The coyote is sometimes called a brush wolf or prairie wolf. I think there’s one guy who calls it an American jackal. Both the ki-oat-ee and ki-oat pronunciations are correct and vary with the region you find yourself. Be prepared to be corrected by someone who feels superior. Its scientific name is Canis latrans and is called a song dog by some of its admirers. Photo by Al Batt.

Naturally

 Boreas, the god of the north wind in Greek mythology, was working hard. I spotted a coyote. Coyotes are intermediate in size between foxes and wolves. In Minnesota, coyotes average 30 pounds (ranging 20-50) and stand about 18 inches high at the shoulders. Coyotes are comparable in size to a medium-sized dog breed such as a border collie. They appear larger than that due to their heavy fur coat in winter. They’re gray/brown and resemble a small German shepherd dog in appearance. Coyotes in Minnesota are loners, except when families are raising pups. Their primary foods are rabbits and mice.
 On a warm, late-winter day, look at the base of a tree and see if you can spot jumping pepper flakes. These springtails are called snow fleas.
 The red veins of spring are evident, particularly on south-facing slopes where the red colors of shrubs brighten and become more vibrant this time of the year. Deer find the twigs of red-osier dogwood fine eating. The plants (also known as red-twig dogwood and redbrush) are eye-catching. The colors of the yellow/gold outer branches of weeping willows are also enhanced chromatically.
 Look for deer sheds anytime the snow melts. As winter makes a slow slide into spring, listen for birds heralding the oncoming seasonal changes. February can be a bumpy road, but I’m picking up good vibrations. Love is in the air—the air of increasing daylength. The smell of skunk wafts on the wind. Woodpeckers are drumming frequently. Their feathered brethren—cardinals, starlings, chickadees, house finches, nuthatches and blue jays make sounds of spring. The black-capped chickadee’s whistled fee-bee song sounds like “spring’s here” to me. Cardinals can sing anytime of the year but vocalize with increasing gusto now. The male white-breasted nuthatches sing a rapid, nasal “what-what-what.” The jays make a squeaky pump handle call and starlings mingle chatter, gurgles, rattles, trills, warbles and whistles. House finches sing a long, jumbled warbling of short notes. The birds call for us to walk, at least to a window.
 I pulled into a fast-food parking lot. The lot was mostly empty spaces, so I stopped to return a phone call. The automobile stable was being visited by starlings, house sparrows and crows. Those birds love fast-food parking lots because humans are messy. I saw a crow dragging a large slice of pizza as another watched, likely offering constructive criticism. “Lift with your legs.” A crow will eat a pizza even if it hasn’t been run over by a car.

Q&A
 “Do pileated woodpeckers eat wood?” They work with wood, so they might accidentally ingest sawdust just as any other skilled carpenter might. They forage in dead trees, stumps and fallen logs, making impressive rectangular excavations deep into the wood in search of the tunnels of carpenter ants. The pileated woodpecker’s primary food is carpenter ants (which have a nutty taste), supplemented by other ants, woodboring beetle larvae, termites, flies, spruce budworms, caterpillars, cockroaches, grasshoppers, wild fruits (including those of poison ivy) and nuts. Various studies have found ants make up 40 to 97% of an individual’s diet. Occasionally, pileated woodpeckers visit backyard bird feeders for seeds or suet.
 “Why do cardinals visit the feeders so early and so late in the day?” They are less conspicuous then, which is especially important for the brightly colored male. There are fewer predators and less competition. Most cardinals coming to feeders are locals and have short flights to and from roosts. And the dim lighting makes for romantic dining. Cardinals are one of the birds that can handle striped sunflower seeds and their thick shells with ease.
 Marian Bahl of Faribault wrote, “There were 21 ravenous doves at my feeders today. Made another trip to the feed and seed store. Do they mate for life?  I always see an odd number lately. I feel bad for #21. Is there an eharmony.com for birdies?” Mating pairs are monogamous for a breeding season and might get together in succeeding breeding seasons, which means they may mate for life. Their lives are short and a mourning dove finds a new partner if its mate is lost. Number 21 should remain hopeful.
 “How far do eagles migrate?” Bald eagles are short- to medium-distance migrants that may  move only as far as they need to find food. Bald eagles are found primarily along major rivers, lakes and other open water, but can be seen feeding on a dead deer in the middle of a farm field and anywhere else where food is served. They feed on fish and carrion, but will also eat large birds, mammals (muskrats and hares are favorites) reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans and occasionally dine on garbage (who doesn’t?).

Thanks for stopping by
 “He that plants trees loves others besides himself.”—Thomas Fuller.
 “They know enough who know how to learn.”—Henry Adams. 
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

Minnesota State defeated Southwest State 89-65, leading from end-to-end, in a quarterfinal game of the NSIC tournament at the Pentagon. Joey Batt 17 pts. & 5 assists, Destinee Bursch 13 pts. & 4 steals, Maddy Olson 12 pts. & 6 assists and Rylee Menster 10 pts. & 4 assists.

It’s amazing how well a fellow is treated in places where they don’t know him :-)

Be kind to your fine feathered friends.

Minnesota State lost the battle to the champion UM-Duluth 69-66. Rylee Menster scored 17 and had 6 rebounds, Destinee Bursch hd 15 pts. & Joey Batt (with the rock) had 14 pts., 5 rebs., 4 assists and 3 steals to lead the Mavericks.

From Shenanigans in Sioux Falls Feb. 28

Quick thread. Last week my son's classroom wrote letters to a women's basketball team in the #NSICTourney Tonight he brought home a letter from @Joey_batt PERSONALIZED to him.

He had a basketball game tonight and we got home in time to catch the 2nd half of @MinnStWBB game. Screaming and cheering for someone that took the time out of her busy schedule to write a note to a kid she didn't even know.

Although your impact on the court was obvious, your impact off the court is what shined today. This stuff matters.