Nature Corner: Once In a Blue Moon

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 8/20/2024

Nature Corner: Once in A Blue Moon/Supermoon, A Rare Spectacle in the Sky

By Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

Last night, there was a spectacle in the sky that won’t happen again for many years; a full moon that was also referred to as both a “supermoon” and a blue moon. It will be within view through Wednesday.

A Blue moon phenomenon occurs when there are two full moons within a month. In 1979, a supermoon was named by Astrologer, Richard Nolle. A full moon is within 90% of its closest approach to our planet; a supermoon catches our attention as its the biggest and brightest full moons of the year. It will appear 30% brighter and 14% larger than a typical full moon.

This year there will be four consecutive supermoons in the next few months, with September and October’s supermoon in a tie for being the closest. The next seasonal blue supermoon will occur in 2032, and the next two supermoons will occur on Oct. 17 and Nov. 15.

Nature Corner: Aerial Acrobats

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer 8/13/2024

Nature Corner: Part 1 - Aerial Acrobats, Fast Flying, Flower-Loving… Hummingbirds

By Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

A buzzing sound and flash of color lets us know that a Hummingbird has arrived. In New England, we have one type, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, which is the smallest bird in the Northeast, at only 3-inches long and weighing 1/10 of an ounce. Although they are tiny, hummingbirds play an important role in the food web, pollinating a variety of flowering plants, some of which are specifically adapted to pollination by hummingbirds.

Arriving in late spring, these tiny birds migrate all the way from Mexico and Central America. Like all birds, they need food, shelter, water and space to raise their young. In early spring, when flowers are scarce, they will feed on tree sap from the rows of small holes that have been drilled by another bird, the yellow-bellied sapsucker.

Fun facts:

“Rubythroats’ pectoral (breast) muscles make up 25% of their body weight. In humans’ it is just 5%.
Rubythroats’ hearts beat more than 600 times per minute, and during great exertion may beat 1200 times per minute. The average for birds is 200 and for humans is 72.
Rubythroats at rest take about 250 breaths per minute. Wild turkeys take about 7 and humans take about 12.”

Nature Corner: Raising Loonlets

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer 8/6/2024

Nature Corner: Raising Loonlets

By Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

Raising loonlets (baby loon chicks) is a joint endeavor for the parents from the nesting/incubation period where both parents take turns, caring for, feeding and teaching of skills necessary for survival.

Week 1-Chicks at birth are downy and black fuzzballs. In their first week, they spend much of the time nestled on their parents backs for warmth and protection from predators.

Week 2-The loonlets molt into downy, brown plumage and begin their mastery of swimming.

Weeks 3 & 4-While the newly born chicks can walk upright, as their bodies begin to elongate, they lose their facility for walking on land. Even though they still might want a ride from their parents, they are getting too big.

Weeks 5 & 6-Loonlets are now able to catch food on their own, but still rely on their parents for snacks and supplemental feedings. Their juvenile feathers are beginning to develop.

Weeks 6 & 7- The parents are now comfortable leaving their youngsters for longer periods of time. The chicks are looking scraggly as their juvenile plumage shows through the down.

Weeks 8 & 9-The past weeks of fast growth development slows down. Their juvenile plumage is now completely developed and the young loons now begin exercising their weeks in anticipation of future flights.

Weeks 10 &11- With their primary flight feathers completely developed, the loonlets begin to test their ability to fly. While they can now independently feed themselves, they will still beseech their parents for food.

Week 12+- The young loons are now full sized and able to fly. Their parents will actually leave them on their yearly migration to the coast. The young will follow several weeks later and spend two to four years before they return to their breeding grounds.

Nature Corner: Counting Down to Loonlets

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer 7/23/2024

Nature Corner: Counting Down to Loonlets

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

We’ve been following a pair of nesting loons and were delighted to witness an early morning “changing” of the guard, when the sitting loon was relieved by its mate. Awkward on land, the sitting loon lumbered off the nest and was replaced by the other.

We also witnessed the “turning of the eggs” and discovered that loons typically will turn the eggs at the beginning of a nest-sitting shift. (The parents turn the eggs so that the heat of the parent is distributed evenly which keeps the inside membrane from sticking to the shell.)

Loons typically lay a clutch of 1-2 eggs with one brood a season. The incubation period ranges from 26-29 days. When the chicks hatch, while they will stick close to the nest for a day or two, they are able to swim and ride on their parents' back with hours of hatching. Once hatched, both parents participate in the caring of their young.

Looking forward to observing how this little loon family evolves.

To learn more about this beautiful bird:

Common Loon - Life History

Nature Corner: Pondering Pellets

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 7/16/2024

Nature Corner: Pondering Pellets - Clues for the Bird Detectives

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

A loud, piercing, rattling call is the first clue that the Belted Kingfisher is patrolling the sides of rivers and lakes, searching and diving into the water for its primary diet of aquatic prey (fish and crayfish). They also will eat mollusks, insects, amphibians, reptiles, young birds, small mammals, and even berries. Watching them dive and successfully catch their food is an amazing thing to witness.

One way scientists have discovered information about this bird’s diet is through its pellets. When the nestlings are small, they can digest the bones and scales from the prey their parents bring. But once they leave the nest, they can no longer digest these and regurgitate the remains as pellets. Similar to the pellets of owls, hawks, eagles, ospreys, falcons, herons, gulls, and cormorants, scientists can examine and determine the diet.