Naturally
I seek magic. A yard-filling flock of red-winged blackbirds blackening the snow-covered ground was magical. The world needed to hear their song. It's spring singing. Researchers from California Polytechnic State University analyzed how the natural sounds people hear when outdoors affect well-being. They found the chorus of birdsong increased welfare. I tried to determine by use of my Hartland Grade School arithmetic how many blackbirds there were and reckoned there were at least 14, but that might have been low. I'd estimate it was well into the hundreds. A much smaller flock of rusty blackbirds blew in with a storm. I'm always happy to see them. I wanted to yell, "Pour another cup of water into the soup, we have company." Brown-headed cowbirds joined the melee on the ground below the feeders. A female cowbird was taking a break in a lilac when two male house sparrows attacked her. She fought back and the battle was prolonged. Had her parasitizing reputation preceded her? Was it over a prime perching position? Or was it merely orneriness? Interesting behavior no matter the cause.
Dark-eyed juncos made the sounds of ray guns. The snow must go. The juncos must, too.
A male and female cardinal kissed on a lilac branch. He offered her a sunflower seed and their bills touched in what I found a heartwarming moment. It's known as mate feeding and is a sign of courtship. I gave my wife a Chunky candy bar when courting her.
Crows walked bandy-legged over the lawn, searching winter's detritus for food. A northern harrier (formerly called a marsh hawk) male was a gray glider swooping low over a field. Glorious!
Q&A
Jim Beal of Eagle Lake wrote, "I rarely see a blue jay and haven’t seen any all winter. It seems like if I put peanuts in the shell out the blue jays come out of nowhere and take every peanut. How do they know that I put out peanuts?" Blue jays use trail cams to spot peanuts in feeders. This is a little-known fact. It's known only by me. It's not true, but it'd be cool if it were. They find the peanuts by sight. They notice them because they are always looking for food and check places that have proved rewarding in the past. When one jay sees peanuts, it calls loudly, announcing to the world the goobers have arrived. A cavalry of jays soon arrives.
Brenda Kotasek of St. Peter said her son saw a crow chasing a rabbit. He wondered if it was chasing it into traffic and harm's way. Crows are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. Crows survive by being both scavengers and predators. Rabbits tend to try to escape rather than fight back. Aside from preying on dead rabbits, crows prey upon baby bunnies or rabbits that are ill, injured or old. Crows are intelligent. They could chase rabbits for practice or play. There are reports of crows driving rabbits onto roads where they are injured by cars. Whether this was done intentionally, only the crows know. A cottontail runs about 30 mph and a crow can fly at a speed double that.
"You should let everyone know about the award you received from the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union." How nice of you to give me an opportunity for humblebrag. A few years ago, I received the Thomas S. Roberts Memorial Award. MOU's lifetime achievement award for "Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Ornithology and Birding." I'm delighted to be mentioned with Thomas Sadler Roberts (1858 - 1946) who was a physician known for his work in ornithology, bird conservation, his book "The Birds of Minnesota," and for his help in establishing the Bell Museum of Natural History.
The Book Club
"Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants." by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a trained botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This well-written book combines the scientific with the mythic and poetic, and is terrific. She wrote, "In some Native languages the term for plants translates to those who take care of us." Plants were our first teachers. She wrote we should respect and care for nature by working in harmony with it. We need to give in the present to get in the future and consider the gifts we are given and be thankful. It's a great read.
Thanks for stopping by
"For 50 million years our biggest problems were too few calories, too little information. For about 50 years our biggest problem has been too many calories, too much information. We have to adjust, and I believe we will really fast. I also believe it will be wicked ugly while we're adjusting." — Penn Jillette
"When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud, too." — Denzel Washington (as Robert McCall in "The Equalizer")
Do good.

©Al Batt 2021

Male and female red-winged blackbird photos by Al Batt