This week in the woods, we’ve noticed a lot of aerial feeding activity above fields and wetlands along the Connecticut and Ompompanoosuc rivers, all sites within about 20 miles of the Northern Woodlands’ office. Migrating common nighthawks (shown in last week’s blog post) and swallows have been putting on a show, swerving and diving through swarms of insects, and at times swooping close to photographers’ heads!
Bats are also present in large numbers around these insect swarms. This is a critical time for bats to build fat reserves in preparation for winter hibernation (most species) or fall migration (three species native to New Hampshire and Vermont). The top photo shows a bat in the moment before snagging an insect. Special thanks to Lucy and Turner Tillinghast, whose skilled flashlight work helped their father, Tig, take these photos.
These tiny mammals go mostly unnoticed (and when noticed, often give people the heebie jeebies), but anyone who cares about forests should care about their fate. As Ethan Tapper noted in this article from the Summer 2023 issue of Northern Woodlands, which offers tips on how to promote bat habitat, “...a recent study from the University of Illinois found that tree defoliation by insects was greatly increased in a forest without bats, and researchers postulated that this could increase forest vulnerability – making trees more susceptible to climate change and other stressors.” Here’s an online “web extra” by conservation biologist Heather Kaarakka, that shares images of summer bat habitat.
Another welcome sight this week: this American bittern. As noted in a recent Outside Story article by Colby Galliher, bitterns are exceptionally difficult to observe, because they nest in densely vegetated wetlands and are remarkably well camouflaged. When they’re not hunkered down in the reeds, they often have their beaks tilted upward to the sky, which can make their necks and heads very hard to distinguish from tall reeds. Like other members of the family Ardeidae, which includes egrets and herons, American bitterns chow down on a variety of prey. Frequent items on the menu include big insects such as dragonflies and water beetles, frogs, fish, small rodents, and snakes.
What have you noticed in the woods this week? Submit a recent photo for possible inclusion in our monthly online Reader Photo Gallery.