March 7, 2003 The Lion’s Eye Eye on Campus Page 3 Nightlife, no, but Dela has wildlife By RENEE BLISARD REB202@psu.edu Lions Eye staff writer Take a look around, and you just might notice that there is quite a menagerie surrounding us here at Penn State Delco. : The fields between the buildings and the surrounding woods provide excellent habitats and hiding places for many kinds of wildlife. In the evening, white-tail deer con- gregate in a small herd in the empty field adjacent to the campus, where it used to be rumored that dorms were to be built and sometimes in the very late evening they venture into the fields in the middle of campus. If you look carefully, you may notice that the deer all look like does. This is - not the case. In the winter, bucks, the male deer, shed their antlers and look like does until spring, when they acquire a new set according to the Web site www.whitetaildeer.com. The Web site states that whitetail deer get their name from the white underside of their fluffy tail, which they raise straight in the air in a position called "flagging" while run- ning if they see or smell a predator. John Ousey, associate professor of envi- ronmental sciences, had a lot to say about Penn State's deer population. "Ones that bunch up tend to be female," Ousey said. "There are a lot of deer, and a lot of deer ticks because of could be seen around here. It frightened some people because it was so unusual,” he said. Groundhogs, or woodchucks, can be seen all over the campus. They are burrowing mammals with "stocky" bodies and "flattened heads," have fur color "ranging from yellowish to dark reddish brown," can be found throughout Canada and all parts of the U. S. except the west, are members of the rodent family, which includes squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs, etc., and like to eat "green vegetation" like clover and alfalfa and occasionally "snails, insects, young birds, or bark" according to the Canadian Wildlife Service Web site (http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca). Both Ousey and Dr. Barbara Daniel, the assis- tant director of academics, have both seen groundhogs on campus. "I've seen lots of groundhogs behind the library," said Ousey. "Once I saw one at the top .of the stairs to the library, and he didn't run away. They are so cute," said Daniel. Pennsylvania's most famous ground- hog is called Punxatawney Phil and can be seen. on the local news -every Groundhog Day, Feb, 2, when he pre- dicts whether there will be more winter if he sees his shadow. Phil can also be seen in the comedy film "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray. also Bluebird on campus. the deer. Ten years ago an albino deer Ousey confirms seeing the Eastern . Rare is the person that hasn't seen a deer while on the Penn State Delco campus. Deer are plentiful in the area sur- rounding the campus and in the winter, all appear to be does, because the males shed their antlers until acquiring a new set during the spring. Behind the Vairo Library is apparently the spot to find grouindhogs. which feed on vegetation and small insects. "There is a bluebird trail, with blue- bird nest boxes all over campus, but tree swallows often take them over," he said. "More tree swallows can be seen than bluebirds." According to “The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region,” the Eastern bluebird _ white wings, appears in the spring, is "bright blue with a reddish-brown breast and white belly," has a song that is a "soft melodious war- ble," nests in "open farmland with scat- tered trees" and can be found across the United States, although they have become rarer in the east and " competi- tions for nest sites" may be the reason. The guide says that the tree swallow is "sparrow-sized,” has "metallic blue or blue-green upperparts and pure white underparts," has a song that is a "cheer- ful series of liquid twitters," can be found in the northern United States and its coasts, and habituate themselves near "lakeshores, flooded meadows, marshes, and streams." Spring brings the plover-like killdeer birds back to the fields of Delco. One or two can usually be seen on campus. They are "robin-sized birds, brown above and white below with two black bands on the breast and a blackish bill, have a cry which sounds like "kill- DEEE" and is "repeated endlessly,” like to nest on the ground in "open p lowed fields," and can be found across the United States, according to “The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region.” "Killdeer do a broken-wing routine if you get near their nest in the grass," says Ousey. In the moming, one may hear the" "Jay, Jay Jay!" call of the blue jay. They are "bright blue" above with black and tail, and chest, and a "prominent crest," can be found "East of - 1 Once I saw one at the top of the stairs to the library, and he didn't run away. BThey are so cute. — DR. BARBARA DANIEL | 1 the Rockies from southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico," reside mainly in forests with oak trees, and "often bury seeds and acorns" for food according to the Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region. In late spring, they can be found foraging for their favorite food in the trees in front of the Main Building. They do not appear migrate when winter comes, but this is'a misconception. Jays migrate ‘in large flocks through spring and fall and appear to never leave our area because, accord- ing to the bird guide, in the eastern United States, "birds from farther north replace the local population in winter." Take a walk around Penn State Delco and observe and enjoy its wildlife popu- lation.
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