Caterpillar Parasites

This post is going to get kinda gross. You may not want to read it during a meal if you have a sensitive tummy.

"Sigh, will I ever be that big?"

Last week, I did my segment on Showcase Minnesota about the Monarch Ranching Class that I'm doing at Staring Lake Nature Center July 7. Non Birding Bill and I grabbed some milkweed plants at Loring Park and they were loaded with monarch caterpillars of all sizes.

Here is a leaf with small, medium, and large monarch caterpillars. I generally don't like to get a caterpillar as large as the one on the right--too much of a risk of a parasite but I needed cats for all sizes for the tv demo. Wasps and flies (and who knows what else) will lay their eggs in caterpillars. The wasp or fly larvae will feed on the inside of the caterpillar and about the time it forms a chrysalis, it will pop out. Yeah, it's as gross as it sounds.

After I finished the segment, I brought the milkweed home and set it in a glass full of water. I normally don't like to put milkweed in a glass of water, on the off chance that a caterpillar could fall into the water and drown, but this time, I'm glad I did.

The next day, one of the monarch caterpillars went on a "walk about"--a long journey to find the perfect place to form a chrysalis. It stopped at the top of our living room window frame and we thought, not the place we would pick, but safe enough in our apartment to chrysalize.

That night before we went to bed, he assumed the "J Position" and worked to shed his skin. We noticed another monarch caterpillar J-ing out on a monarch leaf. We tucked ourselves into bed, excited to find chrysalis the next morning.

Alas, I found one of our caterpillars shriveled up. It was dead--my fears were confirmed. If you look up at the third set of legs, you will see a bit of film--the left overs of fly larvae that had emerged from the caterpillar.

I looked up to the caterpillar that had been at the top of the window frame and found it had made it as far as forming an actual chrysalis, but the slimy rope hanging from it, showed that fly larvae had emerged--ew. All that milkweed chewing for nothing! The maggots emerge form the caterpillars when they are ready to pupate.

Since the larvae dropped straight down from the caterpillar and chrysalis, they ended up in the bottom of the glass of water and drown! Too late for the caterpillars I had, but at least they won't be getting future monarchs. Take that, you nasty maggot. I know you have to survive, just not on my monarchs.

This Is Supposed To Be A Henslow's Sparrow...

I think someone requested a western meadowlark from the North Dakota photos? Well, here's an eastern meadowlark, I hope that works.

I keep meaning to talk about the big Audubon press release about common birds on the decline (although, I have to ask how common has a boreal chickadee been to most of us) but I really need to read the data and understand it. It's interesting that common grackle is on the list. Working at a bird store, I know many customers would argue that their decline is "okay with them".

One thing I do agree with is that habitat destruction is the number one problem with songbird declines--much worse than cats. The more we can do to restore habitat, use pesticides responsibly, manage farmland in a safer way--the better off the birds and all of us will be. If you are concerned about the press release and feel a need to do something immediately, you can purchase a new Duck Stamp when it comes out June 22, 2007.

The banding was steady Friday at Carpenter Nature Center, but with the warm temperatures and high humidity, I didn't take any photos. It's a stressful time--some birds have chicks to feed and being handled in warm weather is enough, they don't need additional paparazzi.

I was still on a sparrow high from North Dakota and I realized that I don't recall ever having seen a Henslow's sparrow before. Afton State Park is just down the road from Carpenter and I thought I would stop by after banding to digiscope one. It would save on gas since I was in the area and I knew they were there because many birders had given detailed directions of their location in the park.

Now, the Henslow's song is not the most exciting one out there. Here's a link to it--don't blink or you'll miss it. It's kind of a sparrow hiccup. I was supposed to follow the trail to a shelter area to find the sparrows, but I heard them singing as soon as I started walking along the trail at the north entrance--I heard at least four, but couldn't see them. I wondered how often I had passed them in field and just never got their song on my radar--kind of sounds like a house sparrow chirp--which I would normally tune out. It was in the 90s and oh so humid--my least favorite weather, but I found a shady spot and set up the scope, readying myself for one to pop up. So, I waited, dripping sweat.

And waited.

And waited.

And sweated.

The darn thing never teed up, but just kept singing from below grass level--which is what they do best. BNA notes that this remarkably inconspicuous bird "is often difficult to detect because it sings from inconspicuous perches on low forbs, shrubs, or grasses." I decided to get some meadowlark shots since I was out there and continued to wait the bird out. The Henslow's sparrow kept teasing by singing closer but never coming into sight.

Finally, after about an hour of marinating in my own perspiration, I decided to give up the ghost. I packed up my scope and flipped the singing birds off with both hands. There are some days we just don't get the target birds we set out to see--I accept that. But to have the little stinker sound so close but never pop up from the tick ridden grasses was just to much for me to bear in the high heat.

I'll be back for you one day, Henslow's sparrow. In lower temperatures.

Sweaty Bee Update

Ah, the bees suit which has been such a comforting fortress of solitude has turned on me in 90 degree heat into a sweat factory.

Lorraine and I went out to the beehives today to put up some skunk preventative. Near the area, we found some "leftover turkey". There were several clumps of turkey feathers. Lorraine mentioned they had flushed a turkey near the hives a couple of days ago. My guess is that they won't be flushing it again.

A quick scan of the feathers leaves me with the impression that this bird may have become prey to the coyotes. I've heard them recently, but also looking at the barbs you can see some ripping marks that match up with canine mouth shape. Also, the shafts lack any impression from a bill or talons. The whole body is missing and a turkey is so large, about the only thing large enough to carry it away would be a coyote. Ah well, on to the bees.

The bees were not as defensive as I thought they would be. Lorraine pumped the smoker to keep them calm. When we got to the Kitty Hive, the side was covered with bees getting in and out. It makes sense, they've had a few weeks of brood hatching so of course we should have several more bees. The last few visits, we've been using a frame spacing tool and it is helping cut back on funky comb construction in the Kitty hive. It takes a little extra time to use it--it's not as easy to use as it looks--all the sticky makes the frames stick.

When we last visited, the Kitty Hive was ahead as far as comb production in the second brood box, but this time she seemed to have slowed down. There were for sure more bees in the hive--but just going at a slower pace. Above is a frame with what looks like some bubbled up, capped comb--those are drone cells. Drones are larger and need more space to grow, so the workers make the cells bigger. We found eggs and then closed Kitty up. We'll check on them a bit more next week.

Olga has almost completely fill up the second brood box. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, but we may get to use a queen excluder next week--whoot. Speaking of the queen, that's Queen Olga above. I was trying to take a photo of her eggs and she walked right into the shot--the really scoots along in the hive.

Here are some cells with her eggs. It's interesting to watch her, she doesn't really do it systematically by laying eggs in each cell, row by row, but she appears to run around all willy nilly, inspecting the cells and then randomly depositing an egg. Here's a video so you can see who quickly she moves about and towards the end of the video you can see her slip her massive abdomen into a cell and deposit an egg.

If you curious, the bird singing in the background is an indigo bunting. I have to admit, with all the sweating going on, it's great to have a life where you can be out working some bees and be serenaded by one of the bluest birds in the country.

We set down some carpet tacking to keep the skunks away. What the skunks are doing is slapping the ground outside the entrance to irritate the guard bees, force them out, grab them, and eat them. For whatever reason, the stings don't seem to bother them. The nail tips on the carpet tacking are supposed to prick the skunk's paws when it walks up to the hive entrance and when it starts slapping the ground. I'm not sure why this will work since stings don't bother the skunks, but many beekeepers have found success with this. If this doesn't work, we'll look into an electric fence.

And really, trapping a skunk is not an option.

Stamp Uses

Paul Baicich found a new way to use your Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp while in North Dakota. Perhaps I'll do this with my old stamp when the new one come out this month.

Pipestem Creek

While in North Dakota, I had the good fortune to stay in a trailer converted into a cabin called the Bobolink on the property of Pipestem Creek. If you are planning a visit to North Dakota, I highly recommend staying here. The photos on their site show the cabin, it can sleep six if you are willing to share a double bed (I'm way too floppy in sleep and shouldn't inflict it on anyone apart from Non Birding Bill). Otherwise, it easily sleeps four--two double beds and two singles. It's cozy, clean, has a full kitchen and living room with bird, plant and mushroom books.

And I'm not sure why, but every time I took a shower, I thought of WildBird on the Fly.

And if you're wondering, yes there were bobolinks singing around the cabin. There is an incredible dawn chorus, which is worth the price of admission alone.

The loudest and earliest singer was the western kingbird. He started at about 4am.

Anyone who runs a wild bird specialty store is probably already familiar with Pipestem Creek. I was staying in a cabin on the property, but the company's main business is creating beautiful, edible seed wreaths.

All the parts of the wreaths come from nature (and almost all come from the farm or neighboring farms) and can be used as bird feeders. Most people hang them up for a bit indoors and then put them outside for the brds. Ann Hoffert, the owner has even appeared on Martha Stewart Living in November of 2002 demonstrating her mad stylin' wreath techniques.

Tours of the facility and production are available when you visit. I was so impressed when I went through. We carried some of these when I worked at the bird store and to see the process from creation to the shelf was pretty darned incredible. Ann also really loves the birds and is very involved in organizing and promoting the festival, she's as dedicated to preserving the birds and wildlife in her state as she is to her business. As a matter of fact, if you pick up a Birding Drives Dakota brochure, that's her in all the photos.

The birds around the property sure appreciated the business. This is a brown thrasher nest tucked into some honeysuckle right outside the widow of the assembly room.

The goldfinches covered the ground snarfing up all the spilled seed.

Killdeer nested along the gravel roadways, I found three pairs just along the gravel covered loading area in back.

And the birds loved the manure piles--look a that: he's king of the manure pile, master of all her surveys. When I was taking this photo, I was thinking, "Wow, what a great shot of a house sparrow--and it's on a manure pile--part of what made them so successful when establishing themselves in the 1850s!" Then I downloaded the photo and notice the stick up its vent (for non birders--that's the bird equivalent of the butt). Sigh, wish I had more time for Photoshop.

The manure pile was also covered with yellow-headed blackbirds. Here we go, a bird on a pile of poop, while in mid poop--you won't find a shot like that in Birder's World, but that's just how edgy we are at Birdchick.com and that's the way we roll. (Oh dear, I'm referring to myself in the plural third person...I think that's my last cup of coffee this morning). Anyway, while the bird was in mid poop, I noticed the yellow feathers around the vent. And I thought to myself, "Do yellow-headed blackbirds have a yellow vent?"

And as if the bird were able to read my mind, he turned around and mooned me. Yes, yes he does have a yellow vent. Who knew? Not me. I wonder how this bird ended up with a sensible obvious name and didn't end up being called after a part that is not readily seen? Why didn't early bird scientists call this the yellow-vented blackbird? I did a quick check of BNA and did find that it is listed as a distinguishing characteristic: "yellow feathers ring the cloaca."

Other birds around Pipestem Creek include orchard oriole (nesting) and Baltimore oriole (nesting). It's a cool place, and I highly recommend staying there.

Alright, now I have to get dressed and go deal with the bees. Whoot!

Albino Black-capped Chickadee

This fluffy white cuteness comes to us from Deb Pflueger of Avon, Minnesota. It's a recently fledged albino black-capped chickadee! If you look closely at the photo, you can almost see a hint of the lightest beige where the black cap and beard should be. It was in her yard on June 9, 2007 but she has not seen it since.

Thanks, Deb, for taking such a great shot of this unusual bird.

A Skunk In The Beehives?

Don't forget, there's a FABULOUS new shirt available in the Birdchick Store. As Ian and Margery would say: "Kids in Carpool Alert"--parents who read the blog with kids may want to wait until reading alone to check it out. View the shirt here.

I could not escape bees while in North Dakota--not that I really want to. We don't want to overly inspect the hives, so they can get down to comb construction and honey production. We've been giving our girls space and room to grow and I've missed them.

We saw beehives all over in North Dakota, we passed several. I'm not sure all were permanent residents. Teageeare, a regular reader, attended the Potholes and Prairie Festival and told me about a flatbed truck she saw covered in beehives resting in town. She wanted to get closer and inspect it, but her husband sensibly kept her away--sounds like a woman after my own heart.

Also, while out on the prairie, I got a call from Mr. Neil about our girls. So far, all of us have been able to meander very close to the hives without our bee suits when not inspecting the hives and the girls go about their business. Mr. Neil and Cabal (the new dog) have been able to run through and I've been watching indigo buntings and digiscoping bobolinks without any trouble. That's now all over.

Mr. Neil and Cabal were taking their normal jaunt around the property and as they approached the hives, the workers started bumping into them. They were still very far away, but the girls were warning they were about to sting. Mr. Neil looked down and found one bee trying to sting his shirt--the stinger had not penetrated skin, but she was releasing warning pheromone and several bees were coming to her spot to join in the attack. He flicked her off and both very sensibly fled the area.

I have a suspicion that a skunk has been attacking our hives (and not just because of Cabal getting sprayed). The instructors in our beekeeping class warned that we would know without a doubt that a skunk had visited because of the change in personality of our hives. One day, our girls would be friendly and docile, but the next day they would be irritable and short tempered. Skunks come to the hive at night and slap the entrance around irritating the workers. The bees come out to attack the intruder, which is what the skunk wants--it wants to eat the bees and the stings don't seem to bother them. So, now all of our girls are irritated and on the defensive. And we are staying well away from the hives unless in full bee suit armor.

I'm going to get some carpet tacking and put that outside the hive (hopefully on Thursday), it's supposed to keep the skunk away--also if anyone has any skunk prevention tips, I sure would appreciate any advice.

Color in North Dakota

There appears to be a general lack of comments after the last entry. Non Birding Bill said the reasons was that all the birds were just brown, brown, brown, brown.

After all the brown birds in the previous entry, I wanted to post some of the colorful things we saw. This red-winged blackbird was in full on mating mode. A female was working her way through the cattails and he wanted her attention in the worst way.

Yellow-headed blackbirds were all over the place. I never get tired of these guys, they are just so cool. Their song isn't that musical, but I still enjoy that throaty screech.

Any farm that had a shelter belt of trees was just covered in birds like this yellow warbler. When trees are few and far between, a shelter belt is prime real estate.

Not all the color came in the form of birds. This sphinx moth was covered in a delicate blushy pink. Incidentally, this is the same type of moth that the eastern kingbird was trying to eat last week.

All the brown on many of the bird species serves an important purpose--they blend in very well with the surrounding vegetation. There's a nest here, can you see it?

Move the grasses and it there are two eggs. A mourning dove flushed from this spot as we were walking along. I've never seen one nest on the ground.

On Sunday, I did do some driving around before I hit the highway home. I was meandering down this gravel road following the map--passing some great birds. I kept following the map, came to an expected intersection and then noticed that the condition of the road seriously deteriorated...

According to the map, this goes on for at least another five miles. I decided to head south instead of continuing east.

Which I was so glad that I did! I came upon the uber colorful ruddy duck! I love these ducks and the boys were close to the road and displaying for a female lurking nearby. I think the male in the middle totally embodies this description by Arthur Cleveland Bent:

"He knows he is handsome as he glides smoothly along without a ripple, his saucy sprigtail held erect or even pointed forward till it nearly meets his upturned head; he seems to strut like a miniature turkey gobbler."

Bent continues, "His mate knows that he is handsome, too..."

"...he approaches her with his head stretched up to the full extent of his short neck and his eyes gleaming under two swollen protuberances above them like the eyes of a frog; with his chest puffed out like a pouter pigeon, he bows and nods, slapping his broad blue bill against his ruddy breast; its tip striking water and making a soft, clucking sound."

Hoo-wee. Is it me, or is it getting hot in here?

Anyway, as you can see, there were some very colorful birds in North Dakota.