Ground Hogs and other Neighbors in the Backyard

       Natural history involves both cultural and biological elements, and being a biologist, I lean toward the latter. In my mind, natural history is extremely important for all humans because we are connected in so many ways to the living kinds we observe. It is sort of a natural phenomenon that we can experience firsthand how much in common with the living world on an individual level. Biologically speaking, we as living creatures exhibit the same basic behavior patterns and survival strategies as do many other living organisms. Through our observation of these living creatures, the similarities can be noted and thus create a stronger bond between humans and the natural world. At the same time however, we as humans all have our own biases and those influence what we see and do as a result of how we perceive it. Overall, I would say that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to natural history because it is about more than just simply observing, but letting ones curiosity run wild and relating these thoughts to your life. Thinking abstractly when it comes to natural history is a key component to maintaining the same level of quality when it comes to recording data. By integrating curiosity and creativity into my work, I was able to leave the cut and dry description of nature alone and dive into my own thoughts about what something is or does and letting my notes guide my research into discovery.    

Natural history can be practiced anywhere, even in a place as often as every day and as nearby as a one’s own yard. Biodiversity can be studied everywhere from the Galapagos Islands to the Sahara Desert, but the place I chose to do natural history was in a friend’s backyard in Salisbury, Maryland. I chose this plot because it is of a decent size with a diverse selection of plants, trees, and animals. Many different types of animals, particularly various kinds of rodents, visit this yard frequently. Sightings include rabbits, woodchucks, and many squirrels, as well as a variety of other animals such as diverse species of migratory birds, northern cardinals, blue jays, sparrows and warblers, bats, feral cats, and even a stray dog.

By regularly visiting a small plot of land, I learned a lot about the interactions between the animals who inhabit it and their environment.  My curiosity was especially aroused concerning what specifically attracts certain animals to a particular area such as food, habitat, or aromas. I also found myself wanting to learn more about how to attract specific animals to a supposed backyard and how to avoid others, since some of the creatures I came into contact with would be considered “pests” to the common landowner. But that left me with yet another question: Who decides what a pest is? As a result, I researched further into what specifically made people consider many animals to be pests when it comes to backyards.

Overall, we as human beings are intensely curious about other living creatures. I have found myself stopped cold for extended periods of time simply because a small bug has grabbed my attention and then my own curiosity has kept me attached to it. Until I discover what it is doing, where it’s going, or even what it is, my mind will race with potential ideas. My curiosity about animals is what drove me to the topic of attraction, feeding, and behavior. The many animals visiting and living in a backyard are an ecologically important part of the trophic levels comprising a food chain rising to larger organisms.

            In the beginning, I wasn’t completely clueless when it came to identifying birds and mammals and even some insects. With binoculars it became easy to see more specific features, and made it easier to identify the different species that would fly over. I could identify a few easily distinguishable birds such as cardinals and blue jays, turkey vultures, and robins. Through different methods of attracting wildlife, such as putting out birdseed, I found I can manipulate the types of birds that appear in my neighbor’s yard. The website run by Cornell University provided a substantial amount of information regarding this practice. One possibility is black oil sunflower seeds (“oilers”), which according to Cornell Lab “have very thin shells, easy for virtually all seed-eating birds to crack open, and the kernels within have a high fat content, extremely valuable for most winter birds.” In other words, black sunflower seeds are the best for attracting the most birds. The Lab also goes on to note, “Striped sunflower seeds have a thicker shell, much harder for House Sparrows and blackbirds to crack open.” In addition, sunflower seeds are also a great attractor for squirrels so if one wants to really increase the amount of animals in the yard, sunflower seeds are a great start.  Safflower, cracked corn, white proso millet, and peanuts are other types of seed recommended to attract birds by the Cornell Lab. Birds provide a great ecosystem service in seed dispersal and thus increase the plant diversity and vegetation types in your home. In addition, the droppings of birds also typically provide a good fertilizer for a healthier garden or lawn.

            Citizen science is an important component to understanding bird migrations and population data, as well as contributing to ongoing research. I found myself loving to be a part of this network the more I did it.  By finding out more about a certain bird or creature, you open the door to all of the other creatures that look, act, or eat like the one you are looking for and expand your capacity to encounter new species. One type of citizen science that I particularly liked participating in was called “Ebird.” Ebird.com is a website dedicated to bird watchers that monitor particular areas in search for any species of birds that are seen in that area. It is meant for anyone to be able to use and offers the public access to bird statistics from across the world. This includes numerous accounts of rare bird sightings and other useful bits of information that can be used by anyone. One of the things bird watchers do to is make a checklist of all the species they see in an area and check them off depending on how many they see. I have found this especially fun as I figure out how to better identify birds. Overall with bird watching, the more you practice it, the better you get, and the more fun it becomes. It is an important contribution to biological data bases that monitor bird populations and a form of citizen science making it easier for scientist to better track and monitor population levels. In addition, by using a bird guide it can become significantly easier to identify birds based on contour line and colors and size. Wing pattern and shape are also elements one can use to identify more quickly what family of birds one is looking at before using the guide to find the specific species. Attentiveness is one of the major concepts mentioned in the book “The Way of Natural History” about what makes up natural history. I found this quote to be particularly meaningful in bird watching because it involves a certain level of attentiveness to wait patiently for a passing by bird and to be able to pay attention to those little details in order to correctly identify the species. Overall I would say citizen science is an important tool for researchers and scientists to gather information on a large and varied scale.

            Among the first creatures I usually notice frolicking through the grass as I walk into the yard are a number of Eastern grey squirrels. Generally, they are hopping across the lawn in a playful sort of way when I notice them. It turns out, Eastern grey squirrels are reported to be the most common species of squirrel in the area and judging by the number of them in the yard alone, I would have to agree (www.DNR.state.md.us). Natural habitats have become reduced and fragmented as a result of human development and this is causing a number of issues for animals as they find themselves in closer contact with more human beings (Behavioral Responses of Eastern Gray Squirrels in Suburban Habitats Differing in Human Activity Levels). Although habituation to humans is occurring, the squirrel’s behavior is also being altered in the process. Squirrels often engage in “caching” in which they find and store food for the winter months. In the backyard, I observed various squirrels shaking branches of a American Beech tree in order to get the nuts to fall from out of a tree and then scurrying down to retrieve them from the ground. Watching the squirrels scavenge and bury their food was a show in itself. For the most part, squirrels are not regarded as much of a nuisance as other backyard animals such as rats or groundhogs. Some might even argue squirrels actually help people feel more connected to nature because of their constant presence and energy. By sitting in their presence, I found that they acknowledge my presence just as much as I do of them. It is somewhat entertaining to watch them get startled if I move the slightest after they have approached closer. If by chance you don’t want squirrels in your yard, moth balls will repels the unwanted rodents from being in the area (All about Squirrels).  Some of the problems squirrels have been known to cause humans are similar to those caused by deer, in that both species eat and damage many plants, whether in a flower bed or a vegetable garden. Some squirrels will nibble and eat many of the fruits and vegetables that the gardener has devoted hours of time and labor to cultivating. Many squirrels in the yard I have observed literally rummaging through the Beech tree for a favorable nut, quickly discarding the ones they don’t find appealing to the ground. It was quite amusing because meanwhile there are dozens of perfectly edible nuts falling from the tree and the squirrel has only decided on one to actually hide. The American beech tree in the yard is one tree in particular the squirrels like to rummage through. I have noticed that sometimes the nuts fall on the shed or even my car’s hood and the sound it makes will echo across the yard and into the house, disturbing my equanimity. I know immediately who the culprit is. Luckily I have not noticed any dents in my car (yet) squirrels can cause considerable indirect damage in their efforts to find a good meal.

            Groundhogs on the other hand are more commonly considered a “pest” species by most people. When considering the definition of a “pest”, I turned to Pollan’s book “Second Nature” which discusses the human constructed idea of weeds. Pollan refers to weeds as “not a category of nature but a human construct, a defect of our perception.” There really is no such thing as a weed in itself. To some people, weeds are described as a nuisance that is considered unattractive and signifies that the place is un-kept. The word to others ‘weed’ rather describes something unwanted, and anything could essentially be considered this depending on the circumstances. The main reason why groundhogs would commonly be considered a nuisance or pest is due to the fact that when the groundhogs dig burrows, they can compromise the foundations of a house or building. In my case, the groundhog dug its burrow at the entrance of an abandoned shed, so its company was not so unwelcomed.  But still it was much larger than I had expected a groundhog might be, before this first encounter with one. It seemed to be searching for food on the ground as it carefully walked around smelling and digging throughout the yard.  At this moment of the year, I learned in my reading, the groundhog was preparing for hibernation.  In fact the groundhog is one of only a few animals that truly hibernates. They typically hibernate from October to March and in burrow up to 6 feet underground (Woodchuck Fact Sheet). Understandably this could be a potential problem because one could accidently break an ankle upon stepping into one of the holes leading to the Woodchuck’s sleeping chamber, or it could weaken the foundations of home or shed, even as all the vegetables in one’s garden are eaten up. Yet groundhogs provide important ecosystem services.  For instance, the groundhog’s burrowing greatly benefits the soil by aeration and mixing (Outwitcritters.com).  If one is ready to invite a groundhog to make itself at home in one’s yard, then seeding the soil with species that serve as the basis for the groundhogs diet should be contemplated. Groundhogs like clover, grasses, dandelions, corn, peas, lettuce and beans (Woodchuck fact sheet). Overall weighing out the costs and benefits to keeping groundhogs on one’s property is something that depends on the individual circumstances.

            In the final analysis, fostering the backyard diversity of local wildlife plays an important part in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.  Landscaping a yard so that it provides diverse habitats suitable for both human and animal needs in a balanced fashion is not always easy to accomplish.  But to do so is crucial, if nature in all its richness is to thrive in urban and suburban settings.  Allowing some level of un-tameness in the yard is also important. By controlling all the aspects of the yard, you surrender the natural beauty of the environment and degrade the inherent value of the land. While some maintenance is required by the government such as you can’t have grass over a certain height, there is still opportunity for incorporation of habitat for small mammals such as eastern cottontail rabbits by leaving brush piles out to deteriorate on their own. For this reason precisely, the yard I have been describing was left to some degree un-kept because of the piles of leaf litter and branches from recent storms have accumulated. Overall, it ended up being home to a variety of creatures.  By allowing ones yard to exhibit both naturalness and human influence one can truly connect to the place they have involved themself with whether it be for the sake of natural history, citizen science, mere curiosity, or a combination of the three. In conclusion, I hope to see more integration of backyards into citizen science and habitat construction for there is much more to be learned even from common everyday sightings and even more from the not so common occurrences.

  - Shelby Smith

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