Wildlife signs walk - Hudson Valley NY- January

It's amazing what one can see on a warm winter's day in late January. I decided to keep to exploring the pasture land near where I live, in anticipation of moving soon. I was hoping to see some hawks as I wanted to try to identify them. We actually had at least three different types here over the summer but most seem to have migrated. The Coopers hawk was the only one who stayed this far north for the  winter.

   Looking up as an observer from below, the hawk could be described as a much whiter looking bird.   The over all appearance of the hawk when seen from the ground level is a vision in tan bands on a background of mostly cream color. Probably a juvenile.  The hawks I saw were at least the size of a crow. I found out that Cooper's hawks live all over the US and into Canada.   It is an excellent flyer, thought to be very adaptable to human activity and can often be found in places where other hawk's are not able to survive.  Cooper's hawk is adept at catching it's prey in the air, and seems to prefer birds. They were once extensively hunted or shot because chicken farmers believed they ate their birds and are still commonly called in some places" the chicken hawk".   Cooper's hawks also eats rodents such as mice, squirrels, and chipmunks. It will eat rabbits, fish, insects, and other animals including amphibians and reptiles. It's definitely not only adaptable but a predator with keen eyesight, and sharp talons that can crush it's prey.The males are the ones who will build the nest, and help to provide most of the food for nesting females and young.

The field looked something like this picture but much longer and broader.  After the two hawks circled high overhead a couple of times, one suddenly flew over my head while the other circled off in the other direction toward the woods. ...... Such quick and efficient fliers! Even though we have a lot of other birds around including some of this type of hawk's favorite foods. I can't help but notice the other birds seem to know where to hide, are overwintering, and chose to remain here. Despite the two hawks, this area is rich in bird life. Must be lots of food and cover for everyone.

 I heard a scuffling sound. Suddenly two doves flew out of this cover at a bend in the field. A rabbit raced off at my approach. I could only identify the rabbit by that unmistakable cotton tail.

The bark was eaten off of two of the birches in thin strips. About as high as my knee.Too low to the ground for deer. A small mammal perhaps a porcupine could have eaten this bark. It would be about the right height.

This tree in another part of the field, ends in a mass of shaggy vines. Doesn't look like the classic outline of a walnut tree but then again its covered with vines. That or someone dragged a lot of walnuts under it.

  Many walnuts are open or empty in this setting and the black round thing, which I first thought was something else, is the tough outer walnut shell that is green when fresh, but turns darker later. Turns out squirrels, raccoon, bear and turkey will all eat walnuts... how the turkey cracks it open, I don't know. I have seen squirrels, turkeys and raccoon around here.

Near by the pile of walnuts is an ear of corn.  The corn field has been cut now and isn't too far away. I've seen some whole ears of corn dragged to some strange places around here. Perhaps a raccoon was feeding on this one, or some other critter feeling safer in the thickets and brambles.

This one could be a hut for me. It's got an opening that is smooth and clear of brambles inside.

Some animals prefer to just live in a hole in the ground. It works for them. Nice and warmer below the surface away from the cold winds and freezing temperatures outside during the winter. Not hard to imagine this burrow could have different chambers, maybe some for eating and others for sleeping.


Like to thank:
Wikipedia for picture of the Cooper's Hawk. This hawk picture was taken in Toronto Canada in November of 2004. See 2004 (Nov) file Accipiter- Cooperii- O1.jpg. ... I got some info on hawks from Audubon. org and Peregrine.org if anyone is interested in more information on different types of hawks.

Some Trees I'll Remember - Hudson Valley NY Pictures

One thing I'll really miss about living here when I move are the trees and the open spaces. I haven't been here that long and I'm just moving to the other side of town, but it's the citified part of town. It's not the part with fields and farms and pasture land.  I decided to post some pictures of some of the trees on the property that I really like and talk about why I like them. I decided to take a walk so many of these pictures were taken in late January.  Today was warm, the sun was shining so I was able to run out and take a few pictures, as usual birds were singing everywhere.

This one was taken earlier but I like how it looks like an eye on the trunk. Reminds me of a "tree dragon".

There are lines of trees, shrubbery and fencing that separate some parts of the pasture land. This is part of the line that protected  the crop land. I like to call this picture "tree in chains."

This picture was taken in one of the open areas of the fence. You can see the cut corn crop in the distance.

Even the downed trees are showing new life forming on top of the old.

Going up to the pasture land part, I can't help but admire what's left of this tree. Looks like some woodpeckers have been having a field day.

This  is one of my favorite trees, It's right near the area where I found a deer skull once.

Some geese flew over as I was taking these pictures, so I turned to try and take their picture but they were gone. I'll have to imagine one in the sky I guess! You can see the pasture land,  and our very old mountains that look like "humps" in the distance.

Muskrat Habitat? Wildlife walk. NY

 I decided to take this walk to try an explore an area I was somewhat familiar with. This year we had a lot of rain all the way up into the fall. Formerly marshy areas like this one in a pasture are still flooded with water even in December.  I was interested in just seeing what I could find.

I've seen ducks swimming there this year, unlike last. What is hard to notice in the picture is that there are banks on either side making it more of ravine. There is a strip of vegetation around the edges and a corn field nearby.

It's amazing how many times I crossed this point where on one end the flooded area slowly drains across and out, never dreaming a muskrat lodge might be some twenty feet away!

This is more of what the habitat looks like up closer. Lots of reeds and plants growing out of the water on the end nearest the mud patch. More than the picture was able to capture.

Lots of cattails on the other long end which are some of foods the muskrats like to eat. These cattails  slowly proceed toward someone else pond. I found another possible muskrat lodge which I didn't capture on film.

                                    This looks like just another heap of material from a distance.

On closer inspection, "the hump of materials" takes on a new look. It does not seem to me to be randomly fallen together, but " looks constructed". I can see dirt mixed in with the original materials.  Probably stands about three feet tall. I know that muskrats need at least three feet of water to over winter since they don't hibernate. There was no way for me to get close enough to this lodge type area due to the "swampy" nature of the surroundings near the possible lodge. I wasn't able to actually measure the depth of the water. It sure looked like it could be a muskrat lodge.

I tried to confirm my findings by looking around the edges of the ravine for possible muskrat sign. But all I found was this deer skull. Which I flipped over.

Lichen Pictures / Hudson Valley NY Lichens

 Sometimes in the spring, summer, and fall I find that I get distracted by all of the plants, the colors and sounds of nature.  I find I often forget to look for the smaller or less conspicuous things like lichens. After learning more about lichens which I discussed more in depth in an earlier post in January of this year, I decided to go and look for different types of lichens to photograph.  Here are some images of lichens I took on different walks. The first is a view of a mountain framed with trees that have lichens growing on them.

I found an older grave yard that had a lot of lichens growing on the stones there. Out of respect for families didn't want to post their last names on this one. I think it depends on the type of stone, lichens might have and easier time colonizing some types of stones than others.

More lichen on trees.

Why I'm looking for lichens/ Some lichen info on air quality, habitat etc..

 As epiphytes, lichens have evolved to depend on being able utilize many of the chemicals they process from the moisture and the air around them. Most species of lichens prefer a cleaner, more natural air and often thrive better in places that are not industrially polluted. Some species of lichens can tolerate a greater degree of pollution  than others. A lack of diversity of lichens, or a scarcity of lichens of where they were once found, can be one indicator that can be explored to see if air pollution is contributing to this scarcity. Lichens can be interesting to people concerned about monitoring air pollution because some of the chemicals they have stored can be analyzed by using living samples.

Lichens range over most of the natural places in the world. Although many species of lichens appear to me to prefer places with a lot of moisture, lichens are able to shut down some of their processes so that they can adapt to a climate with more or less moisture. They can tolerate temperatures that range from having permafrost to places that one would consider much hotter, if not just as dry. Lichens can be found in artic tundra regions and although they may not tolerate heat to the extremes they can of cold or moisture,some lichens can even be found in the dryer areas like deserts for instance, by gathering the moisture that they need in the form of dew. Lichens can go tropical.  Lichens have been found the the ocean and can be observed at inter-tidal zones, they can be seen in many different and varying climates around the world, of forests, on hill sides, on mountains, fields, beside rivers, and many other varied and interesting places.

  Lichens are not technically a plant. They are classified under the fungi. This fungus exists most commonly  with a photosynthetic algae and/ or a photosynthetic bacteria. I found that their relationship is currently being explored more in depth to try and understand their relationship. It may not be quite so symbiotic as we once believed. Some scientists describe their relationship as being a lot more favorable to the fungi.  Lichens may grow slower compared to many of the plants that we see around us. They also need time to establish themselves.

 I have found lichens on some of the trees in my area, by looking at tree trunks and on the branches. Lichens can also be found on the soil. I have looked for them on bare rocks, downed trees and on wood debris. I have read that Lichens have been found on many unusual substances and places including animal bones, plastic, metal and other materials. Old buildings, older stone fences, and older stone grave markers can be good places to think about when trying to find an assortment of lichens to photograph. Rock cliffs, rock slides and standing rocks are also good places to explore.

 An amazing variety of animals eat lichens. Some owls and other birds will eat lichens. I found through looking on the internet that birds can use lichens as part of their nesting materials.I discovered that lichens can be a valuable food source for wild life that live in my area and can help some animals to find subsistence food particularly in the winter.

For more on air quality monitoring see
Environment Canada. Monitoring Lichens. from ec.gc.ca/
Natural History Museum .nhm.ac.uk/ nature-online/plants/fungi/lichens
nasce.org. National Lichens and Air Quality Database.
fs.fed.us. National Forest Service, USA,

Downsizing my home : 5 Things that Worked for Me

I went from three rooms down to two. It has been a very long process and has taken almost a year for me to feel really comfortable. A large part of that year has also been trying to donate and find "good homes" for the stuff that someone else might want. I'm really glad now that I engaged in Voluntary Simplicity early. Soon because of need, I may be living in an even smaller space.These five simple steps involved quite a bit of work but most of it was fun along the way. The 5 things that have worked for me so far:

1. Time, determination and a continuing commitment  to do something about my beliefs and values, and to not forget that I'm supposed to be getting rid of stuff, not replacing it with new stuff. 

2. Setting aside extra space to store things that were going to be given away, or donated so that I could pack them up and transport to donation sites, or have friend's choose what they wanted from the heap.

3. Setting aside another area to store things I'm not sure whether I'm giving them away or keeping so that I didn't throw or give away away things that were important to me. 

4. Learning how to organize the stuff I do want to keep so that it's accessible, labeled and put neatly in cabinets  drawers and containers so that it does not clutter up my smaller living space.

5. Exploring different ways of thinking about  things to help me determine what I think is important to keep and what I find meaningful or useful for me as an individual to have in my living space.

5 Tips for Keeping Warmer Indoors in the Winter

Save money. Help the planet by conserving resources. Tips I use to save money on heating costs as a renter.
Heating costs are a big concern to many who live in colder climates. I live in an apartment on a fixed income but I have discovered some low tech ideas, that might be useful to others that have helped me and would be interested in hearing what other people do to keep warm.

1. I shut off rooms I'm not using much during the day by shutting doors or putting up curtains between living spaces. I have electric heat, so I turn down the thermostats in the rooms I'm not using for a few hours to 60 degrees. I can easily tell if my curtain is working as a heat/cold barrier by checking the temperature in the curtained off rooms. The barrier is thick enough if the room behind the curtain is significantly cooler. Doors are best, but curtains work surprisingly well. I have bought fabric and made my own curtains before but sheets and blankets work surprisingly well.  Sheets may have to be doubled, blankets usually provide good coverage, and I imagine a simple tarp might work.  I hang my "curtain" so that it is only about one inch from the floor so that cold drafts of air don't escape from the bottom.
2. I wear at least two or three layers of clothing inside my house. Like many hikers and campers in cooler weather, I have found that investing in long underwear and sweaters helps keep me comfortable and I can take off a layer if I'm exercising or feel overheated.
3. For activities where I'm sitting for longer periods of time, I keep "lap" blankets to cover my legs and belly. I  try to let people know in advance that my house is kept cooler in the winter. I also keep extra lap blankets for guests. Older people seem to especially appreciate also having a shawl over their shoulders.
3. I experimented with the idea of seeing "how low can I turn down the heat and still feel comfortable." Everyone seems to have different warmth and comfort levels.
4. I drink lots warm fluids in the winter to help keep me hydrated in the cooler, dryer air.  Eating nutritious foods at regular meal times even if they are the old fashioned "stretch the food dollar" with homemade soups and stews, seems to help me maintain a higher body heat balance.
5. Keeping an electric portable heater near sitting areas seems to help keep my feet and legs warmer and I can place it near where I'm sitting doing crafts, reading or working on the computer. The small electric heater does seem to raise the overall temperature of the room somewhat but most importantly the heat source is where I need it, closer to where I do activities that involve sitting or resting.