000 hours of volunteer work, the new Chandler S. Robbins Memorial Viewing Platform is now finished and open to the public. This new observation deck, at the site of the former Friends Blind, is a two-level viewing platform. The lower level is ADA compliant and raised about four feet from ground level. The upper level, accessible by stairs, is eight feet high. Both levels provide an extensive view of the refuge’s largest impoundment (artificial pool) and the surrounding area – a treat for birders and non-birders alike.
The viewing platform was made possible by a generous grant from the Robbins Family. As is noted on the memorial plaque, Chandler S. Robbins was a preeminent ornithologist and conservationist of the 20th century. He was a co-author of the popular Golden Guide: “Birds of North America: A guide to Field Identification” and was instrumental in organizing the North American Breeding Bird Survey in 1966, the primary monitoring program for birds in North America.
Volunteer and Friends Board Member George Solovay designed the structure and led a team of 14 volunteers in construction, including assistance from George Robbins, Chandler’s son. Oversight and assistance was provided by refuge staff. Information about the life and legacy of Chandler S. Robbins may be found here. https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/robbins/index.cfm
Welcome to Wild!
Sunday, October 13—All day, 8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
The Big Sit!
Join the Friends and identify as many bird species as possible within a 17 foot diameter circle. Stop by the Overlook to find out what it’s all about. All are welcome!
Sunday, October 13, 9:00—10:30 am
Guided Bird Walk
We’ll meet at the Visitor Center and bird our way down to join The Big Sit at the Overlook. Easy walk on Pleasant Plains Road. Loaner binoculars available.
Sunday, October 13, 1:30—3:00 pm
Second Sunday… Bats At Great Swamp
Join Refuge Biologist, Marilyn Kitchell, for this update on bats—our only flying mammal, white-nose syndrome, and bat research. Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center.
Sunday, October 13 through Saturday, October 19, 5:30 pm to dusk
Sunset Walks
Join us for guided walks into the Management Area, normally closed to the public. We’ll enjoy an easy 1 mile (round trip) walk to the impoundment area and watch as flocks of ducks descend into the marsh for the night. Volunteer birders will help identify the many species. Walks will be cancelled in event of rain. Not suitable for strollers or small children. Bluebird Parking Lot.
Special Photographer Sunset Walk: Thursday, October 17, 4:30 pm—dusk. Get out to the impoundments early and set up your cameras. Bluebird Parking Lot.
Event Locations
Overlook—on Pleasant Plains Road
Bluebird Parking Lot—197 Pleasant Plains Road
Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center—32 Pleasant Plains Road
Note: Bridge at North Gate will be open during Sunset Walks
Rediscover Your True Nature at a National Wildlife Refuge Near You.