Newsletter title

January 2013

In This Edition

New Year Welcome

—Anita Springer

I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing holiday. We had a phenomenal 2012 at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Visitor’s Center. I personally want to thank everyone for their time in 2012 and I am looking forward to another excellent year. Hope you are too!

It is time to think about the 2013 season at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. We think that ten weeks is a long time but March 1st rolls around pretty quick. Docent Reorientation will be set for two dates again this year to accommodate as many schedules as possible. The dates have not been confirmed, but we are looking at the last two Saturdays in February. As soon as the dates are fixed, I will email or mail the information to everyone. It will also be in the February 15, 2013 newsletter. I highly encourage everyone to attend one of these sessions. It is our time to exchange experiences, ideas, talk about any changes, check and/or update your roster information and to sign a Liability Release Form.

I look forward to seeing each of you this year.

The Nature Conservancy Oklahoma Newsletter

—Andrew Donovan-Shead

Katie Hawk reports in The Nature Conservancy Oklahoma Newsletter that Eileen Jobin, Director of Operations since 1986, and Dwight Christian, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Ranch Foreman for eleven years, are both retiring.

Prairie Watching: Seasons

—Dwight Thomas

Winter is interesting on the prairie — the whole vista is in tan and gray, but the expansiveness and the hills rolling on forever are still there. The Bison are still out grazing with their dark shaggy coats. During the Winter, I always enjoy remembering scenes of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve as it appears throughout the year. So let me share a remembrance:

One of my favorite activities at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is to walk along the trails and look for differences — different wildflowers, different birds, different insects, different effects of weather. There is a spot on the trail along the creek from which I almost always take a photograph. The result is a record of seasonal changes at that spot.

It is Winter now, so let’s think about what the trail is like now. The trees are bare; the ground is still covered with leaves that fell from the trees in the Autumn; there is some green vegetation in protected spots, but most of the plants are dormant. A good many of the trees along the creek are oaks, so there are acorns scattered here and there — the big Bur Oak acorns really stand out. There are some birds singing, but the ones that stand out are the woodpeckers — Downies and Redheads. I almost always hear and see one of them pecking on a tree and see them in their undulating flight going from tree to tree screeching in the woodpecker voice.

Occasionally there is snow, and the ground clutter is smoothed over in white giving a look of newness and freshness. The deer and raccoon tracks are especially obvious in the snow.

Then we come to early spring. It still looks like winter, but the early blooming trees and shrubs begin to add color and texture to the landscape. At this time, we see the purple of the redbuds, the white of the plums, and the green of the elms.

Later in the Spring, we see all of the vegetation begin to turn green. And we see the Spring wildflowers — the Verbenas, the Spiderworts, the Prairie Iris, and the Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Then in Summer, we see the plants begin to grow, especially the grasses. The trees are green, the ground is covered in green. Along the trail, there are always patches of Fishing-pole grass with its wide leaves and the fish-shaped heads dangling on lines. There are the Dicksissels perched on low branches calling out their territorial and mating calls, and there is a new set of wildflowers, too numerous to name here. At this time, there are often large spider webs that sparkle with dew stretching from branch to branch. In late summer, many times the plants become stressed and wilted with the heat and drought.

In Fall, the trees along the trail become a riot of gold, red, and rust colors. The elms and hickories are gold, the oaks are red, and then there is the sumac with its brilliant red. The Fall set of wildflowers are among the most beautiful and abundant. This is also the time when the many of the plants are showing their fruits — various berries, pods, and plumes. During this time, it is difficult not to see deer even during the middle of the day.

And that brings us back to Winter. I can hardly wait to get back to the prairie and watch the progression of seasons one more time. Of course, the progression is not quite the same out on the open prairie as it is along the stream, but that is another story.

Seasons by Dwight Thomas

Single Moon by Himself

—John Joseph Mathews

The moon woman floats by herself now. There are no babies or fruits or flowers, say the Osage, and the Moon Woman is lonesome. She is not so gay and temperamental but dull and moody. Snow may stay on the ground for a long time, and there will be no sun, and the days as much alike, cold and gloomy. This moon is sometimes called Frost-on-Inside-of-Lodge Moon and long ago was known as the Hunger Moon….

[Excerpt from Chapter XIII of Mathews’ book Talking To The Moon, available at the Visitor’s Center of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.]

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

—Nicholas Del Grosso

Once you see a male Wood Duck in breeding plumage you will forever remember its stunning looks; it is a distinctly beautiful bird. We are truly fortunate that this waterfowl was saved from extinction. One hundred and fifty years ago, this was one of our most abundant freshwater ducks. But the Wood Duck was the victim of loss of habitat and over-hunting by market and plume hunters. By the late 19th Century it was on the edge of extinction. Conservation groups came together to save this unique bird; they had seen the passing of the Heath Hen and the Passenger Pigeon and people vowed not to add the Wood Duck to this infamous list. The first step in saving the Wood Duck from extinction was the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1916. This was followed up by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. With these conservation measures in place the population began to slowly recover. Keys to this recovery were the ending of unregulated hunting and the preservation of remaining habitat. With the development of the artificial nesting box in the 1930s, wildlife managers had another tool to help increase Wood Duck numbers.

Wood Duck Nesting Box by Nicholas Del Grosso

The artificial nest boxes helped to make up for the absence of mature trees with natural nesting cavities. Typically, these cavities were the result of downed limbs and the exposure of the heartwood in that area of the trunk, resulting in rot and a natural cavity. Landowners as well as park and refuge managers encouraged Wood Duck nesting by building nest boxes near lakes, ponds and streams. By providing artificial nesting opportunities and enforcing strict hunting limits, the Wood Duck population came back from the brink of extinction. Today the continental Wood Duck population is estimated at 4.6 million, making the Wood Duck the poster-child for waterbird conservation. The Wood Duck is the second most abundant wild duck after the vaunted Mallard.

Wood Duck Flotilla by Nicholas Del Grosso

The Wood Duck ranges across southern Canada, the continental United States and into Mexico and northern Central America. Northern populations migrate south but birds in southern states and Oklahoma are year round residents. The Wood Duck can never be mistaken for another duck. The male in spring color has many gradations of blue, green, purple, black, white, red, chestnut and buff. He is a true representation of the biblical Joseph’s coat of many colors. It has a delicate red, black and white bill with piercing red eyes. The female has less color; she sports a gray-brown plumage, with white-speckled chest and a white eye circle. Both male and female have a distinctive crest at the back of their heads. This is a medium sized perching duck (19 to 21 inches) about ¾ the size of the Mallard. The Wood Duck has strong claws that can grip bark enabling them to perch on branches.

Wood Duck Pair by Nicholas Del Grosso

Wood Ducks favor bottomland forests, swamps, fresh water marshes and beaver ponds; because of the type of habitat they prefer they are capable of flying through thick timber with agility, at speeds up to 30 mph. Wood Ducks do best when open water alternates with 50- to 75-percent vegetative cover. This enables the ducks to hide and forage safely. Wood Ducks feed by dabbling or with short, shallow dives. They also forage on the woodland floor for acorns but they are never very far from water. Their diet also consists of smartweed, wild cherry and duck weed. About 80-percent of their diet consists of vegetable matter. However, just before laying eggs the hens gorge themselves on insects rich in calcium and protein. This change in diet is necessary for egg production. Late in summer Wood Ducks eat fruits and vegetative plant parts, while in the winter their feeding preference shifts to seeds which are high in fat for gaining and maintaining weight.

Wood Ducks form pairs in January and arrive at the breeding grounds in the spring already paired. When pair selection begins, courting males swim before the female with wings and tail elevated. Wood Ducks are very dainty and a pair can often be seen preening each other. Wood Ducks are not territorial, with the exception that a male may become aggressive when another male approaches his mate too closely. When a mated pair of Wood Ducks flies the female is always in the lead, with her mate following closely.

Wood Duckling by Nicholas Del Grosso

With its fondness for trees, it is easy to understand that Wood Ducks are cavity nesters. They use preformed cavities in mature trees at least 30 cm in diameter. Typically the nest can be from 2 feet to 60 feet up in the tree. When selecting a cavity they look for openings 4 inches across because this size is harder for predators to enter. Raccoons, squirrels and woodpeckers will predate Wood Duck eggs. They prefer nest sites close to or over water. They do not frequently use woodpecker cavities, however like anything else every rule has an exception and there is a report from 1875 in Atoka County, Oklahoma of a Wood Duck nesting in an Ivory Billed Woodpecker cavity. Once a cavity is selected the hen will scrape the debris into a saucer shape in the cavity and line the cup with feathers and soft materials. A hen can lay from 10 to 22 eggs. Once the eggs hatch the female will brood the ducklings for 24 hours, giving the ducklings feathers a chance to become dry and fluffy. She will then call the duckling from the nest cavity. They have been known to jump from 60 foot plus high nests without injury.

Wood Duckling by Nicholas Del Grosso

Egg dumping or intraspecific brood parasitism is common in Wood Ducks. Natural cavities are scarce and as a result Wood Ducks use artificial nest boxes provided for them. Because of the scarcity of natural nest cavities and because of the prominence of nest boxes many hens, without a nest cavity or box, will parasitize other hen’s nests dumping their eggs into the resident hens clutch for the resident hen to hatch and care for.

The nesting season in Oklahoma is between April to July. Wood Ducks are the only duck which will double brood in a nesting season.

Wood Ducks prefer woodlands near water and because of this preference they are rare in non-wooded areas in Oklahoma. There has been probable Wood Duck nest sites in Osage County, but the Wood Duck is a rare visitor to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. The Christmas Bird Count has spotted the Wood Duck on the Preserve, but it has not been a common occurrence, it has been absent in the count for the past six years.

Sand Creek has good habitat when it is full. The abundance of large trees in this area could hold natural cavities for nesting near flowing water. I have seen Woodies on Oologah Lake in the Overcup Bottom area and on Copan Lake in the Green Tree Area. Once you see and hear a Woodie in the wild the memory stays with you. Jack London says the Wolf is the call of the wild, but for me to hear a Woodie in the predawn hours personifies wildness.

Osage Hills State Park

—Andrew Donovan-Shead

Early this month, I received notification of a new entry on Ranger Thoreson's blog, Observations from Oklahoma’s Osage Hills State Park, the first in twelve months from our neighbor downstream (http://crosstimber.wordpress.com/), discussing their inaugural First Day Hike, the beginning of a new tradition. The park is about ten miles outside Bartlesville on Hwy 60. I visited the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, went for a walk along the trails and noted that Sand Creek is a lot wider there than it is at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, though the riverbed is exposed between large pools of water. Ranger Thoreson said that he plans to keep his blog more current this year, though he says it is difficult to find time to sit in front of the computer. Osage Hills State Park is worth a visit, especially if you get a chance to talk with Kyle Thoreson who is very knowledgeable.

Last week, Trumpeter Swans visited Lookout Lake. Follow the link for more information and this one to find out about developments.

Docent Coverage Of Season Days

—Andrew Donovan-Shead

Docent Coverage of Season Days Docent Coverage of Season Days Summary

Other Places to Visit

Here we provide some links to other places worth visiting.

Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Visitor’s Center Latitude & Longitude

Here is the latitude and longitude of the Visitor’s Center that you can give to visitors for entry into their GPS navigation device.

Kiosk Maintenance

The manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning the touch-screen recommend use of a soft dry cloth only. This proved inadequate for smeared fingerprints. Soft-paper kitchen towels work well, slightly damp with a small drop of soft handsoap. Application of a dry kichen towel removes any residual moisture.

Over time, a matter of several weeks continuous operation, I have noticed that calibration of the touch-screen drifts away from the initial set-point. If you notice that the cursor isn’t under your finger when you touch the screen then restart the kiosk by unplugging it from the wall, waiting a few moments and then re-inserting the power plug. It will restart and recalibrate.

This link points to the complete Kiosk Maintenance Manual.

Back Issues

Some printed back issues of the Docent Newsletter, to February 2009, can be found in the two green and one blue-black zip-binders, stored in the Perspex rack by the file cabinet in the office of the Visitor’s Center.

All back issues are available electronically via the links shown below. All newsletters prior to December 2007 are available in Portable Document Format (PDF), which means that you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer to read these files. All newsletters from December 2007 onwards are in HTML format that is easily read using your web-browser.

2013January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—2013
2012January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2012
2011January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2011
2010January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2010
2009January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2009
2008January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2008
2007January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2007
2006—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2006
2005January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2005
2004—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2004
2003—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—2003
2002—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2002
2001January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2001
2000January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2000
1999January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1999
1998January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1998
1997January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1997
1996—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1996
1995—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1995

Selected Topics Index

This persistent index of selected topics should make finding articles of interest easier. The list will grow as I move further into the past and it will grow as I add interesting topics from each new newsletter. Iris McPherson lent me the paper copies of the newsletter from the very early years of the docent program; I ran them through a scanner equipped with a document feeder, saving them as PDF files, then added them to Back Issues section above. Let me know of any dead links that you discover. Also, please lend me any paper copies of the newsletter that are missing so that I can scan and add them to the list of back issues.

Newsletter Publication

Deadline for submission of articles for inclusion in the newsletter is the 10th of each month. Publication date is on the 15th. All docents, Nature Conservancy staff, university scientists, philosophers, and historians are welcome to submit articles and pictures about the various preserves in Oklahoma, but of course the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in particular.