Posted 6-13-21
Naturally
I walked across the yard, moving past the named and the nameless. I saw a professional squirrel had moved with ease past obstacles meant to keep it from a feeder. A red-winged blackbird male at a feeder displayed bling on his wing.
Brown thrashers put the world in tune with this long-winded song: "Plant a seed, plant a seed, bury it, bury it, cover it up, cover it up, let it grow, let it grow, pull it up, pull it up, eat it, eat it. Hello, hello. Yes, yes, yes. Who is this? Who is this? Well, well, well, I should say, I should say. How's that? How's that? I don't know, I don't know. What did you say? What did you say? Certainly, certainly. Well, well, well. Not that I know of, not that I know of. Tomorrow? Tomorrow? I guess so, I guess so. All right, all right. Goodbye, goodbye."
As I gathered sticks I saw a Baltimore oriole build a nest. It was quite a divertissement. An oriole takes up to 12 days to weave a nest, but most are completed within a week. I filled the grape jelly feeder because an oriole has a sweet beak.
Pearl crescent, mourning cloak and mid-May monarchs were butterflies dancing in the wind. The monarchs return at about the same time each year. Their migration is determined by day length, temperature and host plant quality.
Goat's-beard (salsify) might be found in every county in Minnesota. Its blossom and seedhead are similar to the dandelion but much larger. Its 1-3 foot tall flowering stems are seen in grassy areas along roadside ditches.
Q&A
“What ferns could I grow in my yard?” Maidenhair fern makes a dandy border with wild geranium or cranesbill (showy flowers and not invasive) and is deer-resistant. The fern has wiry stems and delicate, airy, green fronds that curve into a semi-circle. Ostrich fern, named for its similarity to ostrich feathers, is easy to grow in wet woodland locations, spreads slowly by rhizomes and is deer-resistant. Foragers seek the curled fronds, called fiddleheads, in early spring and prepare them like asparagus. Ostrich ferns have a celery-like, U-shaped stem. Sensitive fern fronds brown quickly after the first fall frost. Interrupted ferns prefer moist, rich, acidic soil, but adapt to drier soils and nearly full sun. The broad fronds are interrupted in the middle by spore-bearing leaflets. Lady ferns enjoy the company of wild ginger and Jack-in-the-pulpit, and all three are rabbit- and deer-resistant. Its name refers to its graceful, feminine appearance, the curved sori (clusters of spore-producing structures on the lower surface of leaves) that resemble a lady's eyebrow or the scales on the stem are like a woman's hairy legs.
“It looks like a bee but has short antennae. What is it?” There are around 450 bee species in Minnesota and of the nearly 900 species of flower flies in North America, most have yellow-and-black stripes and are excellent mimics of bees or wasps. They can’t sting, but looking like insects that can make predators avoid them.
“Were wood ducks nearly extinct?” By the late 1800s to early 1900s, extinction of the wood duck was imminent. Destruction of bottomland hardwood forests and market hunting were the two major factors that contributed to the species' decline. The species was given a standing eight-count, but in 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibited the hunting of wood ducks nationwide. Wood duck populations recovered, and seasons were reopened in 1941.
“Why do songbirds leave the nests so soon?” Predators have an easy time finding a nest full of loud baby birds and nests can be hotbeds of parasites. Parents work to get their young out of the nest as quickly as possible. The parents keep feeding the young after they’ve left the nest and the social-distancing young birds enhance their chance of survival.
“What can I feed mourning doves?” Cracked corn, white millet, sunflower seeds and safflower.
“How big is a bald eagle nest?” The typical nest is 4-5 feet in diameter. They show incredible nest fidelity, meaning the same pair returns to the same site and adds sticks as part of the pair-bonding, which produces gigantic nests, like the largest recorded bald eagle nest in St. Petersburg, Florida, which was 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 feet deep and weighed almost 6,000 pounds.
“Do cowbirds parasitize purple martin nests?” Cowbird females dump eggs into the nests of other birds for the nest owners to raise. They primarily parasitize the nests of birds that build open nests in the edges of woodlots and rarely enter nest cavities.
Thanks for stopping by
“You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet.”—Hal Borland
“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.”—Ellis Peters
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
I walked across the yard, moving past the named and the nameless. I saw a professional squirrel had moved with ease past obstacles meant to keep it from a feeder. A red-winged blackbird male at a feeder displayed bling on his wing.
Brown thrashers put the world in tune with this long-winded song: "Plant a seed, plant a seed, bury it, bury it, cover it up, cover it up, let it grow, let it grow, pull it up, pull it up, eat it, eat it. Hello, hello. Yes, yes, yes. Who is this? Who is this? Well, well, well, I should say, I should say. How's that? How's that? I don't know, I don't know. What did you say? What did you say? Certainly, certainly. Well, well, well. Not that I know of, not that I know of. Tomorrow? Tomorrow? I guess so, I guess so. All right, all right. Goodbye, goodbye."
As I gathered sticks I saw a Baltimore oriole build a nest. It was quite a divertissement. An oriole takes up to 12 days to weave a nest, but most are completed within a week. I filled the grape jelly feeder because an oriole has a sweet beak.
Pearl crescent, mourning cloak and mid-May monarchs were butterflies dancing in the wind. The monarchs return at about the same time each year. Their migration is determined by day length, temperature and host plant quality.
Goat's-beard (salsify) might be found in every county in Minnesota. Its blossom and seedhead are similar to the dandelion but much larger. Its 1-3 foot tall flowering stems are seen in grassy areas along roadside ditches.
Q&A
“What ferns could I grow in my yard?” Maidenhair fern makes a dandy border with wild geranium or cranesbill (showy flowers and not invasive) and is deer-resistant. The fern has wiry stems and delicate, airy, green fronds that curve into a semi-circle. Ostrich fern, named for its similarity to ostrich feathers, is easy to grow in wet woodland locations, spreads slowly by rhizomes and is deer-resistant. Foragers seek the curled fronds, called fiddleheads, in early spring and prepare them like asparagus. Ostrich ferns have a celery-like, U-shaped stem. Sensitive fern fronds brown quickly after the first fall frost. Interrupted ferns prefer moist, rich, acidic soil, but adapt to drier soils and nearly full sun. The broad fronds are interrupted in the middle by spore-bearing leaflets. Lady ferns enjoy the company of wild ginger and Jack-in-the-pulpit, and all three are rabbit- and deer-resistant. Its name refers to its graceful, feminine appearance, the curved sori (clusters of spore-producing structures on the lower surface of leaves) that resemble a lady's eyebrow or the scales on the stem are like a woman's hairy legs.
“It looks like a bee but has short antennae. What is it?” There are around 450 bee species in Minnesota and of the nearly 900 species of flower flies in North America, most have yellow-and-black stripes and are excellent mimics of bees or wasps. They can’t sting, but looking like insects that can make predators avoid them.
“Were wood ducks nearly extinct?” By the late 1800s to early 1900s, extinction of the wood duck was imminent. Destruction of bottomland hardwood forests and market hunting were the two major factors that contributed to the species' decline. The species was given a standing eight-count, but in 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibited the hunting of wood ducks nationwide. Wood duck populations recovered, and seasons were reopened in 1941.
“Why do songbirds leave the nests so soon?” Predators have an easy time finding a nest full of loud baby birds and nests can be hotbeds of parasites. Parents work to get their young out of the nest as quickly as possible. The parents keep feeding the young after they’ve left the nest and the social-distancing young birds enhance their chance of survival.
“What can I feed mourning doves?” Cracked corn, white millet, sunflower seeds and safflower.
“How big is a bald eagle nest?” The typical nest is 4-5 feet in diameter. They show incredible nest fidelity, meaning the same pair returns to the same site and adds sticks as part of the pair-bonding, which produces gigantic nests, like the largest recorded bald eagle nest in St. Petersburg, Florida, which was 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 feet deep and weighed almost 6,000 pounds.
“Do cowbirds parasitize purple martin nests?” Cowbird females dump eggs into the nests of other birds for the nest owners to raise. They primarily parasitize the nests of birds that build open nests in the edges of woodlots and rarely enter nest cavities.
Thanks for stopping by
“You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet.”—Hal Borland
“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.”—Ellis Peters
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 6-6-21
Naturally
I watched a red-headed woodpecker and was taken with its beauty. Many woodpeckers have some red on their heads, but the red-headed woodpecker sets the standard. By the turn of the 20th century, red-headed woodpeckers had suffered population declines due to several factors. Road mortality, competition with European starlings for nesting cavities and the harvesting of their feathers all contributed to the decline. Populations of many avian species were reduced to provide feathers for women’s hats. Farmers killed red-headed woodpeckers because they damaged fruit and berry crops. Further population declines were observed from the 1930s on. Habitat loss, the limited availability of nesting sites and road mortality worsened the decline. Turkey vultures are also lovely redheads, but I’ve heard one described as unpleasantly beautiful.
I took photos of trumpeter swans on a day when I’d enjoyed the company of bald eagles, wood ducks and a peregrine falcon. The remarkable recovery of these four species reminded me that in this time of population decline for many birds, waterfowl and raptors are doing well. I looked at the illustrations of “The Sibley Guide to Birds,” (the book weighs as much or more than a red-tailed hawk), to marvel at the colors of the wood duck.
I delved into corners and saw damselflies, needle-shaped odonates that fold wings over their abdomen when perched (unlike dragonflies).
In early to mid-June, 2-3 weeks after the goslings hatch, adult Canada geese molt and are unable to fly for about a month. Goslings cannot fly until around mid-July when they’re 8-12 weeks old. During the molt, resident geese lose their flight feathers and remain flightless from mid-June to early July. This vulnerability causes the geese to become secretive, preferring areas that provide food and water. Goslings fly in 63 days and adults in 32 days after losing their flight feathers.
Q&A
“The stripes on the heads of white-throated sparrows vary in color. Why?” The striking stripes on the heads of white-throated sparrows are either white or tan. Author Pete Dunne said, “White-throated Sparrows come in two plumages—stunning and shabby.” The two color forms are genetically determined. All males prefer females with white stripes. All females prefer tan-striped males.
“Did women wear birds on their hats at one time?” Such fashion would lay an egg today, but in the late 19th and early 20th century, birds were killed for their feathers. On Manhattan's Ladies' Mile, a principal shopping district, retail stores sold the feathers of snowy egrets, white ibises and great blue herons. Stuffed owl heads found their way onto hats. At Cape Cod, 40,000 terns were killed in one season by an agent of the hat trade. Frank Chapman, ornithologist and field guide writer, described heron massacres, “Mercilessly they were shot down at their roosts or nesting grounds, the coveted feathers are stripped from their backs, the carcasses are left to rot, while the young in the nest above are starving.” Entire songbirds were used on many hats, mounted on wires and springs that permitted the heads and wings to move in a natural manner. Chapman counted 40 different species of birds on women’s hats in New York City over two days in 1886. In 1896, a Boston socialite Harriet Lawrence Hemenway read an article about feather hunting. She was upset by what the article described and took action. She contacted her cousin, Minna B. Hall, and together they organized a series of teas where they asked the wealthy ladies who attended to stop wearing hats with feathers. Over 900 women joined the cause and boycotted feathered hats. In 1896, women didn't have the right to vote and had difficulty being taken seriously by politicians and other powerful people. Hemenway convinced scientists and Bostonian men to help her form the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the oldest Audubon Society in the country, which in 1897, played a key role in convincing that state’s legislature to outlaw the wild bird feather trade. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 made it unlawful, unless licensed, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, purchase, barter, import, export, or transport any migratory bird.
“What kind of jelly should I feed orioles?” Grape jelly is good, the darker the better they like it. The birds will take orange marmalade or cherry, strawberry, apple or raspberry jams or jellies. All brands are good, but a woman told me that her orioles ate only Welch’s. She tried Smucker’s, but they ignored it. She gave it to her husband because he eats anything. Some people add crushed grapes to grape jelly for additional nutrition and offer mealworms separately.
Thanks for stopping by
“Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to them amid constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions, or the cult of appearances?"—Pope Francis
“All it takes is one good person to restore hope.”—Pope Francis
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
I watched a red-headed woodpecker and was taken with its beauty. Many woodpeckers have some red on their heads, but the red-headed woodpecker sets the standard. By the turn of the 20th century, red-headed woodpeckers had suffered population declines due to several factors. Road mortality, competition with European starlings for nesting cavities and the harvesting of their feathers all contributed to the decline. Populations of many avian species were reduced to provide feathers for women’s hats. Farmers killed red-headed woodpeckers because they damaged fruit and berry crops. Further population declines were observed from the 1930s on. Habitat loss, the limited availability of nesting sites and road mortality worsened the decline. Turkey vultures are also lovely redheads, but I’ve heard one described as unpleasantly beautiful.
I took photos of trumpeter swans on a day when I’d enjoyed the company of bald eagles, wood ducks and a peregrine falcon. The remarkable recovery of these four species reminded me that in this time of population decline for many birds, waterfowl and raptors are doing well. I looked at the illustrations of “The Sibley Guide to Birds,” (the book weighs as much or more than a red-tailed hawk), to marvel at the colors of the wood duck.
I delved into corners and saw damselflies, needle-shaped odonates that fold wings over their abdomen when perched (unlike dragonflies).
In early to mid-June, 2-3 weeks after the goslings hatch, adult Canada geese molt and are unable to fly for about a month. Goslings cannot fly until around mid-July when they’re 8-12 weeks old. During the molt, resident geese lose their flight feathers and remain flightless from mid-June to early July. This vulnerability causes the geese to become secretive, preferring areas that provide food and water. Goslings fly in 63 days and adults in 32 days after losing their flight feathers.
Q&A
“The stripes on the heads of white-throated sparrows vary in color. Why?” The striking stripes on the heads of white-throated sparrows are either white or tan. Author Pete Dunne said, “White-throated Sparrows come in two plumages—stunning and shabby.” The two color forms are genetically determined. All males prefer females with white stripes. All females prefer tan-striped males.
“Did women wear birds on their hats at one time?” Such fashion would lay an egg today, but in the late 19th and early 20th century, birds were killed for their feathers. On Manhattan's Ladies' Mile, a principal shopping district, retail stores sold the feathers of snowy egrets, white ibises and great blue herons. Stuffed owl heads found their way onto hats. At Cape Cod, 40,000 terns were killed in one season by an agent of the hat trade. Frank Chapman, ornithologist and field guide writer, described heron massacres, “Mercilessly they were shot down at their roosts or nesting grounds, the coveted feathers are stripped from their backs, the carcasses are left to rot, while the young in the nest above are starving.” Entire songbirds were used on many hats, mounted on wires and springs that permitted the heads and wings to move in a natural manner. Chapman counted 40 different species of birds on women’s hats in New York City over two days in 1886. In 1896, a Boston socialite Harriet Lawrence Hemenway read an article about feather hunting. She was upset by what the article described and took action. She contacted her cousin, Minna B. Hall, and together they organized a series of teas where they asked the wealthy ladies who attended to stop wearing hats with feathers. Over 900 women joined the cause and boycotted feathered hats. In 1896, women didn't have the right to vote and had difficulty being taken seriously by politicians and other powerful people. Hemenway convinced scientists and Bostonian men to help her form the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the oldest Audubon Society in the country, which in 1897, played a key role in convincing that state’s legislature to outlaw the wild bird feather trade. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 made it unlawful, unless licensed, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, purchase, barter, import, export, or transport any migratory bird.
“What kind of jelly should I feed orioles?” Grape jelly is good, the darker the better they like it. The birds will take orange marmalade or cherry, strawberry, apple or raspberry jams or jellies. All brands are good, but a woman told me that her orioles ate only Welch’s. She tried Smucker’s, but they ignored it. She gave it to her husband because he eats anything. Some people add crushed grapes to grape jelly for additional nutrition and offer mealworms separately.
Thanks for stopping by
“Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to them amid constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions, or the cult of appearances?"—Pope Francis
“All it takes is one good person to restore hope.”—Pope Francis
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 5-30-21
Naturally
The day was an infant when I listened to a gray catbird produce a series of chirps, mewing, snippets of sounds and renditions of birdsong. The catbird uses other birds’ words against them.
There were whispers from the shadows. It’s the time of the year for the LBJ (Little Brown Job) and the LBB (Little Brown Bird).
I rode the day up like a vulture on a thermal. I don’t often see turkey vultures in flight before mid-morning. It takes time for the sun to generate enough heat to form thermals. I love seeing turkey vultures at work. They clean our roads. They eat carrion as do many of our raptors, including the bald eagle. A group of perched vultures is called a wake or committee. A bumblebee buzzed past—it was a May bee. May—it may rain, it may snow, it may be 90º, it may be 30º. Grackles buzzed the tower (feeder) trying to dislodge a squirrel.
First- and second-year Canada geese (too young to breed) along with those that lost nests early in the breeding season undertake a molt migration. Individuals may move hundreds of miles in late spring and early summer to bodies of water where they’re safer as they molt and become flightless. In September and October, they return and may fly in any direction.
The lilac is traditionally a funeral flower in parts of Europe and was placed in caskets, likely because the perfume from the flower masked the scent of death before modern funerary practices were adopted.
The two common ants in lawns are field ants and cornfield ants. Field ants are about 1/4 inch long and are black or red and black. Their nests are mound-like and can cover an area up to two feet in diameter. Field ants can be found in healthy, growing turf. People mistake them for fire ants, which are found as close as southern Tennessee. Field ants bite, but it isn’t as painful as the stings of fire ants. Cornfield ants can also be found in lawns. They are smaller than field ants, about 1/8 inch long and range in color from light to dark brown. They construct small, conical mounds, in bare or thinning areas.
I corresponded with bluebirding friends located in the Midwest who indicated their bluebird numbers are down 10-20% from last year. February brought harsh winter weather to the south of us and it killed bluebirds and other early migrants.
Q&A
“When do hummingbirds arrive?” In the spring, the males arrive in Minnesota in early May (sometimes in late April) and females in early to mid-May. They feed on flower nectar, tiny insects, spiders, sweetened water from feeders and yellow-bellied sapsucker wells. In the fall, adult males begin migrating in early August. Females follow soon afterward. They fly across the Gulf of Mexico or along the western coast of Mexico and spend the winter in Central or South America.
Rae Jerrel of Kensel, North Dakota, asked for identification of young owls. Her photo showed owlets with yellow eyes, looked as if they wore too much mascara and had dark bills. That means they should be great horned owls. The adults have plumicorns (feathered tufts that resemble horns). Great horned owls begin nesting in January or February. They usually lay their eggs in abandoned nests of squirrels, hawks or crows but sometimes nest on cliff ledges or in hollow trees. Female owls lay one to five eggs, which hatch in 30-37 days. They leave the nest in 6-9 weeks. Barred owls have dark eyes, light-colored bills and have more rounded heads. Barred owls nest later than great horned owls, starting in March, with two or three eggs in a clutch. Incubation is 28-33 days with the owlets leaving the nest in 4-5 weeks. Barred owls eat mice, squirrels, rabbits, birds, frogs, fish and crayfish.
“Do blue jays reuse nests?” Occasionally. They do rarely use nests of other species, including squirrels.
“What is the rarest bird ever seen in Minnesota?” I’d vote for the fieldfare seen in Cook County in November 1991.
Smithsonian Coloring Book
“The Smithsonian Birds Coloring Book” illustrated by Rachel Curtis is a wonderful gift for that coloring book aficionado who is a birder. The back of the book says this, “Fans of coloring books and birds in their majestic diversity will find an enchanting realm to explore with their own creativity.” Interesting facts are provided for each bird. The book is excellent for those of all ages who enjoy birds.
Thanks for stopping by
“I think if you listen closely in the sweet, glad days of spring, with the song of the brook, the breeze and the birds, you can hear the flowers sing.”–Helen Isabel Moorhouse
"We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves."—Pope Francis
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
The day was an infant when I listened to a gray catbird produce a series of chirps, mewing, snippets of sounds and renditions of birdsong. The catbird uses other birds’ words against them.
There were whispers from the shadows. It’s the time of the year for the LBJ (Little Brown Job) and the LBB (Little Brown Bird).
I rode the day up like a vulture on a thermal. I don’t often see turkey vultures in flight before mid-morning. It takes time for the sun to generate enough heat to form thermals. I love seeing turkey vultures at work. They clean our roads. They eat carrion as do many of our raptors, including the bald eagle. A group of perched vultures is called a wake or committee. A bumblebee buzzed past—it was a May bee. May—it may rain, it may snow, it may be 90º, it may be 30º. Grackles buzzed the tower (feeder) trying to dislodge a squirrel.
First- and second-year Canada geese (too young to breed) along with those that lost nests early in the breeding season undertake a molt migration. Individuals may move hundreds of miles in late spring and early summer to bodies of water where they’re safer as they molt and become flightless. In September and October, they return and may fly in any direction.
The lilac is traditionally a funeral flower in parts of Europe and was placed in caskets, likely because the perfume from the flower masked the scent of death before modern funerary practices were adopted.
The two common ants in lawns are field ants and cornfield ants. Field ants are about 1/4 inch long and are black or red and black. Their nests are mound-like and can cover an area up to two feet in diameter. Field ants can be found in healthy, growing turf. People mistake them for fire ants, which are found as close as southern Tennessee. Field ants bite, but it isn’t as painful as the stings of fire ants. Cornfield ants can also be found in lawns. They are smaller than field ants, about 1/8 inch long and range in color from light to dark brown. They construct small, conical mounds, in bare or thinning areas.
I corresponded with bluebirding friends located in the Midwest who indicated their bluebird numbers are down 10-20% from last year. February brought harsh winter weather to the south of us and it killed bluebirds and other early migrants.
Q&A
“When do hummingbirds arrive?” In the spring, the males arrive in Minnesota in early May (sometimes in late April) and females in early to mid-May. They feed on flower nectar, tiny insects, spiders, sweetened water from feeders and yellow-bellied sapsucker wells. In the fall, adult males begin migrating in early August. Females follow soon afterward. They fly across the Gulf of Mexico or along the western coast of Mexico and spend the winter in Central or South America.
Rae Jerrel of Kensel, North Dakota, asked for identification of young owls. Her photo showed owlets with yellow eyes, looked as if they wore too much mascara and had dark bills. That means they should be great horned owls. The adults have plumicorns (feathered tufts that resemble horns). Great horned owls begin nesting in January or February. They usually lay their eggs in abandoned nests of squirrels, hawks or crows but sometimes nest on cliff ledges or in hollow trees. Female owls lay one to five eggs, which hatch in 30-37 days. They leave the nest in 6-9 weeks. Barred owls have dark eyes, light-colored bills and have more rounded heads. Barred owls nest later than great horned owls, starting in March, with two or three eggs in a clutch. Incubation is 28-33 days with the owlets leaving the nest in 4-5 weeks. Barred owls eat mice, squirrels, rabbits, birds, frogs, fish and crayfish.
“Do blue jays reuse nests?” Occasionally. They do rarely use nests of other species, including squirrels.
“What is the rarest bird ever seen in Minnesota?” I’d vote for the fieldfare seen in Cook County in November 1991.
Smithsonian Coloring Book
“The Smithsonian Birds Coloring Book” illustrated by Rachel Curtis is a wonderful gift for that coloring book aficionado who is a birder. The back of the book says this, “Fans of coloring books and birds in their majestic diversity will find an enchanting realm to explore with their own creativity.” Interesting facts are provided for each bird. The book is excellent for those of all ages who enjoy birds.
Thanks for stopping by
“I think if you listen closely in the sweet, glad days of spring, with the song of the brook, the breeze and the birds, you can hear the flowers sing.”–Helen Isabel Moorhouse
"We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves."—Pope Francis
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 5-23-21
Naturally
I helped some birders from Utah find Waldo amid a slew of warblers at a state park. The beauty of the warblers (mostly American redstarts), orchard orioles, indigo buntings and Swainson’s thrushes enthralled us. I didn’t have enough eyes to go around.
I’d gotten photos from a column customer in St. Paul. They were of a yellow-eyed hawk peering through a window into a break room located on the 9th floor of an office building. It was a red-tailed hawk, a raptor that in its first year has pale yellowish eyes and as an adult has dark brown eyes. The color change from yellow to brown happens over several years and more quickly in some birds than in others.
A grackle enjoyed the peanuts in the shell I put out for the blue jays and red-bellied woodpeckers. He grabbed one, flew to the ground and pecked the shell open to find the prize inside. How did the grackle repay me? It did a drive-by dropping of droppings that hit the tip of my sandal, missing my toe by the width of a pencil stroke. That’s what happens when you put your best foot forward. Then the bird went off to chase a squirrel.
Q&A
“Do cats kill rats?” They could, but most cats avoid doing so. Cats and rats are more likely to ignore or avoid each other than engage in conflict. Given the choice between attacking a large rat, a bird or a mouse, cats tend to opt for the latter two.
“Are bees unable to see red?” Bees see a range of colors, but not red. While we see colors as combinations of blue, green and red, bees see combinations of blue, green and ultraviolet.
“How do I make hummingbird nectar?” Use a 1:4 ratio of refined white sugar to water. You need water just hot enough to dissolve the table sugar you're mixing in. Don’t use organic, natural or raw sugars. Avoid honey and red dye.
“How did the dragonfly get its name?” In “Folklore of the Dragonfly: A Linguistic Approach” it’s theorized the name dragonfly came about because of an ancient Romanian folktale in which the devil turned a horse ridden by St. George into a giant, flying insect. The Romanian names the people used for this giant insect translated into St. George’s horse, devil’s horse or devil’s fly. The Romanian word for devil was “drac,” also the word for dragon. The book suggests the Romanian name for the devil’s fly evolved into the English “dragonfly.” Swedish folklore holds the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people’s souls.
“Do ladybugs sleep?” Yes, mostly at night, but they don’t close their eyes and fall asleep as we do. They enter a resting period, during which they remain still and unresponsive for hours in tree bark, logs, bushes, cracks in trees, leaves, dense vegetation and ground cover.
“Are owls able to turn their heads all the way around?” As I walked a trail recently, I heard a barred owl call its distinctive "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees in either direction without damaging blood vessels or cutting off blood flow to the brain. The owl has bone and vascular structures running along its neck and into its skull that keep the blood flowing even when the head is swiveled up to 270 degrees. If an owl were human size, the eyes would be the size of grapefruits. Owl eyes face forward and are immovable, providing great binocular vision. Owls compensate for immovable eyes by the ability to rotate their heads. Owls have excellent vision both in daylight and at night.
“Are spiders insects?” They are arachnids as are harvestmen, mites, ticks and scorpions. All arachnids have eight legs, and unlike insects, they don't have antennae.
“Why do bucks shed their antlers?” The prime reason bucks have antlers is to fight with other bucks for dominance. Once the deer breeding season is over, they don’t need them. The antlers become excess weight. When testosterone levels drop, so do antlers.
“How many quills does a porcupine have?” Around 30,000.
Daniel and Kim Otten of Hayward saw a raptor take an adult wood duck and wondered about its identity. It was a peregrine falcon. Other predators of adult wood ducks are the raccoon, fox, great horned owl, barred owl and goshawk. On the subject of peregrine falcons, a Peregrine Falcon nest cam at the Mayo Building in Rochester can be seen at https://www.earthcam.com/usa/minnesota/rochester/falcon/?cam=falcon_mn. Another riveting nest cam is the Decorah North Bald Eagle Cam found at
https://youtu.be/VlNV1L9qnrk
Thanks for stopping by
“Spring: the music of open windows.”—Terri Guillemets
“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”—Bernard Williams
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
I helped some birders from Utah find Waldo amid a slew of warblers at a state park. The beauty of the warblers (mostly American redstarts), orchard orioles, indigo buntings and Swainson’s thrushes enthralled us. I didn’t have enough eyes to go around.
I’d gotten photos from a column customer in St. Paul. They were of a yellow-eyed hawk peering through a window into a break room located on the 9th floor of an office building. It was a red-tailed hawk, a raptor that in its first year has pale yellowish eyes and as an adult has dark brown eyes. The color change from yellow to brown happens over several years and more quickly in some birds than in others.
A grackle enjoyed the peanuts in the shell I put out for the blue jays and red-bellied woodpeckers. He grabbed one, flew to the ground and pecked the shell open to find the prize inside. How did the grackle repay me? It did a drive-by dropping of droppings that hit the tip of my sandal, missing my toe by the width of a pencil stroke. That’s what happens when you put your best foot forward. Then the bird went off to chase a squirrel.
Q&A
“Do cats kill rats?” They could, but most cats avoid doing so. Cats and rats are more likely to ignore or avoid each other than engage in conflict. Given the choice between attacking a large rat, a bird or a mouse, cats tend to opt for the latter two.
“Are bees unable to see red?” Bees see a range of colors, but not red. While we see colors as combinations of blue, green and red, bees see combinations of blue, green and ultraviolet.
“How do I make hummingbird nectar?” Use a 1:4 ratio of refined white sugar to water. You need water just hot enough to dissolve the table sugar you're mixing in. Don’t use organic, natural or raw sugars. Avoid honey and red dye.
“How did the dragonfly get its name?” In “Folklore of the Dragonfly: A Linguistic Approach” it’s theorized the name dragonfly came about because of an ancient Romanian folktale in which the devil turned a horse ridden by St. George into a giant, flying insect. The Romanian names the people used for this giant insect translated into St. George’s horse, devil’s horse or devil’s fly. The Romanian word for devil was “drac,” also the word for dragon. The book suggests the Romanian name for the devil’s fly evolved into the English “dragonfly.” Swedish folklore holds the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people’s souls.
“Do ladybugs sleep?” Yes, mostly at night, but they don’t close their eyes and fall asleep as we do. They enter a resting period, during which they remain still and unresponsive for hours in tree bark, logs, bushes, cracks in trees, leaves, dense vegetation and ground cover.
“Are owls able to turn their heads all the way around?” As I walked a trail recently, I heard a barred owl call its distinctive "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees in either direction without damaging blood vessels or cutting off blood flow to the brain. The owl has bone and vascular structures running along its neck and into its skull that keep the blood flowing even when the head is swiveled up to 270 degrees. If an owl were human size, the eyes would be the size of grapefruits. Owl eyes face forward and are immovable, providing great binocular vision. Owls compensate for immovable eyes by the ability to rotate their heads. Owls have excellent vision both in daylight and at night.
“Are spiders insects?” They are arachnids as are harvestmen, mites, ticks and scorpions. All arachnids have eight legs, and unlike insects, they don't have antennae.
“Why do bucks shed their antlers?” The prime reason bucks have antlers is to fight with other bucks for dominance. Once the deer breeding season is over, they don’t need them. The antlers become excess weight. When testosterone levels drop, so do antlers.
“How many quills does a porcupine have?” Around 30,000.
Daniel and Kim Otten of Hayward saw a raptor take an adult wood duck and wondered about its identity. It was a peregrine falcon. Other predators of adult wood ducks are the raccoon, fox, great horned owl, barred owl and goshawk. On the subject of peregrine falcons, a Peregrine Falcon nest cam at the Mayo Building in Rochester can be seen at https://www.earthcam.com/usa/minnesota/rochester/falcon/?cam=falcon_mn. Another riveting nest cam is the Decorah North Bald Eagle Cam found at
https://youtu.be/VlNV1L9qnrk
Thanks for stopping by
“Spring: the music of open windows.”—Terri Guillemets
“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”—Bernard Williams
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 5-16-21
Naturally
Silent shadows moved past me on a walking trail. Vultures were flying between me and the sun. I watched a movie called “Miami Blues.” It wasn’t my cup of tea, but one of its scenes showed vultures flying overhead with the sounds of red-tailed hawks dubbed in.
The insistent whistle of a cardinal provided background music. It’s impossible to ignore a redbird. May brings the musical trills of American toads as they all chime in at once. House wren song accompanied the cardinal as my steps added up. I walked past plantain, which native people called “white man’s footstep.”
Raccoons were noisy. Their mating season is February to March and after a 63-day gestation period, the female gives birth to a litter of 2-6 young in April or May in either hollow trees, woodchuck burrows, culverts, under buildings, etc.
Tiny spring azures are among the first butterflies seen in spring that haven’t hibernated overwinter as adults. They have bright blue upper wings that are apparent as they fly in search of mates or food. They seldom perch with wings open and the undersides of their wings are gray with spots.
Countless 17-year periodical cicadas are emerging in many major media markets, but not in Minnesota. The cicadas are about an inch long and I’ve heard there may be 20,000-40,000 in a single tree. The nymphs had spent their lives 12-24 inches deep in the soil where they fed on tree sap. They are noisy because they are teenagers. Brood X emerges this year. Two broods have gone extinct and a third is declining due to deforestation.
I watched trumpeter swans feed in a shallow wetland. They used their strong webbed feet to dig into the pond bottom for roots, shoots and tubers. Their big feet churn like the swans are on a Peloton bike before they plunge their heads and necks underwater to eat what they’d dislodged.
Speak softly and carry a loaf of bread
A friend came home from grocery shopping to discover a wild turkey tom in his yard. The turkey had been courting a nearby hen. The tom identified the returning shopper as a competitor and shifted into attack mode. My friend retreated swiftly to the deck of his home, but the tom followed him nimbly. The man kicked the turkey twice, but it only encouraged the tom’s assault. The tom put the man’s castle under siege. Finally, in desperation, the man pulled a loaf of bread from his shopping bag and struck the big bird with it. That did the trick and sent the tom into retreat.
Q&A
“I watched a crow dip bread in a birdbath. What was it doing?” Crows dip their food in water to soften it. Crows will soak food for nestlings to make it easier to eat and to provide them with water.
“Why are they called ladybugs?” The name was coined by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests were eating their crops. After ladybugs had come and destroyed the pests, the farmers named them "beetle of Our Lady." This was eventually shortened to "lady beetle" and "ladybug."
“What is the largest rodent in the U. S.?” The largest rodent in North America is the beaver. The porcupine is the second largest.
“What is eating my tulips?” Deer, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and woodchucks eat tulips. Rabbit damage is easy to recognize because they make sharp cuts as if someone has trimmed the plants with scissors. The cut is often angled at 45 degrees. A rabbit will sometimes nibble the tulip bloom and not eat the entire flower at one sitting. Squirrels and chipmunks are the most common pests of tulip bulbs.
“What animal eats asparagus?” Deer eat what is available and likely would sample fresh spears.
Dennis Anderson of Hartland asked when pelicans nest? Minnesota has 10 lakes, a city and a river that include pelican as part of their names. In April and May, they nest in large dense groups. Pelicans nest on the ground, mainly on isolated islands. American white pelicans reach sexual maturity at around three years of age and average two eggs in a nest. Minnesota has 15 known nesting colonies, but the number and locations can vary.
Customer comments
Grant Garriott of McGregor wrote, “We bought a fake owl one summer to discourage woodpeckers from attacking our home’s cedar siding. The only thing it accomplished was luring screaming crows to the house. The woodpeckers ignored it and continued their drilling operations.”
Thanks for stopping by
“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”—E. B. White
“Animals don't hate, and we're supposed to be better than them.”―Elvis Presley
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
Silent shadows moved past me on a walking trail. Vultures were flying between me and the sun. I watched a movie called “Miami Blues.” It wasn’t my cup of tea, but one of its scenes showed vultures flying overhead with the sounds of red-tailed hawks dubbed in.
The insistent whistle of a cardinal provided background music. It’s impossible to ignore a redbird. May brings the musical trills of American toads as they all chime in at once. House wren song accompanied the cardinal as my steps added up. I walked past plantain, which native people called “white man’s footstep.”
Raccoons were noisy. Their mating season is February to March and after a 63-day gestation period, the female gives birth to a litter of 2-6 young in April or May in either hollow trees, woodchuck burrows, culverts, under buildings, etc.
Tiny spring azures are among the first butterflies seen in spring that haven’t hibernated overwinter as adults. They have bright blue upper wings that are apparent as they fly in search of mates or food. They seldom perch with wings open and the undersides of their wings are gray with spots.
Countless 17-year periodical cicadas are emerging in many major media markets, but not in Minnesota. The cicadas are about an inch long and I’ve heard there may be 20,000-40,000 in a single tree. The nymphs had spent their lives 12-24 inches deep in the soil where they fed on tree sap. They are noisy because they are teenagers. Brood X emerges this year. Two broods have gone extinct and a third is declining due to deforestation.
I watched trumpeter swans feed in a shallow wetland. They used their strong webbed feet to dig into the pond bottom for roots, shoots and tubers. Their big feet churn like the swans are on a Peloton bike before they plunge their heads and necks underwater to eat what they’d dislodged.
Speak softly and carry a loaf of bread
A friend came home from grocery shopping to discover a wild turkey tom in his yard. The turkey had been courting a nearby hen. The tom identified the returning shopper as a competitor and shifted into attack mode. My friend retreated swiftly to the deck of his home, but the tom followed him nimbly. The man kicked the turkey twice, but it only encouraged the tom’s assault. The tom put the man’s castle under siege. Finally, in desperation, the man pulled a loaf of bread from his shopping bag and struck the big bird with it. That did the trick and sent the tom into retreat.
Q&A
“I watched a crow dip bread in a birdbath. What was it doing?” Crows dip their food in water to soften it. Crows will soak food for nestlings to make it easier to eat and to provide them with water.
“Why are they called ladybugs?” The name was coined by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests were eating their crops. After ladybugs had come and destroyed the pests, the farmers named them "beetle of Our Lady." This was eventually shortened to "lady beetle" and "ladybug."
“What is the largest rodent in the U. S.?” The largest rodent in North America is the beaver. The porcupine is the second largest.
“What is eating my tulips?” Deer, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and woodchucks eat tulips. Rabbit damage is easy to recognize because they make sharp cuts as if someone has trimmed the plants with scissors. The cut is often angled at 45 degrees. A rabbit will sometimes nibble the tulip bloom and not eat the entire flower at one sitting. Squirrels and chipmunks are the most common pests of tulip bulbs.
“What animal eats asparagus?” Deer eat what is available and likely would sample fresh spears.
Dennis Anderson of Hartland asked when pelicans nest? Minnesota has 10 lakes, a city and a river that include pelican as part of their names. In April and May, they nest in large dense groups. Pelicans nest on the ground, mainly on isolated islands. American white pelicans reach sexual maturity at around three years of age and average two eggs in a nest. Minnesota has 15 known nesting colonies, but the number and locations can vary.
Customer comments
Grant Garriott of McGregor wrote, “We bought a fake owl one summer to discourage woodpeckers from attacking our home’s cedar siding. The only thing it accomplished was luring screaming crows to the house. The woodpeckers ignored it and continued their drilling operations.”
Thanks for stopping by
“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”—E. B. White
“Animals don't hate, and we're supposed to be better than them.”―Elvis Presley
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 5-9-21
Naturally
A swallow whispered past.
Accompanied by the droning of bumblebees, the flitting of cabbage white butterflies and the darting of dragonflies (the first I see each spring are common green darners and variegated meadowhawks), I stooped to enjoy a closer look at spring ephemerals. The plants are familiar neighbors. I greeted them as if they were long-lost friends. Fiddleheads, the tightly coiled tips of ferns, proliferated. They’re named for their resemblance to the curled decoration at the end of stringed instruments.
I’ve been out turning over rocks, so to speak. Good numbers of palm warblers led me down a trail. Yellow-rumped warblers were busy in every other tree. An orange-crowned warbler and a hermit thrush were here and there. Ruby-crowned kinglets used megaphones to produce their loud sounds. Spotted sandpipers were numerous along the water’s edge. My father called them teeter-snipe because teeter-snipes sounded wrong. Forster’s tern calls of “ki-arr” came from all directions. Mudflats were occupied with pectoral sandpipers and both species of yellowlegs. I walked with Bob Janssen of Golden Valley. Bob is the godfather of Minnesota birding. We watched a Cooper’s hawk (the “chicken hawk” of my youthful years when I tried to make millions by raising exotic breeds of small chickens) harassed three turkey vultures with menacing flight maneuvers and a lengthy series of cak-cak-cak calls. A Cooper’s hawk was on the ground in my yard, hiding in the tangles, hoping to ambush a bird. I saw a solitary sandpiper at the edge of a cow pasture and a green heron at a lakeside park.
In the yard, white-crowned sparrows and Harris’s sparrows joined the flock of white-throated sparrows and a single fox sparrow dancing on the ground. The whistling white-throated sparrows turned the yard into a whistle-athon. There were many purple finches and pine siskins (I love this tiny bird’s tameness). There was but one eastern towhee, but its number was impressive.
I saw pelicans fish communally on the lake. The birds in the back of the feeding group flew to the front to get a better place in the buffet line. The pelicans leapfrogged and fished.
As I drove, I found it impossible to ignore the chartreuse color of weeping willows. I watched a red-tailed hawk dive from on high at a northern harrier hunting close to the ground. There was no contact, but the harrier fled the scene. That was a good idea.
Multi-colored Asian lady beetles have found my garage to their liking.
Astonishments
I dreamed we were birds. I told my wife she looked like an M when she flew. The longest known shorebird flight—about 7,000 miles nonstop—is by the bar-tailed godwit during its migration from Alaska to New Zealand. Before departing, godwits binge eat to more than double their body weight. Fat comprises up to 55% of that weight.
Willow bark has been used as a traditional medicine for headaches and toothaches. Just a pinch between cheek and gum brought relief. An active agent within willow bark is salicin, which later formed the basis of aspirin.
Why did Michelangelo paint a tarpon instead of Jonah’s whale on the Sistine Chapel?
The names of the full moons are January Wolf Moon, February Snow Moon, March Worm Moon, April Pink Moon, May Flower Moon, June Strawberry Moon, July Buck Moon, August Sturgeon Moon, September Harvest Moon, October Hunter’s Moon, November Beaver Moon and December Cold Moon.
Q&A
Tom Ehrhardt of Albert Lea wondered where the goldfinches are? Goldfinches are nomadic by nature. They prefer to feed as a group and might not find a feeder attractive if it has a low level of food. Check the seed for dampness after rains. Shake the feeder to make sure the seed is dry and loose. Smell the seeds for mustiness.
“Is the dandelion native to Minnesota?” No, it originated in Europe and Asia. European settlers brought dandelions to America in the mid-1600s and cultivated dandelions as food sources and for medicinal uses.
“Why do feeders get busy before a storm?” Birds have an inborn barometer. Storms are associated with falling pressure and birds have difficulty getting food during a storm. The sooner they know a storm is coming, the more time they have to fuel up.
“What would eat the heads of chickens?” The primary suspects are owls and raccoons. Other candidates include cats, hawks, dogs, foxes and coyotes. The head of a chicken is an easy target, the brain is high in protein and essential fats, and the head can be carried away when the whole chicken is too heavy.
Thanks for stopping by
“A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.”—Jerry Seinfeld
"The plants adapt, the people adopt." “In some Native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us.’”—Robin Wall Kimmerer
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
A swallow whispered past.
Accompanied by the droning of bumblebees, the flitting of cabbage white butterflies and the darting of dragonflies (the first I see each spring are common green darners and variegated meadowhawks), I stooped to enjoy a closer look at spring ephemerals. The plants are familiar neighbors. I greeted them as if they were long-lost friends. Fiddleheads, the tightly coiled tips of ferns, proliferated. They’re named for their resemblance to the curled decoration at the end of stringed instruments.
I’ve been out turning over rocks, so to speak. Good numbers of palm warblers led me down a trail. Yellow-rumped warblers were busy in every other tree. An orange-crowned warbler and a hermit thrush were here and there. Ruby-crowned kinglets used megaphones to produce their loud sounds. Spotted sandpipers were numerous along the water’s edge. My father called them teeter-snipe because teeter-snipes sounded wrong. Forster’s tern calls of “ki-arr” came from all directions. Mudflats were occupied with pectoral sandpipers and both species of yellowlegs. I walked with Bob Janssen of Golden Valley. Bob is the godfather of Minnesota birding. We watched a Cooper’s hawk (the “chicken hawk” of my youthful years when I tried to make millions by raising exotic breeds of small chickens) harassed three turkey vultures with menacing flight maneuvers and a lengthy series of cak-cak-cak calls. A Cooper’s hawk was on the ground in my yard, hiding in the tangles, hoping to ambush a bird. I saw a solitary sandpiper at the edge of a cow pasture and a green heron at a lakeside park.
In the yard, white-crowned sparrows and Harris’s sparrows joined the flock of white-throated sparrows and a single fox sparrow dancing on the ground. The whistling white-throated sparrows turned the yard into a whistle-athon. There were many purple finches and pine siskins (I love this tiny bird’s tameness). There was but one eastern towhee, but its number was impressive.
I saw pelicans fish communally on the lake. The birds in the back of the feeding group flew to the front to get a better place in the buffet line. The pelicans leapfrogged and fished.
As I drove, I found it impossible to ignore the chartreuse color of weeping willows. I watched a red-tailed hawk dive from on high at a northern harrier hunting close to the ground. There was no contact, but the harrier fled the scene. That was a good idea.
Multi-colored Asian lady beetles have found my garage to their liking.
Astonishments
I dreamed we were birds. I told my wife she looked like an M when she flew. The longest known shorebird flight—about 7,000 miles nonstop—is by the bar-tailed godwit during its migration from Alaska to New Zealand. Before departing, godwits binge eat to more than double their body weight. Fat comprises up to 55% of that weight.
Willow bark has been used as a traditional medicine for headaches and toothaches. Just a pinch between cheek and gum brought relief. An active agent within willow bark is salicin, which later formed the basis of aspirin.
Why did Michelangelo paint a tarpon instead of Jonah’s whale on the Sistine Chapel?
The names of the full moons are January Wolf Moon, February Snow Moon, March Worm Moon, April Pink Moon, May Flower Moon, June Strawberry Moon, July Buck Moon, August Sturgeon Moon, September Harvest Moon, October Hunter’s Moon, November Beaver Moon and December Cold Moon.
Q&A
Tom Ehrhardt of Albert Lea wondered where the goldfinches are? Goldfinches are nomadic by nature. They prefer to feed as a group and might not find a feeder attractive if it has a low level of food. Check the seed for dampness after rains. Shake the feeder to make sure the seed is dry and loose. Smell the seeds for mustiness.
“Is the dandelion native to Minnesota?” No, it originated in Europe and Asia. European settlers brought dandelions to America in the mid-1600s and cultivated dandelions as food sources and for medicinal uses.
“Why do feeders get busy before a storm?” Birds have an inborn barometer. Storms are associated with falling pressure and birds have difficulty getting food during a storm. The sooner they know a storm is coming, the more time they have to fuel up.
“What would eat the heads of chickens?” The primary suspects are owls and raccoons. Other candidates include cats, hawks, dogs, foxes and coyotes. The head of a chicken is an easy target, the brain is high in protein and essential fats, and the head can be carried away when the whole chicken is too heavy.
Thanks for stopping by
“A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.”—Jerry Seinfeld
"The plants adapt, the people adopt." “In some Native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us.’”—Robin Wall Kimmerer
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 5-2-21
Naturally
A brown thrasher sang jazz riffs enthusiastically. It was a big moment in the bird’s life and in mine. I loved its song and wondered if the bird sang from the same tree last year. Even the early morning’s clarity couldn’t tell me. Birds and humans are creatures of habit, so it could be a repeat visitor. Visitor isn’t correct. This is the thrasher’s home, too.
Common grackles strutted about. A dead tree was mostly holes. They were the work of a workaholic woodpecker.
Bumblebees buzzed as periwinkle and squill bloomed beautifully. Wild ginger clung to the ground in a shaded woodland. It’s said to be deer-resistant. Unlike many early spring woodland plants, it keeps its foliage throughout the season. Its dark red flowers below the leaves attract insects like ants to be its pollinators. European settlers used the root as a flavor substitute for the tropical ginger they had used. I mowed the lawn with a push mower. It shortens the vegetation and clears my mind. I have grass and clover. I enjoy clover. So do bees and butterflies.
Spring peepers peeped. They do it loud enough to be heard a mile away. The males weigh about the same as two dimes. The spring peeper is a tiny harbinger of spring. It’s tan, with a dark brown X-shaped mark on the back and suction-cupped toe pads. It changes its skin color for better camouflage. Males are 3/4 inches long and females up to 1 1/2 inches long. They sing when temperatures are above 40 degrees. Their sound makes me feel as if I’d been wearing earplugs the rest of the year.
Raccoons had become the state speed bumps, but I came at the day with the wonder of a Labrador puppy. Seeing a pair of yellow-crowned night herons in Albert Lea was a gee-whiz moment. The birds made a good first impression. I contracted a birding face—a smile. The charming birds were lifers for some birders who traveled from here to there to see it. The birds are wonders of the natural world. They all are.
I’m pleased to know these good folks
Switzer Ranch of Loup County was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award. This prestigious award goes to those whose dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat inspires others. Bruce and Sue Ann Switzer along with their children, Sarah Sortum and Adam Switzer, own and operate Switzer Ranch. The Switzers use fire and rotational grazing to create bird and wildlife habitat while improving water quality, soil health and root systems in the environmentally sensitive Sandhills. Besides custom grazing beef cattle on 12,000 acres of native prairie, the family operates a nature-based tourism business. Calamus Outfitters offers lodging, river float trips and eco-tours. Audubon Nebraska designated the ranch an Important Bird Area. The ranch has greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse leks.
Gobsmacked
Frigatebirds sleep while flying over the ocean by resting their brain one hemisphere at a time. Most animals that sleep half-brained do so to stay alert for predators, but frigatebirds have no natural predators in the sky. Part of my brain stays awake during the first night in a hotel.
Q&A
“Do birds other than owls produce pellets?” Owls are the only ones that produce owl pellets. Owl pellets provide windows into an owl’s diet. The pellets are regurgitated remnants of prey, the indigestible parts of a meal such as bones, fur, claws and feathers. Owls aren’t the only birds that regurgitate pellets. Hawks, eagles, grebes, herons, cormorants, gulls, terns, kingfishers, crows, jays, flycatchers and shrikes do, too.
“Where do buffleheads nest?” They are secondary-cavity nesters in trees, nesting predominantly in the boreal forests and aspen parklands of Canada and Alaska but dipping south into portions of the northwest and north-central states, including Minnesota where they’re considered a rare breeder. Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Minnesota has an estimated 200 breeding pairs.
From the mailbag
Susan Joseph-Taylor of Minden, Nevada, sent photos of Cooper’s hawks nesting in the same nest in a mulberry tree for a second year. This accipiter typically builds a new nest each year, but occasionally reuses a nest or takes over a squirrel’s nest.
Thanks for stopping by
“The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, ‘What good is it?’ If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”—Aldo Leopold
“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.”―Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
A brown thrasher sang jazz riffs enthusiastically. It was a big moment in the bird’s life and in mine. I loved its song and wondered if the bird sang from the same tree last year. Even the early morning’s clarity couldn’t tell me. Birds and humans are creatures of habit, so it could be a repeat visitor. Visitor isn’t correct. This is the thrasher’s home, too.
Common grackles strutted about. A dead tree was mostly holes. They were the work of a workaholic woodpecker.
Bumblebees buzzed as periwinkle and squill bloomed beautifully. Wild ginger clung to the ground in a shaded woodland. It’s said to be deer-resistant. Unlike many early spring woodland plants, it keeps its foliage throughout the season. Its dark red flowers below the leaves attract insects like ants to be its pollinators. European settlers used the root as a flavor substitute for the tropical ginger they had used. I mowed the lawn with a push mower. It shortens the vegetation and clears my mind. I have grass and clover. I enjoy clover. So do bees and butterflies.
Spring peepers peeped. They do it loud enough to be heard a mile away. The males weigh about the same as two dimes. The spring peeper is a tiny harbinger of spring. It’s tan, with a dark brown X-shaped mark on the back and suction-cupped toe pads. It changes its skin color for better camouflage. Males are 3/4 inches long and females up to 1 1/2 inches long. They sing when temperatures are above 40 degrees. Their sound makes me feel as if I’d been wearing earplugs the rest of the year.
Raccoons had become the state speed bumps, but I came at the day with the wonder of a Labrador puppy. Seeing a pair of yellow-crowned night herons in Albert Lea was a gee-whiz moment. The birds made a good first impression. I contracted a birding face—a smile. The charming birds were lifers for some birders who traveled from here to there to see it. The birds are wonders of the natural world. They all are.
I’m pleased to know these good folks
Switzer Ranch of Loup County was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award. This prestigious award goes to those whose dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat inspires others. Bruce and Sue Ann Switzer along with their children, Sarah Sortum and Adam Switzer, own and operate Switzer Ranch. The Switzers use fire and rotational grazing to create bird and wildlife habitat while improving water quality, soil health and root systems in the environmentally sensitive Sandhills. Besides custom grazing beef cattle on 12,000 acres of native prairie, the family operates a nature-based tourism business. Calamus Outfitters offers lodging, river float trips and eco-tours. Audubon Nebraska designated the ranch an Important Bird Area. The ranch has greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse leks.
Gobsmacked
Frigatebirds sleep while flying over the ocean by resting their brain one hemisphere at a time. Most animals that sleep half-brained do so to stay alert for predators, but frigatebirds have no natural predators in the sky. Part of my brain stays awake during the first night in a hotel.
Q&A
“Do birds other than owls produce pellets?” Owls are the only ones that produce owl pellets. Owl pellets provide windows into an owl’s diet. The pellets are regurgitated remnants of prey, the indigestible parts of a meal such as bones, fur, claws and feathers. Owls aren’t the only birds that regurgitate pellets. Hawks, eagles, grebes, herons, cormorants, gulls, terns, kingfishers, crows, jays, flycatchers and shrikes do, too.
“Where do buffleheads nest?” They are secondary-cavity nesters in trees, nesting predominantly in the boreal forests and aspen parklands of Canada and Alaska but dipping south into portions of the northwest and north-central states, including Minnesota where they’re considered a rare breeder. Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Minnesota has an estimated 200 breeding pairs.
From the mailbag
Susan Joseph-Taylor of Minden, Nevada, sent photos of Cooper’s hawks nesting in the same nest in a mulberry tree for a second year. This accipiter typically builds a new nest each year, but occasionally reuses a nest or takes over a squirrel’s nest.
Thanks for stopping by
“The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, ‘What good is it?’ If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”—Aldo Leopold
“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.”―Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 4-25-21
Naturally
What’s all the yellowing about? It’s about American goldfinches. They are turning a brilliant yellow.
Dandelions are spring to some folks. The yellowing of spring. Is a group of dandelions called a pride? Mark Twain said, “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”
It’s good to see turkey vultures back and checking the expiration dates of roadkill.
I am in awe of the feeder birds in the April snow. I make it a cardinal rule to look at every cardinal. A red-tailed hawk soaring high caused me to think of the line from “Oklahoma,” “We sit alone and talk and watch a hawk making lazy circles in the sky.”
European starlings were introduced into this country by Shakespeare enthusiasts in 1890. Their population is declining in the UK and North America. The Harris's sparrow is named after Edward Harris, Audubon's pal and a horse breeder. The breeding range of this sparrow is all in Canada.
The crow-sized peregrine falcons return in February to nest on the roof of the Mayo Building in Rochester. In early April the female lays 3-4 eggs that hatch 35 days later in early to mid-May. The nestlings are given names by patients, staff and visitors.
Telling tales out of stool
I was in a state park when poop rained down upon my car. Bacteria in the bird’s gut break down the uric acid, giving it the white color before exiting the bird’s cloaca. Birds mainly eating fish like bald eagles, cormorants, great blue herons, gulls or osprey produce mostly white poop. I’m not sure what birds targeted my car, but their accuracy was amazing.
No one is a dodo
Dodos were flightless birds on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. After Dutch sailors landed and settled on the island in 1598, the dodo’s population rapidly declined.
The dodo was easy to catch and was hunted by sailors for food, but the introduction of pigs, dogs and rats with a taste for dodo eggs and the ability to outcompete the dodos for food was devastating. The Oxford University of Natural History sources said dodo meat wasn’t tasty.
When weasels fly
I enjoy the writings of Annie Dillard. Her book “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” is exquisite. I read her essay (“Living Like Weasels”), which mentioned author and wildlife artist Ernest Thompson Seton’s report of someone shooting an eagle and finding the skull of a weasel attached to the raptor’s throat. He guessed the eagle had swooped down and grabbed the weasel. The would-be-prey chomped onto the throat of the eagle and never let go. The eagle carried a reminder of that day for the rest of its life.
Q&A
“I’ve heard about declining bird populations. Are some bird species doing well?” The number of birds in North America has fallen by 29% since 1970. Bald eagles are thriving, peregrine falcon populations have grown and waterfowl numbers are on the upswing.
“Where do the red-winged blackbirds spend the winter?” Most blackbirds breeding in the northern U. S. migrate to the southern states for the winter.
“When do bucks drop their antlers?” Most bucks in Minnesota shed their antlers between December and March. Declining day length causes a decrease in testosterone, which results in antler shedding. Look for sheds in places where deer sleep, where they feed and the trails between those two places.
Concentrate on southern exposures.
“When are white-tailed fawns born?” May or early June are prime times as they allow the fawns to grow during warm days and nights while missing the cold of early spring.
“When do juncos leave here?” I see them here as late as in May every year.
“What else other than orioles eats grape jelly from feeders?” Catbirds, tanagers, robins, house finches, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, red-bellied), brown thrashers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, cardinals, starlings, Cape May warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, orange-crowned warblers, chipmunks and squirrels are all possibilities.
“There were branch tips on the ground under my spruce trees. What caused that?”
The damage is usually the work of a hungry red squirrel. It feeds on newly formed buds at the end of a twig by snipping off 3 to 6 inches of new growth, eating the bud and dropping the rest. This occurs when there is little other food available to them.
“Why do blue jays carry away several peanuts in their mouths and throats?” It’s because they don’t have pockets. It saves them trips to the feeder.
Thanks for stopping by
"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things." — Mary Oliver
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”—The Dalai Lama.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
What’s all the yellowing about? It’s about American goldfinches. They are turning a brilliant yellow.
Dandelions are spring to some folks. The yellowing of spring. Is a group of dandelions called a pride? Mark Twain said, “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”
It’s good to see turkey vultures back and checking the expiration dates of roadkill.
I am in awe of the feeder birds in the April snow. I make it a cardinal rule to look at every cardinal. A red-tailed hawk soaring high caused me to think of the line from “Oklahoma,” “We sit alone and talk and watch a hawk making lazy circles in the sky.”
European starlings were introduced into this country by Shakespeare enthusiasts in 1890. Their population is declining in the UK and North America. The Harris's sparrow is named after Edward Harris, Audubon's pal and a horse breeder. The breeding range of this sparrow is all in Canada.
The crow-sized peregrine falcons return in February to nest on the roof of the Mayo Building in Rochester. In early April the female lays 3-4 eggs that hatch 35 days later in early to mid-May. The nestlings are given names by patients, staff and visitors.
Telling tales out of stool
I was in a state park when poop rained down upon my car. Bacteria in the bird’s gut break down the uric acid, giving it the white color before exiting the bird’s cloaca. Birds mainly eating fish like bald eagles, cormorants, great blue herons, gulls or osprey produce mostly white poop. I’m not sure what birds targeted my car, but their accuracy was amazing.
No one is a dodo
Dodos were flightless birds on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. After Dutch sailors landed and settled on the island in 1598, the dodo’s population rapidly declined.
The dodo was easy to catch and was hunted by sailors for food, but the introduction of pigs, dogs and rats with a taste for dodo eggs and the ability to outcompete the dodos for food was devastating. The Oxford University of Natural History sources said dodo meat wasn’t tasty.
When weasels fly
I enjoy the writings of Annie Dillard. Her book “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” is exquisite. I read her essay (“Living Like Weasels”), which mentioned author and wildlife artist Ernest Thompson Seton’s report of someone shooting an eagle and finding the skull of a weasel attached to the raptor’s throat. He guessed the eagle had swooped down and grabbed the weasel. The would-be-prey chomped onto the throat of the eagle and never let go. The eagle carried a reminder of that day for the rest of its life.
Q&A
“I’ve heard about declining bird populations. Are some bird species doing well?” The number of birds in North America has fallen by 29% since 1970. Bald eagles are thriving, peregrine falcon populations have grown and waterfowl numbers are on the upswing.
“Where do the red-winged blackbirds spend the winter?” Most blackbirds breeding in the northern U. S. migrate to the southern states for the winter.
“When do bucks drop their antlers?” Most bucks in Minnesota shed their antlers between December and March. Declining day length causes a decrease in testosterone, which results in antler shedding. Look for sheds in places where deer sleep, where they feed and the trails between those two places.
Concentrate on southern exposures.
“When are white-tailed fawns born?” May or early June are prime times as they allow the fawns to grow during warm days and nights while missing the cold of early spring.
“When do juncos leave here?” I see them here as late as in May every year.
“What else other than orioles eats grape jelly from feeders?” Catbirds, tanagers, robins, house finches, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, red-bellied), brown thrashers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, cardinals, starlings, Cape May warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, orange-crowned warblers, chipmunks and squirrels are all possibilities.
“There were branch tips on the ground under my spruce trees. What caused that?”
The damage is usually the work of a hungry red squirrel. It feeds on newly formed buds at the end of a twig by snipping off 3 to 6 inches of new growth, eating the bud and dropping the rest. This occurs when there is little other food available to them.
“Why do blue jays carry away several peanuts in their mouths and throats?” It’s because they don’t have pockets. It saves them trips to the feeder.
Thanks for stopping by
"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things." — Mary Oliver
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”—The Dalai Lama.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 4-18-21
Naturally
I walked to the intersection of birds and me, hoping to discover new things. There were songs in the trees. They made me want to join the band.
A great blue heron lumbered through the air. It’s about the size of a sandhill crane, each about 4 feet from tip of beak to tip of tail and they have similar wingspans. The heron weighs 5 pounds and a crane could be double that.
An insect hatch provides a food crop of caterpillars for upcoming warbler arrivals. I watched a brown creeper on the trunk of a tree, looking as if it were a piece of animated bark. A flicker called, “Flicka, flicka, flicka.” I didn’t grade any of the birds. I merely marked them present.
I watched a ring-billed gull looking as if it were landing on top of a hooded merganser on the water. The merganser dived out of the way. The gull repeated the behavior several times. I suspect it was an attempt to steal any fish the diving duck might have caught.
I saw a pair of trumpeter swans. I recalled a time I stood along a river on the foggiest of days. Two swans emerged from the fog, their white color enhanced by the contrast. They made no vocalizations as they flew over my head, but I heard their wings. I knew it was a cool experience because the hair on my arms stood up and a shiver ran up my spine. It was a glorious experience.
European starlings imitated meadowlarks, peewees, robins, cowbirds and house sparrows. I loved seeing horned larks paired up on nesting territory and a stunning brown thrasher, enjoyed the beautiful songs of house finches and western chorus frog practices. Confrontational red-winged blackbird males called into the cattails. I walked around the Mayo Clinic Campus in Rochester while watching a peregrine falcon flying overhead. It was a superb aerialist. Amazingly, I bumped into neither post nor person. The strong winds blew the nyjer seeds from a feeder. It was a thistleblower.
It’s we over me. Multi-colored Asian lady beetles overpowered me with their numbers.
Q&A
Donna Swenson of Waseca found wood duck eggs under a nest box and wondered what happened. Egg carrying by female ducks has been reported for several species, including wood ducks, but I’d think they’d carry them away. Raccoons are prime predators, and their paws are capable of remarkable things. Fishers are notable predators in parts of the state. Several bird species and squirrels damage eggs. Starlings try to usurp boxes.
“Can you tell a female blue jay from a male?” I can. The female is the one that lays the eggs. Male and female blue jays look the same. This is called sexual monomorphism. The males are slightly larger.
“Do geese poop in flight?” Geese are less likely to defecate when flying than when grazing on the ground, and they tend to discharge droppings upon takeoff. A strange incident occurred at Disneyland in 2017 when flying geese pooped on 17 people near the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Police and a hazmat crew responded. They found no crime had occurred.
“Why does it rain cats and dogs?” No one is certain. One suggestion is the phrase derives from mythology. Dogs were attendants to Odin, the god of storms, and sailors associated dogs with rain. Witches took the form of cats and rode the wind.
“How many bird species hybridize?” Of the 10,446 species, at least 16.4% do. Waterfowl are notorious for hybridizing.
“How many female birds sing?” A study at the University of Maryland Baltimore County found 70% of female birds sing.
The Book Club
“The iPhone Photography Book” by Scott Kelby aims to get professional images using the camera you always have with you. Here are a few of the book’s ideas. Keep the flash off, hold the camera still, and silence the shutter by muting the phone. Optical zoom is the good zoom. Tap the 2X lens at the bottom of the screen to get it. Pinch-and-zoom (digital zoom) is the bad zoom. Light makes good photos and direct sunlight can be problematic. Shoot outdoors when the sun is low or on cloudy days. A photo of three things is more likely to be liked than photos of two or four. Hold your phone high and aim down while you look up for selfies. Focus on the eyes in portraits and don’t leave too much space above the subject’s head, which should be moved forward and tilted down slightly. Shoot flowers from a low angle, not down at them. This 250-page book is filled with helpful hints.
Thanks for stopping by
“It's surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time.”—Barbara Kingsolver
“Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking.”―H. L. Mencken
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
I walked to the intersection of birds and me, hoping to discover new things. There were songs in the trees. They made me want to join the band.
A great blue heron lumbered through the air. It’s about the size of a sandhill crane, each about 4 feet from tip of beak to tip of tail and they have similar wingspans. The heron weighs 5 pounds and a crane could be double that.
An insect hatch provides a food crop of caterpillars for upcoming warbler arrivals. I watched a brown creeper on the trunk of a tree, looking as if it were a piece of animated bark. A flicker called, “Flicka, flicka, flicka.” I didn’t grade any of the birds. I merely marked them present.
I watched a ring-billed gull looking as if it were landing on top of a hooded merganser on the water. The merganser dived out of the way. The gull repeated the behavior several times. I suspect it was an attempt to steal any fish the diving duck might have caught.
I saw a pair of trumpeter swans. I recalled a time I stood along a river on the foggiest of days. Two swans emerged from the fog, their white color enhanced by the contrast. They made no vocalizations as they flew over my head, but I heard their wings. I knew it was a cool experience because the hair on my arms stood up and a shiver ran up my spine. It was a glorious experience.
European starlings imitated meadowlarks, peewees, robins, cowbirds and house sparrows. I loved seeing horned larks paired up on nesting territory and a stunning brown thrasher, enjoyed the beautiful songs of house finches and western chorus frog practices. Confrontational red-winged blackbird males called into the cattails. I walked around the Mayo Clinic Campus in Rochester while watching a peregrine falcon flying overhead. It was a superb aerialist. Amazingly, I bumped into neither post nor person. The strong winds blew the nyjer seeds from a feeder. It was a thistleblower.
It’s we over me. Multi-colored Asian lady beetles overpowered me with their numbers.
Q&A
Donna Swenson of Waseca found wood duck eggs under a nest box and wondered what happened. Egg carrying by female ducks has been reported for several species, including wood ducks, but I’d think they’d carry them away. Raccoons are prime predators, and their paws are capable of remarkable things. Fishers are notable predators in parts of the state. Several bird species and squirrels damage eggs. Starlings try to usurp boxes.
“Can you tell a female blue jay from a male?” I can. The female is the one that lays the eggs. Male and female blue jays look the same. This is called sexual monomorphism. The males are slightly larger.
“Do geese poop in flight?” Geese are less likely to defecate when flying than when grazing on the ground, and they tend to discharge droppings upon takeoff. A strange incident occurred at Disneyland in 2017 when flying geese pooped on 17 people near the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Police and a hazmat crew responded. They found no crime had occurred.
“Why does it rain cats and dogs?” No one is certain. One suggestion is the phrase derives from mythology. Dogs were attendants to Odin, the god of storms, and sailors associated dogs with rain. Witches took the form of cats and rode the wind.
“How many bird species hybridize?” Of the 10,446 species, at least 16.4% do. Waterfowl are notorious for hybridizing.
“How many female birds sing?” A study at the University of Maryland Baltimore County found 70% of female birds sing.
The Book Club
“The iPhone Photography Book” by Scott Kelby aims to get professional images using the camera you always have with you. Here are a few of the book’s ideas. Keep the flash off, hold the camera still, and silence the shutter by muting the phone. Optical zoom is the good zoom. Tap the 2X lens at the bottom of the screen to get it. Pinch-and-zoom (digital zoom) is the bad zoom. Light makes good photos and direct sunlight can be problematic. Shoot outdoors when the sun is low or on cloudy days. A photo of three things is more likely to be liked than photos of two or four. Hold your phone high and aim down while you look up for selfies. Focus on the eyes in portraits and don’t leave too much space above the subject’s head, which should be moved forward and tilted down slightly. Shoot flowers from a low angle, not down at them. This 250-page book is filled with helpful hints.
Thanks for stopping by
“It's surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time.”—Barbara Kingsolver
“Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking.”―H. L. Mencken
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 4-11-21
Naturally
The day was a stunner.
I followed a chickadee and liked it at every opportunity. Each chickadee is a prime symbol of the natural world. As I filled the feeders, a chickadee landed on my arm. I tried not to breathe.
Starlings cornered the yard. I was under a flock of countless starlings one day. It was a murmuration. They zoomed over me and I heard this incredible whoosh that was both thrilling and mesmerizing. It caused the hair on my arms to stand. It was a splendid gift.
Research by biologist Mark Miller in 1929 found that the first robin songs began about 45 minutes before sunrise, but modern neighborhoods flooded in artificial light cause robins to sing much earlier.
A birder in Cleveland, Ohio, discovered a banded 28-year-old ring-billed gull, the oldest individual of that species on record. This proves that a proper diet isn’t always important to longevity.
A report from the US Fish and Wildlife Service said bald eagles have quadrupled in population since 2009.
"Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom" has returned to television. It will air as two original episodes back-to-back each Sunday on RFD-TV in its original time slot of 7 p.m. An owner of a trail cam told me his device is occupied with the filming of skunks and raccoons. It's his own Wild Kingdom.
Gee Whiz
The first whooping crane hatched at the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin has died of natural causes. The crane, named Gee Whiz, was 38 years, 9 months old. A whooping crane’s average life expectancy in captivity is about 25 years. The oldest crane in captivity died at age 46, according to the foundation. Gee Whiz fathered 178 cranes and was known for his nasty disposition. Whooping cranes are the tallest birds in North America. The population has grown from fewer than 20 birds in the mid-1940s to around 850 birds today. The Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, opens May 1.
The mafia hypothesis
I listened to biologist Sarah Winnicki speak about her interesting brown-headed cowbird research on a podcast. She found eight cowbird eggs in one dickcissel nest. She added there is thought that the dickcissels feed their babies more than they do the cowbird babies. Sarah mentioned the mafia hypothesis, which suggests hosts accept parasitism to avoid retaliation against their nestlings.
The NCAA is for the birds
The NCAA men's and women's tournaments have teams with bird nicknames. Some have won national championships — Stanford Cardinal, Louisville Cardinals, Marquette Golden Eagles, South Carolina Gamecocks and Kansas Jayhawks. The Oregon Ducks won the first NCAA men's basketball national championship in 1939. Other avian handles include the Iowa Hawkeyes (few teams are named after the body parts of birds), the Creighton Bluejays (should be Blue Jays) and the Virginia Tech Hokies (a manufactured sobriquet) with HokieBird, a turkey mascot.
Q&A
"What do killdeer eat?" They feed primarily on invertebrates — earthworms, snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, beetles and aquatic insect larvae. They will eat seeds left in agricultural lands.
"Where do the sandhill cranes seen in Nebraska in March nest?" The most numerous and smallest subspecies there is the lesser sandhill crane. The Canadian (intermediate in size) sandhill crane makes up about 15% of the birds staging along the Platte River and the greater sandhill crane comprises about 5%. Greater sandhill cranes nest in the Great Lakes and the Interlake region of Manitoba. The Canadian subspecies breeds throughout central Canada from the Hudson Bay west to the Rocky Mountains. Lesser sandhill cranes nest across the northern reaches of Canada and Alaska, with about 80,000 of the birds crossing the Bering Strait to nest in eastern Siberia. An individual crane spends about 29 days along the Platte where 90% of its diet is corn. Cranes stopping in Nebraska generally winter in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. They arrive in Nebraska in February with their population peaking about the third week of March. Large numbers remain through the first week of April.
"Do polar bears hibernate?" Black and brown bears hibernate. Polar bears don't and only pregnant polar bears den. The female may lower her heart rate, metabolism and breathing rate, but never to the point of true hibernation.
"What is onion snow?" Onion snow is a term originated by the Pennsylvania Dutch and refers to a snowfall that occurs after the spring onions have been planted or is an indication it’s time to plant onions.
Thanks for stopping by
"If only the sun-drenched celebrities are being noticed and worshiped, then our children are going to have a tough time seeing the value in the shadows, where the thinkers, probers, and scientists are keeping society together." — Rita Dove
"What a pity flowers can utter no sound! A singing rose, a whispering violet, a murmuring honeysuckle oh, what a rare and exquisite miracle would these be!" - Henry Ward Beecher
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
The day was a stunner.
I followed a chickadee and liked it at every opportunity. Each chickadee is a prime symbol of the natural world. As I filled the feeders, a chickadee landed on my arm. I tried not to breathe.
Starlings cornered the yard. I was under a flock of countless starlings one day. It was a murmuration. They zoomed over me and I heard this incredible whoosh that was both thrilling and mesmerizing. It caused the hair on my arms to stand. It was a splendid gift.
Research by biologist Mark Miller in 1929 found that the first robin songs began about 45 minutes before sunrise, but modern neighborhoods flooded in artificial light cause robins to sing much earlier.
A birder in Cleveland, Ohio, discovered a banded 28-year-old ring-billed gull, the oldest individual of that species on record. This proves that a proper diet isn’t always important to longevity.
A report from the US Fish and Wildlife Service said bald eagles have quadrupled in population since 2009.
"Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom" has returned to television. It will air as two original episodes back-to-back each Sunday on RFD-TV in its original time slot of 7 p.m. An owner of a trail cam told me his device is occupied with the filming of skunks and raccoons. It's his own Wild Kingdom.
Gee Whiz
The first whooping crane hatched at the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin has died of natural causes. The crane, named Gee Whiz, was 38 years, 9 months old. A whooping crane’s average life expectancy in captivity is about 25 years. The oldest crane in captivity died at age 46, according to the foundation. Gee Whiz fathered 178 cranes and was known for his nasty disposition. Whooping cranes are the tallest birds in North America. The population has grown from fewer than 20 birds in the mid-1940s to around 850 birds today. The Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, opens May 1.
The mafia hypothesis
I listened to biologist Sarah Winnicki speak about her interesting brown-headed cowbird research on a podcast. She found eight cowbird eggs in one dickcissel nest. She added there is thought that the dickcissels feed their babies more than they do the cowbird babies. Sarah mentioned the mafia hypothesis, which suggests hosts accept parasitism to avoid retaliation against their nestlings.
The NCAA is for the birds
The NCAA men's and women's tournaments have teams with bird nicknames. Some have won national championships — Stanford Cardinal, Louisville Cardinals, Marquette Golden Eagles, South Carolina Gamecocks and Kansas Jayhawks. The Oregon Ducks won the first NCAA men's basketball national championship in 1939. Other avian handles include the Iowa Hawkeyes (few teams are named after the body parts of birds), the Creighton Bluejays (should be Blue Jays) and the Virginia Tech Hokies (a manufactured sobriquet) with HokieBird, a turkey mascot.
Q&A
"What do killdeer eat?" They feed primarily on invertebrates — earthworms, snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, beetles and aquatic insect larvae. They will eat seeds left in agricultural lands.
"Where do the sandhill cranes seen in Nebraska in March nest?" The most numerous and smallest subspecies there is the lesser sandhill crane. The Canadian (intermediate in size) sandhill crane makes up about 15% of the birds staging along the Platte River and the greater sandhill crane comprises about 5%. Greater sandhill cranes nest in the Great Lakes and the Interlake region of Manitoba. The Canadian subspecies breeds throughout central Canada from the Hudson Bay west to the Rocky Mountains. Lesser sandhill cranes nest across the northern reaches of Canada and Alaska, with about 80,000 of the birds crossing the Bering Strait to nest in eastern Siberia. An individual crane spends about 29 days along the Platte where 90% of its diet is corn. Cranes stopping in Nebraska generally winter in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. They arrive in Nebraska in February with their population peaking about the third week of March. Large numbers remain through the first week of April.
"Do polar bears hibernate?" Black and brown bears hibernate. Polar bears don't and only pregnant polar bears den. The female may lower her heart rate, metabolism and breathing rate, but never to the point of true hibernation.
"What is onion snow?" Onion snow is a term originated by the Pennsylvania Dutch and refers to a snowfall that occurs after the spring onions have been planted or is an indication it’s time to plant onions.
Thanks for stopping by
"If only the sun-drenched celebrities are being noticed and worshiped, then our children are going to have a tough time seeing the value in the shadows, where the thinkers, probers, and scientists are keeping society together." — Rita Dove
"What a pity flowers can utter no sound! A singing rose, a whispering violet, a murmuring honeysuckle oh, what a rare and exquisite miracle would these be!" - Henry Ward Beecher
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 4-4-21
Naturally
Two of my favorite birds are the fox sparrow I'm seeing now and the brown thrasher that I'll be seeing soon. I'm thrilled by their rufous-brown colors. White-throated and song sparrows decorate my yard with their presence.
I saw a small flock of ring-billed gulls in a parking lot. They're called seagulls, but that name is colloquial and not scientific. They could be more rightly called parking-lot gulls, landfill gulls or french-fry gulls. This gathering of gulls enjoyed fries.
A flock of birds is one enormous eye. And it looks in all directions. A murder of crows flew over a farm field. Their name is one of the most recognized collective nouns for birds. I enjoy seeing horned larks on roadsides, which gives me an opportunity to declare, "An exultation of larks." Other interesting group names are a murmuration of starlings, an unkindness of ravens, a parliament of owls (rarely seen in groups other than at nests) and a pitying of doves. I'm not sure of the legitimacy of the dove one. It's a book title. A murder of crows is the name of books, movies, TV shows, plays, albums and bands. An unkindness of ravens is the title of a novel.
There are many names for the full moon in March. The sugar moon or sap moon because March marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maple trees flows and the crust moon because of the crusty snow that results from thawing during the day and refreezing at night. The crow moon because of the cawing of crows at the end of winter and the worm moon because March is the time of year in which earthworms appear in the soil as the ground thaws.
Q&A
"When do crows nest in Minnesota?" They build a bulky bowl of dead twigs high in a tree. Crow nests are large, measuring 1.5 feet or more in diameter and 8 or more inches high, but well concealed. Crows lay 3-7 eggs. Nest construction begins in early March and could continue through June. I've seen active nests in April, May and June. It takes 1-2 weeks to finish a nest with a lifespan of about 9-10 weeks including 1-2 weeks building, 6 days of egg-laying, 20 days of incubating and 4 weeks (30-40 days) of nestlings. Crows use a nest once and fledge one brood a year. They will build on top of an old nest in areas where nest trees are sparse.
"Why do worms come to the surface when it rains?" In my childhood, I thought they did so to keep from drowning when water filled their burrows, but they can survive for a long time submerged in water. Scientists have theories about why worms engage in this behavior. One is that coming above ground when it rains allows worm tourism. Traveling across dry ground can be difficult for them. Worms might move toward the surface to escape a mole and move the same way when it rains, mistaking the vibrations caused by the rain for predators.
"How many eggs does a pheasant lay and how long does she sit on them?" A ring-necked pheasant hen lays 7-15 eggs and incubates them for 23-28 days, with most egg laying done in April and May.
"There is a wobbly squirrel in my yard. Is it injured?" Possibly, but it's more likely the victim of raccoon roundworm, a disease spread by raccoon feces that can cause neurological problems. The roundworm is found in the intestines of raccoons and their eggs are shed in scat. If these eggs are ingested by an animal eating seeds, it can damage its brain. This can affect mice, woodchucks, rabbits, birds, chipmunks, ground squirrels, foxes, porcupines, dogs and squirrels. The most common symptoms exhibited by squirrels affected by this disease are balance problems, a strange lopsided stance and staggering. An infected squirrel might demonstrate a lack of coordination, an inability to walk or climb properly, and little fear of humans. It's rare in humans, but keep pets and children away from areas with raccoon fecal contamination (evidence of latrines).
The Book Club
I read "Walking my Dog, Jane" by Ned Rozell. It's about travel and a dog. What could be better? The author said, "I took my dog for a walk last spring and we didn't come home until fall." Ned and Jane, a chocolate Lab that had seen him through "three pickup trucks and seven girlfriends," walked 800 miles along the trans-Alaska pipeline beginning at Valdez and ending at Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean.
Thanks for stopping by
"Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush." — Doug Larson
"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." — Louis L'Amour
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
Two of my favorite birds are the fox sparrow I'm seeing now and the brown thrasher that I'll be seeing soon. I'm thrilled by their rufous-brown colors. White-throated and song sparrows decorate my yard with their presence.
I saw a small flock of ring-billed gulls in a parking lot. They're called seagulls, but that name is colloquial and not scientific. They could be more rightly called parking-lot gulls, landfill gulls or french-fry gulls. This gathering of gulls enjoyed fries.
A flock of birds is one enormous eye. And it looks in all directions. A murder of crows flew over a farm field. Their name is one of the most recognized collective nouns for birds. I enjoy seeing horned larks on roadsides, which gives me an opportunity to declare, "An exultation of larks." Other interesting group names are a murmuration of starlings, an unkindness of ravens, a parliament of owls (rarely seen in groups other than at nests) and a pitying of doves. I'm not sure of the legitimacy of the dove one. It's a book title. A murder of crows is the name of books, movies, TV shows, plays, albums and bands. An unkindness of ravens is the title of a novel.
There are many names for the full moon in March. The sugar moon or sap moon because March marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maple trees flows and the crust moon because of the crusty snow that results from thawing during the day and refreezing at night. The crow moon because of the cawing of crows at the end of winter and the worm moon because March is the time of year in which earthworms appear in the soil as the ground thaws.
Q&A
"When do crows nest in Minnesota?" They build a bulky bowl of dead twigs high in a tree. Crow nests are large, measuring 1.5 feet or more in diameter and 8 or more inches high, but well concealed. Crows lay 3-7 eggs. Nest construction begins in early March and could continue through June. I've seen active nests in April, May and June. It takes 1-2 weeks to finish a nest with a lifespan of about 9-10 weeks including 1-2 weeks building, 6 days of egg-laying, 20 days of incubating and 4 weeks (30-40 days) of nestlings. Crows use a nest once and fledge one brood a year. They will build on top of an old nest in areas where nest trees are sparse.
"Why do worms come to the surface when it rains?" In my childhood, I thought they did so to keep from drowning when water filled their burrows, but they can survive for a long time submerged in water. Scientists have theories about why worms engage in this behavior. One is that coming above ground when it rains allows worm tourism. Traveling across dry ground can be difficult for them. Worms might move toward the surface to escape a mole and move the same way when it rains, mistaking the vibrations caused by the rain for predators.
"How many eggs does a pheasant lay and how long does she sit on them?" A ring-necked pheasant hen lays 7-15 eggs and incubates them for 23-28 days, with most egg laying done in April and May.
"There is a wobbly squirrel in my yard. Is it injured?" Possibly, but it's more likely the victim of raccoon roundworm, a disease spread by raccoon feces that can cause neurological problems. The roundworm is found in the intestines of raccoons and their eggs are shed in scat. If these eggs are ingested by an animal eating seeds, it can damage its brain. This can affect mice, woodchucks, rabbits, birds, chipmunks, ground squirrels, foxes, porcupines, dogs and squirrels. The most common symptoms exhibited by squirrels affected by this disease are balance problems, a strange lopsided stance and staggering. An infected squirrel might demonstrate a lack of coordination, an inability to walk or climb properly, and little fear of humans. It's rare in humans, but keep pets and children away from areas with raccoon fecal contamination (evidence of latrines).
The Book Club
I read "Walking my Dog, Jane" by Ned Rozell. It's about travel and a dog. What could be better? The author said, "I took my dog for a walk last spring and we didn't come home until fall." Ned and Jane, a chocolate Lab that had seen him through "three pickup trucks and seven girlfriends," walked 800 miles along the trans-Alaska pipeline beginning at Valdez and ending at Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean.
Thanks for stopping by
"Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush." — Doug Larson
"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." — Louis L'Amour
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 3-28-21
Naturally
I seek magic. A yard-filling flock of red-winged blackbirds blackening the snow-covered ground was magical. The world needed to hear their song. It's spring singing. Researchers from California Polytechnic State University analyzed how the natural sounds people hear when outdoors affect well-being. They found the chorus of birdsong increased welfare. I tried to determine by use of my Hartland Grade School arithmetic how many blackbirds there were and reckoned there were at least 14, but that might have been low. I'd estimate it was well into the hundreds. A much smaller flock of rusty blackbirds blew in with a storm. I'm always happy to see them. I wanted to yell, "Pour another cup of water into the soup, we have company." Brown-headed cowbirds joined the melee on the ground below the feeders. A female cowbird was taking a break in a lilac when two male house sparrows attacked her. She fought back and the battle was prolonged. Had her parasitizing reputation preceded her? Was it over a prime perching position? Or was it merely orneriness? Interesting behavior no matter the cause.
Dark-eyed juncos made the sounds of ray guns. The snow must go. The juncos must, too.
A male and female cardinal kissed on a lilac branch. He offered her a sunflower seed and their bills touched in what I found a heartwarming moment. It's known as mate feeding and is a sign of courtship. I gave my wife a Chunky candy bar when courting her.
Crows walked bandy-legged over the lawn, searching winter's detritus for food. A northern harrier (formerly called a marsh hawk) male was a gray glider swooping low over a field. Glorious!
Q&A
Jim Beal of Eagle Lake wrote, "I rarely see a blue jay and haven’t seen any all winter. It seems like if I put peanuts in the shell out the blue jays come out of nowhere and take every peanut. How do they know that I put out peanuts?" Blue jays use trail cams to spot peanuts in feeders. This is a little-known fact. It's known only by me. It's not true, but it'd be cool if it were. They find the peanuts by sight. They notice them because they are always looking for food and check places that have proved rewarding in the past. When one jay sees peanuts, it calls loudly, announcing to the world the goobers have arrived. A cavalry of jays soon arrives.
Brenda Kotasek of St. Peter said her son saw a crow chasing a rabbit. He wondered if it was chasing it into traffic and harm's way. Crows are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. Crows survive by being both scavengers and predators. Rabbits tend to try to escape rather than fight back. Aside from preying on dead rabbits, crows prey upon baby bunnies or rabbits that are ill, injured or old. Crows are intelligent. They could chase rabbits for practice or play. There are reports of crows driving rabbits onto roads where they are injured by cars. Whether this was done intentionally, only the crows know. A cottontail runs about 30 mph and a crow can fly at a speed double that.
"You should let everyone know about the award you received from the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union." How nice of you to give me an opportunity for humblebrag. A few years ago, I received the Thomas S. Roberts Memorial Award. MOU's lifetime achievement award for "Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Ornithology and Birding." I'm delighted to be mentioned with Thomas Sadler Roberts (1858 - 1946) who was a physician known for his work in ornithology, bird conservation, his book "The Birds of Minnesota," and for his help in establishing the Bell Museum of Natural History.
The Book Club
"Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants." by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a trained botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This well-written book combines the scientific with the mythic and poetic, and is terrific. She wrote, "In some Native languages the term for plants translates to those who take care of us." Plants were our first teachers. She wrote we should respect and care for nature by working in harmony with it. We need to give in the present to get in the future and consider the gifts we are given and be thankful. It's a great read.
Thanks for stopping by
"For 50 million years our biggest problems were too few calories, too little information. For about 50 years our biggest problem has been too many calories, too much information. We have to adjust, and I believe we will really fast. I also believe it will be wicked ugly while we're adjusting." — Penn Jillette
"When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud, too." — Denzel Washington (as Robert McCall in "The Equalizer")
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
I seek magic. A yard-filling flock of red-winged blackbirds blackening the snow-covered ground was magical. The world needed to hear their song. It's spring singing. Researchers from California Polytechnic State University analyzed how the natural sounds people hear when outdoors affect well-being. They found the chorus of birdsong increased welfare. I tried to determine by use of my Hartland Grade School arithmetic how many blackbirds there were and reckoned there were at least 14, but that might have been low. I'd estimate it was well into the hundreds. A much smaller flock of rusty blackbirds blew in with a storm. I'm always happy to see them. I wanted to yell, "Pour another cup of water into the soup, we have company." Brown-headed cowbirds joined the melee on the ground below the feeders. A female cowbird was taking a break in a lilac when two male house sparrows attacked her. She fought back and the battle was prolonged. Had her parasitizing reputation preceded her? Was it over a prime perching position? Or was it merely orneriness? Interesting behavior no matter the cause.
Dark-eyed juncos made the sounds of ray guns. The snow must go. The juncos must, too.
A male and female cardinal kissed on a lilac branch. He offered her a sunflower seed and their bills touched in what I found a heartwarming moment. It's known as mate feeding and is a sign of courtship. I gave my wife a Chunky candy bar when courting her.
Crows walked bandy-legged over the lawn, searching winter's detritus for food. A northern harrier (formerly called a marsh hawk) male was a gray glider swooping low over a field. Glorious!
Q&A
Jim Beal of Eagle Lake wrote, "I rarely see a blue jay and haven’t seen any all winter. It seems like if I put peanuts in the shell out the blue jays come out of nowhere and take every peanut. How do they know that I put out peanuts?" Blue jays use trail cams to spot peanuts in feeders. This is a little-known fact. It's known only by me. It's not true, but it'd be cool if it were. They find the peanuts by sight. They notice them because they are always looking for food and check places that have proved rewarding in the past. When one jay sees peanuts, it calls loudly, announcing to the world the goobers have arrived. A cavalry of jays soon arrives.
Brenda Kotasek of St. Peter said her son saw a crow chasing a rabbit. He wondered if it was chasing it into traffic and harm's way. Crows are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. Crows survive by being both scavengers and predators. Rabbits tend to try to escape rather than fight back. Aside from preying on dead rabbits, crows prey upon baby bunnies or rabbits that are ill, injured or old. Crows are intelligent. They could chase rabbits for practice or play. There are reports of crows driving rabbits onto roads where they are injured by cars. Whether this was done intentionally, only the crows know. A cottontail runs about 30 mph and a crow can fly at a speed double that.
"You should let everyone know about the award you received from the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union." How nice of you to give me an opportunity for humblebrag. A few years ago, I received the Thomas S. Roberts Memorial Award. MOU's lifetime achievement award for "Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Ornithology and Birding." I'm delighted to be mentioned with Thomas Sadler Roberts (1858 - 1946) who was a physician known for his work in ornithology, bird conservation, his book "The Birds of Minnesota," and for his help in establishing the Bell Museum of Natural History.
The Book Club
"Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants." by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a trained botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This well-written book combines the scientific with the mythic and poetic, and is terrific. She wrote, "In some Native languages the term for plants translates to those who take care of us." Plants were our first teachers. She wrote we should respect and care for nature by working in harmony with it. We need to give in the present to get in the future and consider the gifts we are given and be thankful. It's a great read.
Thanks for stopping by
"For 50 million years our biggest problems were too few calories, too little information. For about 50 years our biggest problem has been too many calories, too much information. We have to adjust, and I believe we will really fast. I also believe it will be wicked ugly while we're adjusting." — Penn Jillette
"When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud, too." — Denzel Washington (as Robert McCall in "The Equalizer")
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
 Photo by Al Batt
Male & female red-winged blackbirds. |
Photo by Al Batt
|
Posted 3-21-21
Naturally
It was a lovely dawn on its way to becoming a lovely day. The yard was awash with migrants. I searched for primavera (spring). I found grackles.
Lord Byron wrote, "There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, there is a rapture on the lonely shore." And through the glass. I stared out windows with hawklike attention. That suits me. I see the comings and goings. I hear them, too. Handsome red-winged blackbird males sang, "Look at me." I looked. Juncos made ray gun sounds. Both species give voice to spring. It's their thing.
Nature news
A cellphone was removed from a brown pelican's stomach in Florida after it likely thought the device was a fish.
A white bison lives in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. They’re becoming more common thanks to crossbreeding with cattle. The calf is named Takoda, meaning "friend to everyone." My wife and I visited Janesville, Wisconsin, years ago to see a white calf.
Q&A
"What can I do if my dog is sprayed by a skunk?" Move and leave no forwarding address. There are various remedies, but some are as bad as the skunk perfume. The Humane Society recommends washing your dog in a solution made from 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap. Wear rubber gloves and don’t get the solution in its eyes. Don't leave it on long before rinsing thoroughly and shampooing. Or you could mix 2 parts water with 1 part apple cider vinegar, the amount needed varies the dog's size. There are commercial products available.
"Do woodpeckers reuse nests?" Woodpeckers are primary cavity nesters, meaning they create nest and roost sites for themselves. Secondary cavity-nesters are those that cannot excavate cavities such as bluebirds, wood ducks and swallows. Typically, woodpeckers make a hole for each brood. Some species, like red-headed woodpeckers, reuse nest cavities. Some use nest boxes. I pack flicker boxes with pine wood chips for the birds to excavate.
Karen Wright of Mankato asked the difference between mink, weasels, martens and fishers. They're all members of the Mustelidae (weasel family), which includes otters, skunks, ferrets, wolverines and badgers. Mink and weasels are common. Mink are larger and heavier than weasels and are typically found near water. Weasels are yellowish-brown or brown and have white fur in the winter. Mink have dark brown or black fur with a white chin and throat. The American (pine) marten and fisher (sometimes called fisher-cat) are rarely encountered as they prefer areas with wilderness character. Martens are similar in color, size and shape to mink, but are usually found in the uplands while mink are associated with water. A marten is smaller than a fisher and has orange on throat and chest, which fishers lack. Both have bushy tails, but a marten's ears and snout are more pointed than a fisher's. Martens live in northern Minnesota in deciduous and coniferous forests. Fishers live in various forest types in northern Minnesota with some animals reported in southeastern Minnesota.
"Are there butterflies that winter here as adults?" Yes. Mourning cloaks, eastern commas, gray commas and Compton tortoiseshells are some. They spend the winter in sheltered cracks, crannies and crevices.
"Why do raptors allow smaller birds to mob them?" They aren't given a choice. Mobbing isn't that dangerous to smaller birds as they know what they're doing, possess greater maneuverability than the raptor, and the raptor's element of surprise has been eliminated.
"When do barred owls nest?" The only owl species in Minnesota with dark eyes begins nesting in March in hollow trees, tree snags, abandoned nests of other animals or in nest boxes. The two or three white eggs hatch in 28-33 days. Owlets leave the nest 4-5 weeks after hatching.
The Book Club
"Celebrating Birds: An Interactive Field Guide Featuring Art from Wingspan" by Natalia Rojas and Ana Maria Martinez is a lavishly illustrated and interactive full-color guide to 181 birds of North America and is based upon the bestselling bird-focused board game Wingspan, where birders and gamers come together. The number of birds in North America has declined precipitously and this book is an enjoyable way to raise awareness on important environmental issues. Maintaining its relationship to Wingspan, the book can be used to take a game outdoors. Players collect points based on birds, nests, habitats and foods of birds. Text and factoids are provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All bird books resonate with me. Each one is an opportunity knocking. This book offers an engaging way to educate, entertain and enhance. It's available at your favorite book place.
Thanks for stopping by
"In come the March winds, they blow and blow, they sweep up the brown leaves that green ones may grow." — George Washington Wright
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." — From a fortune cookie but not from Confucius
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
It was a lovely dawn on its way to becoming a lovely day. The yard was awash with migrants. I searched for primavera (spring). I found grackles.
Lord Byron wrote, "There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, there is a rapture on the lonely shore." And through the glass. I stared out windows with hawklike attention. That suits me. I see the comings and goings. I hear them, too. Handsome red-winged blackbird males sang, "Look at me." I looked. Juncos made ray gun sounds. Both species give voice to spring. It's their thing.
Nature news
A cellphone was removed from a brown pelican's stomach in Florida after it likely thought the device was a fish.
A white bison lives in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. They’re becoming more common thanks to crossbreeding with cattle. The calf is named Takoda, meaning "friend to everyone." My wife and I visited Janesville, Wisconsin, years ago to see a white calf.
Q&A
"What can I do if my dog is sprayed by a skunk?" Move and leave no forwarding address. There are various remedies, but some are as bad as the skunk perfume. The Humane Society recommends washing your dog in a solution made from 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap. Wear rubber gloves and don’t get the solution in its eyes. Don't leave it on long before rinsing thoroughly and shampooing. Or you could mix 2 parts water with 1 part apple cider vinegar, the amount needed varies the dog's size. There are commercial products available.
"Do woodpeckers reuse nests?" Woodpeckers are primary cavity nesters, meaning they create nest and roost sites for themselves. Secondary cavity-nesters are those that cannot excavate cavities such as bluebirds, wood ducks and swallows. Typically, woodpeckers make a hole for each brood. Some species, like red-headed woodpeckers, reuse nest cavities. Some use nest boxes. I pack flicker boxes with pine wood chips for the birds to excavate.
Karen Wright of Mankato asked the difference between mink, weasels, martens and fishers. They're all members of the Mustelidae (weasel family), which includes otters, skunks, ferrets, wolverines and badgers. Mink and weasels are common. Mink are larger and heavier than weasels and are typically found near water. Weasels are yellowish-brown or brown and have white fur in the winter. Mink have dark brown or black fur with a white chin and throat. The American (pine) marten and fisher (sometimes called fisher-cat) are rarely encountered as they prefer areas with wilderness character. Martens are similar in color, size and shape to mink, but are usually found in the uplands while mink are associated with water. A marten is smaller than a fisher and has orange on throat and chest, which fishers lack. Both have bushy tails, but a marten's ears and snout are more pointed than a fisher's. Martens live in northern Minnesota in deciduous and coniferous forests. Fishers live in various forest types in northern Minnesota with some animals reported in southeastern Minnesota.
"Are there butterflies that winter here as adults?" Yes. Mourning cloaks, eastern commas, gray commas and Compton tortoiseshells are some. They spend the winter in sheltered cracks, crannies and crevices.
"Why do raptors allow smaller birds to mob them?" They aren't given a choice. Mobbing isn't that dangerous to smaller birds as they know what they're doing, possess greater maneuverability than the raptor, and the raptor's element of surprise has been eliminated.
"When do barred owls nest?" The only owl species in Minnesota with dark eyes begins nesting in March in hollow trees, tree snags, abandoned nests of other animals or in nest boxes. The two or three white eggs hatch in 28-33 days. Owlets leave the nest 4-5 weeks after hatching.
The Book Club
"Celebrating Birds: An Interactive Field Guide Featuring Art from Wingspan" by Natalia Rojas and Ana Maria Martinez is a lavishly illustrated and interactive full-color guide to 181 birds of North America and is based upon the bestselling bird-focused board game Wingspan, where birders and gamers come together. The number of birds in North America has declined precipitously and this book is an enjoyable way to raise awareness on important environmental issues. Maintaining its relationship to Wingspan, the book can be used to take a game outdoors. Players collect points based on birds, nests, habitats and foods of birds. Text and factoids are provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All bird books resonate with me. Each one is an opportunity knocking. This book offers an engaging way to educate, entertain and enhance. It's available at your favorite book place.
Thanks for stopping by
"In come the March winds, they blow and blow, they sweep up the brown leaves that green ones may grow." — George Washington Wright
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." — From a fortune cookie but not from Confucius
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Dark eyes and yellow bill on a Barred Owl.
Sorry, Shakespeare fans, it’s not a bard owl.
It’s nicknamed hoot owl, eight hooter, rain owl, laughing owl and crazy owl.