Naturally

 I saw a turkey vulture on March 15, not in Hinckley, Ohio, but in Minnesota. Baby steps into spring. It was a wonderful birthday present. It was a birthday present for me. I’ve no idea when the vulture’s hatch date was. 
 No fiery horse with a speed of light, no cloud of dust, and no hearty “Hi-Yo, Silver!” The Lone Common Grackle continues to saunter about the yard with his faithful companion, a winter-weary starling. A deer with an injured foot comes regularly to feed under the bird feeder. The starling landed on the deer’s back. The bird had always wanted a pony. Starlings are mimics and can be taught to talk. I imagined it saying, “Giddy up!”
 I filled the feeders with black oil sunflower seeds. I’ve found the nutritious seeds to be appealing to the birds in my locale. If you find house sparrows overwhelming your feeders, you might switch to the larger striped sunflowers seeds, which have shells more difficult for house sparrows to open. Cheap birdseed isn’t economical. It doesn’t have enough active ingredients because it has too much filler—things birds don’t eat. 
 A skunk bulldozed snow because of its short legs and a low body. Its feet left small pits. Striped skunks avoid the colder spells of winter by slowing their metabolism and entering into a state of torpor inside dens and have been found cohabitating with opossums and raccoons. The trail in the snow was likely made by a male in search of a mate. Male skunks travel as much as 2.5 miles a night.
 Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary's Crane Camera in Gibbon, Nebraska, features spectacular views of the sandhill crane migration along the Platte River. The five-mile stretch of river covered by this camera is a densely populated sandhill crane roost with 100,000-200,000 cranes at the height of migration. Groups of cranes stay around three weeks once they arrive here and the best viewing times are early morning and evening. Here’s the link to this cam: https://explore.org/livecams/national-audubon-society/crane-camera

Q&A

 “Why do little birds mob bigger birds?” No one has come up with a complete explanation. It may prevent predators from taking smaller birds by surprise or an attempt to drive away danger. I watch crows mob an owl and they seem to use it as an enjoyable bonding experience.
 “Do nuthatches mate for life?” White-breasted nuthatch pairs remain together on nesting territory all year and may mate for life. In a courtship display, the male raises his head, spreads his tail, droops his wings, sways back and forth, and bows deeply. He also performs courtship feeding of the female.
 “Why do birds throw seeds out of a feeder?” Much of it could be birds discarding the hulls covering the seeds they have eaten. It could be done accidentally. Birds could be searching for their favorite seeds or seeds without a shell. Some birds, like native sparrows, scratch by habit. They feed in a platform feeder as they do on the ground when they do a double scratch to unearth goodies from under the detritus. Birds might toss out milo or wheat, fillers birds don’t like. They could throw out wet, spoiled, moldy, old, germinating or poor-quality seeds. 
 “When are a white-tailed deer’s antlers fully grown?” They are by mid- to late August. A buck sports its largest rack when it’s 4.5 or 9.5 years old, with 5 to 7 years being typical. 
 “Is it a good idea to put out dryer lint for birds to use in their nests?” Dryer lint quickly loses its fluffiness and structure when wet, becoming unsustainable in the rain, crumbling and leaving holes in a nest. Wet lint is sticky and can coat birds’ legs, feet and feathers. Chemicals from perfumed and dyed detergents are possibly toxic to baby birds. 
 “Why do deer yard up?” Yarding is another term used when deer congregate in one area and demonstrates the power of food. It occurs during times of severe cold and decreasing food sources. Common places to see deer yard up are south- and east-facing slopes, agricultural fields with waste grain, late-season food plots, cedar thickets and anywhere else they can find shelter from the elements and food. Deer reduce their food intake during the winter by 30% and activity by 50%.
 “Do mothballs keep mice away?” It’s a myth that mothballs repel snakes, squirrels and mice. Scattering mothballs is ineffective and damaging to the environment. Exposure to mothball vapors isn’t healthy. If you can smell the mothballs, you’re breathing in a pesticide.

Thanks for stopping by

 “There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world. Four million different solutions to the problems of staying alive.”—David Attenborough.
 “To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.”—Mary Davis.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2023

This singing European starling might be saying “Giddy-up.” Then again, it might not be saying that. The starling is a gifted mimic, so it could be imitating a hawk, a ringtone, a car alarm, a killdeer or a meadowlark. Photo by Al Batt.

BIRDING WITH BATT

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