Monthly Archives: December 2020

2

Wildlife Making Their Home In Rhode Island

|

The little US state of Rhode Island which is one of the New England States has more than 800 native and non-native wildlife species among them raccoons, coyotes, and skinks. These are the most common mammals and make their homes close to civilization because of their nature to hunt for food. There are also opossums, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and many birds.


Mammals

The mammals that make their home in Rhode Island in the woodlands are the Virginia opossum, coyote, fisher and beaver. There have been some sightings of black bears.

The state is also home to several generalist mammal species like the white tailed deer that live in close proximity to humans. There is also a rabbit population but they have not done so well because they require denser forestation. Unfortunatley thes animals appear to be diminishing.

Other common wildlife you can encounter include foxes, squirrels, raccoons, weasels, and bats. Due to laws that allow for game hunting and trapping there are always conservation activities trying to manage the wildlife population.

Birds

Rhode Island also has more than 400 bird species with around 170 nesting species and 150 regular migrants. Unfortunately for bird like the northern bobwhite, American woodcock, willow flycatcher, eastern kingbird, brown thrasher, blue-winged warbler, prairie warbler, eastern towhee, field sparrow, and cerulean warbler their shrubland and woodland habitats are constantly threatened.

In the forests you might see woodpeckers, warblers, and owls and wild turkeys in the undergrowth.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Most common of these in the state are salamanders, frogs, toads, turtles, and snakes. Several of amphibians and reptiles require vernal pools where water collects seasonally in low areas of the forest to breed. These areas are at risk with the rise of land development. Conservation efforts are giving priority to help these species. Many of the species seek protection beneath branches and logs where they can feed on insects and are known to eat grasses, flowers, berries and perhaps smaller birds and mammals.

There are 27 reptiles and amphibians that are considered to be species of concern in the state with their habitats threatened, Among them are such reptiles as the eastern hognose snake, and the eastern ribbon snake; the eastern box turtle, and amphibians such as the eastern spadefoot toad and the northern leopard frog.

To coastal states like Rhode Island marine fisheries are important. Many fish species are anadromous meaning they live out of their lives in oceans swimming inland at spawning time. The many dams in the state makes this transition difficult therefore the Atlantic sturgeon, one of the oldest species in the world in on the endangered list.

The quality of water is dependent on forest cover. Land conservation and urbanization directly influence fish habitat. Many waters in Rhode Island are stocked with trout, bass, and various anadromous species supporting recreational island fishing and boosting populations of fish.

Google images safe search

0

Wildlife of Vermont

|

Wetlands

The state of Vermont has less than 5% of wetlands today. The wetlands that are left provide a habitat and food for waterfowl such as ducks, mergansers, loons, and wading birds. Among the wading birds that make their home here are herons, bitterns, and egrets. The wetlands are also home to mammals like moose, black bear, otter, mink, and beaver. There are amphibians such as frogs, toads, and salamanders. Among the reptiles making their home here are turtles, snakes, and skinks. Completing the picture are interesting plants such as jack-in-the-pulpit, pitcher plants, and sundews.

The Champlain Valley


The Champlain Valley is in lower elevation and warmer all year long. There are extensive wetlands bordering Lake Champlain. This provides a habitat for waterfowl, wading, and migrating birds. It is also home to turtles, amphibians, and mammals such as beaver and mink. Above these wetlands are agricultural fields and adjacent forest where you can find animals such as wild turkey, deer, fox, hawks, owls, rodents, and songbirds.

The Taconic Mountains

Glacial action formed the Taconic Mountains and they are rich with underground sources of freshwater and rich soil. The mountains are a source for slate and other stone. On the lower slopes are rich oak-hickory forests and northern hardwood forests. This area provides homes for black bear, deer, bobcat, amphibians, bats, and birds.

The Vermont Valley

The Vermont Valley is a narrow region that lies between the two mountain ranges in Vermont – the Green Mountains to the east and the Taconic Mountains to the west. In this valley two major rivers start the Otter Creek and the Batten Kill with many wetlands including fens and swamps. It is home to mammals, birds, and amphibians.

The Green Mountains National Forest

Both the Northern Green Mountains and the Southern Green Mountains are parr ot the Appalachian Mountain system. The forest provides a habitat for various wildlife among them beaver, moose, coyote, black bear, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and ruffed grouse.

Northern Vermont Piedmont

There are lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the Northern Vermont Piedmont. Also northern hardwood and hemlock forests, The wetlands are fens and northern white cedar swamps with some floodplain forests. This provides a habitat for large mammals requiring larger territory such as deer, moose, coyote, beaver, fox, mink, otter, and wild turkey.

Southern Vermont Piedmont

The Southern Vermont Piedmont includes rolling hills and streams and rivers with the largest river being the Connecticut River. There are northern hardwood and mixed forests that offer habitat to mammals, birds, and amphibians such as red-backed and spotted salamanders.

Northern Highlands

The Northern Highlands is a cold and remote area in Vermont, The Connecticut River flows through this region providing a river valley with wetlands, floodplains, and ozbow lakes. In this cold region forests are more boreal. Animals who make their home here are gray jay and spruce grouse, but bear, bobcat, deer, moose, beaver, mink, otter and fisher.

6

Pop Goes the Weasel

|

The one thing that the US state of New Hampshire has a lot of is weasels. Weasels include ermine or short-tailed weasel, long-tailed weasel, pine martin, mink, fisher, and river otter. Two of the species the long-tailed weasel and the ermine seem to disappear in the winter because they turn white as snow.

Ermine

Ermines begin the winter white as snow. They live in the farther northern parts of North America. You can find them from northern California to the Rockies, east of northern Pennsylvania and all of New Hampshire. They are covered with fur from head to toe even the bottoms of their feet, in the winter. Only the very tips of their tails remain black in wintertime. Male ermines are larger than females. Their diet consists of small mammals such as mice, voles, and shrews. There have been reports of ermines invading old colonial houses in the wintertime most likely to catch the mice that scamper there.

Long-Tailed Weasel

The long-tailed weasel is only a bit larger than the ermine. These weasels also turn pure white in the winter leaving the tips of their tails black. Long-tailed weasels can be found all around the world and are one of the most widely distributed mammals known. They make their homes from the Arctic to the tropics. Their diet consists of small mammals.

Pine Marten

The Pine Marten is the larger cousin of the long-tailed weasel and twice as long. These animals are on the state’s endangered species list. You can find a small but growing population in northern Coos County. Pine Martens are golden brown with a distinctive yellow patch at the chin. The prefer to make their homes in the spruce-fir thickets of the Great North Woods. They prefer small prey mammals like voles but also eat nuts and fruit.

Mink

Mink live near streams, rivers, or ponds, They have dark chestnut-brown fur with a patch of white at the chin. The are similar to size of the marten. Mink are semi-aquatic mammals and their typical home is nearly a mile of a river corridor. Their diet consists of fish, frogs, and crayfish. Mink can be found all over North America except the desert southwest. They are very common in New Hampshire but can rarely be seen.

Fisher

Fisher are also referred to as “fishercats” in New Hampshire. They’re the most common land predators in the state. Fishers get blamed for dozens of missing cats each year. Cat owners in the state have to be careful and keep their cats inside especially at night. Fishers will also hunt down other kinds of prey. They are larger than martens. They are carnivorous and will eat mice, moles, voles, shrews, squirrels, muskrats, woodchucks, snowshoe hares, and at times even fawn, They have been known to also add to their diet birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

River Otter

The River Otter is the biggest of the weasels in New Hampshire. They have dark chocolate brown fur. Their diet consists of fish and crayfish.They make their home along rivers. In the winter they will dive into icy water to catch prey such as turtles. At times they might get scared away from a fish feast by an adult bald eagle. They range over all of North America but due to pollution they have dimished in numbers.

To keep the weasel population growing and happy in New Hampshire wooded areas and waterways must be preserved and forests particularly along rivers and streams.

Google images safe search