SOUTHERN LIVING USA

Southern living can have it’s little surprises from time to time. Snakes are one group of wildlife that cause many problems for people just by their presence. Snakes make people very uncomfortable, especially when they are surprised by the sudden appearance of a snake in the yard or even in the home.

It is not necessary to kill every snake that is seen as most of the 37 species of snakes commonly found in the south are non-poisonous and are, in fact, extremely beneficial due to the large number of rodents that many eat.

There are about 6 southern species that are poisonous: copperhead, water moccasin (AKA water rattler, noshoulders), coral, timber rattlesnake, diamondback rattlesnake, and the pygmy rattlesnake. Telling poisonous from non-poisonous can be done simply by observing the eyes or the tail of a live snake or its skin. Eyes of poisonous snakes have cat like slitted pupils. Poisonous snakes have a single row of scales on the tail following the anal opening. Non-poisonous snakes have round pupils and double rows of scales. Coral snakes have round pupils and look a lot like the scarlet king snake, but red bands touch yellow bands (yellow touches red, you’re dead). Coral snakes are usually found south of Wilmington, N.C.. The triangular shape of the head is not always a clear indicator of a poisonous snake as many species of snakes can, when disturbed, make their head and neck swell. All snakes can bite!

Why are the snakes present in the first place? Primarily because they are looking for food or their habitat has been disturbed. It is almost as distressing for some homeowners to discover they have snakes because it may mean they have mice.

There is no known chemical repellant that can be sprayed, or otherwise put out to prevent snakes from entering a house or even a yard (contrary to popular belief about sulphur or moth balls). Control is best accomplished by cleaning up any areas that snakes or their rodent prey could live in or under such as piles of boards, trash, or bushy areas.

If you do get a snake in the house, you need to check for areas where it could have entered, perhaps around the foundation or where utility lines enter. It doesn’t take a very big hole to allow a snake access. Block off this access, and if necessary, use rat size glue boards, available at some hardware stores, to catch any animals remaining in the house.

Seek medical attention if bitten. Remember what the snake looked like. Death is rare for bite victims, but complications from swelling can result in limb loss. Try to stay calm. Walk, don’t run to the doctor.

The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker is also known as the “spotted owl of the east coast”. It is often confused with the larger piliated woodpecker or its look-a-likes, downy and hairy woodpeckers.

This woodpecker is about 3-5 inches long, predominately grey and white with a red bar behind the eye. It rose to fame in the mid seventies as a major natural control of the southern pine beetle.

It is unique in that it builds its cavity nest only in live pine trees. Pine trees used for cavities, roosting or foraging (feeding) are normally old- growth (70+ for loblolly and 90+ for longleaf pine) and in stands with very little under growth (less than 5 feet tall). Ideal stands normally have a history of frequent, low intensity burning. Cavities are normally found facing the southeast, about 15-20 feet off the ground and surrounded by a pitch flow. This pitch flow is created and maintained by the woodpecker as it pecks the bark off the tree and drills “pitch wells” in the wood. From a distance it is shinny grey. The pitch flow serves to keep snakes and raccoons from robbing the nest. It may actually attract a small amount of food.

The woodpeckers eat pine bark beetles, wood borers, ants, spiders, roaches, centipedes, moths and caterpillars. Although early studies observed foraging in agricultural fields, most foraging is done on tree trunks. They will also eat small fruit and seed as well as feed on suet.

The woodpeckers live in family groups known as clans. These clans consist of the breeding pair plus helpers who gather food for the young. Each clan uses and defends an aggregate of cavity trees referred to as a nesting site. Each nesting site usually contains 1-9 trees containing 1-8 cavities in each tree.

These trees are seldom more than 1300 feet apart. Each clan needs at least 5000 pines 10 inches or larger in diameter surrounding the nesting site. Sixty to five hundred acres may be required to provide enough trees.

Logging should not occur in the nesting site plus a 200 foot buffer surrounding it. The minimum number of pine trees for foraging have to be maintained adjacent to the nesting site. Careful planning and the cooperation of adjacent landowners will allow the woodpeckers to thrive and landowners to cut timber.

Many timber buyers, consultants and foresters are familiar with the cavity trees and respect the stiff fines and jail time associated with disturbing this endangered species.

Several years of scientific study and common sense have resulted in a management strategy that can allow woodpeckers and logging. It still takes landowners willing to work within these guidelines to make this common sense approach work.

If you suspect you have red-cockaded woodpeckers on your property please contact county extension office, wildlife preserve office, or game wardens.

Federal penalties include a $50,000 fine and up to 30 years in prison.

NOTE: Substantial rewards have also been given to whistle blowers.

If you are a Southern bobwhite - quail fancier, your thoughts may be where to find the birds when hunting or why they are so wild and hard to hit. You may be concerned because you don’t find birds in the same places you used to, and wonder what happened to them.

According to Wildlife Specialists with the Agricultural Extension Services and the Wildlife Resources Commission, there are some good reasons for many changes in bobwhite abundance and habits. These reasons relate to the basic necessities all living creatures must have - such things as food, shelter and protection from enemies. All of these things are affected by changes in farm practice and land use. And the important thing is that with a little effort we can provide these basic necessities for the bobwhite.

Quail are birds that like old fields, wood edges, and small openings in the woods. They need some low, dense cover for nesting in summer and roosting in winter, thick escape cover for protection from enemies, and a year round supply of food. In the summer, they eat fruit and insects, but during the fall and winter, they exist primarily on seeds. They prefer the seeds of legumes such as lespedezas and partridge peas and crops such as soybeans, cowpeas, and corn.

Good quail habitat consists of these requirements in close proximity so that all the needs of the birds are met in a relatively small area. By utilizing field edges, small openings and odd corners, quail habitat can be provided with little extra trouble or cost. Sometimes it’s as simple as not clearing up the tangle of honeysuckle and briars in the back corner of the field. In other cases, it may require leaving a few rows of soybeans at the edge of the field or planting the field border with food cover. In pine woods, particularly in the Coastal Plains, controlled burning can be used to stimulate growth of quail food plants, but this must be done carefully with close supervision.

Detailed information on managing natural vegetation along field edges or planting food plots is available in several new quail related publications entitled: Bobwhite Quail, Managing Edges for Wildlife , Planting ACR land for Wildlife and Commercial Sources for Wildlife Planting Materials at your local Extension Center.