Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · 14d

Happy World Wasp Day! Visit the ORAS blog to learn more about these misunderstood insects and their importance to ecosystems and birds.

Tanager Treats: Misunderstood Wasps and Their Role in Our World

Happy World Wasp Day!

oconeeriversaudubon.org

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · 22d

Fashion face-off: Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona domiciliorum) bringing the sparkle with red leggings, vs. Hentz’s Spotted Orbweaver (N. crucifera) keeping things classy in subtle woodland chic. Same genus, different vibe!

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Sep 1

September is Georgia Native Plants Month! Support birds by planting natives that provide food, shelter & nesting sites. Check out the ORAS blog to learn more.
#NativePlants #PlantsforBirds

Feathers & Flora: Why Native Plants Matter for Birds

September is Georgia Native Plants Month!

oconeeriversaudubon.org

3 8

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Aug 5

Despite the rain, I’ve been enjoying the cooler weather while conducting vegetation surveys in central Georgia. Yesterday, we explored three beautiful sites.

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Aug 1

In early August, flocks of Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites appear in Georgia’s Piedmont. These graceful raptors feed on insects in open fields as they prepare for migration, offering a stunning aerial display for birdwatchers.

Soaring Spectacle: Kite Congregations in the Piedmont

Early August marks one of the most exciting times for Georgia birders: the arrival of kite flocks in the Piedmont region. These elegant raptors—Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites—are typically found...

oconeeriversaudubon.org

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Jul 17

Summer vegetation surveys began this week—key for assessing management effectiveness. Though it’s hot, most grasses and forbs are mature and identifiable now. Despite the heat, Northern Bobwhites, Field Sparrows, and a county-record Bachman’s Sparrow were still singing in NW Georgia!

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Jul 9

Longhorn Bee on Downy Sunflower. Its scopae (pollen carrying structures on the hind legs) are loaded!

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Jun 20

Watson Springs, Greene Co., GA | June 2025

One of my favorite things about this site is the blending of wetlands and grasslands and how plants and animals from each occur in such close juxtaposition.

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Jun 16

Happy #NationalPollinatorWeek! 40% of all insects are in decline globally. However, insects are one of the first groups to react to conservation efforts, even on a scale as small as your own backyard! Gardening with native plants and limiting the use of pesticides creates a noticeable difference.

1 5

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · May 4

Lovely visit to Clybel WMA in Jasper Co., GA, yesterday.

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Apr 22

Happy #EarthDay!
Tree Swallows are one of my all-time favorite birds. Such handsome aerialists! Clarke Co, GA | April 2025

2

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Apr 22

I had the distinct pleasure of co-leading a 3-day intensive training for our outcomes assessment team. Outcomes assessments are an important part of adaptive management. Adaptive management aims to continuously improve management practice efficacy through learning and adjustment.

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Apr 16

Rocky glades are a type of grassland that forms in the thin soils surrounding exposed bedrock. They tend to be wet in the winter and spring but bone dry in the summer and fall. These harsh conditions mean the vegetation is dominated by highly specialized plant species, many of which are rare.

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Mar 22

Happy #WorldWaterDay!
#Wetlands are diverse systems that help enhance water quality, control erosion, and mitigate the impacts of both floods and droughts. The National Elk Refuge, WY | Oct. 2017

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Mar 20

Happy #WorldSparrowDay and the #FirstDayOfSpring!
No taxa are more iconic of brushy, grassy, and weedy areas than sparrows.

Song Sparrow eating seeds from Sugarcane Plumegrass. Clarke County, GA | Dec. 2024

Singing Grasshopper Sparrow perched on a fence post. Oconee County, GA | Aug. 2024

Chipping Sparrow perched on a Great Mullein seedhead. Greene County, GA | Feb. 2025

Savannah Sparrow perched on a wire fence in front of a purple field of blooming Henbit Deadnettle. Clarke County, GA | Feb. 2024

2

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Mar 8

Woodland opening resulting from logging in 2022. Broomsedge Bluestem is often one of the first native warm-season grasses to come up in logged patches. Field Sparrows may start to breed in woodland openings 1-10 years in age and decline as succession progresses. Rockbridge Co, VA | Nov. 2024

White Oaks were left unlogged while other mature trees, predominantly Scarlet Oaks, were removed. This site could likely benefit from a growing-season burn to promote higher forb diversity and to limit encroachment from sapling Eastern White Pines.

Broomsedge Bluestem turns a gorgeous golden-orange color in the fall. Native bunching grasses provide habitat structure all winter long because they aren’t as easily flattened by snow as non-native grasses.

Field Sparrows seek out open habitat with low perches. Look for them in abandoned fields and pastures, young woodland openings, and fencerows.

Nest from the previous breeding season. Field Sparrows often build multiple nests over a breeding season. Early spring nests are often on the ground, where they are less visible among the grasses, but later when shrubs and trees leaf out, they build their nests higher, where they are safer from snakes an other predators.

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Mar 5

The Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is the largest (750 acres) area of bogs in West Virginia. Bogs are acidic #wetlands with a spongy substrate known as peat. The glades serve as the southernmost home to many boreal plant species. Cranberry Glades, WV | July 2020

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Mar 3

Happy #WorldWildlifeDay!
The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. They are one of the most iconic birds of open areas like pastureland, meadows, and marshes. Walton Co., GA | Aug. 2024

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Mar 1

The Meadow Ground is a 50-acre #meadow that receives periodic prescribed fire to keep it open. The native wildflowers and grasses are fire-adapted and benefit from regular controlled burns, while certain non-native plants are killed or reduced by fire. Goshen WMA, VA | Dec. 2023

2

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Feb 27

This is a Yellow-rumped Warbler in nonbreeding plumage.

1

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Feb 26

Small #wetlands are often overlooked on the landscape. However, all wetlands are important for improving water quality, reducing the impact of floods and droughts, and recharging groundwater. Take time to appreciate even the small wetlands! Moore’s Creek SF, VA | Aug. 2020

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Feb 26

I conducted my graduate research under the USGS Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Outdoor enthusiasts, please reach out to your representatives.

These infographics were compiled and designed by several fish and wildlife graduate students at the University of Idaho.

1 5 13

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Feb 23

Savannas are a type of treed #grassland with a canopy open enough to allow a rich understory to grow. Pine savannas were once a dominant habitat type in the southeast, covering more than 120 million acres, but less than 1% of the historical #savanna acreage remains. Caney Creek WMA, MS | April 2024

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Feb 20

The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative is innovating new ways to reverse the declines of grassland birds on working lands in Virginia. The resources on this page provide an excellent place to start if you are a landowner or producer looking to bring bird-friendly practices onto your landscape.

Resources for Grassland Bird Conservation

Learn how to bring bird-friendly practices onto your landscape.

www.vagrasslandbirds.org

David Tilson @swamplifebirder.bsky.social · Feb 19

Flatwoods #wetlands occur in pine savannas in the southeastern coastal plain and are maintained by periodic, low-intensity fires. Among the many species that breed in them are the endangered Frosted and Reticulated Flatwoods Salamanders (Ambystoma cingulatum/bishop). Eglin AFB, FL | March 2019

2