Month: September 2020

The Benefits of Bats

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Hello Wild Side Readers!

ICYMI – check out the short 4-minute video I created for the virtual Farm Science Review on the benefits of bats and how to attract them to your farm or woodland! Below are some additional resources and videos – enjoy!

Videos:

Publications & Websites:

Thanks for learning more about bats!

(Psssst…don’t forget! National Bat Week is coming soon – October 24th – 31st, 2020! Be sure to check The Ohio Bat Working Group website for additional ways to learn about bats!)

“The last word in ignorance is the person who says of an
animal or plant: What good is it?” ~ Aldo Leopold

Owls of Ohio

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UPDATE:  If you found your way here after my recent Owls of the Tristate presentation I gave at the 2024 Ohio River Valley Woodand and Wildlife Landowner workshop, you are in the right place! 🙂  Below are the resources I mentioned during the presentation. Enjoy!

Hello Wild Side Readers!

If you caught my last post, you’ll know that this year’s Farm Science Review is virtual and all educational materials and presentations will be available starting next week. Check out my last post for more info and the schedule of Gwynne Conservation Area Presentations.

One of the Gwynne presentations is called Owls of Ohio. In the video I created, I promised to provide additional resources for attracting owls to your property. Below is a list of additional resources on owls. Enjoy!

 

Owl Life History Resources:

Ohio Division of Wildlife Owls of Ohio Field Guide

Barn Owl Population Status Report

Barn Owl Nest Box Plans and Placement Guides – both of the below guides are great!

Nesting Platform Plans for Great-horned owls

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds – more info about each owl species

 

Nest Box Resources: 

Nest box specifications and placement recommendation for screech owls, wood ducks, and more – HERE.

Ohio Division of Wildlife Attracting Birds of Ohio – nest box plans for screech owl

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch – tips and plans for nest boxes for birds

 

Management for Owls Resources: 

OSU Extension Fact Sheet – Dead Trees for Wildlife

NC State Extension Working with Wildlife – Owls

Presentation on Dead Wood for Wildlife – Ohio Woodland Stewards’ Friday Escape to the Forest Webinar Series

  • Info on creating and maintaining den trees and snags & constructing brush piles

General Management Recommendations for Forest & Open Habitats for Raptors (including owls) 

Managing Forest Birds in Southeast Ohio

Managing Small Forest Patches for Birds

 

Recommended Apps:

  • Merlin, Cornell Lab of Ornithology – listen to bird calls (including owls), life history info, song/call ID
  • Audubon Bird Guide

Recommended Books:

  • Hawks at a Distance – Jerry Liguori
  • Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America
  • Birds of the Prey of the Midwest Field Guide – Stan Tekiela
  • Crossley’s ID Guide: Raptors – Richard Crossley

 

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist

In Ohio, short-eared owls can be seen during winter hunting over open fields and grasslands.

2020 Gwynne Conservation Area Farm Science Review Presentations

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Hello Wild Side Readers!

Next week is Farm Science Review (FSR), one of the largest farm shows in the country, hosted by the Ohio State University and the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Monday through Thursday usually finds me at the show on the Gwynne Conservation Area, which is down the road from the Molly Caren Agricultural Center, the site of FSR.

Among many activities, the Gwynne typically hosts a series of professionals talks geared towards farmers, woodland owners, and other landowners about conservation and natural resources management. This year, FSR is virtual, and so all 45 talks planned for 2020 at the Gwynne are now moving to an online platform!

Check out the full schedule of talks here.

I’ve also added a short tutorial below on how to watch the talks from your computer or other device, starting Sept. 22, 2020. Please reach out to me in the comments below if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy the show!

How to access Gwynne Conservation Area talks during 2020 FSR:

  1.  Go to fsr.osu.edu and click on ‘Conservation’
  2.  Create a ‘My Show Planner’ Account (don’t skip this step!)
  3.  Click on ‘Home’ and search for keyword ‘Gwynne’
  4.  A list of the Gwynne subject matter areas should appear (i.e. ‘Gwynne Forages and Grazing Education‘, ‘Gwynne Woodland Educations’, etc.). Click on each subject matter to get to the list of scheduled talks.
    • You can add the scheduled talks to your ‘My Show Planner’ in order to easily find the talks you want to watch the next time that you sign in. Talks can be added to your ‘My Show Planner‘ now!
  5.  Under each scheduled talk, there will be a link. Click on the link to watch a video of the talk. For the ‘live sessions’ the link will take you to a zoom meeting room.

For more information on FSR 2020 and how to navigate the vitual show site, visit the links below:

Farm Science Review 2020 – Free and Online

Full Schedule of ALL the talks going on during FSR 2020

Navigating the FSR virtual show site

 

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist