Thanks for forwarding, Susan:

If you find a BLACK CAT (1 year old), please call 267-2963.

He is our daughter’s beloved indoor cat.  He had a new black striped (?) collar with pink heart name tag and bell on it. It’s a break away collar so it might have fallen off.  Last seen yesterday afternoon in the woods between Glenmont & Yaronia and Indianola & Wynding.  He does not come when called, but is very friendly.

THANK YOU!

Jeannette Nini was honored at a Clintonville Chamber luncheon last week after 7 years of work at the Chamber. Neighbors of Adena Brook Community want to join those standing in ovation of her contributions. In addition to her professional work, her volunteerism is extraordinary! Just last week we informed her (and Officer Riley) about the extensive graffiti on Overbrook Drive. That night she and her graffiti-removal partner Patty began painting and washing out the tags. Within a few days all tags were gone. Thank you so much Jeannette for your ongoing service to better our neighborhood.

Hi from National Wildlife Federation Habitat Ambassadors (Marc and Toni Stahl)!

Backyard Habitat: ‘Greening’ Your Fall Yard Cleanup, NATIONAL WILDLIFE MAGAZINE, Oct/Nov 2008.

For fellow bird watchers, our yard provided food and a rest stop for a migrating male Black & White Warbler, Swainsons Thrush, and Ovenbird all within a 24-hr time period. They stayed about 3 days to refuel. Then we had 2 Nashville Warblers. It was a fun learning experience to watch these migrants’ secretive behavior, especially the Black & White creeping up and down our Hackberry tree. We spotted these special visitors on our dripper bird bath and waterfall feature. A fellow volunteer with a small backyard habitat hosted a Cape May Warbler. Does your yard make a difference?

Who goes outside in nature more, children in urban, suburban, or rural areas? Studies show ‘None Of The Above,’ due primarily to over-scheduling (soccer, music lessons, homework, computer games, etc). Did you realize that many more children are now getting obese and developing Type II Diabetes? Physicians recommend 1 hour of unstructured outdoor play per day, see www.greenhour.org.

Special event: Sat, 10/18, Nuturing Nature, Connect Children (and ourselves) To Nature: Sharon Woods Metro Park. Keynote speaker is Dr Ruth Wilson, who has been working in childhood environmental education since the early 90’s, $8; Register by October 10th: Request Registration Information via email, or contact Betsy Loeb at 614-224-0222 ext. 126.

* Additional information on the benefits of connecting kids with nature:
- Free booklet from National Wildlife Federation (takes a bit to download): Connecting kids with nature
- Children and nature network: www.childrenandnature.org/

* NWF team’s upcoming events open to the public
- Thurs, 10/16, 3:30-8:30pm, Exhibit inside the Dublin Community Rec Center
www.dublin.oh.us/events/spooktacular/
- Sun, 11/9, 1-5pm, Read to Your Baby Festival, Old Worthington Library 
- Columbus Wild Ones Free Events: www.for-wild.org/chapters/columbus/

Cat Welfare’s Cat Caper is taking place this Saturday morning, October 4th.  The race begins at 10:00am, but there will be events before and after.  Expect several hundred runners and walkers in the Glenmont, Canyon, Overbrook, and Lenappe areas between 9:30 and 11:00.  Here’s the route.  Police will be on hand to direct traffic.

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

The red fox is a slender, dog-like mammal that varies in color from bright red or rust to reddish-brown. Adults have:

• Upright, triangular ears with black on the tips.
• Black fur on the lower legs and feet.
• A slim muzzle.
• A bushy, red-and-black tail, usually tipped in white.
• White underparts.

Red foxes can grow to about 25 inches long and weigh 6 to 15 pounds.

Where does the red fox live?

Red foxes can be found locally in ravines, forests and farmland. They are mostly nocturnal, but are also active during dusk and dawn. Adena Brook Community mentor Lisa Fosco (Ohio Wildlife Center) says there are several families of fox living in our neighborhood. 

What does the red fox eat?

Red foxes hunt and forage for:

• Fruits, seeds and berries.
• Small mammals, including voles, mice, rabbits and muskrats.
• Small marsh birds and their eggs.
• Invertebrates like worms and insects.

Red foxes are sensitive to low-frequency sounds, allowing them to hear smaller mammals digging, chewing and rustling underground. Once a red fox detects its prey, it rapidly digs into the soil to capture it. Red foxes will also stalk small mammals by standing very still, then leaping high and bringing their forepaws down hard to pin the animal to the ground.

When does the red fox breed?

Red foxes usually begin breeding in late winter or early spring, sometimes as early as January.

• Adults remain solitary until ready to breed, when they begin a pattern of nocturnal barking.
• Females have a single estrous period every year that lasts only two to four days. They are thought to mate for life.
• After mating, the female establishes a den, which she may dig or take over from another mammal. She may use the same den each year.
• After about 53 days, the female has a litter of about four to six pups.
• At birth, pups’ tails are white. The mother nurses her young for the first 56 to 70 days, after which she feeds them regurgitated meat.
• Kits play above group after about one month. Eventually, the kits hunt with their parents.
• Young leave the family society at about 7 months old. Young males may travel as far as 150 miles away, while females remain closer. Adults also leave and hunt alone until the next mating season.

Other facts about the red fox:

• Related to wolves, coyotes and domestic dogs. While their cousins tend to be more social animals, red foxes are solitary, cautious and tense.
• Introduced to the United States from England in the mid-1800s. They flourished in this country for a period, but unregulated trapping and hunting greatly reduced their population.
• Red foxes are fast runners. They can move at speeds of nearly 30 miles per hour and leap more than 6 feet high.
• Can live to 12 years in captivity, but usually only reach about 3 years in the wild.

The fox was killed crossing High street just past midnight.  One of my volunteers saw it hit, called me just as it died, then moved it off the road.  I assume that is the same fox.  :<Lisa

Many trees were either lost or damaged in the wind storm. A way we can help conserve our neighborhood ravine habitat is to plant a diverse selection of native trees this fall and spring. If all of us plant 2 different trees on our properties, we’ll help assure our grandchildren enjoy this precious ecosystem in the future.

Maybe some of you saw the huge red oak on Glenmont Avenue that went down in the storm. This gentle giant was one of the trees blocking Glenmont Avenue traffic in the area just west of the Wynding Drive intersection for 4 days. Many neighbors lost power just after the winds began on Sunday, September 14 and didn’t get power back until Friday night, September 19. Cable returned on Sunday, September 21st. Others were more or less fortunate. It was a time of community building. I met new neighbors. I am fortunate to live next door to dear friend Barbara Lloyd who brought me a French press coffee each morning at 7 AM! We helped each other clean up, and even pulled our grills into the street to cook and share our food.

Red Oak down on Glenmont

storm damage

Tree on roof

Glenmont

storm damage