Michigan Birds: The Belted Kingfisher

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Kingfisher... again

Kingfisher… again, photo by palofmine2.

All about Birds says that the Belted Kingfisher is:

A common waterside resident throughout North America, the Belted Kingfisher is often seen hovering before it plunges headfirst into water to catch a fish. It frequently announces its presence by its loud rattling cry.

It breeds along streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries with banks for nest holes. The breeding distribution of the Belted Kingfisher is limited in some areas by the availability of suitable nesting sites. Human activity, such as road building and digging gravel pits, has created banks where kingfishers can nest and allowed the expansion of the breeding range.

Check this out bigger in Renee’s Birds slideshow and also check out more of her Kingfisher photos.

More Michigan Birds from Michigan in Pictures.

Invasive Species in Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Shell Cluster

Shell Cluster, photo by johndecember.

All week we’re going to be featuring invasive species – who they are, what they’re doing to our lakes & land and how folks are working to stop them. See the articles as we post them on Absolute MichiganMichigan in Pictures and !

I actually already blogged this photo to Pandora’s Locks: How Invasive Species got into the Great Lakes on Absolute Michigan. The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how the way the shipping industry operates guarantees that invasive species will spread.

You will note that John has TWO invaders here, the zebra mussel and the Asian ladybird beetle. Check this out bigger in John’s slideshow!

Birds of Michigan: Osprey

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

This entry is now located at: https://michpics.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/birds-of-michigan-osprey/

Michigan in Pictures has lots more Michigan Bird photos!!

Muskrat

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Muskrat

Muskrat, photo by Adore707.

The University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web entry for Ondatra zibethicus, muskrat says:

Muskrats are found in wet environments, favoring locations with four to six feet of water. While muskrats are found in ponds, lakes, and swamps, their favorite locations are marshes, where the water level stays constant. Marshes provide the best vegetation for muskrats. They find shelter in bank burrows and their distinctive nests. Bank burrows are tunnels excavated in a bank. The nests of the muskrats are formed by piles of vegetation placed on top of a good base, for example a tree stump, generally in 15 to 40 inches of water.

…Muskrats have large, robust bodies, with a total body length of twelve and a half inches. The tail is flat and scaly and is nine and a half inches in length. Muskrats have dense fur that traps air underneath for insulation and buoyancy. Their heads are very large and their ears are almost invisible underneath the fur. The whiskers are mediun size. Muskrats have short legs and big feet; the back feet are slightly webbed for swimming. Adult muskrats have glossy upper parts that are dark brown, darker in winter and paler in the summer.

A Michigan muskrat recently made the news in these photos from the Kalamazoo River oil spill.

See this photo bigger in Eli’s Nature slideshow and check out more Michigan animals on Michigan in Pictures.

Planet Poison Ivy

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Thanks to the good folks at WordPress.com for featuring this post (and for hosting Michigan in Pictures)!

Vacant Factory

Vacant Factory, photo by Voxphoto.

I was driving the other day and noticing that the ivy seems especially profuse this summer. I was ready to chalk it up solely to the warm, wet summer of 2010 when my daughter Kenyon told me about this interview of Dr. Lewis Ziska, plant physiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service by Michele Norris on NPR:

NORRIS: We’ve long known that poison ivy is nasty stuff. Even if you barely brush up against it, you can get an angry, weeping, contagious, red rash that takes weeks to heal. Well, it turns out that poison ivy, along with its voracious cousins poison oak and poison sumac, is even more of a nuisance this summer. The plants are spreading faster, growing larger, showing up in new places and becoming more toxic. It’s the kind of thing that’s so scary, it almost deserves its own soundtrack.

…NORRIS: Why is the plant spreading more and becoming more voracious? Why is it growing larger?

Dr. ZISKA: One of the things that we think is occurring is that as carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere – carbon dioxide, as everyone knows, is a basic greenhouse gas, but it’s also plant food. And plants take that carbon, and they convert it into sugars and carbohydrates and so forth.

But not all plants respond the same way to that resource, and we think that vines, particularly vines like poison ivy or kudzu or other noxious weeds, seem to show a much stronger response to the change in CO2 than other plant species. So on average, the poison ivy plant of, say, 1901, can grow up to 50 to 60 percent larger as of 2010 just from the change in CO2 alone, all other things being equal.

And as a result of that change, we see not only more growth but also a more virulent form of the oil within poison ivy. The oil is called urushiol, and it’s that oil that causes that causes that rash to occur on your skin when you come into contact with it. Read on >

Check this out bigger and in in Ross’s A Few in Color slideshow and know your poison ivy!

The Ruffed Grouse and how to manage land for it in Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

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n21_107-9216, photo by sgowtham.

Managing Michigan Wildlife: A Landowners Guide is produced by the Michigan DNR and is designed to tell landowners how they can improve wildlife habitat on their property and ease the consequences of our changed ecosystems. They have this to say about the Ruffed Grouse:

Ruffed grouse live in 34 of the 49 continental states and in all Canadian provinces. Michigan is an important portion of the grouse range. Often thought of as a bird of the deep forest, grouse actually thrive best in young, aspen forests and brushlands. When aspen is not available, oak, lowland brush, and dense stands of trees are optional habitats. Grouse are a welcome sight at bird feeders in neighborhoods where natural habitat is available. Despite human encroachment, grouse are able to survive.

You can manage for grouse in Michigan if you own 20-40 acres of woodlands, and birds have access to other nearby woodlots. When habitat needs are met, ruffed grouse usually spend their entire lives in an area of 40 acres or less. If critical habitat is not available, grouse will disperse up to several miles in search of a new home. Birds are basically solitary and do not collect in coveys like bobwhite quail, although several grouse may feed or roost together. Be aware that populations fluctuate even when habitat needs are met.

Learn much more about this popular game bird from Wikipedia and Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) from All About Birds where you can hear the grouse’s unique thrumming call.

Gowtham took this photo in Pelkie. Check it out bigger and in his Nature slideshow.

Cathedral

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Cathedral

Cathedral, photo by Mike Lanzetta.

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.
~Martin Luther

See it bigger in Mike’s slideshow.

Happy weekend to everyone, and I hope all you folks without power get some soon!

Take a walk through the trees on Michigan in Pictures.

Fish Dinner: Blue Heron Style

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Fish Dinner

Fish Dinner, photo by Mario.Q.

Mario took this great shot of a blue heron fishing on the Red Cedar River.

Check it out bigger in his Great Outdoors slideshow.

Much more about blue herons on Michigan in Pictures.

Great Horned Owl

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

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gh4282010-3, photo by Sherri & Dan.

Wikipedia says that the Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus is also known as the tiger owl, or cat owl because of its catlike ears, eyes, shape of head, and appearance when huddled up on its nest. The UM Animal Diversity Web Bubo virginianus page notes that while the owl can see during the day, it has even better vision at night and does its most effective hunting then. They also warn that when the great horned owl has young in its nest, it can be very hostile.

Here’s some fun facts on Great Horned Owls from All About Birds:

  • The Great Horned Owl is the only animal that regularly eats skunks.
  • The Great Horned Owl will take large prey, even other raptorial birds. It regularly kills and eats other owls, and is an important predator on nestling Ospreys. The reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons has been hampered in some areas by owls killing both adult and nestling falcons.
  • The Great Horned Owl is a regular victim of harassment from flocks of American Crows. Crows congregate from long distances to mob owls, and may continue yelling at them for hours. The enmity of the crows is well earned, however, as the owl is probably the most important predator on adult crows and nestlings.
  • Even though the female Great Horned Owl is larger than her mate, the male has a deeper voice. Pairs often call together, with audible differences in pitch.

All three of the sites above have cool photos and owl calls and you might also enjoy this video of a great horned owl being harassed by crows in Mt. Clemens.

Check this out bigger in Sherri & Dan’s slideshow!

Lots more Michigan birds from Michigan in Pictures!

gulo gulo: The Wolverine and Why Michigan is the Wolverine State

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Gulo gulo

Gulo gulo, photo by anikarenina.

Wikipedia’s wolverine entry says that the wolverine (Gulo gulo), also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, quickhatch, or gulon, is the largest land-dwelling species of the Mustelidae (weasel) family in the genus Gulo (Latin: “glutton”). It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids. The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times its size.

For more detailed information and photos, check out gulo gulo (wolverine) from the UM Animal Diversity Web. You can also see videos of the wolverine at ARKive.

Speaking of videos, recently Michigan lost its only known wild wolverine. Just days before, the Bay City Times put together this cool feature on Deckerville High School science teacher Jeff Ford’s longtime fascination with the wolverine that includes photos and video.

As to the question of why Michigan is called the Wolverine State, I couldn’t find anything definitive, but 50 States offers two theories:

Some people believe that Ohioans gave Michigan the nickname “The Wolverine State” around 1835 during a dispute over the Toledo strip, a piece of land along the border between Ohio and Michigan. Rumors in Ohio at the time described Michiganians as being as vicious and bloodthirsty as wolverines. This dispute became known as the Toledo War.

Another reason given for the nickname is a story that has Native Americans, during the 1830s, comparing Michigan settlers to wolverines. Some native people, according to this story, disliked the way settlers were taking the land because it made them think of how the gluttonous wolverine went after its food.

About this photo, Andrea writes:

Everett adopted a Detroit Zoo wolverine for me for Valentine’s Day last year. The zoo’s “Wildlife Preservers” adoption package came with a cute stuffed wolverine that we named Winchell.

Detroit’s wolverines produced 2 kits in 2005, who were fondly nicknamed Bucky and Sparty by the zookeepers. At the time, there were only 77 wolverines in captivity in North America, and Aggie’s litter was the only pair of surviving kits that year–and Detroit’s first surviving wolverine kits ever. Their official names are now Tamarack and Tilia.

See this photo bigger or in her Detroit Zoo set (slideshow).

More animals from Michigan in Pictures.