Nature's Notebook

Whether you believe the groundhog or not, spring is coming to our region, as it does every year at this time. In recent days I have heard eastern bluebirds, dark-eyed juncos, and black-capped chickadees, all singing.

Regardless of the weather — the taste of springtime warmth two weeks ago or the late winter-snows of last week and this — the expanding photoperiod (longer days) signals spring to many of our birds.  In fact, some species such as the red-tailed hawk are getting ready to begin nesting.  Others such as red-winged blackbirds and common grackles are arriving in the first wave of early spring migrants from the south.

While we’re on the subject of blackbirds, one of the favorite haunts of these birds for nesting and roosting are stands of phragmites, also known as common reed.  (The Journal had a nice photo of phragmites on its Viewpoint pages a few weeks ago.)  This is the abundant tall grass in our area that is topped with a fluffy tassel.  You see it almost everywhere: in our marshes, growing in roadside ditches, even on the edges of woodlands.

There are a number of interesting questions about phragmites that make it a hot subject of debate among ecologists. Is it a weed? Is it an invasive species? Does it have any value for wildlife? 

Phragmites have aggressively colonized so many habitats, particularly wetlands, that it is hard not to consider it a weed. Part of its success comes from the fact that it grows via rhizomes, long tendrils that extend outward from the roots and from which new stems sprout. 

Phragmites’ success and the lack of natural control agents led many to believe that it was not a native plant, but more recent research has proven that phragmites have existed on this continent for millennia. 

At the same time, genetic studies show that our aggressive reed is mostly a non-native strain.  Most landowners therefore consider it a pest and attempt to remove or reduce it – not an easy proposition.  Wildlife managers point to the apparent dearth of birds and other species in extensive phragmites marshes.

But phragmites are not without  use to wildlife.  Aside from the aforementioned blackbirds, chickadees and woodpeckers feed on the seeds and insects found in the tassels, muskrats build their lodges in reed beds, and bitterns and other waterbirds often find shelter in phragmites stands. A literature review that I helped to co-author and that is nearing publication found at least 60 birds in the United States to have some association with reed. Whether that number carries significance is another subject for debate.

Tony Piel of Sharon sent this photo of a Patagonian aquilucho blanco from his recent trip to South America, noting that it is “a rare, exotic and beautiful raptor, or bird of prey.†The photo was snapped “near Junin de los Andes, childhood home of Evita Duarte Peron.â€

Fred Baumgarten is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at fredb58@sbcglobal.net. His blog is thatbirdblog.blogspot.com.