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A TOUCH OF NATURE
July 15, 2002 Issue
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DONNA'S COMMENTS
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We finally found land - our own little piece of the forest! We moved here to Virginia from Alabama in November 2000 to find a piece of land with lots of plant diversity and wildlife so we could build an environmentally- friendly home and turn it into a wildlife refuge. We fell in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains and wanted to be near enough to have a mountain view - and why not throw in a stream too! When you're dreaming, you can have it all. I've also seen dreams come true when you keep them in the forefront of your mind. I saw this setting in the midst of forest so that we wouldn't have to own all of the "refuge" but could be a small part of a greater picture.

It's happened! We have that stream [it's actually not on our land, but the person who owns over 400 acres behind us has no problem with us enjoying it as much as we want]. Not only did we get a Blue Ridge Mountain view [in the winter - we won't clear the trees for a summer view, but you can see it through the trees a bit anyway], we also got a mountain view behind us that has rolling pastures in the foreground.

Dreams can happen! You gotta believe they will and keep looking for them. We had already spent many years putting pennies and nickels back saving for the dream. We stopped eating and drinking out [we carry water from home], skipped the video rentals, and found we could do without junk food snacks just fine [they're empty calories that only leave you eating more than you need]. It's amazing the amount of money those decisions saved us. And now, the sacrifice [it didn't seem like that after a couple of months] was well worth it. I'd rather have this dream!

Your sacrifices may be different, and your dream may be different, but regardless of the specifics, life needs dreams and sacrifice. Spend some time today thinking about what you truly want in life. Don't wait any longer to write out a plan to make it happen!

Hugs!
Donna
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CRITTER FACTS
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HOME STUDY COURSE IN BIRD BIOLOGY

A new edition has been released with more than 1,000 pages of fascinating text. Each chapter is written by a different ornithologist, an authority on his subject. It's been edited to make it accessible to the layperson, incorporated with more than 1,000 photos, illustrations, and graphs, and sidebars to explain technical information, share human interest stories, and highlight amazing bird facts. The 10 chapters comewith a CD on vocal behavior and arrives on your doorstep in two fat binders. Find out more
here: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/homestudy

TUFTED TITMOUSE

These active and enjoyable birds are a daily delight at our feeders. Male and female titmice look alike. The upperparts are all gray, and the belly and breast are a lighter gray or white. The flanks are chestnut or rust in color. The crest is gray, the forehead is black, and the area around the eyes is light gray. The Tufted Titmouse is a year-round resident of the deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests in the eastern United States. It prefers habitat containing a variety of tree species with a fairly dense canopy and will nest in or near swamps, orchards, parks, and other suburban areas. In the Southwest, titmice are found in riparian and mesquite habitats.

The diet consists of a variety of invertebrates, such as caterpillars, beetles, wasps, ants, bees, treehoppers, spiders, and snails. They glean prey from tree bark and twigs, but they may also forage on the ground. In winter, titmice cache collected seeds and acorns throughout their territories and frequently visit bird feeders. They often forage in mixed flocks with chickadees and nuthatches.

Tufted Titmice are monogamous, forming pairs that last more than a year. The pair remains on its territory and defends it year round. The male feeds the female from the time they begin building the nest until the eggs hatch. They don't appear to nest readily in boxes where they could be more easily studied. They prefer to nest in natural cavities, even though the prevalence of these cavities is declining.

Nest building begins in late March or early April, typically taking 6 to 11 days. The nest, which is constructed of leaves, moss, dried grass, and bark strips, is lined with feathers, fur, wool, cotton, hair, and sometimes snakeskin. The first eggs can be laid anytime from early April to early May. Titmice living in southern latitudes tend to lay their first eggs earlier than those living in northern latitudes. Females lay one egg per day, and the average clutch size is five to six eggs. The smooth, nonglossy eggs are white to cream-colored and are speckled and spotted with chestnut-red, purplish red, or brown marks, which are usually more densely distributed at the larger end of the egg. Eggs are incubated for 12 to 14 days. Only the female incubates the eggs, and she does not flush readily from the nest. Whenever she leaves the nest, she covers the eggs partially with nesting material.

After the eggs hatch, the female broods the nestlings for a few days. As the nestlings get older, the female leaves the nest more frequently and helps the male feed them. The young fledge after 15 to 16 days. Although they begin to feed themselves 5 days after fledging, but are not completely independent for another three weeks.

Titmice breeding in the southern part of their range raise two broods during one breeding season. Pairs in the northern part tend to raise single broods.

View a picture of a Tufted Titmouse here:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/bird_bios/speciesaccounts/images/east
_tuti_paff.jpg

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CHARACTER QUALITIES IN NATURE
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MAKING WORK ENJOYABLE: Otters

Otters are the most proficient swimmers of the weasel family, so it's hard to believe that an animal which enjoys and is so competent in the water would be afraid of it at birth. Such is the case with young otter pups. To introduce them to this threatening element, the parents employ an involved strategy of making it a fun job.

The female chooses a nesting location along a bank with an underwater entrance so her pups won't be exposed to predators. She lines the den with soft vegetation and gives birth to 2-3 pups. After the pups' eyes open, she leads them out by digging a hole above the chamber, allowing the pups to leave the den on dry land.

She then allows them to romp and play with each other, exploring the area. Both parents join them in their play and also allow them to ride on their backs. Periodically the parents slip into the water alone and return with morsels of food. This is the first step in a strategy to familiarize them with water. They are not forced towards the stream, but allowed to play for several days until the parents feel they are ready to enter the water. At that time, either one or both of the parents have the pups climb up on their back for the customary ride, but instead of running up and down the shoreline, they slip into the water's edge. The pups cling in fright, but as it is repeated they gradually relax and become more confident of their support and of the water.

The next step is to slip out from underneath, leaving them to experience their buoyancy as they fight to stay above the surface. The parent glides underneath and supports them as needed, and by extending these free-floating periods, the pups learn the fine art of swimming. The parents remain in the same area for the summer concentrating on developing the skills of their pups and teaching them to fish and hunt for crayfish by example.

By the end of the season, not only will the pups have mastered their aquatic skills, but of great importance, they will have learned how to approach a routine task with carefree abandon that characterizes this fun-loving mammal.

Source: Character Sketches, Vol. I, Institute in Basic Life Principles

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IS YOUR PET EATING DEAD FOOD?

You really need to know! Read the article to find out what's in
your pet's food. Choosing a healthy pet food avoids many vet
bills and heartache.

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GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE- Restoring the Balance
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DON'T DUST THOSE TOMATOES

When you put your tomatoes in, plant some dill between the plants to prevent the tomato hornworms from chomping your tomato plants to nothing.

CONVERT TRASH TO TREASURE

Backyard composting is a simple and effective way to help the environment and improve your backyard wildlife habitat. Composting is a natural process that turns organic waste from your yard and home into valuable nutrients for your gardens and indoor house plants, while at the same time reducing the amount of trash you send to the local landfill. Get some details here:
http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/previoustips2.cfm

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"GREEN" INFO- Making It a Way of Life!
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DO TIRES MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

Cumulatively, buying more fuel-efficient tires would save the nation more than five billion barrels of oil over the next 50 years.

In general, bias tires are less efficient than radial tires, and mud and snow tires or off-road tires are less efficient still. If you are considering getting mud and snow (M+S) tires for your SUV or truck, consider staying with all-season radials--the heavier weight and four wheel drive of SUVs may make M+S tires unnecessary for most conditions.

Under-inflated tires increase your fuel consumption, they wear quicker and can make it difficult to handle your vehicle. Be sure your wheels are aligned and your brakes properly adjusted to minimize rolling resistance. Radial tires can be under inflated yet still look normal, so check your tires with a gauge. On average, tires lose about 1 psi per month and 1 psi for every 10 degree drop in temperature. Frequently, under-inflated tires cause fuel consumption to increase by as much as 6%.

DIAPERS

Approximately 18 billion used diapers are sent to US landfills annually. Choosing cloth diapering products will help lessen the impact and will likely save you $1,000-$2,000 over a two-year period. Babyworks is one place you can get the comfort of cloth diapering, along with cotton children's clothing, toys, bedsheets and other baby care products.
http://www.babyworks.com

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CREATION IN THE BIBLE
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Psalms 96:11-14 - KJV
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that [is] therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

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MUSINGS: POETRY & PROSE
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"Animals are an obligation put on us,
a responsibility we have no right to
neglect, nor to violate by cruelty."

-- James Herriot in "All Creatures Great and Small"

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GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR PLANET
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HOT SPOT: CHINA'S YUNNAN PROVINCE

The unique combination of rivers and mountains, climates and elevations in the northwest corner of China's Yunnan Province has created one of the Earth's richest biodiversity hot spots. In 1998 the Yunnan provincial government invited The Nature Conservancy to help create a conservationa and economic development plan for northwest Yunnan. Learn about the Conservancy's strategies to protect this ecologically critical place:
http://nature.org/magazine/summer2002/yunnan

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DISCLAIMER:
The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed our sponsor "The Herbs Place.com" This is a personal publication by Donna Watkins. The ideas and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Donna Watkins or "The Herbs Place.com" be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation.