1. Destination: A Sooner Swamp
2. Focus on Wildlife: Wet Rabbit
3. Surfers of a Different Sort
4. Ask eNature: Mobbed
1. Destination: A Sooner Swamp
Once upon a time Oklahoma boasted a great deal of bottomland hardwood habitat. Now, however, almost all of the remaining hardwood swamplands in Oklahoma are confined to a single sanctuary in the extreme southeastern corner of the state.
Little River National Wildlife Refuge, with an area of some 15,000 acres, supports a wide variety of plants and animals. Bald Cypress, Sweetgum, and Willow Oak trees dominate its forests. The animals include American Alligators, Swamp Rabbits, Raccoons, and White-tailed Deer. Anhingas, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Swainson's Warblers also thrive within the borders of the refuge.
Given these features, it's no surprise that Little River NWR is a favorite with birders, hikers, and photographers. But don't wait until spring arrives to visit. Winter is an ideal time to become acquainted with the region.
Click here to learn more about swamps.
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Wet and Wild
The National Audubon Society's Nature Guide to Wetlands provides lots of useful information on wetlands and their wildlife. For quick reference or detailed study, it's equally well suited for the backpack or the bookshelf.
Order a copy today! |
2. Focus on Wildlife: Wet Rabbit
For animals that live in swampy habitats like Little River National Wildlife Refuge, the choice is simple: either fly from place to place or swim. Even the rabbits there have adapted, and they're now first-rate swimmers.
The Swamp Rabbit is the largest cottontail in North America. Usually it can be identified with relative ease by its size, its rusty-colored feet, and its choice of habitat. And though the Swamp Rabbit has few predators in its chosen habitat, when a predator appears, the rabbit quickly takes to the water. The rabbit will then often submerge itself until only its eyes and nose remain exposed. Unusually dense fur helps insulate the rabbit so that it can remain submerged until the threat passes.
Swamp Rabbits live from Oklahoma to Illinois and South Carolina and south to Texas and Alabama. Watch for them a dusk, their preferred feeding time.
Click here to learn more about the Swamp Rabbit.
3. Surfers of a Different Sort
A good winter storm off the Atlantic Coast brings out the beachcombers. Sometimes the beaches are so strewn with storm-tossed clams that it’s hard to walk without stepping on them.
Atlantic Surf Clams, the biggest bivalves in the Western Atlantic, can measure up to 9 inches across. They also boast an impressive life span of twenty-five years -- that is, provided they live outside the breaker zone along the outer coast. The clams that take up residence too close to the shore (and millions of them do) can get ripped from the sand and thrown up on sandy beaches by the ton during and in the wake of monster coastal storms. Clammers and gulls have a field day when these big clams wash ashore.
The southern half of New Jersey and parts of Long Island comprise the Atlantic Surf Clam capitals of the world. The local names for these big bivalves include Sea Clams, Skimmers, Bar Clams, and Hen Clams.
Click here to learn more about the Atlantic Surf Clam.
4. Ask eNature: Mobbed
Q. Sometimes the crows on our farm make an awful racket, much more strident than usual. What's up with them? Hope Valley, RI
A. Crows, as well as other birds, gather together in groups when they want to drive a predator from their territory. This behavior is called "mobbing," and it involves harassing the intruder with loud, frantic calls. Sometimes the predators wait out the mobbing attacks, and other times they leave the area for peace and quiet elsewhere. Listen also for mobbing from smaller birds, such as chickadees, wrens, and titmice. Look where they're looking, and you may find an Eastern Screech-Owl or Saw-whet Owl or maybe even a neighbor's cat.
Click here to learn more about the American Crow.
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From A to Zinnia
If there's one surefire way to make the new year a good year, it's to spend lots of time outdoors. With that in mind, eNature offers a list of nature-watching ideas organized from A to Z.
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