Blog Feed: Birds Etcetera (aka Bird Stuff)

Orthoptera of Berrien County, Michigan, and Vicinity

Published on 2010-10-25 15:14:00

The insect order Orthoptera includes the crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids and allies. The species in this order are commonly referred to as "singing insects" because of their loud, distinctive, and often repetitive vocalizations.The primary sour > read more

Bracket Fungi of Berrien County, Michigan: A Preliminary List

Published on 2010-10-12 08:18:00

Bracket fungi are a diverse group named more for their similar external morphologies (specifically, bracket- or shelf-like growth habits on dead or living tree trunks, and woody textures) than for their close relationship. The so-called bracket fung > read more

Club and Coral Fungi of Berrien County, Michigan: A Preliminary List

Published on 2010-10-09 13:16:00

Club and coral fungi are a diverse group named more for their similar external morphologies (specifically, a coral- or club-like shape) than for their close relationship. The so-called coral and club fungi are typically grouped together in field gui > read more

Michigan Bayous

Published on 2010-10-07 18:38:00

Not until a recent visit to the vicinity of Grand Haven did I realize that Michigan has bayous, or at least has water features in which the term “bayou” has been incorporated into the name. Having always associated a bayou with the coastal strea > read more

Birds and Drought: Winter Birds

Published on 2010-10-05 07:29:00

In a grassland-oak savannah in southeastern Arizona, Carl and Jane Bock found that ground-foraging, seed-eating birds were 3 times more abundant one year after a 2-year drought ended than in the previous winter. Details from their abstract:As a grou > read more

Shrubs of Berrien County, Michigan

Published on 2010-10-04 15:42:28

Shrubs constitute a particular growth form (or habit) of vascular plants. Plants USDA defines a shrub as follows:Perennial, multi-stemmed woody plant that is usually less than 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) in height. Shrubs typically have several s > read more

Jelly Fungi of Berrien County, Michigan: A Preliminary List

Published on 2010-10-04 11:32:00

Credit: This photo of a jelly fungus by Walter Siegmund is used here courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.Jelly fungi are a diverse group named more for their similar external morphologies (specifically, a gelatinous appearance) than for their close relatio > read more

Tooth Fungi of Berrien County, Michigan: A Preliminary List

Published on 2010-10-03 08:34:00

Credit: Bearded Tooth (Hericium erinaceus) is one of the edible tooth fungi. This photo by Lebrac is used here courtesy of permission granted by Wikipedia Commons.The so-called tooth fungi, sometimes aptly referred to as “fungi with spines,” is > read more

Birds and Drought: Lower Klamath Refuge

Published on 2010-10-01 16:05:00

The Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 as the first refuge for waterfowl in the United States, encompasses an area of nearly 54,000 acres straddling the California-Oregon border.According to re > read more

Crying Wolf

Published on 2010-09-30 11:47:00

Author Chip Ward has written a smart essay about wolves, the role they play in healthy ecosystems, the strong emotions that they evoke in people, and the battle lines that are inevitably drawn by any talk of wolf conservation. A brief sampling:Just > read more

Birds and Drought: Crop Damage

Published on 2010-09-24 09:32:00

In the wake of a drier-than-normal summer—with some areas experiencing a rainfall deficit of 5 or 6 inches—the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a drought warning for 24 counties, and a drought watch for 43 more.http: > read more