The library is closing today, February 6, at 12p.m. due to weather.

Gilford Public Library


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Nature Corner: The Ubiquitous House Finch

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 1/14/2025

A common visitor to our feeders is the House Finch. (They can be confused with our state bird, Purple Finch, but there are marked differences.) While the house finch males are rosy to red around the face and upper breast, the purple finch are more of a raspberry red. 

In both birds, the females are plain grayish-brown.

What surprised me this week is when I discovered the presence of house finches in the Eastern part of our country is due to human interaction and in some places they are considered invasive species. 

House finches originally lived in the southwestern part of the US in deserts, grassland, shrub land, and open woodland environments, as well as near human homes and cities. They were originally captured in Santa Barbara and sold in pet stores as “Hollywood finches”. In 1939, a pet store in Long Island, New York decided to release them to the wild when they weren’t selling in the store. By the early 1940s, wild nests showed up around Long Island and the spread has continued. You can now find house finches throughout the US and even Hawaii.

 

To discover more:

House Finch


Nature Corner: Black and Blue Moons

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer 1/7/2025

The phenomenon of a “blue moon” has two origins, where neither occurrence shows a moon with the actual blue color. 

The original/traditional definition is when there is a third full moon in a season which has four full moons. The most common reference, which actually came from a misinterpretation of the traditional definition is when there is a second full moon in a single month. The next Blue (Monthly) Moon will occur on May 31, 2026.

A rarer occurrence is the black moon, which occurred on December 30th at 5:27 EST. A black moon refers to the second new moon within a single month. New moons are a result when the sun and moon occupy the same celestial longitude (a.k.a. conjunction). Unlike a full moon, we can’t see the new moon as the illuminated side is facing away from the earth.

Astronomers and stargazers relish the sky visibility during a black moon as the lack of bright moonlight makes it easier to see faraway objects. This is especially valuable during the winter, when drier air offers better sightings through telescopes.

 

To discover more:

The Rare 'Black Moon' of December 30 Rises Tonight

Blue Moon: What is it and when is the next one?

August 2021 Brings Rare Seasonal ‘Blue Moon’


Nature Corner: Christmas for the Birds

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer 12/24/2024

A family tradition of ours began seven years ago, inspired by Eve Bunting’s children’s book The Night Tree. In this poignant story, each Christmas Eve, a young family would head out into the woods and decorate a tree with “gifts” for the wild animals. The gifts would include strung popcorn, fruit, nuts, etc.

In our family, the tradition is to spend part of Christmas Eve day making bird-friendly ornaments and then decorate a small tree on our deck.

The ornament making is definitely messy, but fun. What’s even more rewarding is when we see how the birds respond. The tree also creates a place of shelter from predators and the wind.

We purchase a small tree, but before we purchased an artificial tree, we used to bring the real tree out on the deck and leave it there until the snow was gone. It definitely got a lot of use that continued long after the holiday was over.

Tried and true favorites:

  1. Pinecones filled with non-salted peanut butter (You don’t want salted peanut butter.
  2. Bird seed ornaments made in festive shapes with cookie cutters
  3. Fruit strung on string
  4. Apple slices with peanut butter

 

For more ideas:

DIY: Outdoor Holiday Decorations That Double as Delectable Treats for Birds

 

Nature Corner: Tips for Feeding Birds

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer 12/17/2024

I often get asked “how we get so many kinds of birds at our feeders?”

The answer is we provide a variety of food (suet, shelled sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds (thistle), peanuts, and mealworms. In the spring we add sugar water and oranges with grape jelly for the catbirds, hummers and Baltimore orioles.

Also recognizing that birds have preferences in how they forage for food, we have collected over the years a variety of feeder shapes, styles and a watering hole. In the winter with local waterways frozen, water is essential, so our water source is heated. I have found the solar bird baths not to be as efficient in our cold NH winters, so ours is electric.

In reference to questions on cost, it's a great entertainment that we can enjoy right at home. We budget for it and treasure the visitors.

 

Here's a sampling of some of our feeders.

 

 


Nature Corner: The Myth and Mystery of a Mast Crop Part 2

by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 12/10/2024

In part 1, we explored the phenomena of mast acorn crops with a range of theories of why they occur. 

Part 2: These random cycles of mass acorn production can also have a significant impact on the ecological system. Many animals depend on acorns for survival (chipmunks, squirrels, turkeys, blue jays, deer, bear, mice and more). One negative impact is that the multitude of acorns means there are more mice and deer, leading to more ticks. 

A positive impact is for the oak trees. An evolutionary benefit called “predator satiation” is the fact that during a Mast Year, the animals cannot eat all of the acorns, allowing some acorns to grow into future trees. On lean years for acorns, the population of predators is also lowered due to less prey animals to eat.

One last fact is how oak trees need energy to survive, and during a Mast crop year, the energy goes into producing acorns, and less energy is available for growth.

 

To discover more:

Why Do Some Years Produce More Acorns Than Others?