We Are In The SUNNY SEASON!

Yep..we are officially in the "SUNNY SEASON" but I'll bet that I didn't have to tell YOU that! The sunny season is May through October with the greatest amount of sunshine in July and August. That's statistically speaking of course.

YEAH SUN! Now we can go SWIMMING!

House In The Wood is operated by Northwestern Settlement

Update

The Garlic Mustard is blooming...

...I hope that we get our Rowe Elementary School 

plant bully helpers before it seeds.

The Red Winged Blackbird females have arrived and...

...the males are very noisy as they try to attract their attention.

The American Coots have moved on to their breeding ground a little further north...

...we will see them next at OEC in October 

as they migrate through to go south for the winter.

The BATS are BACK!

Bats are mammals

Like most mammals, including people, bats have fur, grow up inside their moms, are born live, and nurse milk from their mothers' bodies. Bats belong to a special group of flying mammals called Chiroptera (Ki-ROP-ter-a). This word is Greek for "hand-wing." Bats actually fly with a modified hand.

Bats--the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

Many people still fear and dislike these winged mammals of the night. Several hundred years ago in Europe, bats were considered evil, dirty, and mysterious. These feelings were passed on through legends.

Today we know that the many myths surrounding bats are false. But, because of these myths, some people still harm bats. In fact, because of human actions, many species have become endangered. Bats play a valuable role in the ecosystem. Worldwide, bats are the most important natural enemies of night-flying insects. The little brown bat can eat 600 mosquitoes AN HOUR!. 

House In The Wood has bat houses to encourage these excellent means of natural pest control to live at House In The Wood. Since we are next to a marsh, mosquitoes could be overwhelming in the summer but although they can get bad on some days, they are not as bad a they could be.

ALL Bat information from my favorite Wisconsin nature site EEK!

For more information on House In The Wood please go to our website at www.houseinthewood.org

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The Birds in Our Wetland

These are some of our marsh birds. They depend on the marsh for food, shelter and nesting sites.

Blue Winged Teals-males and females

The Blue Winged Teals are ducks that may move on to nest further north. I'll keep you updated.

Wood Duck-male

I have been trying to get a picture of this shy little duck for weeks.We have Wood Duck nesting boxes on the south side of our marsh. I am not sure if anyone is maintaining them--they need to be cleaned out every year. Next winter, I'll put on my snowshoes and walk on over there to check.

 

Belted Kingfisher. Yum, yum. I like to eat fish!

 I have rarely seen the Kingfisher at House In the Wood so it was a special treat to see it AND to have my camera to take a picture. I stalked him with my camera pass the marsh and into the forest along the lake. Here he is perched on an oak tree.

Great Blue Heron

 The Great Blue Heron can be found hunting along the edges of the lake and marsh every day.

Red Winged Blackbird on Wood Duck Nesting Box

This blackbird must have been defending a nest because he kept on clacking at me most insistently.

Sandhill Crane. Yum, yum. I'm looking for frogs to eat!

Last year there was a nesting pair of Sandhill Cranes. I haven't seen any sign of another crane or a nest this year yet. I'll keep you updated. Click the link for more information on Sandhill Cranes from my favorite nature site EEK Wisconsin

More information about House In The Wood at www.houseinthewood.org.

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