K & P Fauna -EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL Traditional Cache
K & P Fauna -EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL
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ABOUT THESE CACHES:
We so enjoyed putting out the K & P Ticket series, that we thought we would continue along the trail. This time, the theme is the fauna. If you see any of the animals, birds or reptiles mentioned, please feel free to take pictures and post them at the appropriate cache – but please, for a change, NO PHOTOS OF EACH CACHE (sure, the log if you have to).
BIKING is possible for the whole trail, though one little section (near White Tailed Deer) is rough, so you may need to walk it – depending on your bike tire size. This trail is NOT recommended for thin tires!
If you don’t see any fauna, then you are caching way too fast! Enjoy the ride and enjoy the habitat of so many little and big “critters”.
BONUS: At each cache in this “Fauna” series, check for a clue for two more bonus caches (GC4M5RT “K & P Fauna – BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEE, and GC4M572, “K & P Fauna – RACCOON”). Make sure to keep a note of each clue (bring paper/pen maybe?).
EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL
Made famous in folk songs, poems, and literature for their endless chanting on summer nights, Eastern Whip-poor-wills are easy to hear but hard to see. Their brindled plumage blends perfectly with the gray-brown leaf litter of the open forests where they breed and roost. At dawn and dusk, and on moonlit nights, they sally out from perches to sweep up insects in their cavernous mouths. These common birds are on the decline in parts of their range as open forests are converted to suburbs or agriculture.
Eastern Whip-poor-wills are medium-sized birds with a large, rounded head and a stout chest that tapers to a long tail and wings, giving them a distinctly front-heavy look.
Like all nightjars, Eastern Whip-poor-wills are patterned with a complicated mottling of gray and brown, which camouflages them nearly perfectly with leaf litter or tree bark. They have a blackish throat bordered at the bottom by a neat, white bib. Males have white corners to the tail; on females, these spots are dull buff.
Eastern Whip-poor-wills are strictly nocturnal. At night they rest on the ground or perch horizontally on low trees and fly up to catch moths and other aerial insects. They chant their loud, namesake whip-poor-will song continuously on spring and summer evenings. During the day, Eastern Whip-poor-wills roost on the ground or on a tree limb and are very difficult to spot.
Look for Eastern Whip-poor-wills in eastern forests with open understories. They can be found in both purely deciduous and mixed deciduous-pine forests, often in areas with sandy soil.
PARKING: The trail for these caches is on a 6 km stretch between Ferguslea Road near Hwy 132 (N45 26.028 W76 44.676 – the posted Coordinates for CHICKADEE) and a cross over at Pucker St. (N45 22.813 W76 45.118 – the posted coordinates for RACCOON). You may park at either end but the parking at Ferguslea is much better as there is more room for vehicles. In summer bring bug juice and water!
Additional Hints
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Treasures
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