A baseline diary for periodic nature surveys of my brother’s house in Livonia, NY. Since I live in a urban environment I enjoy the opportunity to get a weekend now and then in a more rural setting where it is quieter, stars are visible at night, and there are better opportunities to interact with nature. (Though I would gladly forego getting bitten up by the mosquitoes and black flies!)
This diary covers a visit in late March of 2016. The weather was just starting to warm up and plants just beginning to leaf out.
The house itself sits in the middle of woods. There is an open backyard, but it is shady enough that it mainly grows moss rather than grass. The surrounding woods are primarily Shagbark hickory, maple, ash (dying due to emerald ash borer) and a few oaks with low undergrowth and enough multiflora rose and raspberry that you don’t just cut through it. On slightly lower ground to the north is the pond, a lower meadow, and then a row of evergreens lining the neighbor’s long driveway.
The pond itself is artificial and was made about ten years ago by a bulldozer on former pasture land. It is fed by natural seepage through the local shales and outflows towards the northeast side of the property into a ditch.
There is a perimeter trail around the property starting near the pond and running through the woods. It eventually crosses the driveway and then works through the thickets and low-lying area to get back to the pond. Wellingtons are called for when walking it in the spring.
Just off the dam slope was a stand of Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) which was cut down last year. There is still a tree there, but it’s not a Russian olive. The corner of the property between the pond and the neighbors is essentially a thicket.
The pond itself is currently sort of “dead” looking. Not much active plant growth along the edges, visible bottom is dead leaves, and there are no frogs or toads (yet). And the only fish sighted were some of the grass carp. (There are also bluegills and largemouth bass there usually.) There is no insect activity yet either.
Cattail (Typha) are pulled upon being noticed. And Canada Goose are given incentives to not settle in. There are some of the latter in the ponds on the other side of the road.
There is a local herd of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Seven of them usually come through the area in the morning to graze in the backyard or the meadow next to the pond. Their prints can be found on the perimeter trail and next to the pond all the time. They also eat the hickory nuts.
There are also numbers of smaller mammals about. Red fox, Red Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Chipmunk, Deer Mouse, Meadow Vole, Shrews. And the ubiquitous Felis Catus.
The two local Feline Overlords actually live in the unheated wood shed. Therefore they grow heavy winter coats and put on some extra fat. They are also sociable enough that they go along on walks around the perimeter trail.
It is also a good place to watch meadow and woodland birds. Suet, sunflower seed, and thistle seed are put out. Plus the natural food sources in the area. Birds seen locally over the weekend included:
Cardinal, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Crow, Canada Goose, Red-Tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird, Kestrel, Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) and a probable Sharp-shinned Hawk. Quite a different list from my urban bird sighting list.
On the insect/arthropod front there were just a few insects and spiders seen. This did include a few female mosquitoes unfortunately.
No amphibian or reptile sightings — but we could hear the spring peeper chorus on the warmer afternoons. And also heard wood frogs and leopard frogs on walks in other locales.
There should be a follow-up survey in late May.