Mothers in Nature

Mothers in Nature - this week’s theme at Habitat Garden Club.

Each Tuesday morning, we start off by walking around the native plant gardens assessing what needs to be done, which weeds to pull and look for wildlife. As we walk and talk, birdsong interrupts our conversation. Movement catches our eyes.

“Oh look, it’s a summer tanager! We follow to see where it goes. “In the maple tree, look, it’s on a nest!”

A series of squeaks were heard while pulling weeds. “There’s something in there moving around!” “It’s a rat!” We give it space and hope to see it again. We see a blur. “It’s carrying a baby, go get a camera!” We watch and giggle as the hispid cotton rat moves four babies one by one, across the parking lot to a different location.

Habitat Garden Club meets each Tuesday morning from 9 am - 12 pm in the parking lot of the South East lake entrance to Ruffner Mountain.

Photos by Michelle Reynolds

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Photo by Rick Remy

Did you know Ruffner Mountain is a favorite go-to spot for bird watching? 

While you are most likely to find hawks, owls, woodpeckers, and songbirds, recently, Green Herons have been spotted foraging near pockets of water within the preserve. 

Lianne Koczur, the Science & Conservation Director at Alabama Audubon is interested in finding nesting herons (green herons and yellow-crowned night herons). Her goal is to band the adults and nestlings to learn more about nest success, habitat use, and movements (both local and migratory). You can read more about her research at alaudubon.org/herons. 

 Some fun facts about the Green Heron: 

• Green Herons are one of the few bird species known to use tools. They will bait for fish using things like bread, leaves, or feathers to try to lure in fish. 

• In-flight, the Green Heron resembles a crow, but the wingbeats are slower, it’s a slightly different shape, and the neck is reddish-brown.

Thanks to Ruffner Mountain member and bird lover, Rick Remy, for this beautiful shot of a Green Heron hunting at the Eastern Trailhead (Wetlands).

While it can be fun and educational to see wildlife out on the trails, please remember that all wildlife on Ruffner Mountain is protected. If you leave it alone, it will leave you alone.

Hats Are Back!

Choose from the Classic Snapback with an embroidered logo or the Hemp Snapback with embroidered logo. You can purchase your favorite here.

Ruffner Mountain CLOSED Tuesday, April 27th and Wednesday, April 28th

PARDON OUR PROGRESS!

Ruffner Mountain will be closed on Tuesday, April 27th for parking lot renovations.

We will reopen on Thursday, April 29th at 7:00 am.

As a reminder, Ruffner Mountain is closed on Mondays. No vehicle or foot traffic allowed.

Thank you for your patience!

Turkey Vultures

Turkey vultures are cool birds!

Landing on the rocky rim of the quarry, and skipping up the very edge, a group of turkey vultures outstretches their wings to absorb the heat of the sun. The radiant heat from the limestone and the direct rays of the sun produce solar power for the birds, and as their bodies warm, they’ll take off in search of their next meal.

In-flight, the wings form a dihedral, they overextend, and the birds teeter-totter as they soar and circle up through the thermals.

Turkey vultures have bald redheads, black bodies, and 6-foot wingspans with long, fingered wingtips. They have a keen sense of smell that directs them to the freshly dead.

Vultures don’t kill prey. They scavenge for the dead and then pick bones clean with their powerful beaks. The bald head serves a purpose. Rotting carrion would stick to a feathered head, but not to the bare-naked skin of the turkey vulture’s head. These amazing birds provide an important service to us. They clean up dead animals, and in doing so, they help prevent the spread of pollution and disease.

Pick Up The Poop

We get it. We all love to hike with our dogs.

When we decide to head out the door for a hike, we go to the bathroom one last time, put the dog in the car, and drive over to the mountain for a hike. Fido, however, didn’t realize he needed to do anything but jump in the car, and by the time you get to the trailhead to start your hike, the dog has got to go... you know.... number two.

Please follow “leave no trace” trail etiquette and pick up the poo and dispose of it properly. Dog poop degrades slowly, and although it does break down on its own after a long time, it may contain bacteria and parasites that do not disappear on their own. Dog poop may threaten native wildlife, and it can also threaten other dogs and humans.

So please use the baggies provided, pick up the poo, and hike it out to the trash receptacles. Plastic bags left behind are just gross litter and somebody’s got to clean that up. 

Spring Ephemerals

Spring wildflowers are coming up fast!

A Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) flower rises from the curled leaf, and petals begin to drop before the leaf completely unfolds. You may find clumps of bloodroot on the north slopes of the mountain. These ephemerals don’t last long!

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Rue-anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) is a native woodland plant and one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring.

Rue-anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)

Yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum) is one of our most numerous ephemeral wildflowers on the mountain. The trail behind the nature center passes through a large colony, and other patches of trout lilies can be found on the southern limestone slopes. Brown-mottled leaves give the plant its common name, as they resemble the markings of brook trout. Especially on warm and sunny days, nodding yellow flowers open, and petals bend backward to reveal yellow to brown stamens.

Yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum)