Naturally

 The indigo bunting is my wife’s favorite bird and my late father called it a “blue canary.” That makes this bird a big deal in my yard. 
 I know it’s dawn when the ring-necked pheasant rooster crows “cow-cat” loudly outside my bedroom window. He follows it up with a loud, rapid beating of his wings.
 I was parked on the highway, waiting for a pilot car to lead me down the road. I watched turkey vultures doing an aerial ballet. Killdeer dashed across the ground. A kingfisher made a metallic sound. They were comfort birds sent to ease the stress of getting nowhere fast.
 Eastern bluebirds, also called the blue robin or the blue redbreast by some settlers, are closely related to the American robin as both are members of the thrush family.
 Birds have systems in place to survive as long as the weather does what’s expected. It takes a lot of insects to make one barn swallow. Barn swallows love lawn mowers because the grass munchers kick up flying insects. Oak trees have more caterpillars than most trees and can provide a well-stocked pantry for many birds.
 June bugs (also called May beetles or June beetles) are common beetles ½ to 1 inch long and vary in color from reddish-brown to nearly black. The adults are active after dusk in late May and early June and are attracted to lights at night. The clumsy fliers collide with windows and cling to screens. 

Q&A

 “Why do wrens build so many nests?” The male house wren stacks a pile of twigs in multiple cavities. It’s his way of lighting a “No vacancy” sign. The female picks one and takes over the construction. The male’s leftover nests may discourage other birds from nesting in those cavities. A wren might build dummy nests to lay claim to all the best nest sites in his territory. His industriousness might prove his nest-building skills and impress a female or confuse a predator. Both parents feed the chicks.
 Lona Falenczykowski of Mankato asked how long the nesting process is for a robin. It takes 2-6 days to build the nest, there is a 12-14 day incubation period and 13 days in the nestling stage. 
 “Do baby skunks practice spraying and how can I de-skunk my dog?” Use 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda and 1 teaspoon liquid soap. Mix and bathe, using caution around a dog’s eyes. Don’t store the mixture. I’ve been told the stored mixture could explode. Baby skunks (born in May and June) discover ways to weaponize their protection spray and I expect they practice a few times to improve their aim.
 Marian Bahl of Faribault asked if robins reuse nests. Old nests may be reused with or without a new lining and a new nest may be built on top of an old one, but more commonly, a new nest is constructed for each brood.
 “How can I tell a house finch from a purple finch?” Both females are brown and white, but female purple finches have a well-defined white mark above each eye. The male house finch is a reddish-orange and the male purple finch is a reddish-purple, looking as if it had been dipped in raspberry juice. The male house finch has streaking on his breast and sides, and is a brown bird with red or orange mixed in. The purple finch has stripes and is a purple bird with brown mixed in. 
 “What is the most abundant bird in the world?” The domestic chicken, which outnumbers humans 3 to 1.
 “Does a swan really sing before it dies?” The term “swan song” originates from the legend that swans are mute all their lives before singing beautifully and mournfully right before they die. This was known to be false as early as the days of ancient Rome when Pliny the Elder refuted it. The legend persisted because poetic imagery proved to be more attractive than scientific evidence. Swan song is commonly used to refer to celebrated performers embarking on farewell tours.
 “What’s the difference between midges and mayflies?” Midges are smaller than a mayfly and  emerge when the surface water temperature is around 60° and live 5-10 days. Mayflies have larger wings, a pronounced tail and emerge when surface water temps are around 70° and have a lifespan of about a day. Midges remind people of mosquitoes.

Thanks for stopping by

 “I want people to talk to one another no matter what their difference of opinion might be.”—Studs Terkel.
 “What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility. This is a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to do with mysticism.”—Albert Einstein.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

An Indigo Bunting male sings, “ Fire! Fire! Where? Where? Here! Here! Put it out. Put it out. “ Photo by Al Batt

Can an owl be wise if it isn’t?

Deer will eat dandelions.

Groundhogs love dandelions.

Mr. & Mrs. Rose-breasted Grosbeak at home. Not really. The nest is usually in the fork of a tree and is so thinly constructed I can often see the eggs from below.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak male sings when he has incubation duties on the nest. He whistles while he works.

It was like looking into a mirror for these two Baltimore Oriole males.

This young male Orchard Oriole is showing a bit of the coloration of an adult.