The species’ remarkable combination of colors is evident in this Painted Bunting photo taken by David Hollie. Are you lucky enough to see male and female Painted Buntings at one of your seed feeders?

The oldest Painted Bunting on record was banded 14 years ago, and still returns to the same yard each spring (photo by Jim Konrad).

A program that enlisted the help of birders who attracted Painted Buntings to their feeding stations was initiated by a group of biologists centered in the Carolinas – the Painted Bunting Observation Team (PBOT) – a research program that banded and monitored buntings across the East Coast side of the species’ range. Feeder hosts let the group know when they were attracting Painted Buntings to their feeders, which would elicit a response by a team member to capture, band, and release the colorful songbirds to learn more about them.

Thereafter, the host birders recorded the activities of banded Painted Buntings at their feeders, sometimes over the course of years, which revealed information about their longevity, site fidelity, and other behaviors to the team, and to science. This all started 14 years ago, when Lex Glover, a retired wildlife biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and Jamie Rotenburg, a professor at the University of North Carolina, started the PBOT. During that first season, one special male Painted Bunting was banded that would make this story even more significant.

After the Painted Bunting was banded, its activities were monitored and documented by Ann Knolte and Hank Stallworth at their feeding station at their stunning farmhouse surrounded by flower gardens in South Carolina. In fact, even after the PBOT program ended, Ann Knolte continued taking detailed notes of bunting behavior in her yard that included information about the banded bunting that continued to visit the area for years. Read more

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — For the third year, the National Wild Turkey Federation is hosting NWTF Conservation Week — Sept. 17-22 — to bring awareness and emphasis to its national conservation mission and the critical role hunters play in creating Healthy Habitats and Health Harvests.

“Conservation Week showcases the scope of our year-round mission delivery, which is made possible through our organization’s volunteers, staff and partners,” said NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff. “While the spring season may be over, our work to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage never stops. This is a week all about putting the spotlight on our incredible work and celebrating the people who make our unfaltering mission possible.” Read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is concluding a two-year long investigation into illegally harvested and dealt ginseng. The operation involved the illegal trafficking of ginseng in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, New York, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. The operation was conducted in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The investigation, which ran from 2018 to 2020, spanned 21 Ohio counties and resulted in 110 defendants being charged with a combined 259 violations. Charges included the illegal harvest of ginseng, falsification or failure to keep ginseng records, illegal purchase of ginseng, and harvest of ginseng without permission. During the investigation, seven individuals were charged for the manufacture, possession, or sale of illicit drugs.

Defendants in the case combined to pay $76,178 in fines and $21,633.05 in court costs, with an additional $20,871.68 in cash being forfeited. Courts ordered a total of 7,986 days of jail time; 2,068 days were served, and the rest was suspended. Those charged with drug-related crimes were ordered to serve 12 to 15 years in prison. Additional penalties included probation, community service, home confinement, suspension of ginseng dealer permits, and suspension of digging ginseng. Read more

Game Warden K9 Gordon and Game Warden Preston Pomerleau located a missing 64-year-old man early Thursday morning after he became lost behind the vacation house he was renting while looking for moose tracks.

At approximately 10:15 last night, the Maine Warden Service received a call that Donald Cook, age 64 of Harrisburg, Virginia, was reported missing by his family. The family had returned home to their rental place at about 3:30 and Cook was missing, and they could not find him despite searching for several hours.

Several game wardens responded to the scene to search for Cook at approximately 11:00 p.m. last night, including a warden K9. K9 Gordon and Warden Pomerleau searched the area, and after nearly two hours of searching, K9 Gordon located Cook in the woods at a little after 1:00 a.m. this morning, approximately one half mile from the rental home.

Cook was dehydrated and cold. Game Wardens gave Cook some water, and warm clothes, then assisted him out of the woods. Cook said he had gone out back to look for moose tracks, but got lost after he left the trail behind the house. Cook was examined by emergency medical personnel from Caribou Ambulance but did not need to be transported to the hospital and he was released.

The Maine Warden Service was assisted by the Aroostook Sheriff’s Office and caribou ambulance. This release will be updated if more information becomes available.

Private landowners from Missouri recently attended a workshop to learn about the importance of private land habitat management and the programs available to facilitate it.

The NWTF recently partnered with the Missouri Department of Conservation to host 17 private landowners on a field-tour workshop in Wright County, presenting information about active management and its benefits for private landowners.

“While the terms forest and woodland are often used to mean the same thing in everyday language, they are two distinct habitats,” said Will Rechkemmer, NWTF Missouri wildlife biologist. “Forests have a predominately closed canopy and allow little light to reach the ground. Woodland habitats, however, have an open canopy that allows sunlight to reach the forest floor and allows native grasses and wildflowers to flourish, creating the early successional habitat that wild turkeys and many other species need. It enhances overall ecological value while providing landowners with better wildlife viewing and hunting opportunities. Restored woodlands also provide high quality nesting and brooding cover for wild turkeys, which is severely lacking across the landscape.” Read more

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday signed legislation creating more opportunities for quality outdoor recreation by authorizing $23.3 million in Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants.

“From camping and kayaking to swimming and snowmobiling, Pure Michigan offers us world-class recreation right in our backyard,” said Gov. Whitmer. “Since 1976, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund has helped us protect our precious natural places and invested in accessible outdoor public recreation. Today’s grants will fund 45 projects across the state, anchoring communities, spurring local economies and making our state a better place to live.”

House Bill 4437 approves funding for the 45 recreation development projects and land purchases recommended by the board. It is now Public Act 119 of 2023. Read more

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) revised the state of Michigan’s interior hemlock woolly adelgid quarantine. The new quarantine is effective on August 1, 2023.

The updated quarantine now includes Benzie and Manistee counties as well as a portion of Washtenaw County in and around the Nichols Arboretum after the pest was identified in these areas. The previous interior hemlock woolly adelgid quarantine regulated movement of hemlock in Allegan, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, and Ottawa counties.

The quarantine regulates the movement of hemlock and tiger-tail spruce trees, forest products and nursery stock, with some exceptions, from the quarantine areas to other locations within the state. Read more

If you are looking for a good perennial to add to a garden space, Bee Balm comes in a variety of colors, but emphasize red flowering plants, which are most attractive to hummingbirds (red flowers produce nectar with a higher sugar content).

Red Hot Poker plants are among the variety of “hummingbird plants” that flower well under drier conditions.

It’s a great time to take a second look at your yard with birds in mind now that the summer growing season has provided what may be the peak of greenery in your trees, shrubs, garden, and lawn, and while many of your flowering plants are in bloom as part of a succession of plants in flower – with more on the way. Take it all in, and at the same time, remember your spring flowering trees and the birds that were attracted, and think about the flowers that have attracted the most hummingbirds. Remember the tall grasses and flowering plants that provided winter and early spring forage and cover for birds, and consider how you can improve and expand on your successes. Read more