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
A bald blue jay.
I found just the thing for that hard-to-buy-for lover of stuffed animals. The Grumpy Octopus. It’s adorable and doesn’t eat all that much.
I didn’t see a single Snowy Owl near my abode last winter. Perhaps this coldest season will be just the ticket.
A River Otter gets ready for a dental appointment.
The Ovenbird makes a nest that resembles a Dutch oven and sings, “Teacher, teacher, teacher.”