Eastern Kingbird

May 3, 2016

From Great River and Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuges:

Eastern kingbirds spend winters in South American forests, where they eat mainly fruit. Their diets change when they arrive in the U.S. where they spend the summer foraging on flying insects. 

It’s not called a kingbird for nothing! The Eastern kingbird has a crown of yellow, orange, or red feathers on its head, but the crown is usually concealed. When it encounters a potential predator the kingbird may simultaneously raise its bright crown patch, stretch its beak wide open to reveal a red gape, and dive-bomb the intruder. (Allaboutbirds.org)

Photo: Eastern kingbird by USFWS.


#Bird 

Where do the Hatchlings Go?

May 3, 2016

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

USGS Mama Research: Where do the Hatchlings Go? Every two to three years, most female loggerhead sea turtles return to their nesting beach – the one where they were born themselves -- to deposit 4-7 nests. In each nest, they lay on average 100–126 eggs; these hatch after about 60 days. But where do the hatchlings go once they’re born? With the help of beach surveys, satellite tracking and modeling simulations, USGS scientists predicted likely routes used by hatchlings as they swam from their nests in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Results indicated that hatchlings dispersed widely, however, some loggerheads from nesting beaches in the GOM most likely stay in the basin throughout their lives. Read more:http://bit.ly/1SJ2fnN #MothersDay
FWS
Photo: A loggerhead hatchling makes its way to the ocean. Photo: USFWS/Orsulak


#Turtle #Reptile 

Springtime in Alaska

From Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge:

"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May." -Edwin Way Teale

It's National Wildflower Week

May 3, 2016

From San Francisco Bay NWR Complex:

Although named Ellicott Slough National Wildlife Refuge has "slough" in its name, the refuge is comprised mostly of uplands and seasonal ponds. Wildflower blooms are spectacular as the ponds draw down. #NationalWildflowerWeek

#Wildflower

So many choices! Coho salmon moms are choosy mothers!

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

So many choices! Coho salmon moms are choosy mothers!

Leading up to Mother's Day this Sunday, USGS is doing posts on our research on wildlife moms. Here's the first one: During their lifetimes, coho and other Pacific salmon are born in fresh water, migrate to sea, and return to their birth streams to breed. Breeding is the final step in the salmon life cycle and the mother decides where it will happen. USGS and BLM scientists found that female coho likely select breeding sites based on habitat features that provide protection for spawning adults, conditions for egg incubation, and nearby habitat for juveniles. Findings of this study have important implications for stream restoration design to benefit spawning by coho salmon, a threatened species in the study area.http://on.doi.gov/1ObkSew Bureau of Land Management

Picture: Coho salmon fins just above water surface. Female coho select breeding sties based on specific characteristics that offer protection and desired habitat for juveniles. Photo by Steven Clark, BLM

Piping Plover Nest

May 2, 2015

From USFWS Northeast Region:

We have piping plover nests at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge! Check outhttp://1.usa.gov/1WDbK9o to learn more and find out how you can help ensure 2016 is another succesfull year for plovers and other beach nesting shorebirds #birdyear

Saltmarsh Sparrow

May 2, 2016

From Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge:

Saltmarsh Sparrows are returning to a marsh near you! These cryptic, ground-nesting birds breed in salt marshes in the northeastern United States, including in southern Maine. Saltmarsh Sparrows build nests, lay and hatch their eggs, and fledge chicks all in the 28 days between the full moon high tides! We have been collaborating with the Saltmarsh Habitat & Avian Research Program (http://www.tidalmarshbirds.org/) to learn more about Saltmarsh Sparrows and their habitat.#migrationmonday #birdyear
Photo Credit: Katrina Amaral