Conservation
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 Whether you wake to find mist hanging in damp hollows, snow draping the last of your tomato vines, or sunshine glinting off a warm sea, there is one thing that unites us all this month: pumpkins. With Halloween quickly followed by Thanksgiving, pumpkins seem to define this season. We make family trips in a quest for the perfect jack-o'-lantern, dress up in pumpkin costumes to go trick or treating, decorate our homes with them, and slice them up to make pies, bread, and soup.
Pumpkins are native to Central America and the desert Southwest. The pumpkin we typically carve or cook is a species called Cucurbita pepo, although there are four species of Cucurbita that include cultivars called pumpkins. With corn and beans, pumpkins and other squash form the "three sisters," a staple part of Native American agriculture. Because of this, pumpkins spread to new areas of North America, including New England, where Native tribes introduced the early Pilgrims to pumpkins. This was fortunate for the settlers, as pumpkins helped them fend off starvation during their first winters.
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Read more... [PUMPKINS AND POLLINATORS]
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Nature is an amazing thing. Instincts long hardened into the
brain become active when day length changes, when temperatures dip, or when
moisture dries up. Survival skills and inbred behaviors ensure that wildlife
endures the changes of the seasons. That is why, when summer is waning and days
begin to grow shorter, the birds seem to disappear.
They have not actually disappeared, thankfully. They are
simply not 'hanging out' where humans may have become used to seeing them.
Audubon Society of Rhode Island naturalist Kim Calcagno notes that she receives
numerous calls and emails this time of year from concerned people who have
noticed a remarkable dearth of birds in their yards and local parks. "Just as
we can set the seasonal clock by the springtime robin and woodpecker phone
calls, the start of autumn is distinctly marked by the profusion of calls asking
what has happened to the birds," she says.
Well, what does happen to the birds? Calcagno explains that it is part
behavioral and part nutritional. "During the spring and summer, birds are
focused on breeding. They come out to find a mate. They search to find nesting
material. They forage endlessly for all those mouths to feed," she explains.
"The birds you see are constantly taking risks by coming out in the open and
exposing themselves to predators to get these things done. Once breeding is
over for the season, they have some time before the winter comes to 'lay low' a
bit, staying out of the view of predators and keeping out of the open areas.
This behavior is normal and comes with the season."
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Read more... [Where have the birds gone?]
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 Like clockwork, as the days lengthen and the air warms with sweet renewal, the annual rites of spring commence. Songbirds return from migration. Mammals wake from their winter slumbers, and the thawed ponds and vernal pools begin scurrying with life. It is also then that Audubon's phones begin to ring - and ring - and ring. From territorial birds attacking their reflections in windows, to nest and den building in inconvenient places, or woodpeckers drumming on people's homes - spring breeding behavior in the natural world draws attention and concern.
However, nothing seems to get more notice than the appearance of offspring found in nature. Hundreds of calls from concerned individuals and businesses look for advice on how to handle situations involving spring babies. The correct answer, nine times out of ten, is to do nothing. Just watch from a distance and let nature ‘do its thing' without human intervention. In fact, interfering is often against the law (i.e. active nests and nesting birds are protected by law).
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Read more... [Spring Babies]
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Though conditions and degree of difficulty vary, the following Audubon Refuges are recommended for cross country skiing:
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge (Seekonk, MA)
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge (Exeter, RI)
Fort Nature Refuge (North Smithfield, RI)
George B. Parker Woodland (Coventry, RI)
Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge (Warren, RI)
Please
note that there is no skiing available on Audubon land that does not
have trails. Skiing is weather dependent and is at your own risk.
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Seven Tips for Bird Feeding on a Budget
It's no secret that the economy has slowed down in recently months. Gas and grocery prices are up, and we're all looking for ways to save a buck. So what's a backyard bird watcher to do when it's time to refill the bird feeder with expensive seed? Resourceful bird lovers can continue to attract birds without breaking the bank with these tips from National Wildlife Federation's naturalist and backyard wildlife expert David Mizejewski.
Plant Natural Feeders - Birds only use feeders to supplement
the natural foods they find in the landscape, so focus of your
bird-feeding efforts on your plants even in good economic times. Plants
feed birds with seeds, berries, nuts, sap and nectar as well as shelter
and nesting places. Once planted, they'll provide free bird food for
years to come. Get a list of the best plants for your state at
https://secure.nwf.org/backyard/food.cfm.
Say No to
Insecticides - Before you reach for the bug killer think about this: 96
percent of bird species in North America feed their babies insects.
Most adult birds rely on insects as a source of protein too, but even
those that primarily eat plant foods as adults still feed their young
insects, including hummingbirds. Make sure you have plenty of insect
life for the birds by going organic and eliminating insecticides. Let
the birds control the insects for you.
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Read more... [Birding on a Budget]
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Kimball Wildlife Sanctuary
Watchaug Pond, Charlestown
Want to make your garden the talk of the town? Go beyond attracting songbirds and butterflies and lure less common backyard critters to your yard.
As you manage your land to attract more birds and other wildlife, whether a 50-acre farm or half-acre suburban lot, you can make small changes to attract pollinators.
At several refuges managed by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), common reed (Phragmites australis) and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) are just a few of the introduced species that dominate fields, encroach on marshes, alter forest edges and threaten riparian corridors.
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Whether you wake to find mist hanging in damp hollows, snow draping the last of your tomato vines, or sunshine glinting off a warm sea, there is one thing that unites us all this month: pumpkins. With Halloween quickly followed by Thanksgiving, pumpkins seem to define this season. We make family trips in a quest for the perfect jack-o'-lantern, dress up in pumpkin costumes to go trick or treating, decorate our homes with them, and slice them up to make pies, bread, and soup.
Pumpkins are native to Central America and the desert Southwest. The pumpkin we typically carve or cook is a species called Cucurbita pepo, although there are four species of Cucurbita that include cultivars called pumpkins. With corn and beans, pumpkins and other squash form the "three sisters," a staple part of Native American agriculture. Because of this, pumpkins spread to new areas of North America, including New England, where Native tribes introduced the early Pilgrims to pumpkins. This was fortunate for the settlers, as pumpkins helped them fend off starvation during their first winters.
LEARN MORE
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Conservation 