Field Notes and Photos - January 2021

Possible Vireo Nest I Found in Bottomland

 My Field Notes and Photos observations used to publish in newsprint, but a lack of demand for nature photography and diminished editorial space changed that equation over time. Now when I have a fresh batch of observations I share them via Lowcountry Outdoors.

Wonderful woven nest I found in hardwoods

My first observation for January 2021 is that the weather was colder, which is really another way to say that it was normal or seasonal for January. Our warm fall in 2020, and our trend of warmer weather in general, means that the colder temps of January are welcome. After deer season is concluded on New Year's Day, the first couple of months of winter offers great conditions for rambling through the woods, whether upland or bottomland. Another observation is that while rainfall rates in January were not excessive, the pattern of light rain each week and a heavier than normal dose of cloudy weather has kept the woodlands very moist and in some places downright swampy.

Pine Cone illustrates size of this mushroom

While walking in a hardwood bottom associated with a creek I found a birds nest dangling from a brach about 6-feet off the ground. This nest was weaved with strong strands of black fiber and it was feathered with brown leaves and pieces of what looks like fresh green resurrection fern. The nest was in great shape, and I left it untouched in case it is reusable in the future. I'm not sure what bird would have built such a nest but Internet research suggests it could be a vireo. Another day I was walking in a hardwood flat that is not associated with a water source, and I found a different woven nest that was in great shape. I enjoy birding, so I guess my curiosity about these bird nests shouldn't be too surprising. The damp weather also allows fungus and mushrooms to thrive on hardwood that is either damp or dead and in decay. They each bring their own unique identity in terms of size and pattern and some are more striking than others.

Neat stacking pattern to this fungus

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