Friday, March 10, 2017

Cicadas Buffett

Last spring in Eastern Ohio marked one of the largest regular cicada hatches, the Brood V 17 year hatch. While at the time it made for an ever-present din for a few weeks, the long-term effect is on other wildlife.

From bass to opossums to turkeys, the cicadas create a veritable smorgasbord in life and death. This is especially beneficial for young of the year. Translation, the next couple of years should provide excellent turkey populations. With luck, and where I am most interested, is it can help our struggling grouse populations at all. They really need it.
From: http://www.ruffedgrousesociety.org/UserFiles/Image/spotlightnod/forecast2016/OH%20Rangewide%20RUGR%20Drumming%20Index%201972-2016.png 


Cicada Lifecycle


 What Brood V Looked Like in Ohio

Friday, March 3, 2017

Most Challenging Gamebird ...


Turkeys aren't as bright as crows, that's understood. But they do adhere to strict hierarchies. That makes me curious about the thought processes from the leader to the lowest member with this behavior.



Found via: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/strange-turkeys-circle-dead-cat?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=atlas-page