Wildlife at Horicon Marsh

Horicon Marsh, Wisconsin

One of the largest freshwater marshes in the United States, Horicon Marsh offers a plethora of wildlife. Located in the southeastern quadrant of Wisconsin, U.S.A., and covering 32,000 acres (12,949 ha), the marsh is a critical rest stop for migrating birds.

Wikipedia Horicon Marsh. 

I love the solitude and beauty of this marsh, have written posts outlining how it was shaped: first by the glaciers, then by humans. But today I’m focusing just on the wildlife, because this is what I find so enchanting.

Previously written post: Horicon Marsh

Common Yellowthroat, Horicon Marsh

Box Turtle, Horicon Marsh

Black Tern, Horicon Marsh

One of the most elegant terns on earth, the black tern migrates to North America from South America, and breeds at the Horicon Marsh, as well as other sites in northern U.S. and Canada.

 

Forster’s terns also breed at the Horicon Marsh.

Forster’s Tern, Horicon Marsh

 

Trumpeter Swans and cygnets, Horicon Marsh

Trumpeter Swans nest here too. This bird nearly went extinct, but has had a successful reintroduction. In 1933, there were fewer than 70 trumpeters living; today there are approximately 46,000 (Wikipedia).

 

And cranes! There are only two crane species in North America, and I’ve seen them both here at this marsh. There are few places of which this can be said.

 

In summer, sandhill cranes can often be seen at the marsh or in nearby fields, most often in pairs. The wild whooping cranes, however, were a rare sighting; they are an endangered species.

 

Whooping Cranes, Horicon NWR, Wisc.

In 1941 there were only 21 wild whooping cranes in existence. It has a been a long, hard struggle for this beautiful bird; but in 2015 the count was up to 603 individuals (including 161 captives) (Wikipedia).

 

Dragonflies abound, box turtles, butterflies, and over 300 species of birds.

Yellow Warbler on nest, Horicon Marsh

 

Halloween Pennant Dragonfly, Horicon Marsh, Wisc.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly, Horicon Marsh

Marsh birds are prevalent, like Canada geese, ducks, and herons.

Red-winged blackbird, Horicon Marsh, WI

Red-winged blackbirds, a healthy marsh staple, were everywhere; and one special siting that lasted about ten seconds: a yellow-headed blackbird.

Monarch Butterfly, Horicon Marsh, WI

 

American White Pelican (photographed in Calif.)

Also saw numerous American White Pelicans. Wisconsinites are happy about the come-back of this bird. The pelicans were absent for about one hundred years, probably due to over-hunting. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife estimated, in 2002, that the Horicon Marsh numbers had risen to about 1,200 white pelicans.

 

Muskrat, Horicon Marsh

It was a thrill to see several muskrats (locals call them “muskies”), especially the one that climbed out of the water–wonderful to see the whole body.

Common Muskrat, Horicon Marsh, WI

Marshes were once thought of as wasteland because they were not commercially enterprising. Part of the Horicon Marsh history includes those periods too, destruction and failed developments.

 

Fortunately residents and environmentalists changed that, saw its value, and preserved 32,000 acres. Today the benefits of wetlands are more widely known; they help moderate global climate conditions and play an integral role in watershed ecology. They also provide a productive ecosystem for countless living organisms.

 

How lucky for us.

 

All photos by Athena Alexander (except where noted)

 

Athena at the Horicon Marsh, Wisconsin

 

Horicon Marsh at sunset

 

 

Hitchcock Lives On in the Bay Area

Hitchcock, circa 1943, courtesy “Footsteps in the Fog”

In celebration of Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday this weekend, here are photos and scenes from his San Francisco Bay Area films. Born in England on August 13, 1899, he became a successful film director in British cinema, then came to the U.S. in 1939.

 

After buying a 200-acre Bay Area ranch in 1940, the “Master of Suspense” spent many years living and working in northern California. Three of his films were set here, and many scenes from other movies as well–Rebecca, Suspicion, Psycho, Marnie, Topaz, and Family Plot.

Hitchcock’s Bay Area, courtesy “Footsteps in the Fog”

 

Hitchcock’s film and television productions. 

Alfred Hitchcock Wikipedia. 

 

The three Bay Area films span a 150-mile radius of San Francisco. Over a half century later, film buffs, tourists, and Bay Area residents still enjoy visiting these sites.

Hitchcock, Santa Rosa Courthouse Square, 1942; courtesy “Footsteps in the Fog”

1 – “Shadow of a Doubt” was set in Santa Rosa, California, about a 1.5 hour drive north of San Francisco. Hitchcock considered this film his finest.

 

Filmed during the early 1940s, it was heavily impacted by WWII. There were blackout orders restricting nighttime filming. Also, the War Production Office required Hitchcock to limit his set construction budget to $3,000 (from “Footsteps in the Fog”).

Santa Rosa Calif., Old Courthouse Square, photo by F. Schulenberg, 2012

 

Therefore, in order to curtail set costs, Hitchcock resolved to use the town as the movie set. At the time, this was a new innovation, filming in the town square and other public places.

 

He chose Santa Rosa, a quaint and quiet town, for the backdrop of his dark psychological thriller.

 

Released in 1943 and starring Joseph Cotton and Teresa Wright, the screenplay was written by Thornton Wilder.

 

Much of Santa Rosa, and many local residents too, appear in the film. Santa Rosa’s downtown, railroad depot, Courthouse Square, public library, church, bank, and spacious tree-lined neighborhoods take center stage.

 

The railroad depot, the “Newton House,” and other buildings can still be seen today in Santa Rosa.

 

Santa Rosa railroad depot, 2016. Today it is a Visitor Center.

“Shadow of a Doubt” filming, at Santa Rosa railroad depot, early 1940s. Hitchcock seated in dark suit, front left-center. Courtesy “Footsteps in the Fog”

“Newton Family” house where Shadow of a Doubt was filmed, 2017

 

2 – “The Birds”, a 1963 horror-thriller, is set primarily in and around Bodega Bay; approximately a two-hour drive north of San Francisco. There are also scenes in San Francisco, including his cameo appearance at the pet store with his true-life pets, a pair of Sealyham terriers.

List of Alfred Hitchcock cameo appearances. 

 

 

Alfred Hitchcock filming “The Birds”

Starring Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, and Suzanne Pleshette, the story is loosely based on a 1961 bird incident in nearby Capitola, California; and a novel with the same title written by Daphne du Maurier.

 

Around the time of “The Birds” filming, Capitola experienced a brief scare when birds called Sooty Shearwaters slammed into, and died, on rooftops. Shearwaters are birds of the sea, on land only during nesting, and ill-suited for landing. Because they cannot land properly, they do actually slam into whatever is in their way.

 

I once went birding on an island covered with nesting shearwaters, and one of my birding mates was slammed in the back really hard by a shearwater.

 

It is a bizarre thing to witness…and who else but Hitchcock would create a thriller out of this?

 

Bodega Bay Overview

The Tides pier, Bodega Bay, 2016. Western Gull.

Today you can still visit The Tides Restaurant and Wharf, where the film was largely set; they proudly display old film posters.

 

In Hitchcock humor, there are stuffed crows in the rafters.

 

Staged scene at The Tides Restaurant in Bodega Bay, 2017

“Potter School” and the general store called Diekmann’s also still exist.

 

“The Birds” schoolhouse, aka Potter School, Bodega, 2013

 

When I was on the Bodega Bay pier of the Tides Restaurant last fall, an unusually large flock of marbled godwits flew over us; Hitchcock’s story immediately shot to my mind as I looked tentatively at the bird-darkened sky.

 

3 – “Vertigo”, released in 1958, was filmed all over San Francisco and in outlying Bay Area venues. Starring Jimmy Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes, this story is a haunting one, highlighted by a brilliant musical score by Bernard Herrmann.

 

Movie buffs soak up San Francisco Vertigo tours, re-living the fictional story of this psychological thriller. Vertigo captures the charm and romance of 1950s San Francisco; featuring the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, panoramic skylines, winding streets,  redwood trees, and rocky cliffs.

 

Fort Point and Golden Gate Bridge, SF, 2017

 

Kim Novak in Vertigo, at Fort Point, SF, circa 1958, courtesy Wikipedia

 

Scenes include visits to the Palace of Fine Arts and the Legion of Honor.

Palace of Fine Arts, SF, 2016

 

Legion of Honor, SF, 2017

James Stewart as “Scottie” at The Legion of Honor, circa 1958, courtesy Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

 

Two local California missions, which look the same as when Hitchcock filmed here, are also embraced in this story. The crew filmed at Mission Dolores in San Francisco, where I have also set a scene from my own novel.

 

Mission Dolores, San Francisco, 2014

 

Hitchcock at SF Mission Dolores, 1957, courtesy “Footsteps in the Fog”

 

Hitchcock and Stewart in Mission Dolores Cemetery, circa 1958, courtesy “Footsteps in the Fog”

 

Mission Dolores Cemetery, 2014

 

Mission Dolores Cemetery, 2014

 

And the second mission, Mission San Juan Bautiste, is in the town of the same name, about 90 miles south of San Francisco. The famous bell tower, where several shocking scenes take place, was added via special effects.

 

Mission San Juan Bautista, 2011. The “Vertigo” Bell Tower was added to the mission via special effects.

 

Hitchcock films have a way of grabbing hold of our human frailties, and exploring our deepest fears.

 

Enjoy a toast this weekend to Sir Alfred’s mastery.

 

Photo credit: Athena Alexander unless otherwise specified. Thanks to Kraft and Leventhal’s book “Footsteps in the Fog” (2002).

Another mystery of suspense based in San Francisco written by Yours Truly.

Kindle $6.99

or Paperback $20 

 

 

 

A Butterfly’s Life

Anise Swallowtail Butterfly on fennel

This butterfly species, the anise swallowtail, graces our yard every summer. They start life on the wild fennel that grows in a corner.

 

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of watching all the stages of this butterfly’s life.

Anise Swallowtail caterpillar

It begins when the female deposits eggs on the host plant, the fennel. The eggs hatch and tiny caterpillars–each one about the width of your pinkie–feed on the plant.

 

The caterpillars, also called larvae, have jaws.  (Butterflies don’t have jaws, they have proboscis for drinking nectar.) They chew and chew and chew until their body grows so much the skin literally splits open.

 

Underneath this now-split skin is a new, more flexible skin that has been forming. The caterpillar continues chewing, and growing, until the skin splits again. This process, called molting, repeats four or five times.

 

Each skin is differently colored. At first they are black and white; the next caterpillar stage (aka instar) is orange and black. For the grand finale, the caterpillar is magnificent in green, orange, black, and blue.

 

More info here: Wikipedia Anise Swallowtail Butterfly. 

 

Finally, in its last and fifth instar, the caterpillar once again splits the skin, but this time it spins one or two threads of silk, and attaches to a plant; forms the pupa or chrysalis. (See Life Cycle diagram below.)

 

Anise Swallowtail Chrysalis or Pupa

 

Eventually the chrysalis ruptures and the winged insect crawls out. The flow of blood stops, the wings take some time to firm up, and the new butterfly flies away.

 

Anise Swallowtail: Butterfly on right, empty chrysalis on left

 

When we first moved to our rural property, I cut back the fennel, because it is an invasive plant and not native to our forest. Here in California and along the west coast, fennel is everywhere–abandoned lots, roadside ditches. I saw it yesterday on the freeway; four lanes of traffic speeding in each direction, and growing out of the median was fennel.

 

Fortunately for me, our fennel grew back the next spring, and that summer I found stunning caterpillars on it.

 

Since then I have pampered the fennel, and in late June, like clockwork, we find the caterpillars. They inhabit the plant stalks and eat the fronds, one little feathery piece at a time, voraciously devouring the plant.

 

In Native American and other cultures, the butterfly symbolizes transformation and change. Change is a key component to life on earth.

 

I don’t think there’s a creature more graceful and elegant for reminding us that change can be beautiful.

 

Photo credit: Athena Alexander

There are over 550 species of swallowtail butterflies; here are two other species that drink nectar on our property:

Pipevine Swallowtail

Western Tiger Swallowtail

 

Courtesy Wikipedia

 

New Cooper’s Hawks

Adult Cooper’s Hawk, in mid-March in the oak tree

Hawks are fierce hunters; they fly and perch noiselessly, hunt swiftly and quietly. But the chicks, of course, are not that way; they haven’t learned how to be  warriors yet.

 

Dependent, hungry, and inexperienced, the chicks have squawky voices and incessant demands: “feed me feed me feed me.”

 

Cooper’s Hawk fledgling, early July

 

It was the Cooper’s Hawk chick that gave away the secret of the well-hidden nest I found, high up in a madrone tree.

 

Just as I looked up to examine the unusual sound, a parent swooped into the nest with food. This quieted the chick. The little guys hadn’t learned stealth yet, and the parents know too well the importance of it.

 

Stealth is the key to survival in nature.

 

This coyote, in the vicinity of the hawk nest, would find a hawk chick tasty

 

Accipiter cooperii are medium-sized hawks, native to North America.  They live and breed primarily in forests, preying on birds and small mammals. Adult pairs breed once a year, and live in the wild as long as 12 years.

 

Cooper’s Hawk info. 

 

It was back in mid-March when I began noticing the Cooper’s Hawk here every day.  Temperatures were in the 30s and 40s (F.), there was even snow. The hawk perched every day in the same bare-leafed oak tree. Quiet and still, it mostly watched.

 

Eventually the cold days gave way to spring, and leaves started to bud and unfurl on the hawk’s oak tree. The raptor apparently preferred bare trees, because he or she moved, began perching on a nearby dead pine tree.

 

Once in awhile a bold hummingbird would harass the hawk, rather ridiculously, scolding it to move on. But nothing ever happened.

 

Then in June things changed. The hawk moved from that favorite spot in the pine tree–began perching near the bird feeders, instead. There were close-calls when the hawk nearly got a pigeon or mourning dove; and more frequently we were finding signs of a kill, evidenced by gray dove feathers scattered in the yard.

 

California Quail

 

Then there was the breakfast incident.

 

We were eating breakfast outside when a terrified California quail, sounding his alarm call, flew by us. Just behind him, the Cooper’s Hawk sailed effortlessly by, gaining on the quail.

 

Quail are heavy ground birds and don’t fly much. Cooper’s Hawks are agile fliers, silent and fast, bearing down dramatically on their prey.  When they reach the prey, they capture it with the talons and squeeze the bird to death.

 

The two birds disappeared around a bend.

 

Ten minutes later, during tea and scones, the hawk flew over our heads with the plucked prey in his talons.

 

When a raptor is taking food away from the kill-site, it usually means there are hungry chicks waiting in the nest.

 

Cooper’s Hawk nest in madrone tree

 

It was the next day when I found the nest in the treetop, spotted the noisy chicks.

 

There were two chicks, and they were pretty big, nearly adult size. One was still in the nest; the other sat perched in a nearby tree. Neither could fly, but the older one could hop around.

 

Cooper’s Hawk fledgling, early July

A few weeks have passed and the nest is abandoned. But the chicks are still here.

 

The parents are quiet and hidden, there’s no evidence of them being around, but that’s the way it should be.

 

The chicks, well, they’re still learning. They hunt together, and I always hear them at dinnertime. The two siblings have high-pitched whistling calls, and they never stop making noise.

 

Instead of perching quietly and watching, they fly around conversing with one another through the trees. And yesterday they landed together on our deck railing.

 

We all have things to learn, even ferocious raptors.

 

Photo credit: Athena Alexander

 

Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii

Leaving Kona, our boat is blue in photo center

Here’s a curious place on the west side of Hawaii’s Big Island, called Kealakekua Bay. Not only does it have clear waters teeming with tropical fish amid the coral reef, but it has a powerful history as well. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

 

Twelve miles (19 km) south of Kailua-Kona, Kealakekua  Bay can only be accessed by hiking a steep and arduous trail, or by boat.

 

We had signed up for a snorkeling tour in Kona, and were headed for this bay. It was a 45-minute boat ride with about 50 other people. The day was gorgeous and sunny, in the tropics in winter, and it was my birthday.

Cook Monument

As the boat neared land, we could see the Cook Monument on the coastline. The rest of the area was cliffs, rocks, and trees with no man-made structures except for this lonely but stately tall, white obelisk.

 

Being somewhat familiar with the life and death of Captain James Cook, I thought about him as we neared the monument. He had been a brilliant circumnavigator and cartographer, had changed the ways of seafaring with his skills. I was in the same waters that Captain Cook occupied in the late 1770s.

 

Meanwhile, we were all getting ready. Fifty of us in sunglasses and bathing suits, gathering up our gear.

Cook monument

 

A voice on the loudspeaker told us this was where Captain James Cook died in 1779. It was hard to hear what else was said, with the waves and wind and everyone jostling.

 

I found myself breaching two worlds. I was happy and excited, soon we’d be submerged in these dazzling waters. Simultaneously, I was looking at the coastline, imagining Captain Cook and his crew.

 

Capt. Cook’s two ships, HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery. Courtesy Wikipedia

On that fateful day of February 14, 1779, in this very same spot of coast, the native Hawaiians and the British were having a disagreement. Earlier, their visit had been friendly.

 

What transpired were misunderstandings and culture clashes, an elevated skirmish that would last for days.

 

In the skirmish, Captain Cook, Hawaiian chiefs and villagers, and British sailors were killed.

 

1795 painting “The Death of Capt. Cook” by Johann Zoffany. Courtesy Wikipedia

1779 drawing of Kealakekua Bay by John Webber, artist aboard Cook’s ship. Courtesy Wikipedia.

 

Captain Cook info.

Our boat gears ground to a slow halt, the 21st-century snorkel crew called out orders.

 

Yellow tangs

 

 

Surrounded by bright fish and warm tropical waters, this peaceful bay, it was difficult to imagine a war-like setting here.

 

What does one do with these two scenes of February 14, 1779 and the current day both bobbing about in the birthday brain?

 

Start swimming…there’s so many fish.

 

Photo credit: Athena Alexander

The plaque on Cook Monument reads: “In memory of the great circumnavigator, Captain James Cook, R. N., who discovered these islands on the 10th of January, A.D. 1770, and fell near this spot on the 14th of February, A.D. 1779. This monument was erected in November A.D. 1874 by some of his fellow countrymen.”

Capt. James Cook’s voyages. 1st voyage=red, 2nd voyage=green, 3rd voyage=blue. Dotted blue=Cook’s crew after his death. Courtesy Wikipedia.

 

 

Caribou of Denali National Park

Caribou, Denali NP, Alaska

The great state of Alaska boasts a healthy population of caribou. During a visit to Denali National Park in central Alaska, we saw caribou several times.

 

A large ruminant mammal in the deer family, Rangifer tarandus are the North American species; they occupy a substantial range in Alaska and Canada (see maps below).

 

Denali NP, Alaska

Equipped with large antlers for shoveling snow and specialized nasal passages that warm incoming frigid air, this mammal lives in the coldest areas of North America.

 

Upon first setting eyes on the caribou, it is the antlers that command your attention–an impressive rack. The caribou shed the rack very year, so the Denali Visitor Center had discarded racks out for viewing; they were so heavy I could barely pick up one by myself.

 

In this species, unlike all the other mammals in the deer family, both genders grow antlers.

 

Other interesting facts about the Denali caribou:

• Their color varies, the coat changing with the seasons
• Their coat consists of two layers, for thorough insulation
• Size: 4′ tall at shoulder (1.22 m); 8′ in length (2.5 m)
• Weight: Bulls 350-400 lbs (159-182 kg); Cows 175-225 lbs (80-120 kg)
• They migrate in large herds, usually through adverse conditions

 

Denali NP

 

Denali herd info here

and

Wikipedia overview here. 

 

We occasionally came upon them while hiking, and although their size is intimidating, the caribou are gentle animals. We let them graze, and they let us marvel at their beauty and strength.

 

Some caribou subspecies have gone extinct or are diminishing for various reasons. In America, for example, it is very rare to see a caribou unless you go to Alaska.

 

According to Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game, there are 32 herds in Alaska/Canada, estimating 950,000 individuals.

 

In Denali National Park, the 2013 census count recorded 2,230 caribou. In the park they are, in general, protected.

 

Other parts of Alaska, however, allow regulated hunting and harvesting of caribou.

Denali Alaska

While caribou live in many parts of the world, we call them different names depending on where one lives. In the U.S., this mammal is called a caribou; unless they are domesticated, in which case they are called reindeer. In Europe, caribou are called reindeer.

 

Whatever you call them, they are a strikingly beautiful mammal with a hardy lifestyle and elegant antlers.

 

Photo credit: Athena Alexander

North America Caribou Range Map, courtesy Feldhamer, Thompson, Chapman; Wild Mammals of North America

 

World Caribou/Reindeer Range Map, Courtesy Wikipedia

 

Nesting House Wrens

House Wren

House wrens are a small bird, abundant in the Americas, with a divine melodious song and elegant markings. They have numerous loveable aspects, but what is endlessly amusing and curious are the many places they choose to nest.

 

Since they are unable to dig their own cavity, they take up residence in all sorts of places.

 

Last week, while visiting Wisconsin, we found a pair of house wrens nesting in the base of an old basketball hoop.

 

Athena found the nest while photographing other birds, many of whom had nesting activity in my cousin’s rural yard. The bluebirds were tirelessly feeding their chicks, the barn swallows were doing the same; both in conspicuous nest boxes and easy to see.

 

Contrastingly, the house wren was quietly perched near an old rusty basketball post. Only one blade of dried grass could be seen. But every few minutes this clever bird would vanish under the rusty dome.

 

House wren with nest

House wrens are known for their creative nests. Small birds less than five inches (13 cm) long, they squeeze their little bodies and build a nest in some of the oddest places–old boots, abandoned cars, traffic lights.

 

A contemporary of John James Audubon wrote he found the house wren in “…olive jars, boxes, and … the hollow of trees.”

 

Audubon, too, found the house wren entertaining and “extremely pleasing.” He dedicated a drawing in his famous book to the house wren. Plate 83 in Birds of America, published 1827-1838, depicts Troglodytes aedon nesting in an old hat.

House Wren drawing by John James Audubon. Plate 83. Courtesy Wikipedia.

Audubon’s house wren observations here.

 

This common songbird can be found throughout the Americas, from central Canada down to the southern tip of South America. See map below.

 

They have many predators (cats, rats, squirrels, owls, and more), but regardless of their vulnerability and diminutive size, house wrens are the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. They often brood two clutches (group of eggs) in a season, and lay from 3-10 eggs per clutch.  More info here. 

 

See the grass tucked up under the rusty dome?

A resourceful bird with a heavenly voice, the house wren has been building nests and breeding for centuries, lighting up the surprised faces of humans, and filling the air with sweet music.

 

Photo credit: Athena Alexander