Posted 11-28-21
Naturally
A couple of dandelions still bloomed in the yard. They do so to establish possibility. The red berries on yard trees offered a glimpse of another year. Fallen leaves amplified the sounds of things that were and weren’t there.
The cloudiest months are November and December, with an average of 18 cloudy days each in Minnesota. November averages five days with clear skies and December six. But one day in November, the sky was so blue, gulls were swimming in it. Overall, Minnesota is warmer and wetter than in 1900. Ask anybody who was around in 1900, they’ll tell you. November has been blustery. The windiest month on average for most of Minnesota is April. Minneapolis is windier than the Windy City (Chicago), as are Milwaukee, Boston and a host of other cities.
Penn State University researchers and wildlife officials in Iowa found that over 80% of deer in their samples tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, with samples taken from April 2020 through January 2021 showing it’s spreading. There’s no evidence to suggest deer-to-human transmission. According to the study, the COVID-19 transmissions among deer in Iowa likely resulted from multiple human-to-deer spillover events and deer-to-deer transmission. Rachel Ruden, Iowa’s state wildlife veterinarian and an author of the study, said there are many opportunities for transmission given the 445,000 deer in the state, and the virus could be spread by people feeding deer, through sewage discharges or in an odd way like a deer licking a gob of used chewing tobacco spit out by an infected hunter. Ruden said, “All of this is a striking example that we’re all in this pandemic together.”
Nature by the book
I read a delightful book by Rosemary Mosco titled, “A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching,” subtitled, “Getting to Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird.” She dedicated the book to her father, who grew up in a Manhattan tenement, and knew only three kinds of birds: the gray ones (pigeons), the little brown ones (house sparrows) and seagulls. The book covers about everything you could cover a pigeon with. A pigeon can find its way home from unfamiliar locations. How? Scientists believe the birds use landmarks, smells, the position of the sun, earth’s magnetic field, and the female pigeon stops to ask for directions. I tossed that last one in there. Don’t blame a scientist for it.
In WWI, the Lost Battalion (US soldiers) was behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest when they fell under friendly artillery fire. They released a messenger pigeon named Cher Ami, which is French for “dear friend.” Despite being shot, Cher Ani delivered the message to headquarters and saved many lives. Cher Ami received the Croix de Guerre, one of France’s highest military honors.
The author included a quote from Charles Darwin, “I will show you my pigeons! Which is the greatest treat, in my opinion, which can be offered to human beings.”
As I’d say when I was a ragamuffin, I had a fun time reading this book.
Q&A
Dale Waltz of Rochester asked about gray squirrels with white ears. They often have white hair behind their ears and on the chin, throat and belly. Gray squirrels may have white or brownish bellies and, in winter, white ear tufts. Black and white squirrels are variations of the gray squirrel. The black squirrels will not have white-tipped fur or white bellies. Eastern grey squirrels often have a lot of red in their fur. Underparts and eye-rings are buffy brown to white, usually lighter in winter. The backs of the ears, tan to cinnamon in color, have white tips in the winter
“If I feed just one thing to the wild birds in my Minnesota backyard, what should it be?” I’d recommend black-oil sunflower seeds. They have the greatest appeal to the broadest variety of winter birds we want to see and offer high energy content. This take-it-or-leave-it bird table saves you the time, effort and cost of having to post a daily menu.
“Why are birds banded?” According to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory, bird banding data are useful in both scientific research and management and conservation projects. Individual identification of birds makes it possible to study dispersal and migration, behavior and social structure, lifespan and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth.
“Do birds have a sense of smell?” Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the Cawthron Institute in New Zealand provided genetic evidence that many bird species have a well-developed sense of smell, but the ability varies among bird groups. Vultures, seabirds, kiwis and parrots have well-developed olfactory glands.
Thanks for stopping by
“We are a landscape of all we have seen.”—Isamu Noguchi.
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”—Peter Drucker.
Do good.
©️Al Batt 2021
Naturally
A couple of dandelions still bloomed in the yard. They do so to establish possibility. The red berries on yard trees offered a glimpse of another year. Fallen leaves amplified the sounds of things that were and weren’t there.
The cloudiest months are November and December, with an average of 18 cloudy days each in Minnesota. November averages five days with clear skies and December six. But one day in November, the sky was so blue, gulls were swimming in it. Overall, Minnesota is warmer and wetter than in 1900. Ask anybody who was around in 1900, they’ll tell you. November has been blustery. The windiest month on average for most of Minnesota is April. Minneapolis is windier than the Windy City (Chicago), as are Milwaukee, Boston and a host of other cities.
Penn State University researchers and wildlife officials in Iowa found that over 80% of deer in their samples tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, with samples taken from April 2020 through January 2021 showing it’s spreading. There’s no evidence to suggest deer-to-human transmission. According to the study, the COVID-19 transmissions among deer in Iowa likely resulted from multiple human-to-deer spillover events and deer-to-deer transmission. Rachel Ruden, Iowa’s state wildlife veterinarian and an author of the study, said there are many opportunities for transmission given the 445,000 deer in the state, and the virus could be spread by people feeding deer, through sewage discharges or in an odd way like a deer licking a gob of used chewing tobacco spit out by an infected hunter. Ruden said, “All of this is a striking example that we’re all in this pandemic together.”
Nature by the book
I read a delightful book by Rosemary Mosco titled, “A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching,” subtitled, “Getting to Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird.” She dedicated the book to her father, who grew up in a Manhattan tenement, and knew only three kinds of birds: the gray ones (pigeons), the little brown ones (house sparrows) and seagulls. The book covers about everything you could cover a pigeon with. A pigeon can find its way home from unfamiliar locations. How? Scientists believe the birds use landmarks, smells, the position of the sun, earth’s magnetic field, and the female pigeon stops to ask for directions. I tossed that last one in there. Don’t blame a scientist for it.
In WWI, the Lost Battalion (US soldiers) was behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest when they fell under friendly artillery fire. They released a messenger pigeon named Cher Ami, which is French for “dear friend.” Despite being shot, Cher Ani delivered the message to headquarters and saved many lives. Cher Ami received the Croix de Guerre, one of France’s highest military honors.
The author included a quote from Charles Darwin, “I will show you my pigeons! Which is the greatest treat, in my opinion, which can be offered to human beings.”
As I’d say when I was a ragamuffin, I had a fun time reading this book.
Q&A
Dale Waltz of Rochester asked about gray squirrels with white ears. They often have white hair behind their ears and on the chin, throat and belly. Gray squirrels may have white or brownish bellies and, in winter, white ear tufts. Black and white squirrels are variations of the gray squirrel. The black squirrels will not have white-tipped fur or white bellies. Eastern grey squirrels often have a lot of red in their fur. Underparts and eye-rings are buffy brown to white, usually lighter in winter. The backs of the ears, tan to cinnamon in color, have white tips in the winter
“If I feed just one thing to the wild birds in my Minnesota backyard, what should it be?” I’d recommend black-oil sunflower seeds. They have the greatest appeal to the broadest variety of winter birds we want to see and offer high energy content. This take-it-or-leave-it bird table saves you the time, effort and cost of having to post a daily menu.
“Why are birds banded?” According to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory, bird banding data are useful in both scientific research and management and conservation projects. Individual identification of birds makes it possible to study dispersal and migration, behavior and social structure, lifespan and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth.
“Do birds have a sense of smell?” Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the Cawthron Institute in New Zealand provided genetic evidence that many bird species have a well-developed sense of smell, but the ability varies among bird groups. Vultures, seabirds, kiwis and parrots have well-developed olfactory glands.
Thanks for stopping by
“We are a landscape of all we have seen.”—Isamu Noguchi.
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”—Peter Drucker.
Do good.
©️Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 11-21-21
Water witching
Naturally
I watched a great blue heron following its bill in flight. A brisk wind moved milkweed seeds around. Rivers of blackbirds flew resolutely to a destination at least one bird knew. Red berries were evident on highbush cranberry and hawthorn. Rose hips were another red color seen easily.
Dandelions bloomed in the yard. They bloom profusely in April-June, but when the days are long in the middle of summer, flower initiation lessens. In fall, when the days shorten, they might bloom a second time, weather permitting. Flowering is initiated by day length and temperature. This second flowering ceases as days shorten or with severe frosts. Lilacs sometimes bloom twice. Some say the second blooming is due to stress, but there are varieties and hybrids of lilacs that are meant to do so. Lilacs are native to Eastern Europe and Asia.
Hardiness has made ginkgo trees a popular choice for landscaping and urban planning. Ginkgos lose all their fan-shaped leaves in one massive, simultaneous leaf drop. Buckthorn clings to its leaves and sports black berries.
I put a canoe in the longest river in the US near Great Falls, Montana. Nicknamed “Big Muddy,” the Missouri River is the fourth longest river in the world, starting in Montana’s Rocky Mountains and traveling 2,341 miles through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri (according to the Montana Office of Tourism) before joining the Mississippi River near St. Louis.
Q&A
“Do raccoons hibernate?” They don’t. What they do has been called going into torpor, winter sleep, partial hibernation or becoming dormant. They retire to a den where they sleep for long periods, waking occasionally to hit the snooze button or to leave the den for lunch. Mating occurs in February and March. If the temperature drops below 27°, raccoons retreat to their dens, usually in hollow logs and trees. They can have more than one den and sleep in the one they determine is most secure. They can burrow underground to make dens and it isn’t unusual for raccoons to nap together and they’ve been discovered in chimneys, under decks and in abandoned buildings.
Leon Schoenrock of New Richland wrote, “I did see a golden eagle this fall. When I see them, I think they seem bigger than a bald eagle. Are they?” Golden eagles and bald eagles are of similar size. Female eagles are up to 25% larger than males. Most resources have found that, on average, a bald eagle is slightly larger than a golden eagle. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a golden eagle is 27.6 to 33.1 inches long. A bald eagle is 27.9 to 37.8 inches long. A golden eagle weighs 105.8 to 216.1 ounces and a bald eagle 105.8 to 222.2 ounces. Young bald eagles can be larger than adults because a young eagle's tail and wing feathers are longer than an adult's. The young eagles still weigh less than adults.
“What trees produce the best branches to use for dowsing or water witching?” My father favored a forked branch cut from a live willow tree. You could use any kind of tree, but Y-shaped sticks from willows, witch hazel (not common in much of Minnesota), and various fruit and nut trees are the most popular. Cut a Y-shaped stick from a tree, making sure that all three sections of the Y are 12-16 inches long. Grab both the top ends of the Y in an underhanded grasp with your palms facing toward the sky, and hold the dowsing rod horizontally so that it points in front of you. Maintain a loose grip as you walk slowly in search of water. As you approach a water source, the bottom of the Y of the dowsing rod should bend towards the ground. Dad also used wire coat hangers and wire rods. I watched a tiler use a pair of pliers for that purpose. Does dowsing work? I’m not sure. I’ve seen it done. I guess seeing isn’t always believing.
Barb Lamson of Mankato asked, “What happens to young offspring of deer—do they stay with their mother, do they become independent? How do they survive?” Although they may drift away for periods of time, female fawns could stay with their mothers for two years and young bucks leave after a year. If a doe dies, it’s believed by some researchers that a fawn could survive on its own if it had reached eight weeks of age.
Thanks for stopping by
“I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the one who sold it.”—Will Rogers.
“You must not know too much, or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and water-craft; a certain free margin, and even vagueness—perhaps ignorance, credulity—helps your enjoyment of these things.”—Walt Whitman.
Do good.
©️Al Batt 2021
Water witching
Naturally
I watched a great blue heron following its bill in flight. A brisk wind moved milkweed seeds around. Rivers of blackbirds flew resolutely to a destination at least one bird knew. Red berries were evident on highbush cranberry and hawthorn. Rose hips were another red color seen easily.
Dandelions bloomed in the yard. They bloom profusely in April-June, but when the days are long in the middle of summer, flower initiation lessens. In fall, when the days shorten, they might bloom a second time, weather permitting. Flowering is initiated by day length and temperature. This second flowering ceases as days shorten or with severe frosts. Lilacs sometimes bloom twice. Some say the second blooming is due to stress, but there are varieties and hybrids of lilacs that are meant to do so. Lilacs are native to Eastern Europe and Asia.
Hardiness has made ginkgo trees a popular choice for landscaping and urban planning. Ginkgos lose all their fan-shaped leaves in one massive, simultaneous leaf drop. Buckthorn clings to its leaves and sports black berries.
I put a canoe in the longest river in the US near Great Falls, Montana. Nicknamed “Big Muddy,” the Missouri River is the fourth longest river in the world, starting in Montana’s Rocky Mountains and traveling 2,341 miles through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri (according to the Montana Office of Tourism) before joining the Mississippi River near St. Louis.
Q&A
“Do raccoons hibernate?” They don’t. What they do has been called going into torpor, winter sleep, partial hibernation or becoming dormant. They retire to a den where they sleep for long periods, waking occasionally to hit the snooze button or to leave the den for lunch. Mating occurs in February and March. If the temperature drops below 27°, raccoons retreat to their dens, usually in hollow logs and trees. They can have more than one den and sleep in the one they determine is most secure. They can burrow underground to make dens and it isn’t unusual for raccoons to nap together and they’ve been discovered in chimneys, under decks and in abandoned buildings.
Leon Schoenrock of New Richland wrote, “I did see a golden eagle this fall. When I see them, I think they seem bigger than a bald eagle. Are they?” Golden eagles and bald eagles are of similar size. Female eagles are up to 25% larger than males. Most resources have found that, on average, a bald eagle is slightly larger than a golden eagle. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a golden eagle is 27.6 to 33.1 inches long. A bald eagle is 27.9 to 37.8 inches long. A golden eagle weighs 105.8 to 216.1 ounces and a bald eagle 105.8 to 222.2 ounces. Young bald eagles can be larger than adults because a young eagle's tail and wing feathers are longer than an adult's. The young eagles still weigh less than adults.
“What trees produce the best branches to use for dowsing or water witching?” My father favored a forked branch cut from a live willow tree. You could use any kind of tree, but Y-shaped sticks from willows, witch hazel (not common in much of Minnesota), and various fruit and nut trees are the most popular. Cut a Y-shaped stick from a tree, making sure that all three sections of the Y are 12-16 inches long. Grab both the top ends of the Y in an underhanded grasp with your palms facing toward the sky, and hold the dowsing rod horizontally so that it points in front of you. Maintain a loose grip as you walk slowly in search of water. As you approach a water source, the bottom of the Y of the dowsing rod should bend towards the ground. Dad also used wire coat hangers and wire rods. I watched a tiler use a pair of pliers for that purpose. Does dowsing work? I’m not sure. I’ve seen it done. I guess seeing isn’t always believing.
Barb Lamson of Mankato asked, “What happens to young offspring of deer—do they stay with their mother, do they become independent? How do they survive?” Although they may drift away for periods of time, female fawns could stay with their mothers for two years and young bucks leave after a year. If a doe dies, it’s believed by some researchers that a fawn could survive on its own if it had reached eight weeks of age.
Thanks for stopping by
“I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the one who sold it.”—Will Rogers.
“You must not know too much, or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and water-craft; a certain free margin, and even vagueness—perhaps ignorance, credulity—helps your enjoyment of these things.”—Walt Whitman.
Do good.
©️Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 11-14-21
Hedgehog caterpillars hibernate
Naturally
The first week of November found me doing a lot of walking in Winona, often in the company of woolly bear (woolly worm) caterpillars. The caterpillar is the larval form of the Isabella tiger moth, a white to orange to yellow moth that flies around lights on summer nights. The woolly bear is the Punxsutawney Phil of insects. One folkloric belief is that the direction the caterpillars travel foretells the severity of the upcoming winter. If they’re headed south, they’re running away from the looming cold; if they crawl north, it means winter will be mild. There’s not much merit to that tall tale. More’s the pity. The more common woolly bear prognostication suggests the width of the caterpillar’s brown band can predict the severity of a winter. A wide band means a mild winter and a narrow band means winter will be harsh. Since the brown band typically grows wider with each molt the caterpillar completes, it’s more of an indication of age, nutrition and genetics. This caterpillar forecast has been around since colonial times, but it became popular in 1948, when the curator of entomology from the American Museum of Natural History, Dr. Howard Curran, did a study. He went to Bear Mountain State Park, New York, and examined woolly bear caterpillars, paying particular attention to the brown bands. Based on those, he made a winter prediction, which was picked up by the New York Herald Tribune. The wooly bear caterpillars had predicted a mild winter, which turned out to be correct and the story spread around the country. The caterpillars are woolly bears and they hibernate like bears, except the caterpillars stay cold. It’s beyond cold; they freeze. Some people call them hedgehog caterpillars because they roll into a ball and play dead when disturbed. Please don’t blame them for the winter. Another bit of winter weather lore I’ve heard often is for every fog in August, we’ll get a day with snowfall. I’ve always wanted to check that, but I never remember to count the fogs in August because of my brain fog.
I stood under a large oak . I often walk by the big beauty. Squirrels were squirreling away the fallen acorns. Oaks can be 900-year-old trees–300 years of growth, 300 years of stasis and 300 years of decline. Most species of oaks begin producing acorns at about 20 years of age, with peak mast production occurring at around 50 to 80 years. An oak tree is in the genus Quercus. “Quer” means “fine” and “cuez” means “tree” in Celtic. An oak’s root zone extends beyond the drip line of the tree. The drip line is the outermost edge of a tree’s foliage.
A single pair of breeding chickadees needs 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to rear one clutch of young birds, according to Doug Tallamy, a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware. A black-capped chickadee weighs as much as four or five pennies.
I’ve seen teams of workers wearing bright vests digging around utility poles. They check the poles for rot and decay. I wonder what all they encounter in their excavations? Soil is alive. There are far more species of organisms in the soil than there are aboveground.
Q&A
Duane Miller of Hartland asked if hummingbirds have a pecking order? Hummingbirds have an instinct to protect food sources, so they do have a dominance hierarchy. This leads to constant battles at feeders. If you know someone who enjoys watching movies featuring car chases, tell them to watch hummingbirds at feeders. The chases are nearly endless.
“Why do hummingbirds spend a longer time in a nest than many other songbirds?” The hummingbird nestlings spend 18-22 days in the nest, whereas the average songbird, if there is an average songbird, is in the nest for 12-14 days. It’s all about mobility. A young robin leaving the nest could hop, walk and climb until it’s mature enough to fly. A hummingbird nestling cannot do those things. It needs to be able to fly skillfully enough to find safety from weather and predators. The extra time in the nest allows it to become developed enough to give it a shot at survival outside the nest.
“What songbirds have the longest tails related to their bodies?” The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says four North American songbirds have tails making up half or more of their body length. They are the black-billed magpie, yellow-billed magpie, scissor-tailed flycatcher and fork-tailed flycatcher.
Thanks for stopping by
“I seldom get down or depressed. I don’t want to waste a minute when I could be enjoying life.”—Dick Van Dyke.
“You can have all the money in the world, but there’s one thing you will never have… a dinosaur.”—Homer Simpson.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Hedgehog caterpillars hibernate
Naturally
The first week of November found me doing a lot of walking in Winona, often in the company of woolly bear (woolly worm) caterpillars. The caterpillar is the larval form of the Isabella tiger moth, a white to orange to yellow moth that flies around lights on summer nights. The woolly bear is the Punxsutawney Phil of insects. One folkloric belief is that the direction the caterpillars travel foretells the severity of the upcoming winter. If they’re headed south, they’re running away from the looming cold; if they crawl north, it means winter will be mild. There’s not much merit to that tall tale. More’s the pity. The more common woolly bear prognostication suggests the width of the caterpillar’s brown band can predict the severity of a winter. A wide band means a mild winter and a narrow band means winter will be harsh. Since the brown band typically grows wider with each molt the caterpillar completes, it’s more of an indication of age, nutrition and genetics. This caterpillar forecast has been around since colonial times, but it became popular in 1948, when the curator of entomology from the American Museum of Natural History, Dr. Howard Curran, did a study. He went to Bear Mountain State Park, New York, and examined woolly bear caterpillars, paying particular attention to the brown bands. Based on those, he made a winter prediction, which was picked up by the New York Herald Tribune. The wooly bear caterpillars had predicted a mild winter, which turned out to be correct and the story spread around the country. The caterpillars are woolly bears and they hibernate like bears, except the caterpillars stay cold. It’s beyond cold; they freeze. Some people call them hedgehog caterpillars because they roll into a ball and play dead when disturbed. Please don’t blame them for the winter. Another bit of winter weather lore I’ve heard often is for every fog in August, we’ll get a day with snowfall. I’ve always wanted to check that, but I never remember to count the fogs in August because of my brain fog.
I stood under a large oak . I often walk by the big beauty. Squirrels were squirreling away the fallen acorns. Oaks can be 900-year-old trees–300 years of growth, 300 years of stasis and 300 years of decline. Most species of oaks begin producing acorns at about 20 years of age, with peak mast production occurring at around 50 to 80 years. An oak tree is in the genus Quercus. “Quer” means “fine” and “cuez” means “tree” in Celtic. An oak’s root zone extends beyond the drip line of the tree. The drip line is the outermost edge of a tree’s foliage.
A single pair of breeding chickadees needs 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to rear one clutch of young birds, according to Doug Tallamy, a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware. A black-capped chickadee weighs as much as four or five pennies.
I’ve seen teams of workers wearing bright vests digging around utility poles. They check the poles for rot and decay. I wonder what all they encounter in their excavations? Soil is alive. There are far more species of organisms in the soil than there are aboveground.
Q&A
Duane Miller of Hartland asked if hummingbirds have a pecking order? Hummingbirds have an instinct to protect food sources, so they do have a dominance hierarchy. This leads to constant battles at feeders. If you know someone who enjoys watching movies featuring car chases, tell them to watch hummingbirds at feeders. The chases are nearly endless.
“Why do hummingbirds spend a longer time in a nest than many other songbirds?” The hummingbird nestlings spend 18-22 days in the nest, whereas the average songbird, if there is an average songbird, is in the nest for 12-14 days. It’s all about mobility. A young robin leaving the nest could hop, walk and climb until it’s mature enough to fly. A hummingbird nestling cannot do those things. It needs to be able to fly skillfully enough to find safety from weather and predators. The extra time in the nest allows it to become developed enough to give it a shot at survival outside the nest.
“What songbirds have the longest tails related to their bodies?” The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says four North American songbirds have tails making up half or more of their body length. They are the black-billed magpie, yellow-billed magpie, scissor-tailed flycatcher and fork-tailed flycatcher.
Thanks for stopping by
“I seldom get down or depressed. I don’t want to waste a minute when I could be enjoying life.”—Dick Van Dyke.
“You can have all the money in the world, but there’s one thing you will never have… a dinosaur.”—Homer Simpson.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 11-7-21
It’s always time to listen to the birds
Naturally
Roadkill goes unmourned in the crisp, autumn air, unlike someone’s dented car.
The warblers have left. The tiny birds live lives of perpetual spring and summer. Birds of passage and winter residents arrive more subtly than those in the spring.
Juncos, with pink bills and white outer tail feathers, are apt to feed on the ground. The earliest arrivals tend to rank higher in the pecking order than those arriving on later flights.
I strolled along the Mississippi River at Winona. Parts of 31 states plus two Canadian provinces drain into the Mississippi River. I walked in awe.
I’m cuckoo for this timepiece
My father-in-law, Gene Nelson, gave me a bird clock in 1997. It’s a field guide, featuring images of birds and authentic recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. A different songbird gives voice to the top of each hour. The bird singing at noon is a house finch, an American robin sings at 1, northern mockingbird at 2, blue jay at 3, house wren at 4, tufted titmouse at 5, Baltimore oriole at 6, mourning dove at 7, black-capped chickadee at 8, northern cardinal at 9, a white-throated sparrow whistles at 10 and a white-breasted nuthatch heralds 11 o’clock. Darkness deactivates the sounds, allowing ears to sleep. I know when I hear the house finch, it’s either time to eat or to go to bed. When I hear the Baltimore oriole, it’s time to eat or to think about getting out of bed. When I hear the chickadee, it’s time to smile. The clock was a change from the cuckoo clocks I’d heard here and there in my youth. We weren’t fancy people, but an aunt gave us a used discount cuckoo clock that took a few hours off each day to rest up so it could utter a sound as if it were choking on a peanut butter on Wonder Bread sandwich. I’d miss the sounds of those birds if the clock my father-in-law gave me wasn’t hanging on a wall of my home. I miss my late father-in-law. It helps to listen to his birds.
Q&A
Mary Guggisberg of Freeborn asked where the nesting trumpeter swans near her spend the winter. Most Minnesota swans remain here through the winter months. They are short-distance migrants to sites where there is open water and an abundant food supply. Some, fueled by wanderlust, have been documented wintering as far south as Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
“Do hummingbirds migrate by riding on the backs of Canada geese?” No, it’s a myth. Other persistent myths include: Parent birds abandon a nestling touched by humans. Purple martins regularly eat 2,000 mosquitoes a day. An owl can spin its head completely around. The fruit of an Osage orange tree repels spiders. I’ve visited Osage orange trees in my travels and have seen spiders on the fruits (called Osage oranges, hedge apple, monkey ball, horse apple, hedge ball, mock orange or spider ball). I detected no panic in any of the arachnids. I suspect this misbelief began because spiders are in natural decline at the time of the year when the softball-sized hedge apples fall to the ground in September and October. Be careful around the fruit as its juice could irritate the skin. I have a pen made from hedge apple wood. It makes a great pen, but it doesn’t repel spiders either. The Osage orange tree, also known as bow-wood, bodark, prairie hedge, yellow-wood, naranjo chino, boduck and bois d’arc, is a durable hardwood used for many things including fence posts, archery bows, cutting boards and musical instruments. It was once used for railroad ties, wagon wheels and natural fencing.
“What are crows eating in the harvested fields?” What aren’t the opportunistic omnivores eating? They eat insects, spiders, snails, worms, frogs, snakes, carrion, garbage, seeds, grain, berries and fruit.
Jodi Bolinger of Osage saw bald eagles in a farm field near what looked like a pile of gravel and wondered what they were doing there. Lime (limestone) put on fields lowers the acidity of the soil and the eagles are likely feasting on a carcass—deer, opossum, etc. Birds of prey don’t need grit for the digestion of their food, but some falcons ingest and later regurgitate small stones for unknown or speculative reasons.
Thanks for stopping by
“That soft, autumnal time. The year’s last, loveliest smile. Thou com’st to fill with hope the human heart, and strengthen it to bear the storms awhile, till winter’s frowns depart.”—John Howard Bryant, often credited incorrectly to his brother William Cullen Bryant.
“Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect.”—Jonathan Swift.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
It’s always time to listen to the birds
Naturally
Roadkill goes unmourned in the crisp, autumn air, unlike someone’s dented car.
The warblers have left. The tiny birds live lives of perpetual spring and summer. Birds of passage and winter residents arrive more subtly than those in the spring.
Juncos, with pink bills and white outer tail feathers, are apt to feed on the ground. The earliest arrivals tend to rank higher in the pecking order than those arriving on later flights.
I strolled along the Mississippi River at Winona. Parts of 31 states plus two Canadian provinces drain into the Mississippi River. I walked in awe.
I’m cuckoo for this timepiece
My father-in-law, Gene Nelson, gave me a bird clock in 1997. It’s a field guide, featuring images of birds and authentic recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. A different songbird gives voice to the top of each hour. The bird singing at noon is a house finch, an American robin sings at 1, northern mockingbird at 2, blue jay at 3, house wren at 4, tufted titmouse at 5, Baltimore oriole at 6, mourning dove at 7, black-capped chickadee at 8, northern cardinal at 9, a white-throated sparrow whistles at 10 and a white-breasted nuthatch heralds 11 o’clock. Darkness deactivates the sounds, allowing ears to sleep. I know when I hear the house finch, it’s either time to eat or to go to bed. When I hear the Baltimore oriole, it’s time to eat or to think about getting out of bed. When I hear the chickadee, it’s time to smile. The clock was a change from the cuckoo clocks I’d heard here and there in my youth. We weren’t fancy people, but an aunt gave us a used discount cuckoo clock that took a few hours off each day to rest up so it could utter a sound as if it were choking on a peanut butter on Wonder Bread sandwich. I’d miss the sounds of those birds if the clock my father-in-law gave me wasn’t hanging on a wall of my home. I miss my late father-in-law. It helps to listen to his birds.
Q&A
Mary Guggisberg of Freeborn asked where the nesting trumpeter swans near her spend the winter. Most Minnesota swans remain here through the winter months. They are short-distance migrants to sites where there is open water and an abundant food supply. Some, fueled by wanderlust, have been documented wintering as far south as Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
“Do hummingbirds migrate by riding on the backs of Canada geese?” No, it’s a myth. Other persistent myths include: Parent birds abandon a nestling touched by humans. Purple martins regularly eat 2,000 mosquitoes a day. An owl can spin its head completely around. The fruit of an Osage orange tree repels spiders. I’ve visited Osage orange trees in my travels and have seen spiders on the fruits (called Osage oranges, hedge apple, monkey ball, horse apple, hedge ball, mock orange or spider ball). I detected no panic in any of the arachnids. I suspect this misbelief began because spiders are in natural decline at the time of the year when the softball-sized hedge apples fall to the ground in September and October. Be careful around the fruit as its juice could irritate the skin. I have a pen made from hedge apple wood. It makes a great pen, but it doesn’t repel spiders either. The Osage orange tree, also known as bow-wood, bodark, prairie hedge, yellow-wood, naranjo chino, boduck and bois d’arc, is a durable hardwood used for many things including fence posts, archery bows, cutting boards and musical instruments. It was once used for railroad ties, wagon wheels and natural fencing.
“What are crows eating in the harvested fields?” What aren’t the opportunistic omnivores eating? They eat insects, spiders, snails, worms, frogs, snakes, carrion, garbage, seeds, grain, berries and fruit.
Jodi Bolinger of Osage saw bald eagles in a farm field near what looked like a pile of gravel and wondered what they were doing there. Lime (limestone) put on fields lowers the acidity of the soil and the eagles are likely feasting on a carcass—deer, opossum, etc. Birds of prey don’t need grit for the digestion of their food, but some falcons ingest and later regurgitate small stones for unknown or speculative reasons.
Thanks for stopping by
“That soft, autumnal time. The year’s last, loveliest smile. Thou com’st to fill with hope the human heart, and strengthen it to bear the storms awhile, till winter’s frowns depart.”—John Howard Bryant, often credited incorrectly to his brother William Cullen Bryant.
“Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect.”—Jonathan Swift.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
I’d have to be cuckoo not to love this bird clock my father-in-law gave me in 1997.
It’s a field guide that tells the time in birdsong.
I’d have to be cuckoo not to love this bird clock my father-in-law gave me in 1997.
It’s a field guide that tells the time in birdsong.
Posted 10-31-21
Getting birds to miss windows
Naturally
Long, twisting flocks of mixed blackbirds (common grackles and red-winged blackbirds) drift southward in migration. Robins and cedar waxwings feed on the berries of mountain ash, dogwoods and viburnums.
White-tailed deer bucks begin rut in mid-October, sparring with small trees and other males. They scrape the ground to declare territory and make their presence known to does for breeding in November. As plants brown, deer seek green vegetation in open areas.
There were fewer fireflies in my yard this year than most years. Lightning bugs need a moist environment to thrive. Dry conditions impact their populations. Firefly numbers are declining in some areas due to habitat loss, toxic chemicals and light pollution, which disrupt their communications.
Q&A
“Why are the words birdie and eagle used in golf?” Birdie, meaning a score of one under par, comes from the American slang term "bird," meaning something excellent. Birdie originated when Ab Smith described a bird of a golf shot in 1899 and it morphed into being called a birdie. The term eagle extended the theme, being two under par.
“What’s your favorite bird?” I hope I’m not offending other birds—I like them all—but the chickadee is my fave. All seven chickadee species that regularly occur in North America: Carolina, black-capped, boreal, mountain, chestnut-backed, Mexican and gray-headed chickadee are my favorites.
“How can I stop birds from flying into my windows and injuring themselves?” Birds crash into windows because they see reflections of vegetation or see potted plants or vegetation on the other side of the glass. Go outside and look at your windows. If you see trees or sky reflected or indoor plants visible through the glass, that’s what the birds see. The Bird Collisions Program of the American Bird Conservancy offers these suggestions. Mark the window’s outside with soap or tempera paint, using either a grid pattern no more than 2 inches apart across the entire window or get creative and paint patterns or artwork. Put decals, stickers, sun catchers, mylar strips, masking tape or other objects (even sticky notes) on the outside surface of the window. These are most effective when closely spaced so the birds won’t think they can fly between them. Hawk silhouettes do little to deter birds. Installing mosquito screens over windows is effective, as long as they are on the outside of the window and cover the entire surface. Cover the outside of the glass with netting at least 3 inches from the glass, taut enough to bounce birds before they hit. Small-mesh netting is best so birds don’t become entangled. One-way transparent film permits people to see out, but makes the window opaque from the outside. If you find a bird dazed from a window collision with its wings held properly, not dangling, and the eyes look normal, see if it can perch on a branch unassisted. If so, let it recover on its own. If the bird has a noticeable injury, get it to a wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible. Broken bones need proper attention to heal properly without surgery. Otherwise, place it in a dark container such as a shoebox and put it in a quiet place away from pets for 15 minutes. Don’t give it food or water. The darkness calms the bird. Open the box outside every 15 minutes—if the bird flies off, it’s a good thing. If it doesn’t recover in a couple of hours, take it to a wildlife rehabilitator. Sadly, birds often die from internal bleeding and bruising, even when they’ve flown away.
“How do insects survive the winter?” Insect activity rate is driven by temperature. They are much busier at above 50° than below 50. A frost quiets insects. Many die when the cold hits. Some migrate, like the monarch butterfly and green darner dragonfly. Many insects enter diapause, a period of suspended or arrested development during an insect's life cycle when they spend a prolonged period in a single developmental stage. Some overwinter as larvae. The woolly bear caterpillar is freeze-tolerant and some larvae live in plant galls like those commonly seen on goldenrod. Others spend the winter as nymphs as dragonflies in ponds and streams do. Many moth and butterfly species spend the coldest season as pupae. Crickets, grasshoppers and corn rootworms winter as eggs. Ants and honeybees stay somewhat active in their homes, while watching more TV than they should. Mourning cloak butterflies hibernate. Boxelder bugs, multi-colored Asian beetles and others find hidey-holes (crevices in buildings, tree bark, leaves, etc.) to spend the winter. Sunny, warm winter days bring out snow fleas and crane flies.
Thanks for stopping by
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”—Leonard Cohen.
“Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!“—Andre Gide.
©Al Batt 2021
Getting birds to miss windows
Naturally
Long, twisting flocks of mixed blackbirds (common grackles and red-winged blackbirds) drift southward in migration. Robins and cedar waxwings feed on the berries of mountain ash, dogwoods and viburnums.
White-tailed deer bucks begin rut in mid-October, sparring with small trees and other males. They scrape the ground to declare territory and make their presence known to does for breeding in November. As plants brown, deer seek green vegetation in open areas.
There were fewer fireflies in my yard this year than most years. Lightning bugs need a moist environment to thrive. Dry conditions impact their populations. Firefly numbers are declining in some areas due to habitat loss, toxic chemicals and light pollution, which disrupt their communications.
Q&A
“Why are the words birdie and eagle used in golf?” Birdie, meaning a score of one under par, comes from the American slang term "bird," meaning something excellent. Birdie originated when Ab Smith described a bird of a golf shot in 1899 and it morphed into being called a birdie. The term eagle extended the theme, being two under par.
“What’s your favorite bird?” I hope I’m not offending other birds—I like them all—but the chickadee is my fave. All seven chickadee species that regularly occur in North America: Carolina, black-capped, boreal, mountain, chestnut-backed, Mexican and gray-headed chickadee are my favorites.
“How can I stop birds from flying into my windows and injuring themselves?” Birds crash into windows because they see reflections of vegetation or see potted plants or vegetation on the other side of the glass. Go outside and look at your windows. If you see trees or sky reflected or indoor plants visible through the glass, that’s what the birds see. The Bird Collisions Program of the American Bird Conservancy offers these suggestions. Mark the window’s outside with soap or tempera paint, using either a grid pattern no more than 2 inches apart across the entire window or get creative and paint patterns or artwork. Put decals, stickers, sun catchers, mylar strips, masking tape or other objects (even sticky notes) on the outside surface of the window. These are most effective when closely spaced so the birds won’t think they can fly between them. Hawk silhouettes do little to deter birds. Installing mosquito screens over windows is effective, as long as they are on the outside of the window and cover the entire surface. Cover the outside of the glass with netting at least 3 inches from the glass, taut enough to bounce birds before they hit. Small-mesh netting is best so birds don’t become entangled. One-way transparent film permits people to see out, but makes the window opaque from the outside. If you find a bird dazed from a window collision with its wings held properly, not dangling, and the eyes look normal, see if it can perch on a branch unassisted. If so, let it recover on its own. If the bird has a noticeable injury, get it to a wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible. Broken bones need proper attention to heal properly without surgery. Otherwise, place it in a dark container such as a shoebox and put it in a quiet place away from pets for 15 minutes. Don’t give it food or water. The darkness calms the bird. Open the box outside every 15 minutes—if the bird flies off, it’s a good thing. If it doesn’t recover in a couple of hours, take it to a wildlife rehabilitator. Sadly, birds often die from internal bleeding and bruising, even when they’ve flown away.
“How do insects survive the winter?” Insect activity rate is driven by temperature. They are much busier at above 50° than below 50. A frost quiets insects. Many die when the cold hits. Some migrate, like the monarch butterfly and green darner dragonfly. Many insects enter diapause, a period of suspended or arrested development during an insect's life cycle when they spend a prolonged period in a single developmental stage. Some overwinter as larvae. The woolly bear caterpillar is freeze-tolerant and some larvae live in plant galls like those commonly seen on goldenrod. Others spend the winter as nymphs as dragonflies in ponds and streams do. Many moth and butterfly species spend the coldest season as pupae. Crickets, grasshoppers and corn rootworms winter as eggs. Ants and honeybees stay somewhat active in their homes, while watching more TV than they should. Mourning cloak butterflies hibernate. Boxelder bugs, multi-colored Asian beetles and others find hidey-holes (crevices in buildings, tree bark, leaves, etc.) to spend the winter. Sunny, warm winter days bring out snow fleas and crane flies.
Thanks for stopping by
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”—Leonard Cohen.
“Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!“—Andre Gide.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 10-24-21
Naturally Red oaks show rich reds and browns. Red asparagus berries are evident. There was a red-breasted nuthatch in my yard on Oct. 12. Another milepost of a year. Skunk and raccoon carcasses litter the highways. Many are those of young animals unaware of the dangers found there.
I watched a kettle of turkey vultures surfing on the wind over New Ulm. They performed an aerial ballet. Earlier, I’d seen a HAZMAT team (called a wake) of vultures working on removing a dead raccoon from the road. It’s a job that pays them all they can eat.
I saw a belted kingfisher fishing at the edge of a lake. A kingfisher has a heavy bill that serves as a fishing spear. The species is sexually dimorphic—meaning the males and females look different—and the usual pattern is for males to be more colorful than females. The female belted kingfisher is bigger and more colorful than the male. This is called reverse sexual dimorphism. She displays an additional rust-colored patch across her belly. She has the belt. My wife says that means she wears the pants in the family. I’m not one to argue.
From the mailbag
Bob Hargis of Riverton, Wyoming, wrote about my hand-feeding a Canada jay. Bob said his father-in-law was holding his hand clutching a PBJ sandwich out a car’s window. A camp robber (Canada jay) grabbed onto the sandwich and held on even when the PBJ was brought into the car. His father-in-law became a reluctant birder by inquiring, "What is that bird?”
Q&A
Harvey Benson of Harmony asked why the birds had disappeared from his feeders. Cone, berry, seed and insect abundance change from season-to-season and year-to-year, causing birds to move about to take advantage of food and to escape areas with shortages. The dietary needs of birds change during the year, so they may move away from your feeders seasonally. Fewer birds at feeders during late summer and early fall occur as there is plenty of natural food available. Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, they will be back.
“Are great-tailed grackles found in Minnesota?” Yes, but most of this rare (in Minnesota) species have been documented in southwestern Minnesota counties. Breeding has been confirmed in Jackson County, where the species has been found repeatedly over the years. The long-legged birds are extending their range northward. I see and hear them everywhere in Texas. They sound like everything from a squeaky door hinge to radio static to rusty machinery to laughing whistles. Food trucks in Austin attract them and an acquaintance calls them tacoraptors.
“Where do the vultures in Minnesota winter?” Turkey vultures are wonderfully adapted to the life of a scavenger. They winter in the southern U.S., Mexico, Central America and South America.
“Was Woody the Woodpecker based upon a pileated woodpecker?” As happens in cartoons, the creators used artistic license to develop Woody. For years, I thought he was based on a pileated, but some reports claim he was inspired by a noisy acorn woodpecker that disrupted his creator, animator Walter Lantz's honeymoon by persistently calling and drumming on the couple's cabin. I’ve heard the collective noun for acorn woodpeckers is a bushel. That might have been said in jest. One of the acorn woodpecker's commonly heard calls is a loud, repeated waka-waka, but a case could be made that Woody sounds more like a pileated woodpecker. Woody once said he was a “Campephilus principalis.” That’s an ivory-billed woodpecker. One episode showed a picture of an ivory-billed and it looked like Woody. It’s safe to say Woody is a generic woodpecker and not an exact representation of any one species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the ivory-billed woodpecker extinct. Woody is doing OK.
“What is digging up my lawn?” It may be the guys replacing your septic tank. Or raccoons and skunks tearing up the lawn night after night, pulling back chunks of turf in search of grubs to eat. Raccoons roll up a lawn while searching for grubs and other larval insects. Skunks make small individual holes when they search for insect larvae. Squirrels dig holes when they bury food during the day.
Thanks for stopping by
“A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all-knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity.”—Eleanor Roosevelt.
“Just before the death of flowers, and before they are buried in snow, there comes a festival season, when nature is all aglow.”–Emeline B. Smith.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally Red oaks show rich reds and browns. Red asparagus berries are evident. There was a red-breasted nuthatch in my yard on Oct. 12. Another milepost of a year. Skunk and raccoon carcasses litter the highways. Many are those of young animals unaware of the dangers found there.
I watched a kettle of turkey vultures surfing on the wind over New Ulm. They performed an aerial ballet. Earlier, I’d seen a HAZMAT team (called a wake) of vultures working on removing a dead raccoon from the road. It’s a job that pays them all they can eat.
I saw a belted kingfisher fishing at the edge of a lake. A kingfisher has a heavy bill that serves as a fishing spear. The species is sexually dimorphic—meaning the males and females look different—and the usual pattern is for males to be more colorful than females. The female belted kingfisher is bigger and more colorful than the male. This is called reverse sexual dimorphism. She displays an additional rust-colored patch across her belly. She has the belt. My wife says that means she wears the pants in the family. I’m not one to argue.
From the mailbag
Bob Hargis of Riverton, Wyoming, wrote about my hand-feeding a Canada jay. Bob said his father-in-law was holding his hand clutching a PBJ sandwich out a car’s window. A camp robber (Canada jay) grabbed onto the sandwich and held on even when the PBJ was brought into the car. His father-in-law became a reluctant birder by inquiring, "What is that bird?”
Q&A
Harvey Benson of Harmony asked why the birds had disappeared from his feeders. Cone, berry, seed and insect abundance change from season-to-season and year-to-year, causing birds to move about to take advantage of food and to escape areas with shortages. The dietary needs of birds change during the year, so they may move away from your feeders seasonally. Fewer birds at feeders during late summer and early fall occur as there is plenty of natural food available. Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, they will be back.
“Are great-tailed grackles found in Minnesota?” Yes, but most of this rare (in Minnesota) species have been documented in southwestern Minnesota counties. Breeding has been confirmed in Jackson County, where the species has been found repeatedly over the years. The long-legged birds are extending their range northward. I see and hear them everywhere in Texas. They sound like everything from a squeaky door hinge to radio static to rusty machinery to laughing whistles. Food trucks in Austin attract them and an acquaintance calls them tacoraptors.
“Where do the vultures in Minnesota winter?” Turkey vultures are wonderfully adapted to the life of a scavenger. They winter in the southern U.S., Mexico, Central America and South America.
“Was Woody the Woodpecker based upon a pileated woodpecker?” As happens in cartoons, the creators used artistic license to develop Woody. For years, I thought he was based on a pileated, but some reports claim he was inspired by a noisy acorn woodpecker that disrupted his creator, animator Walter Lantz's honeymoon by persistently calling and drumming on the couple's cabin. I’ve heard the collective noun for acorn woodpeckers is a bushel. That might have been said in jest. One of the acorn woodpecker's commonly heard calls is a loud, repeated waka-waka, but a case could be made that Woody sounds more like a pileated woodpecker. Woody once said he was a “Campephilus principalis.” That’s an ivory-billed woodpecker. One episode showed a picture of an ivory-billed and it looked like Woody. It’s safe to say Woody is a generic woodpecker and not an exact representation of any one species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the ivory-billed woodpecker extinct. Woody is doing OK.
“What is digging up my lawn?” It may be the guys replacing your septic tank. Or raccoons and skunks tearing up the lawn night after night, pulling back chunks of turf in search of grubs to eat. Raccoons roll up a lawn while searching for grubs and other larval insects. Skunks make small individual holes when they search for insect larvae. Squirrels dig holes when they bury food during the day.
Thanks for stopping by
“A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all-knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity.”—Eleanor Roosevelt.
“Just before the death of flowers, and before they are buried in snow, there comes a festival season, when nature is all aglow.”–Emeline B. Smith.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 10-17-21
Did starlings star in a Star Trek movie?
Naturally
Starlings flew in formations as if they were auditioning for roles in Star Trek movies as I admired the boundless energy of squirrels. I saw the first junco in my yard on October 6. Another milepost.
Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could.” I took the one to see the gold rush of yellowing aspens in Colorado. As I got out of a car, I saw birds in constant motion—bushtits make chickadees look enormous. Steller’s jays and black-billed magpies were made obvious by both sight and sound. The cartoon characters Heckle and Jeckle were magpies. As I hiked ever upward, a totemic raven made guttural comments. It was all good.
I heard raccoons in the night. The world is their garbage bin. I’m not forming a committee to run the raccoons out of town on a rail, but I’m willing to give them the look.
Beautiful yellow leaves adorned basswood, aspen, birch, sugar maple and willow. Birds migrating were turkey vulture, sharp-shinned hawk, bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, ducks, geese, blue jay, sandhill crane, plovers and native sparrows. Boxelder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetles make short migrations to your home. Blackbirds gathered in flocks. Sulphur and cabbage butterflies were on the wing, but will die in the cold.
Pete Mattson of Austin showed me a bird feeder he’d owned for 45 years. He received it as a wedding present and the marriage is still thriving, too. It was a Droll Yankees hanging tube feeder with metal ports. Droll Yankees says if one of their feeders is damaged by squirrels, to the extent the effectiveness of the feeder is compromised, there is a lifetime warranty against squirrel damage on all its products. Terry Dorsey of Austin is a retired teacher (if there is such a thing) and he said that retired guys enjoy doing two things—staying home and battling with squirrels.
Yellow jackets bothered as I ate lunch outside with friends. When a boy, I called those wasps “meat bees.”
Q&A
Jodi Bolinger of Osage asked about a woodpecker hammering a hole in vinyl siding. That isn’t a common occurrence as woodpeckers are wood peckers, not vinyl peckers. Vinyl isn’t prone to damage from woodpeckers, so I suspect the structural integrity of the siding had been compromised. Perhaps insects or larvae had found a home in an existing hole (it had one) in the vinyl. Steel and vinyl siding can be used as percussion instruments when drumming is needed for a woodpecker to declare territory or attract a mate.
“What is the difference between grazing and browsing?” Grazing is the process by which animals feed on the vegetation growing near the ground such as grass. Browsing is the type of feeding where animals eat high-growing plants such as leaves or bark of trees and shrubs.
“Is it OK to feed uncooked rice to birds?” A myth was promulgated by advice columnist Ann Landers in 1988 when she published a letter from a reader warning against the practice of throwing rice at weddings. Internet stories warned of birds exploding after eating rice. Many birds eat uncooked rice in the wild. Bobolinks are called "rice birds" because of their appetite for the grain. Rice is fine for birds, but some wedding parties throw birdseed instead.
“Why do most robins migrate?” Robins migrate because the ground freezes or is covered with snow, locking them out of their favorite food, earthworms, and winter weather makes it hard to find caterpillars and other insects. Robins switch their diet to fruit in winter, but there isn’t always enough fruit and berries in the north to feed all the robins. That's why most robins move south. Robins fly up to 30-36 m.p.h. during migration. High-pressure systems with northwesterly winds are best for the fall migration. There is no hurry in the fall, so they linger and become nomadic.
“I saw a monarch butterfly on October 10. Will it be OK?” By the end of October, monarchs have left the state in a migration to winter grounds. They fly around 100 miles a day to cover the 2,000+ miles to Mexico’s forests, where the monarchs start arriving about the first of November, which begins the Day of the Dead celebrations in that country. Many butterflies don’t arrive until mid-November, so your butterfly has a shot.
Thanks for stopping by
"I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail."—Muriel Strode.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”―Maya Angelou.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Did starlings star in a Star Trek movie?
Naturally
Starlings flew in formations as if they were auditioning for roles in Star Trek movies as I admired the boundless energy of squirrels. I saw the first junco in my yard on October 6. Another milepost.
Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could.” I took the one to see the gold rush of yellowing aspens in Colorado. As I got out of a car, I saw birds in constant motion—bushtits make chickadees look enormous. Steller’s jays and black-billed magpies were made obvious by both sight and sound. The cartoon characters Heckle and Jeckle were magpies. As I hiked ever upward, a totemic raven made guttural comments. It was all good.
I heard raccoons in the night. The world is their garbage bin. I’m not forming a committee to run the raccoons out of town on a rail, but I’m willing to give them the look.
Beautiful yellow leaves adorned basswood, aspen, birch, sugar maple and willow. Birds migrating were turkey vulture, sharp-shinned hawk, bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, ducks, geese, blue jay, sandhill crane, plovers and native sparrows. Boxelder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetles make short migrations to your home. Blackbirds gathered in flocks. Sulphur and cabbage butterflies were on the wing, but will die in the cold.
Pete Mattson of Austin showed me a bird feeder he’d owned for 45 years. He received it as a wedding present and the marriage is still thriving, too. It was a Droll Yankees hanging tube feeder with metal ports. Droll Yankees says if one of their feeders is damaged by squirrels, to the extent the effectiveness of the feeder is compromised, there is a lifetime warranty against squirrel damage on all its products. Terry Dorsey of Austin is a retired teacher (if there is such a thing) and he said that retired guys enjoy doing two things—staying home and battling with squirrels.
Yellow jackets bothered as I ate lunch outside with friends. When a boy, I called those wasps “meat bees.”
Q&A
Jodi Bolinger of Osage asked about a woodpecker hammering a hole in vinyl siding. That isn’t a common occurrence as woodpeckers are wood peckers, not vinyl peckers. Vinyl isn’t prone to damage from woodpeckers, so I suspect the structural integrity of the siding had been compromised. Perhaps insects or larvae had found a home in an existing hole (it had one) in the vinyl. Steel and vinyl siding can be used as percussion instruments when drumming is needed for a woodpecker to declare territory or attract a mate.
“What is the difference between grazing and browsing?” Grazing is the process by which animals feed on the vegetation growing near the ground such as grass. Browsing is the type of feeding where animals eat high-growing plants such as leaves or bark of trees and shrubs.
“Is it OK to feed uncooked rice to birds?” A myth was promulgated by advice columnist Ann Landers in 1988 when she published a letter from a reader warning against the practice of throwing rice at weddings. Internet stories warned of birds exploding after eating rice. Many birds eat uncooked rice in the wild. Bobolinks are called "rice birds" because of their appetite for the grain. Rice is fine for birds, but some wedding parties throw birdseed instead.
“Why do most robins migrate?” Robins migrate because the ground freezes or is covered with snow, locking them out of their favorite food, earthworms, and winter weather makes it hard to find caterpillars and other insects. Robins switch their diet to fruit in winter, but there isn’t always enough fruit and berries in the north to feed all the robins. That's why most robins move south. Robins fly up to 30-36 m.p.h. during migration. High-pressure systems with northwesterly winds are best for the fall migration. There is no hurry in the fall, so they linger and become nomadic.
“I saw a monarch butterfly on October 10. Will it be OK?” By the end of October, monarchs have left the state in a migration to winter grounds. They fly around 100 miles a day to cover the 2,000+ miles to Mexico’s forests, where the monarchs start arriving about the first of November, which begins the Day of the Dead celebrations in that country. Many butterflies don’t arrive until mid-November, so your butterfly has a shot.
Thanks for stopping by
"I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail."—Muriel Strode.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”―Maya Angelou.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo By Al Batt
Posted 10-10-21
Naturally
Multi-colored Asian lady beetles bugged and bit me. They are botherations, that’s for sure.
Asters bloom late into the year and provide a myriad of vibrant colors ranging from white to blue to lilac to pink to scarlet to purple—most with golden central disks.
Spotted touch-me-not flowers are bright orange to orange-yellow with variable amounts of red-orange spots and markings. It’s an annual, reproducing from seed each spring. The common name refers to the seed pods popping open at a touch. It’s also known as jewelweed because the orange flowers glisten in the sunlight, the blossoms hang like pendants from the branches or "jewels" of water collect on the edges of the leaves. Some say the plant’s sap is an antidote to the itch of poison ivy and stinging nettle.
The old joke says you can always tell a dogwood by its bark. If you gently tear a leaf, strings will appear between the torn halves if it’s a dogwood.
I sat outside in the dark and listened to an eastern screech owl pair. There wasn’t any screeching that I could discern, but there was trilling, whinnying, barking, chuckling and rattling. I heard yip-howls of coyotes—short howls that rise and fall in pitch, punctuated with staccato yips, yaps and barks. The song dog pups born in the spring are ready to disperse and find new territories from September through November. The yip-howling I heard is the communication between the animals that’s a type of bonding within a family group while also serving as a territorial display. The yip-howling appeared to be coming from different locations, but I wasn’t surrounded by coyotes. It's an auditory illusion known as the "beau geste effect,” wherein a few coyotes sound like many. It’s named for the novel “Beau Geste,” in which French troops propped up their dead to make attackers believe they were a larger force than they truly were.
I watched whirligig beetles in a pond. They have been described as the bumper cars of the beetle world. They look like watermelon seeds whirling about in circles. Each beetle can carry an air bubble, allowing them to dive.
Yellow jackets are carnivorous, feeding on other insects like flies, bees and caterpillars. They also feed on spiders, picnic fare, fruits, carrion and flower nectar while foraging up to a mile from their nest. We notice them as they try to steal our sandwiches and beverages or swarm around apple cores in a compost. Yellow jacket colonies grow largest in late summer and early fall when their food sources begin to diminish. Only the queen survives until next year.
Q&A
“Do boxelder bugs bite?” Boxelder bugs are true bugs and belong to the same family as stink bugs, cicadas and other insects with piercing and sucking mouthparts. Adult boxelder bugs are black with orange or red markings. In late summer and fall, boxelder bugs leave the trees where they were feeding to find protected areas for the winter. They may stain draperies and other light-colored surfaces and produce an unpleasant odor when crushed. They like warm areas and are attracted to buildings with a large southern or western exposure. They find buildings standing taller than surrounding structures or standing isolated on flat land enticing. Boxelder bugs are harmless. They don’t bite or sting, they’re not attracted to food like ants, they aren’t the alligators of the insect world, there isn’t a single instance of anyone being mugged by boxelder bugs, they don’t lay eggs in our homes or eat our fabrics. Compared to multi-colored Asian lady beetles, boxelder bugs are welcome houseguests. Masking or duct tape applied over any small opening will keep the insects from entering. A vacuum cleaner is an effective method of removing the sluggish, slow-moving bugs from the house. Boxelder bugs suck the juices out of leaves and the developing seeds of boxelder and maple trees, but they don’t siphon enough to hurt the trees. They winter in cozy crevices around your house and eat nothing during that time. Boxelder bugs can release bad-smelling/tasting chemicals to discourage predators. Like other insects with similar capabilities (monarch butterflies), they have bright orange or red markings to warn predators off. If you want them off the outside of your home, you could spray the boxelder bugs with a homemade concoction of 1/2 cup of laundry detergent mixed with 1 gallon of water and it would do them no good. Repeat the treatment as needed.
“Is there poison oak in Minnesota?” No, but poison ivy, poison sumac and wild parsnip can cause dermatitis.
Thanks for stopping by
“Autumn has caught us in our summer wear.”—Philip Larkin.
“If there is such a phenomenon as absolute evil, it consists in treating another human being as a thing.”—John Brunner.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
Multi-colored Asian lady beetles bugged and bit me. They are botherations, that’s for sure.
Asters bloom late into the year and provide a myriad of vibrant colors ranging from white to blue to lilac to pink to scarlet to purple—most with golden central disks.
Spotted touch-me-not flowers are bright orange to orange-yellow with variable amounts of red-orange spots and markings. It’s an annual, reproducing from seed each spring. The common name refers to the seed pods popping open at a touch. It’s also known as jewelweed because the orange flowers glisten in the sunlight, the blossoms hang like pendants from the branches or "jewels" of water collect on the edges of the leaves. Some say the plant’s sap is an antidote to the itch of poison ivy and stinging nettle.
The old joke says you can always tell a dogwood by its bark. If you gently tear a leaf, strings will appear between the torn halves if it’s a dogwood.
I sat outside in the dark and listened to an eastern screech owl pair. There wasn’t any screeching that I could discern, but there was trilling, whinnying, barking, chuckling and rattling. I heard yip-howls of coyotes—short howls that rise and fall in pitch, punctuated with staccato yips, yaps and barks. The song dog pups born in the spring are ready to disperse and find new territories from September through November. The yip-howling I heard is the communication between the animals that’s a type of bonding within a family group while also serving as a territorial display. The yip-howling appeared to be coming from different locations, but I wasn’t surrounded by coyotes. It's an auditory illusion known as the "beau geste effect,” wherein a few coyotes sound like many. It’s named for the novel “Beau Geste,” in which French troops propped up their dead to make attackers believe they were a larger force than they truly were.
I watched whirligig beetles in a pond. They have been described as the bumper cars of the beetle world. They look like watermelon seeds whirling about in circles. Each beetle can carry an air bubble, allowing them to dive.
Yellow jackets are carnivorous, feeding on other insects like flies, bees and caterpillars. They also feed on spiders, picnic fare, fruits, carrion and flower nectar while foraging up to a mile from their nest. We notice them as they try to steal our sandwiches and beverages or swarm around apple cores in a compost. Yellow jacket colonies grow largest in late summer and early fall when their food sources begin to diminish. Only the queen survives until next year.
Q&A
“Do boxelder bugs bite?” Boxelder bugs are true bugs and belong to the same family as stink bugs, cicadas and other insects with piercing and sucking mouthparts. Adult boxelder bugs are black with orange or red markings. In late summer and fall, boxelder bugs leave the trees where they were feeding to find protected areas for the winter. They may stain draperies and other light-colored surfaces and produce an unpleasant odor when crushed. They like warm areas and are attracted to buildings with a large southern or western exposure. They find buildings standing taller than surrounding structures or standing isolated on flat land enticing. Boxelder bugs are harmless. They don’t bite or sting, they’re not attracted to food like ants, they aren’t the alligators of the insect world, there isn’t a single instance of anyone being mugged by boxelder bugs, they don’t lay eggs in our homes or eat our fabrics. Compared to multi-colored Asian lady beetles, boxelder bugs are welcome houseguests. Masking or duct tape applied over any small opening will keep the insects from entering. A vacuum cleaner is an effective method of removing the sluggish, slow-moving bugs from the house. Boxelder bugs suck the juices out of leaves and the developing seeds of boxelder and maple trees, but they don’t siphon enough to hurt the trees. They winter in cozy crevices around your house and eat nothing during that time. Boxelder bugs can release bad-smelling/tasting chemicals to discourage predators. Like other insects with similar capabilities (monarch butterflies), they have bright orange or red markings to warn predators off. If you want them off the outside of your home, you could spray the boxelder bugs with a homemade concoction of 1/2 cup of laundry detergent mixed with 1 gallon of water and it would do them no good. Repeat the treatment as needed.
“Is there poison oak in Minnesota?” No, but poison ivy, poison sumac and wild parsnip can cause dermatitis.
Thanks for stopping by
“Autumn has caught us in our summer wear.”—Philip Larkin.
“If there is such a phenomenon as absolute evil, it consists in treating another human being as a thing.”—John Brunner.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 10-3-21
Naturally
I love me some nice weather. On this day, the world was held in the wind. I watched the leaves blow by a window. We could all look through the same window, but see different things. A friend used to see Bambi out her window until the deer chowed down on her garden. Now she sees Dambi.
I appreciate bird feeders more each year. I want the common birds to remain common. Blue jays and cardinals have processed much of their molts and no longer look like messy birds. From August 14-September 25 there were 57,020 southbound, migrating blue jays counted at Hawk Ridge in Duluth.
Keep a sharp eye or two out for American coots (mudhens) to be on water or grazing on land. Native sparrows will become a diverse group. Red meadowhawk dragonflies will continue to dazzle.
Pied-billed grebes need long running-flapping starts to take off from water. The Latin genus name for “grebe” means “feet at the buttocks” which perfectly describes the body type of the pied-billed grebe. The position of their legs helps to propel them through the water when they dive after their prey, which includes crustaceans and small fish. The rear placement of their legs means it’s difficult to lift the weight of their bodies causing them to walk awkwardly on land. It makes it difficult for them to take flight from dry land. Sometimes, when in flight and looking for a body of water to splash into, grebes mistakenly land on wet pavement, which gives the illusion of a pond or lake from the air. Even if they escape from the crash landing unscathed, their unique adaptations for the water prevent them from getting back in the air, stranding them on the ground. Mark Sorenson of Hollandale found a stranded grebe. He planned to take it to the lake, but wanted to show it to his wife first. That proved to be a mistake. Once inside his home, well, let me put it this way—it should have been wearing a diaper. The grebe was released into the water and Mark’s home got an unexpected cleaning.
I worked in Colorado and had a handsome Canada Jay land on my hand to pluck a morsel of food. The jay, also called gray jay, whiskey jack or camp robber, is known for this behavior. It made me smile for days.
Q&A
“What is the duck hawk?” The duck hawk is the peregrine falcon. The American kestrel is the sparrow hawk, the merlin is the pigeon hawk, the osprey is the fish hawk and the Cooper’s hawk is the chicken hawk, although many other birds of prey have been called chicken hawks.
“I see gulls following farm tractors. What are the gulls eating?” Gulls follow farmers working the fields. The gulls devour worms, insects, mice and waste grain an implement uncovers.
“How many national parks are there in Minnesota?” Technically, there is one national park, but there are two national monuments, and one each of a National Scenic Trail, National Scenic Riverway and National River and Recreation Area. They are the Pipestone National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Voyageur’s National Park, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and North Country National Scenic.
“Where are the largest public buffalo herds in the U.S.?” The largest is in Yellowstone National Park, followed by Custer State Park in South Dakota, with Antelope Island in Utah being third.
“How can I keep the honey bees off my hummingbird feeder?” Either use a hummingbird feeder without those little yellow flowers on it or remove them from a feeder. Or use a concentrated sugar water mix (two parts water, one part sugar), and pour it into a shallow plate (a yellow one would be best) and place that plate near the hummingbird feeder. The bees might find it attractive.
“Is the Great Salt Lake saltier than the oceans?” That’s what I was told on my visit there. The Great Salt Lake varies between 5 and 27% salinity. The oceans have an average of 3.5%. The Dead Sea has a salinity of 34%.
A riddle
At first, I am a two-letter long word that is a verb; add one letter and I become an insect; add another letter and I become a vegetable; add two more letters and I become the name of another insect. Answer: Be-e-t-le.
Thanks for stopping by
“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us living creatures are dependent on one another.”—Pope Francis.
“People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.”—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
I love me some nice weather. On this day, the world was held in the wind. I watched the leaves blow by a window. We could all look through the same window, but see different things. A friend used to see Bambi out her window until the deer chowed down on her garden. Now she sees Dambi.
I appreciate bird feeders more each year. I want the common birds to remain common. Blue jays and cardinals have processed much of their molts and no longer look like messy birds. From August 14-September 25 there were 57,020 southbound, migrating blue jays counted at Hawk Ridge in Duluth.
Keep a sharp eye or two out for American coots (mudhens) to be on water or grazing on land. Native sparrows will become a diverse group. Red meadowhawk dragonflies will continue to dazzle.
Pied-billed grebes need long running-flapping starts to take off from water. The Latin genus name for “grebe” means “feet at the buttocks” which perfectly describes the body type of the pied-billed grebe. The position of their legs helps to propel them through the water when they dive after their prey, which includes crustaceans and small fish. The rear placement of their legs means it’s difficult to lift the weight of their bodies causing them to walk awkwardly on land. It makes it difficult for them to take flight from dry land. Sometimes, when in flight and looking for a body of water to splash into, grebes mistakenly land on wet pavement, which gives the illusion of a pond or lake from the air. Even if they escape from the crash landing unscathed, their unique adaptations for the water prevent them from getting back in the air, stranding them on the ground. Mark Sorenson of Hollandale found a stranded grebe. He planned to take it to the lake, but wanted to show it to his wife first. That proved to be a mistake. Once inside his home, well, let me put it this way—it should have been wearing a diaper. The grebe was released into the water and Mark’s home got an unexpected cleaning.
I worked in Colorado and had a handsome Canada Jay land on my hand to pluck a morsel of food. The jay, also called gray jay, whiskey jack or camp robber, is known for this behavior. It made me smile for days.
Q&A
“What is the duck hawk?” The duck hawk is the peregrine falcon. The American kestrel is the sparrow hawk, the merlin is the pigeon hawk, the osprey is the fish hawk and the Cooper’s hawk is the chicken hawk, although many other birds of prey have been called chicken hawks.
“I see gulls following farm tractors. What are the gulls eating?” Gulls follow farmers working the fields. The gulls devour worms, insects, mice and waste grain an implement uncovers.
“How many national parks are there in Minnesota?” Technically, there is one national park, but there are two national monuments, and one each of a National Scenic Trail, National Scenic Riverway and National River and Recreation Area. They are the Pipestone National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Voyageur’s National Park, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and North Country National Scenic.
“Where are the largest public buffalo herds in the U.S.?” The largest is in Yellowstone National Park, followed by Custer State Park in South Dakota, with Antelope Island in Utah being third.
“How can I keep the honey bees off my hummingbird feeder?” Either use a hummingbird feeder without those little yellow flowers on it or remove them from a feeder. Or use a concentrated sugar water mix (two parts water, one part sugar), and pour it into a shallow plate (a yellow one would be best) and place that plate near the hummingbird feeder. The bees might find it attractive.
“Is the Great Salt Lake saltier than the oceans?” That’s what I was told on my visit there. The Great Salt Lake varies between 5 and 27% salinity. The oceans have an average of 3.5%. The Dead Sea has a salinity of 34%.
A riddle
At first, I am a two-letter long word that is a verb; add one letter and I become an insect; add another letter and I become a vegetable; add two more letters and I become the name of another insect. Answer: Be-e-t-le.
Thanks for stopping by
“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us living creatures are dependent on one another.”—Pope Francis.
“People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.”—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 9-28-21
Naturally
A lot of things about birding go over my head, but it’s free therapy. I saw no juncolopes again this year. They are mythical songbirds with antelope horns on their heads. I did see sandhill cranes working a field and a male cardinal in the process of molting. Even with his vibrancy diminished, the cardinal is a color that’s capable of melting the other crayons in the box. Adult male ruby-throated hummingbirds are long gone, but females and juveniles still visit feeders. I heard a blue jay doing a wonderful rendition of a broad-winged hawk. The jay was likely a migrant from an area where they speak broad-winged hawk.
I taught a class of young writers. A couple of house sparrows found their way into the school building. They wanted to let nature take its course.
I saw holes chewed in the leaves of various plants. That’s not a bad thing. The holes show there are caterpillars and caterpillars are food for birds. I picked cherry tomatoes. As I ate the delicious fruits (botanically, tomatoes are fruits, but are considered vegetables by nutritionists), I realized I was eating sunlight.
Kentucky bluegrass can start turning brown and enter dormancy as early as seven days without water. Browning is a survival technique and it will green up when watered. Fescue stays greener longer, up to 28 days in a drought. Lawns can be environmental nightmares and require high maintenance.
Honey bees pollinate 15% of the crops that make up the world’s food supply, while wild bees and other wildlife pollinate the rest.
Tom Steinman of Garrison told me wild turkeys worship the ground on which he tosses cracked corn.
Folklore says the amount of black on the woolly bear in autumn varies proportionately with the coming winter in the locality where the caterpillar is seen. The longer the woolly bear's black bands, the more severe the winter will be. The wider the middle brown band, the milder the upcoming winter.
Q&A
“Why do you watch birds?” They’re watching me. It’s only fair that I watch them back.
Karen Wright of Mankato asks if monarch butterflies can fly in the rain. Not for long. When it’s raining, monarchs rarely fly. They cling to trees or bushes. If they become wet, they can’t fly because their wings are too heavy. Monarchs don’t need to stay completely dry. If they get wet, they remain still until the water evaporates from their bodies. They bask in the sun to dry their wings. Monarch butterflies reach Mexico near the Day of the Dead in early November. Some cultures believe the Monarchs, or mariposas, are the souls of ancestors returning home. When they reach their destination, the Monarchs overwinter in oyamel fir trees.
“Do yellowjackets sting only once?” Yellowjackets, paper wasps and bumble bees can sting more than once because they can pull their stingers out without injuring themselves. Honey bees have tiny barbs on their stingers that remain hooked in skin. The stinger, connected to the digestive system of the bee, is torn from the abdomen as the bee attempts to fly away. As a result, the bee dies. Yellowjackets cannot be trusted at this time of the year. Expect little waspitality from them.
“What do I plant to help native bees?” Goldenrod, aster, perennial sunflower, native violet, evening primrose, purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan would be good choices.
“Why were the prairies plowed?” Because fertile prairie soils proved excellent for crop production. Early settlers avoided the prairie, thinking unforested land couldn’t support crops. Prairie soil is fertile, but plowing it was difficult. Prairie sod is tough to cut through. The soil stuck to the cast-iron plow blades, making it necessary to stop frequently to clean them. John Deere solved that problem in 1837 with his self-scouring steel plow.
“How do I tell an antler from a horn?” Only the deer species (the family Cervidae) grow antlers, and only males grow antlers, with an exception being female caribou. Antlers are bony structures that grow every year and are shed. Horns are permanent for antelope, cattle, goats, sheep and other members of the family Bovidae. Both males and females have horns in many of those species. Horns have a bony core covered by a keratin sheath. Keratin makes up our fingernails and hair.
Thanks for stopping by
“Once we assuage our conscience by calling something a ‘necessary evil,’ it begins to look more and more necessary and less and less evil.”—Sydney J. Harris.
“Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation. Tooting, howling, screeching, booming, crashing, whistling, grinding, and trilling bolster his ego.”—Jean Arp.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
A lot of things about birding go over my head, but it’s free therapy. I saw no juncolopes again this year. They are mythical songbirds with antelope horns on their heads. I did see sandhill cranes working a field and a male cardinal in the process of molting. Even with his vibrancy diminished, the cardinal is a color that’s capable of melting the other crayons in the box. Adult male ruby-throated hummingbirds are long gone, but females and juveniles still visit feeders. I heard a blue jay doing a wonderful rendition of a broad-winged hawk. The jay was likely a migrant from an area where they speak broad-winged hawk.
I taught a class of young writers. A couple of house sparrows found their way into the school building. They wanted to let nature take its course.
I saw holes chewed in the leaves of various plants. That’s not a bad thing. The holes show there are caterpillars and caterpillars are food for birds. I picked cherry tomatoes. As I ate the delicious fruits (botanically, tomatoes are fruits, but are considered vegetables by nutritionists), I realized I was eating sunlight.
Kentucky bluegrass can start turning brown and enter dormancy as early as seven days without water. Browning is a survival technique and it will green up when watered. Fescue stays greener longer, up to 28 days in a drought. Lawns can be environmental nightmares and require high maintenance.
Honey bees pollinate 15% of the crops that make up the world’s food supply, while wild bees and other wildlife pollinate the rest.
Tom Steinman of Garrison told me wild turkeys worship the ground on which he tosses cracked corn.
Folklore says the amount of black on the woolly bear in autumn varies proportionately with the coming winter in the locality where the caterpillar is seen. The longer the woolly bear's black bands, the more severe the winter will be. The wider the middle brown band, the milder the upcoming winter.
Q&A
“Why do you watch birds?” They’re watching me. It’s only fair that I watch them back.
Karen Wright of Mankato asks if monarch butterflies can fly in the rain. Not for long. When it’s raining, monarchs rarely fly. They cling to trees or bushes. If they become wet, they can’t fly because their wings are too heavy. Monarchs don’t need to stay completely dry. If they get wet, they remain still until the water evaporates from their bodies. They bask in the sun to dry their wings. Monarch butterflies reach Mexico near the Day of the Dead in early November. Some cultures believe the Monarchs, or mariposas, are the souls of ancestors returning home. When they reach their destination, the Monarchs overwinter in oyamel fir trees.
“Do yellowjackets sting only once?” Yellowjackets, paper wasps and bumble bees can sting more than once because they can pull their stingers out without injuring themselves. Honey bees have tiny barbs on their stingers that remain hooked in skin. The stinger, connected to the digestive system of the bee, is torn from the abdomen as the bee attempts to fly away. As a result, the bee dies. Yellowjackets cannot be trusted at this time of the year. Expect little waspitality from them.
“What do I plant to help native bees?” Goldenrod, aster, perennial sunflower, native violet, evening primrose, purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan would be good choices.
“Why were the prairies plowed?” Because fertile prairie soils proved excellent for crop production. Early settlers avoided the prairie, thinking unforested land couldn’t support crops. Prairie soil is fertile, but plowing it was difficult. Prairie sod is tough to cut through. The soil stuck to the cast-iron plow blades, making it necessary to stop frequently to clean them. John Deere solved that problem in 1837 with his self-scouring steel plow.
“How do I tell an antler from a horn?” Only the deer species (the family Cervidae) grow antlers, and only males grow antlers, with an exception being female caribou. Antlers are bony structures that grow every year and are shed. Horns are permanent for antelope, cattle, goats, sheep and other members of the family Bovidae. Both males and females have horns in many of those species. Horns have a bony core covered by a keratin sheath. Keratin makes up our fingernails and hair.
Thanks for stopping by
“Once we assuage our conscience by calling something a ‘necessary evil,’ it begins to look more and more necessary and less and less evil.”—Sydney J. Harris.
“Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation. Tooting, howling, screeching, booming, crashing, whistling, grinding, and trilling bolster his ego.”—Jean Arp.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 9-19-21
Naturally
Prairie flowers dance with butterflies.
Fall birding is great. There are more birds to see. A friend says, "For warblers in the fall, go where chickadees call." That’s true. If I see chickadees feeding, I look for other bird species. Chickadees know the best places to dine.
Adult starlings go through a complete molt in late summer. Their bill color changes from yellow to black and new feathers with white tips are grown as winter approaches. Winter weather, sunlight and friction dull the speckled look, and by the breeding season, they are back to the uniform dark brown or black.
Dale Waltz of Rochester said that when someone asks him what bird is singing and he doesn’t recognize the song, he appears to give it proper thought before answering, “Mockingbird.”
Paul Hanson of Albert Lea asked what you call two crows perched in a tree. An attempted murder. A group of crows is called a murder. Does it take three to be a murder? Two is company, three is a murder. The two could have been conspiring to commit a murder most fowl. I think a group of crows should be called a crowd.
An Uber driver told me he was delivering food for Uber Eats, Grubhub or DoorDash, I forget which. I recall working at the Outer Banks of North Carolina and watching a jaeger chase a gull that didn’t know it was delivering food. The Grubhub gull dropped the food it was carrying and the jaeger ate it.
Groovy birds
I watched a flock of groove-billed anis feed on the ground of a pasture in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. They nest communally with as many as four pairs of birds using one nest, a bulky cup of twigs lined with fresh leaves. All parents share the duties of incubating and raising the young.
Osmundson Prairie
Osmundson Prairie is Minnesota's southernmost SNA (Scientific and Natural Areas), less than a mile from the Iowa border on the Faribault/Freeborn County line. It’s one of the state's smallest SNAs, at 6 acres. This hilly remnant of southern mesic, black soil prairie hosts two state-listed plants. Rattlesnake master has yucca-like leaves and round white flower heads; and Indian plantain has clusters of white, tubular flowers.
Invasive species such as Queen Ann's lace and wild parsnip are ongoing concerns. Periodic prescribed burns help sustain species such as lead plant, prairie coreopsis (stiff tickseed) and downy gentian. There have been summer records there of grassland birds like upland sandpiper, dickcissel, sedge wren, eastern meadowlark, vesper sparrow and bobolink. Albert Lea Audubon Society assisted with this site's preservation, which was made possible by the donation of land to the state of Minnesota by Mildred Osmundson Wickman in memory of her family.
Q&A
“Why does campfire smoke follow me?” It’s because smoke follows beauty and intelligence. Attack smoke follows the path of least resistance that is determined by wind direction and movement around the fire, which can cause a tailwind that pulls smoke with it.
“Are snakes poisonous or venomous?” Poisonous describes something that can cause death or injury if it’s ingested or absorbed. Venomous describes creatures that inject their victims with a toxin. In simple terms, if you bite an animal and get sick, the animal is poisonous. If it bites you and you get sick, the animal is venomous.
“What’s the difference between a swamp and a marsh?” A simple distinction is that a swamp is predominantly forested, while a marsh has few if any trees.
“When should I take down my hummingbird feeders?” Leave your feeders up as long as hummingbirds are visiting them. The birds won’t stay because you’re feeding them, so leave the feeders out for another week after you’ve seen one just in case stragglers come through.
“Monarch butterflies have been congregating in my yard. How do they choose a spot?” They want a roost that provides shelter from the wind and offers a convenient source of nectar. Roosts might provide safety in numbers as an anti-predator strategy when the butterflies are vulnerable in cool temperatures.
Thanks for stopping by
“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would become religious overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead the stars come out every night, and we watch television.” ― Paul Hawken
“There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’” — David Foster Wallace
©Al Batt 2021
Naturally
Prairie flowers dance with butterflies.
Fall birding is great. There are more birds to see. A friend says, "For warblers in the fall, go where chickadees call." That’s true. If I see chickadees feeding, I look for other bird species. Chickadees know the best places to dine.
Adult starlings go through a complete molt in late summer. Their bill color changes from yellow to black and new feathers with white tips are grown as winter approaches. Winter weather, sunlight and friction dull the speckled look, and by the breeding season, they are back to the uniform dark brown or black.
Dale Waltz of Rochester said that when someone asks him what bird is singing and he doesn’t recognize the song, he appears to give it proper thought before answering, “Mockingbird.”
Paul Hanson of Albert Lea asked what you call two crows perched in a tree. An attempted murder. A group of crows is called a murder. Does it take three to be a murder? Two is company, three is a murder. The two could have been conspiring to commit a murder most fowl. I think a group of crows should be called a crowd.
An Uber driver told me he was delivering food for Uber Eats, Grubhub or DoorDash, I forget which. I recall working at the Outer Banks of North Carolina and watching a jaeger chase a gull that didn’t know it was delivering food. The Grubhub gull dropped the food it was carrying and the jaeger ate it.
Groovy birds
I watched a flock of groove-billed anis feed on the ground of a pasture in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. They nest communally with as many as four pairs of birds using one nest, a bulky cup of twigs lined with fresh leaves. All parents share the duties of incubating and raising the young.
Osmundson Prairie
Osmundson Prairie is Minnesota's southernmost SNA (Scientific and Natural Areas), less than a mile from the Iowa border on the Faribault/Freeborn County line. It’s one of the state's smallest SNAs, at 6 acres. This hilly remnant of southern mesic, black soil prairie hosts two state-listed plants. Rattlesnake master has yucca-like leaves and round white flower heads; and Indian plantain has clusters of white, tubular flowers.
Invasive species such as Queen Ann's lace and wild parsnip are ongoing concerns. Periodic prescribed burns help sustain species such as lead plant, prairie coreopsis (stiff tickseed) and downy gentian. There have been summer records there of grassland birds like upland sandpiper, dickcissel, sedge wren, eastern meadowlark, vesper sparrow and bobolink. Albert Lea Audubon Society assisted with this site's preservation, which was made possible by the donation of land to the state of Minnesota by Mildred Osmundson Wickman in memory of her family.
Q&A
“Why does campfire smoke follow me?” It’s because smoke follows beauty and intelligence. Attack smoke follows the path of least resistance that is determined by wind direction and movement around the fire, which can cause a tailwind that pulls smoke with it.
“Are snakes poisonous or venomous?” Poisonous describes something that can cause death or injury if it’s ingested or absorbed. Venomous describes creatures that inject their victims with a toxin. In simple terms, if you bite an animal and get sick, the animal is poisonous. If it bites you and you get sick, the animal is venomous.
“What’s the difference between a swamp and a marsh?” A simple distinction is that a swamp is predominantly forested, while a marsh has few if any trees.
“When should I take down my hummingbird feeders?” Leave your feeders up as long as hummingbirds are visiting them. The birds won’t stay because you’re feeding them, so leave the feeders out for another week after you’ve seen one just in case stragglers come through.
“Monarch butterflies have been congregating in my yard. How do they choose a spot?” They want a roost that provides shelter from the wind and offers a convenient source of nectar. Roosts might provide safety in numbers as an anti-predator strategy when the butterflies are vulnerable in cool temperatures.
Thanks for stopping by
“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would become religious overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead the stars come out every night, and we watch television.” ― Paul Hawken
“There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’” — David Foster Wallace
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt
Posted 9-12-21
A zipper spider
Naturally
September is the month of red leaves, ripe fruits and relocating birds.
After perching like an undertaker, a turkey vulture became one with the wind. I saw a vesper sparrow whose molt made it look as if it had been mugged.
Who can see enough chickadees? Not me. I’m caught in the gravitational pull of the tiny, habituated feeder bird. The same goes for butterflies. I see a few monarch butterflies moving across a lake near me every month they are flying, but the numbers flying over water increase during migration. Monarch populations in Minnesota peak in late August and early September as resident butterflies are joined by those from farther north.
I paused my walk to marvel at the beauty of a black-and-yellow Argiope. This orb weaver is called a corn spider, zipper spider, writing spider, golden garden spider, yellow spider, yellow garden spider, golden orb weaver, scribbler spider, yellow-and-black garden spider, McKinley spider and Argiope aurantia. A male courts a female by plucking at her web. Initially, webs are placed in areas sheltered from the wind, but as spiders age, they prefer higher web placement. After mating, the female deposits egg sacs on her web. The eggs hatch in late summer or fall and the hatchlings overwinter in the sac, not leaving it until spring. Juveniles disperse by ballooning, releasing silk that catches wind currents. Females die in a hard frost and males after mating.
There are so many dead animals on the road, I have to remind myself not to become calloused by their abundance.
A friend, Ruth Olson of Albert Lea, owns an African grey parrot that loves watermelon. When Ruth gives Elly May (named for Elly May Clampett of “Beverly Hillbillies” fame) a bit of melon, Elly May says, “Mmmmm!”
Duck stamp
Beginning with the 2022 federal duck stamp art contest, artists will no longer be required to include a hunting element in submissions, according to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The duck stamp was established in 1934, the same year President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act and launched legislation to protect and purchase wetlands vital to the survival of waterfowl and other wildlife. Ding Darling, an editorial cartoonist at the Des Moines Register and eventual head of the U.S. Biological Survey, drew the first stamp. The sketch showed a drake and hen mallard dropping into a marsh. Sales of the stamp to hunters, birdwatchers, outdoor enthusiasts and collectors have generated $1.1 billion to conserve over 6 million acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife and provide countless opportunities for hunting and other wildlife-oriented recreation on public lands. Ninety-eight percent of stamp sales go toward acquiring acreage in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The $25 stamps are available at most post offices.
Q&A
A customer sent me a video of a Jenner and a Kardashian saving a bird and asked what kind it was. It looked as if a song sparrow had gotten into their Malibu vacation home. The women didn’t save the bird, but they did help it by opening a door so it could fly out.
Marcia Clay of Truman asks where all the birds are. Natural food sources for birds are currently at their peak. The grocery shelves are stocked and the restaurants offer full menus. Trees produce nuts and seeds, plants offer seeds and insects are abundant. This makes it easy for birds to move about and some birds are migrating—shorebirds, warblers, Franklin’s gulls, hummingbirds, common nighthawks, chimney swifts, etc.—the other ones will be back to your yard.
Roger Batt of Algona asked about the nectar recipe for orioles and if it’s OK to feed them grape jelly. Orioles are fine with 1 part white sugar to 6 parts water. There have been no scientific studies conducted to determine any health hazards posed by grape jelly, but moderation, as it is in all things, might be wise.
Jim Van Riper of Albert Lea asked when Baltimore orioles leave. The peak migration is August and the first half of September. The majority of the birds reach their winter homes in Mexico, Central America or South America by the end of October.
“How can I tell a bee from a wasp?” Bees are fuzzy and chubby. They are cute. Wasps are smooth and skinny. They look threatening. Yellowjackets (a kind of wasp) are the ones most likely to hover around your picnic. They may be attracted to meat and soft drinks. Honey bees are vegetarians and aren’t usually drawn to soft drinks. Yellowjackets can be high-strung when searching for sweets and proteins.
Thanks for stopping by
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”—Soren Kierkegaard
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."—Marcel Proust
©Al Batt 2021
A zipper spider
Naturally
September is the month of red leaves, ripe fruits and relocating birds.
After perching like an undertaker, a turkey vulture became one with the wind. I saw a vesper sparrow whose molt made it look as if it had been mugged.
Who can see enough chickadees? Not me. I’m caught in the gravitational pull of the tiny, habituated feeder bird. The same goes for butterflies. I see a few monarch butterflies moving across a lake near me every month they are flying, but the numbers flying over water increase during migration. Monarch populations in Minnesota peak in late August and early September as resident butterflies are joined by those from farther north.
I paused my walk to marvel at the beauty of a black-and-yellow Argiope. This orb weaver is called a corn spider, zipper spider, writing spider, golden garden spider, yellow spider, yellow garden spider, golden orb weaver, scribbler spider, yellow-and-black garden spider, McKinley spider and Argiope aurantia. A male courts a female by plucking at her web. Initially, webs are placed in areas sheltered from the wind, but as spiders age, they prefer higher web placement. After mating, the female deposits egg sacs on her web. The eggs hatch in late summer or fall and the hatchlings overwinter in the sac, not leaving it until spring. Juveniles disperse by ballooning, releasing silk that catches wind currents. Females die in a hard frost and males after mating.
There are so many dead animals on the road, I have to remind myself not to become calloused by their abundance.
A friend, Ruth Olson of Albert Lea, owns an African grey parrot that loves watermelon. When Ruth gives Elly May (named for Elly May Clampett of “Beverly Hillbillies” fame) a bit of melon, Elly May says, “Mmmmm!”
Duck stamp
Beginning with the 2022 federal duck stamp art contest, artists will no longer be required to include a hunting element in submissions, according to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The duck stamp was established in 1934, the same year President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act and launched legislation to protect and purchase wetlands vital to the survival of waterfowl and other wildlife. Ding Darling, an editorial cartoonist at the Des Moines Register and eventual head of the U.S. Biological Survey, drew the first stamp. The sketch showed a drake and hen mallard dropping into a marsh. Sales of the stamp to hunters, birdwatchers, outdoor enthusiasts and collectors have generated $1.1 billion to conserve over 6 million acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife and provide countless opportunities for hunting and other wildlife-oriented recreation on public lands. Ninety-eight percent of stamp sales go toward acquiring acreage in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The $25 stamps are available at most post offices.
Q&A
A customer sent me a video of a Jenner and a Kardashian saving a bird and asked what kind it was. It looked as if a song sparrow had gotten into their Malibu vacation home. The women didn’t save the bird, but they did help it by opening a door so it could fly out.
Marcia Clay of Truman asks where all the birds are. Natural food sources for birds are currently at their peak. The grocery shelves are stocked and the restaurants offer full menus. Trees produce nuts and seeds, plants offer seeds and insects are abundant. This makes it easy for birds to move about and some birds are migrating—shorebirds, warblers, Franklin’s gulls, hummingbirds, common nighthawks, chimney swifts, etc.—the other ones will be back to your yard.
Roger Batt of Algona asked about the nectar recipe for orioles and if it’s OK to feed them grape jelly. Orioles are fine with 1 part white sugar to 6 parts water. There have been no scientific studies conducted to determine any health hazards posed by grape jelly, but moderation, as it is in all things, might be wise.
Jim Van Riper of Albert Lea asked when Baltimore orioles leave. The peak migration is August and the first half of September. The majority of the birds reach their winter homes in Mexico, Central America or South America by the end of October.
“How can I tell a bee from a wasp?” Bees are fuzzy and chubby. They are cute. Wasps are smooth and skinny. They look threatening. Yellowjackets (a kind of wasp) are the ones most likely to hover around your picnic. They may be attracted to meat and soft drinks. Honey bees are vegetarians and aren’t usually drawn to soft drinks. Yellowjackets can be high-strung when searching for sweets and proteins.
Thanks for stopping by
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”—Soren Kierkegaard
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."—Marcel Proust
©Al Batt 2021
Photo of Argiope aurantia by Al Batt
Posted 9-5-21
Bald blue jays
Naturally
I heard a pileated woodpecker call in the yard. It’s louder, lower-pitched and less regular than that of the northern flicker.
Common nighthawks flew over the yard. They were migrating to Brazil, but circled overhead and fed as I watched. They opened their mouths wide and ate whatever happened into their flight path.
I watched a hawk perched on a utility pole, peering at a tractor moving ground around in a farm field. Red-tailed hawks are common and they get to know the machinery that stirs up dinner for them. The field activities of tractors and combines chase rabbits, mice and voles from hiding. Gulls also enjoy the company of farm equipment providing comestibles in the form of grubs, worms and rodents.
Perfectly respectable songbirds have become ragged looking because of molts. Feathers needing replacement are subbed for. I see bald blue jays in my yard. The jays are fine, nothing more than the victims of an irregular molt. A friend who had been a bird rehabber told me she had never found mites on the bald heads of any jays, so it’s merely a simultaneous molt. It’s the nature of nature.
Q&A
“I see tall trees with silver leaves in southern Minnesota. What might they be?” The silver undersides of silver maple leaves make an impressive showing when the wind blows.
Jerry Viktora of Ellendale asked when hummingbirds leave. Ruby-throated hummingbirds begin to migrate south in mid-August, and most have left the state by the end of September—although stragglers are found into October. Keeping your hummingbird feeders up won’t cause the tiny birds to stay.
“I saw a snake near the river that acted like a rattlesnake, but it wasn’t. What kind of snake do you think it might have been?” Western fox snakes are among Minnesota’s longest snakes, reaching over 5 feet in length. The fox snake doesn't look like a fox. It got its name because when it’s handled it gives off a musky odor similar to that of a red fox. It’s yellow to dark brown with big, dark blotches and a belly that is yellow with black marks. Adults have an unmarked bronze-colored head. It’s found mainly along the Minnesota, St. Croix and Mississippi rivers. Despite lacking rattles, the fox snake can make a rattling sound by shaking its tail and may hiss when threatened.
“Do we duck because of the habits of ducks?” Yes. Our modern English word duck comes from the Old English “ducan,” which had nothing to do with a bird. Ducan was a verb meaning “to plunge underwater suddenly, to dive or dip.” The name duck for the waterfowl came from its habit of feeding by ducking, plunging its head into the water. To prepare for an atomic bomb, many American schoolchildren were taught to duck and cover.
“What’s the difference between a bill and a beak?” Not a thing—the two words are synonymous. Ornithologists use “bill” more than “beak.” Some people use “beak” when referring to songbirds with pointed bills, and “bill” for birds like ducks, but they mean the same thing.
“I think there are more grasshoppers this year. Am I crazy?” I’m not qualified to judge your mental state, but fungi are one of the major threats to grasshopper eggs. Hot, dry weather limits the growth of fungi and results in a larger proportion of eggs hatching. Grasshoppers thrive in hot weather. Insects are cold-blooded creatures and hot weather means their metabolism runs faster, so they eat more and grow faster. Grasshoppers are often more numerous in hot, dry conditions.
“What percent of bats have rabies?” According to the Minnesota Department of Health’s Zoonotic Diseases unit, 3 to 4% of bats tested for rabies in Minnesota test positive. Those bats aren’t a random sample, being the ones that have come into contact with humans. Only 1% of the total bat population is likely rabid. Over 51,000 people died in Minnesota in 2020, none from rabies.
“What animal has the best hearing?” The barn owl has better hearing than any animal that has been tested.
“What does the ruffed grouse hit its wings against to drum?” The sound resembling someone trying to start a 2-cylinder engine in the woods is produced by a male grouse in a drumming display. He creates it by beating his wings against the air to create a vacuum, as lightning does when it makes thunder.
HHH
It’s no Hubert Horatio Humphrey, but the Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah was a bodacious blast. Bender Park, the garden, the hummingbirds and the people were all gold medalists.
Thanks for stopping by
“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”—Mark Twain
“Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Bald blue jays
Naturally
I heard a pileated woodpecker call in the yard. It’s louder, lower-pitched and less regular than that of the northern flicker.
Common nighthawks flew over the yard. They were migrating to Brazil, but circled overhead and fed as I watched. They opened their mouths wide and ate whatever happened into their flight path.
I watched a hawk perched on a utility pole, peering at a tractor moving ground around in a farm field. Red-tailed hawks are common and they get to know the machinery that stirs up dinner for them. The field activities of tractors and combines chase rabbits, mice and voles from hiding. Gulls also enjoy the company of farm equipment providing comestibles in the form of grubs, worms and rodents.
Perfectly respectable songbirds have become ragged looking because of molts. Feathers needing replacement are subbed for. I see bald blue jays in my yard. The jays are fine, nothing more than the victims of an irregular molt. A friend who had been a bird rehabber told me she had never found mites on the bald heads of any jays, so it’s merely a simultaneous molt. It’s the nature of nature.
Q&A
“I see tall trees with silver leaves in southern Minnesota. What might they be?” The silver undersides of silver maple leaves make an impressive showing when the wind blows.
Jerry Viktora of Ellendale asked when hummingbirds leave. Ruby-throated hummingbirds begin to migrate south in mid-August, and most have left the state by the end of September—although stragglers are found into October. Keeping your hummingbird feeders up won’t cause the tiny birds to stay.
“I saw a snake near the river that acted like a rattlesnake, but it wasn’t. What kind of snake do you think it might have been?” Western fox snakes are among Minnesota’s longest snakes, reaching over 5 feet in length. The fox snake doesn't look like a fox. It got its name because when it’s handled it gives off a musky odor similar to that of a red fox. It’s yellow to dark brown with big, dark blotches and a belly that is yellow with black marks. Adults have an unmarked bronze-colored head. It’s found mainly along the Minnesota, St. Croix and Mississippi rivers. Despite lacking rattles, the fox snake can make a rattling sound by shaking its tail and may hiss when threatened.
“Do we duck because of the habits of ducks?” Yes. Our modern English word duck comes from the Old English “ducan,” which had nothing to do with a bird. Ducan was a verb meaning “to plunge underwater suddenly, to dive or dip.” The name duck for the waterfowl came from its habit of feeding by ducking, plunging its head into the water. To prepare for an atomic bomb, many American schoolchildren were taught to duck and cover.
“What’s the difference between a bill and a beak?” Not a thing—the two words are synonymous. Ornithologists use “bill” more than “beak.” Some people use “beak” when referring to songbirds with pointed bills, and “bill” for birds like ducks, but they mean the same thing.
“I think there are more grasshoppers this year. Am I crazy?” I’m not qualified to judge your mental state, but fungi are one of the major threats to grasshopper eggs. Hot, dry weather limits the growth of fungi and results in a larger proportion of eggs hatching. Grasshoppers thrive in hot weather. Insects are cold-blooded creatures and hot weather means their metabolism runs faster, so they eat more and grow faster. Grasshoppers are often more numerous in hot, dry conditions.
“What percent of bats have rabies?” According to the Minnesota Department of Health’s Zoonotic Diseases unit, 3 to 4% of bats tested for rabies in Minnesota test positive. Those bats aren’t a random sample, being the ones that have come into contact with humans. Only 1% of the total bat population is likely rabid. Over 51,000 people died in Minnesota in 2020, none from rabies.
“What animal has the best hearing?” The barn owl has better hearing than any animal that has been tested.
“What does the ruffed grouse hit its wings against to drum?” The sound resembling someone trying to start a 2-cylinder engine in the woods is produced by a male grouse in a drumming display. He creates it by beating his wings against the air to create a vacuum, as lightning does when it makes thunder.
HHH
It’s no Hubert Horatio Humphrey, but the Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah was a bodacious blast. Bender Park, the garden, the hummingbirds and the people were all gold medalists.
Thanks for stopping by
“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”—Mark Twain
“Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Photo by Al Batt