Searching for birds and bugs

With a title like this it would stand to reason that the focus of this week’s column would be the relationship between many species of birds and their insect diets. After all, insectivorous birds are responsible for keeping insect populations under control. Without them, the forests that make northwest Connecticut so special would be decimated by leaf-eating caterpillars and other pests.

But in this case we are searching for invasive bugs that have no natural controls — and that were the topic of a recent program sponsored by the Sharon Conservation Commission: the Asian long-horned beetle and the emerald ash borer.

The threats to our forests by these two pests are significant. Also significant is the fact that they have not been spotted in northwest Connecticut — yet — but they are already nearby.

The long-horned beetle has been found on Long Island; 17,000 trees have been cut down in Worcester, Mass., as a result of an infestation; and, this summer, infested trees were found on the grounds of the Faulkner Hospital near Boston, Mass. The hospital is across the street from the Arnold Arboretum, the oldest arboretum in America.

The emerald ash borer has been found in nearby Saugerties and Kingston, N.Y.

In the case of the Asian long-horned beetle, once a tree is infected, the only recourse is to remove the tree and any other infected trees near it.

Its preferred foods are maples but other hosts include birches, willows, horsechestnut and occasionally ashes and poplars.

This is where birders come in — and, the point of this week’s column.

Identification and quick response are the keys to mitigating a potential disaster. Since the beetle walks from tree to tree rather than flying, its spread is slow and can be preempted by vigilance and rapid response.

Birders and other nature watchers can serve an important role in the detection of these pests by looking for signs of them as you search for birds. Exit holes in trees, frass (insect waste and sawdust) and other telltale signs are easy to identify.

I urge everyone to go on the Internet, search for information on these pests in Connecticut and become familiar with their signs and identification. The Department of Environmental Protection has a page devoted to the beetles, at ct.gov/dep/alb.

The state chapter of the Natural Resources Conservation Service also has good information at ct.nrcs.usda.gov/invasive_insects.

And of course you can call the Sharon Audubon Center for a fact sheet. Sightings should be reported immediately to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, toll-free, at 877-855-2237.

One thing we do know is that the transportation of firewood causes the spread of these destructive pests, so everyone should do their part to protect our trees and the forests that make our part of Connecticut so special: Don’t transport firewood. Buy your wood locally.

And, if you would like to help search for birds and bugs, join us for our annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, Dec. 19.  To learn more about how to take part, call me at 860-364-0520 or send me an e-mail.

 Scott Heth is the director of Audubon Sharon and can be reached at sheth@audubon.org, (subject line: Nature Notes).