It's a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… actually a bird!
And it’s not just any bird, it’s a Northern Bobwhite!! Yup, you heard me right. We started off this week by flushing a Bobwhite from a cedar tree at Brawner farm, but not before I got an awesome video of the little guy doing his call for us! (Click the file icon below)
Even though we were technically finished with the bird surveys after last week, we were still super excited to finally see one of these elusive birds. This shows that there are parts of the battlefields that are still good quail habitat and it is likely that the controlled burns at Brawner farm are responsible for creating and maintaining that habitat for the birds.
And it’s not just any bird, it’s a Northern Bobwhite!! Yup, you heard me right. We started off this week by flushing a Bobwhite from a cedar tree at Brawner farm, but not before I got an awesome video of the little guy doing his call for us! (Click the file icon below)
Even though we were technically finished with the bird surveys after last week, we were still super excited to finally see one of these elusive birds. This shows that there are parts of the battlefields that are still good quail habitat and it is likely that the controlled burns at Brawner farm are responsible for creating and maintaining that habitat for the birds.
img_7527.mov |
Our little Bobwhite friend wasn’t the only critter who had the paparazzi after him this week. We had a trail camera set up next to a deer carcass for the first half of the summer and we finally collected the footage! As you can see from the photos below, this was a pretty busy place. Among the vultures and insects that you would expect to see on a carcass, we got footage of many other creatures checking out the new buffet in town.
Unfortunately, Wednesday marked the very last day that Kaleigh, Aliya, and I would all be working together. To celebrate, we spent most of the day completing grassland habitat surveys. In this method of surveying, we revisited each plot where Bobwhites were reported in the last several years and estimated the different types of ground and canopy cover in the 250 meter radius around each point. By counting the different species of forbs across each plot, we could get a good idea of ground cover and exposure at each. Then, we estimated the percents of shrub and overstory cover at each site and recorded habitat patches on a printed satellite map image of the ground. The data will be replicated electronically through ArcGIS so that the NBCI (National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative) can use this information for future research.
For the rest of the week, I joined the Teaching Trees Program (sponsored by Virginia Forestry Educational Foundation, Society of American Foresters, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Department of Forestry, and Virginia Project Learning Tree). Teaching Trees is a workshop for educators across Virginia to expand their understanding of sustainable forest management practices and to gain access to valuable educational materials for their students. The program is a two-day long event based near Charlottesville, Virginia in Louisa County where teachers and non-formal educators get hands-on experience with classroom activities and demonstrations from local foresters.
On day one, we explored basic tree identification methods. When kids are given proper tools to categorize and label trees, their understanding of forest ecology can be greatly improved. Tree ID is an easy way to get students to pay closer attention to the organisms around them. This skill can be directly translated across many other realms of natural resources education.
So, how does an 80-foot tall tree turn into a wooden soup spoon? First, you need some trees! During the program, we were invited to visit the site of an active logging job. On this property, the landowner has decided to harvest a portion of his forest and then allow the area to regenerate through natural forest succession. In the meantime, important nutrients will be returned to the soil and a host of new organisms will be attracted to the freshly cleared land. Forest management primarily manipulates a forest ecosystem by accelerating succession (thinning) or reverting the forest to an earlier stage of succession (clear-cut). With proper management, this type of sustainable forestry can provide local communities with forest products and renewable energy for decades.
On day two, we completed a study on forest health. Though a forest doesn't have a heartbeat or blood pressure, there are many other vitals that can be measured to determine if a forest is functioning properly. Biodiversity, soil content, tree height, and tree density can all contribute to our analysis.
Paper is one of the most important products created from forests. When harvested sustainably, even though most paper is intended for one-time use, the forest resources supporting that industry are still a renewable resource. Additionally, there are a number of options available for recycling paper material into new paper products. With the right resources (like this paper-making kit), you can use the fiber pulp to create your very own brand new sheet of paper! This can be a great eye-opener for students to connect what happens in a forest with with happens in their everyday lives. Here's a quick recipe:
Joining the Teaching Trees Program was an amazing experience. I learned so much more about sustainable forestry practices, and it was great to meet so many people who are passionate about teaching these concepts to a new generation! I would like to give a special thanks to Old Bear Enterprises, Greif Packaging, and Dowdy's Forest & Land Management (and barbecue) for their contributions to this workshop!