This Titmouse Prefers Wool

This woolen wren house is one of four nesting cavities that I have on my back deck. The real purpose is to attract Carolina Wrens, which have nested on the deck before. This nest was given to us at Christmas, and we just put it out a few days ago.

Of course, nature has other ideas. What you are seeing here is a tufted titmouse stealing wool from the side of the nest to carry off to its own nesting project. I shot the photo through a window -- that's why it is a little fuzzy. I understand that these birds will actually steal the hair off a dog due to their preference for soft nesting materials. I have not seen this in action, but I am sure my dog would not tolerate such a taking.

Look at that little fuzz-puller. The tufted titmouse is a very friendly bird who typically coexists in feeding groups with birds of other species quite well. The "alliance" birds I am most familiar with in my neck of the woods are the titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch (see previous post), downy woodpecker, house finch and the red-bellied woodpecker. Throw a cardinal in there, too, for good measure. All of these birds like the kind of habitat we have: the edge of a wooded area.

I might have helped to breed this bird on the photo. Last year, after putting up about 13 bluebird houses at Don Roberts Elementary, I put another house up across the street from my house in an empty lot. Within days it became nested by a family of tufted titmice (Titmouses? Titmeeces?). Plus, the titmouse usually spends its entire life not far from the place where they were born. Because I was checking my bluebird nests every week (you can do that with bluebirds right up until the babies hatch) I found the titmouse eggs, which are cream-colored with spots of purple or brown. I learned today that on occassion, one of the birds born the year before will hang around to help its parents raise the new young.

It's a real joy to watch young birds feed that you helped nurture. I have seen first-hand how the variety and number of birds you see in your yard grows not only by the amount of food you put out, but by the opportunities you give them to raise their young.

The titmouse is extremely gregarious, like the nuthatch. I can stand two feet away from my feeder and get a close-up view of the bird in action while he eats. They have even been known to perch on a window and look into the house to watch what humans are doing.

Although the titmouse doesn't particularly freak out around other birds, they are very careful on their approach to the feeder. You can watch them fly to a branch within 20 feet or so, scout the feeder, then fly in. Then they will usually fly back into cover to eat the morsel.

The tufted titmouse needs rain, and the species is most common in areas where at least 32 inches of rain falls per year. And finally, the fact you have all been waiting for: A group if titmice are referred to as a "banditry" or a "dissimulation."

Our Friend the Fence Lizard

The Fence Lizard, or Prairie Lizard, or Fence Runner. My neighborhood in Little Rock is "tore up" with these animals. They love to rustle through leaves, and see particularly fond of man-made concrete curbs where they can bask and run in and out of the weeds and leaves. I spotted this one this morning in my garden at the same time I was photographing the rabbits.

Here is another angle on the fence lizard. I have seen them run in and out of a downspout that comes off the gutters in my house. I caught this one very easily and held him awhile. When I set him gently back down, he stayed in the same spot as if he had been slightly intimidated. A good place to find out more about this creatures is at Herps of Arkansas, see http://www.herpsofarkansas.com/Lizard/SceloporusConsobrinus#Gallery



One of my favorite behaviors of this and other lizards is the "push-up." You will see them basking on a warm rock basically doing push-ups. I have read that the males do this for the same reason that male humans do: to impress girls. I have also seen hawks in our neighborhood swoop down and catch these lizards so apparently they make a nice meal. I'd say of all these animals in my yard, the fence lizard is the most prolific. Always happy to see them when I garden.

Underground Rabbits

You haven't heard a lot from me in a while for a good reason: we've had our own little nature project in my 12-week-old son, Parker. Due to the newborn's presence, not a lot has happened in my garden spaces lately. But this weekend I finally started cleaning up the yard, and that's typically when magical encounters with nature begin.

I was pulling weeks from a perrenial bed I have out front when I spotted movement to my left. Take a look at these photos and notice, in particular, the eye...

Yep, that's a baby cotton-tailed rabbit. I noticed him when his sibling, on the left, turned around and buried his nose in the dirt to hide. I think there might actually be a third one in there, too, laying in front of big-eye's nose. I continued to weed as close as four inches from them, and they did not stir. They sat still for many photos.

I have seen the mother of these babies running through my yard in the morning. Finding these creatures was particularly fun this morning because I was able to show them to my neighbor, Tu. He had to look very close, but he did finally see the eye and was pretty excited.

The cool thing is that I stirred a rabbit out of this very same bed at the same time last year when I was weeding the perennials. This isn't the best kept bed in the world, but it is organic. And because I haven't used any chemicals or smelly weed killer, I am able to enjoy little nature treats like this.

This shot is from the front of the rabbit who has his eye open, so you can see their two bodies distinctly. If you see something like this first thing in the morning, I promise you, all your cares melt away. It is a magical, beautiful world we live in.

Ode to the Uh-Uh Bird

Photo by Howard Eskin
Audobon Arkansas/Arkansas
Game and Fish

I never actually sought out birds until about two-and-a-half years ago. To that point,  I saw only the predictable variety of cardinals, blue jays, sparrows and the occassional woodpecker. But while shopping for a house in October 2008, standing on the back deck of a beautiful, nature-wrapped home in Kanis Village, I spied something new: a round little black and gray bird with a long beak and a white belly, hopping head-first down the trunk of a white oak tree.

The bird looked up in my direction from his topsy-turvy perch and said, "Uh-uh." "Uh-uh." And that's how I met the white-breasted nuthatch. I called my wife and said, "I'm standing on the deck of my new home." If the view out the back window and the surrounding woods weren't enough, that gregarious bird had sealed the deal for me. Upon first introduction, the bird would get within 10 feet of me without flinching. I still see a family of nuthatches in my yard today, and they have become my favorite bird for their friendly attitude and loud nasal call.

The most charming thing about this bird is his habit of "hatching" nuts. The nuthatch primarily eats insects that he finds in the bark of trees, but will also eat small nuts and acorns, wedging those nuts into a fissure in the tree and concealing them with a bit of moss, lichen or snow. Later, the nuthatch will come back and hammer the seed with his powerful beak, "hatching" the nut from its shell.

You usually find the white-breasted nuthatch in mature deciduous (trees that drop their leaves) forests, and mostly at the edge of the woods. That's the exact habitat we provide here at lovely Kanis Village, as the neighborhood is encircled by woods.

It's fun to watch the bird move at crazy angles to the trunk, hopping along upside-down, then craining its neck upward to look around for predators. Whenever you see the white-breasted nuthatch foraging for food, you typically see his constant companions, the Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse and various woodpeckers. These birds have developed the culture of foraging together for mutual protection. By personality, they do not interfere with each other much, though the white-breasted nuthatch does protect its territory from others of its species.

For a really nice site about the white-breasted nuthatch, check out the Cornell ornithology lab's page at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id

Here you can hear the the bird's loud, nasal call and find a lot more info. The "uh-uh" thing is something they do while hopping around feeding. Terribly cute. If you see one in your back yard, just sit out on your deck and watch it for a spell. You will be completely charmed.

Arkansas Birding Resources



Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, the amazing bird and wildlife shop in Little Rock's Heights neighborhood, I thought I would provide this list of Arkansas resources for bird watchers, bird lovers and "birders."


 I was in the shop Saturday getting my usual huge bag of "No Mess Blend" bird seed -- along with some dried worms and no-melt hot pepper suet -- when we struck up a conversation about my blog and the owners suggested that my readers might enjoy these organizations and their websites.

I am personally a member of a couple or these groups. Check out the links to see if they might offer something for the bird lover in your family. In a couple of cases, I have offered an update to an old web address that does not work anymore.

Audubon Arkansas -- conservation, field trips, education
Little Rock Audubon Center (see website fof local chapter contact information)
4500 Springer Blvd.
Little Rock, AR 72206
501-244-2229
(Note from JH: This is an environmental organization that is involved in some of the major issues of the day, such as protecting the Lake Maumelle watershed. Their site has a really good bird directory on it, which Game and Fish links to on its page.)
http://www.ar.audubon.org/

Audubon Society of Central Arkansas -- conservation, field trips, education, rare bird sightings
PO Box 6213
Sherwood, AR 72124
501-821-4097
http://www.ascabird.org/

Arkansas Audubon Society -- conservation, education, online discussion forum
PO Box 313
Pangburn, AR 72121
http://www.arbirds.org/

The Nature Conservancy -- conservation, education
601 N. University
Little Rock, AR 72205
(JH note: This org has purchased a lot of land -- or coordinated its purchase, in order to set aside area for wetlands and wildlife.)
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/arkansas/index.htm

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission -- wildlife management, conservation, education
Education and Outreach
2 Natural Resources drive
Little Rock, AR 72205
501-225-8544
(JH note: Game and Fish has a wonderful program called Wings over Arkansas that helps new bird enthusiasts track what birds they have seen and earn certificates and pins for different levels of bird-spotting achievement. Here I list the website for Wings over Arkansas program.)
http://www.agfc.com/education/Pages/EducationProgramsWOA.aspx

Arkansas State Parks -- conservation, field trips, education, recreation
(JH note: Many of the state parks offer bird walks and educational sessions about birds)
http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/

Arkansas Outdoor Photographers Club -- photography, education
http://www.arkphoto.org/

Arkansas Birder -- Photography, education
http://arkansasbirder.net/

If you have other important bird resources that are based in Arkansas, let me know and I will consider posting them here. -- JH

Update: Photos of the Young Frogs



Macro of Bronze Frog in my pond. Fuzzy due to digital zoom.







Take a look at the yellow stripe/black spots on his lip.



This one is a male. You can start to see the outlines of his large tympanum in the "ear" area. Later, that thing will be quite exaggerated in size.



He is probably thinking, "who left those black things on my lily pad?"



Bronzing Backyard Frogs



Adult male Bronze Frog (not the babies I have in my pond)

 Well, that was blatantly misleading. Of course we are not taking frogs out of nature and plating them with metal. But I've got to get you into this blog, and headlines are good bait.

This post is actually about a new and interesting species we didn't know we had out at Haman Farmopolis: the Bronze Frog. In a recent post, "Toad Whisperer," I mentioned that we had a bunch of tads in the pond out back that had recently morphed into some kind of unidentifiable frog/toad. A few days ago I identified the newcomer as a Bronze Frog. I was not aware of this type of frog, but it turns out that the species is common across the southeast U.S.

Last summer, I thought I had a Northern Green Frog in the pond because it was big and made the classic "loose banjo string" call. The problem was that I was out there looking at it by flashlight at night, the only time the frog would announce his presence. Actually, it must have been a male Bronze Frog. It also must have banjoed up a starry-eyed, music-loving female to produce the adorable froggies that I have today. It's easy to misidentify these guys because they are subspecies of the same animal, and have the same banjo call. Green frogs are distributed both as Bronze Frog to the south, and Northern Green Frog, to the north of a certain line. On the south side, they have this unusual bronze color. To the north, they are remarkably green. In either case, they are often mistaken for bullfrogs because of their large size. Take a look at the species distribution map, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Species distribution of Rana clamitans (Wikipedia)

The thing I find most fascinating is that according to this particular map, I live at the exact intersection of bronze and green: In Little Rock, Ark., smack in the middle of the state. If you look at Arkansas on the map, you will see that the dark blue portion -- the range of the Bronze Frog, roughly follows the bottom edge of the Ozark Plateau and the Ouachita Mountains through the state. As you rise into the hills -- and into the Ozark Plateau --  it's Northern Green Frog territory. Below that, bronze. So, I have a shot in Little Rock at seeing both subspecies.

(A quick sidebar: Arkansas is broken into six main natural divisions: Ozarks, Arkansas River Valley, Ouachitas, Coastal Plain, Mississippi Alluvial Plain and Crowley's Ridge. Little Rock sits right at the three-way intersection of the Ouachitas, the Missippii Alluvial Plain add the Coastal Plain. If you go just a few minutes north or west, you are solidly in the Ouachitas. A little bit southwest, and you are greeted by the Coastal Plain. A tad to the east, hello alluvial plain. For a brilliant read on the subject of Arkansas' fascinating natural divisions, see "The Natural Divisons of Arkansas," by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. It is a classroom guide written by Thomas L. Foti.)

The literature says that the Bronze Frog is shy by nature. That must happen later in life, because I have experienced the joy of watching these little guys sunning themselves on my lily pads and jumping into the water if I get within five feet. I stand back about 10 feet and watch them through binoculars. As they grow, typically the adults spread out to areas away from their birth pools. As they age, they also start using the famous call which has given the species the nickname "Banjo Frog." The latin name for the Bronze Frog is Rana clamitans clamitans. Rana is the Latin word for "frog." Clamitan means "noisy" a nod to the impressive, attention-getting call of the male.


According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website (East Texas has a pretty good range of Banjo Frogs) the bronze frog grows up to 2 to 4 inches. The frog is distinguished by a by a bronze or brownish body, white belly with dark, irregular blotches, and a bright green upper lip and nose. The babies in my pond have a sort of stripy yellow and dark lip.

Males can have yellowish throats. Banjo Frogs are smooth-skinned, as are all true frogs. They have long hind legs with webbed toes. Most interestingly, a  fold of skin, called a lateral line, begins behind the eye and runs two-thirds the length of body. This lateral line is quite distinguishing, and can help you identify the frog. The tympanum, or ear disc, is quite exaggerated in males, making them look kind of freakish.

"Their diet includes small frogs, worms, insects, and other small invertebrates," says Texas Parks and Wildlife. "Birds, fish, and small carnivores (meat eaters) prey on the bronze frog. It reaches sexual maturity in the first full summer after metamorphosis. Breeding season begins in early spring and lasts through the summer. Females lay 2,000 to 4,000 eggs in small masses attached to underwater vegetation. Eggs are 1.5 mm when laid, but grow to 6 mm as cells divide."

Personally, I found the eggs of the Banjo Frog this spring when I was clearning up in the pond. I had experimented with a solar-powered floating fountain  that was disguised as a fake water plant. When I turned the fountain over to see if it needed to be unclogged, I found a mass of clear jelly eggs. Inside each egg I could see a little dark spot -- the tadpole in waiting. Frankly, I was just waiting it out to see what came from the eggs. Now we know. 

The eggs incubate over one to two weeks and the tadpoles are green with small, dark spots. They can grow to 1.5 inches, which is why I thought I might have Bull Frogs in my pond. The species lives seven to 10 years, and spend most of their lives as nocturnal, solitary hunter, remaining under logs and in crevices most of the time.

I am most proud of this: The moist, permeable skin of the Banjo Frog -- and all other frog specieiss -- makes it highly sensitive to polution. So if you see it, the water quality is pretty good. Go pond!