THEY’RE CHIRPER BY THE DOZEN
Naturally
I walked after dark. I walked after light, too. The yard bombilates day and night—the insects make a humming or buzzing noise. Not everything comes to those who wait, but mosquitoes do. I enjoy the finer things in life—fireflies, shining stars come to Earth to keep us company.
Earlier, a sliver of blue as intense as a summer sky zoomed by—a blue jay off on its daily errands. It made me feel like a star witness. I employ a lot of bird feeders because they’re chirper by the dozen.
House wrens sang a hymn to a summer day. Their songs came from everywhere and from nowhere. Other voices joined—robin, common yellowthroat, American redstart, red-eyed vireo, indigo bunting and goldfinch. A catbird practiced his repertoire. Fledged chickadees and their tuckered parents are a treat to watch and listen to.
For 30+ years of Junes, I’ve done a Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) covering parts of Mower, Freeborn and Steele Counties. I hope for a calm day, but some years the wind makes the tall grass dance the hula. A BBS is a frolicking foray away from life’s accustomed roads and a practice in mindfulness. I start at 5:02 a.m. and make 50 stops for 3 minutes each and tally every bird I see or hear. Like most things in life, it’s important to listen. Each year, the red-winged blackbird has been the bird I’ve counted most often. A BBS never fails to thrill and surprise. I heard a willow flycatcher call “Ah-choo.” Sandhill cranes appeared as usual, but trumpeter swans did not. I see one chimney swift each year—just one. The strikingly handsome red-headed woodpeckers weren’t in numbers high enough to cause anyone to consider a hunting season, but I saw a bunch. The collective noun for woodpeckers is a descent. I see a descent of flickers in my yard each year, but the red-headed woodpeckers were cleverly spaced for my constant amazement. I love a BBS—it keeps my 3-minute egg timer employed.
Japanese beetles are beautiful botherations that feed on over 300 plant species. I’ve read that starlings are prime predators of adult beetles. Garter snakes and grackles were mentioned. Japanese beetle white grubs feed on the roots of lawn grasses from June through the fall and skunks and raccoons tear up a lawn in pursuit of the grubs (crows eat any grub they find in those excavations) and chickens have plucked a few adults, but what else eats adult beetles?
Q&A
“Did the chipmunk get its name from its call?” Possibly. It's believed that the English word "chipmunk" was derived from "chetamnon," the name given to the animal by peoples of the Chippewa nation or from the Ojibwe word ajidamoo, which translates as "one who descends trees headlong."
“How can I make a puddling station for butterflies?” Fill a shallow clay or plastic bowl or saucer with sand. Mixing in a handful of compost adds more important nutrients. Add a few flat rocks to provide perches. Pour enough water into the container to moisten the sand. You might make it more attractive by adding overripe fruit like bananas and oranges. It could attract raccoons.
“I saw a squirrel lying on a branch in the shade with its legs splayed. What’s going on there?” This thermal regulatory behavior is called "splooting." An animal finds a cool surface and lies down on its stomach with legs spread to cool off. By putting as much of its core body on a cool space, the heat is transferred from its body to that surface. You'll see squirrels on a shady sidewalk, trail, branch or grass. The term sploot might derive from the word splat because of the splat-like (flat, spread-out) appearance of a sploot pose. Dogs and cats sploot, too. Splooting allows pets to cool themselves by pressing their belly onto the ground or against tile floors.
“Do purple martins eat 2000 mosquitoes a day?” Martins feed at 150-500 feet, which is higher than where mosquitos live. They eat a few mosquitoes, but not thousands. Purple martins forage during the day, while mosquitoes are most active during the evening. There isn’t much overlap in their schedules. Martins eat beetles, dragonflies, damselflies, cicadas, grasshoppers, katydids, moths, butterflies, wasps, stink bugs, mayflies, bees, midges, horseflies, termites, red fire ants and other insects.
“What is a mnemonic for a meadowlark?” A mnemonic is a sequence of words to help us remember something. The eastern meadowlark’s is, “I-DO-love-you spring-of-the-year.” The western meadowlark’s is, “Hip! hip! Hurrah, boys! Three cheers!”
Thanks for stopping by
“It’s amazing how lovely common things become, if one only knows how to look at them.”—Louisa May Alcott.
“Stop. Look. Listen. You are surrounded by countless little blessings but you’ll miss them if you don’t pay attention.”—Ruth McPherson.
Do good.
©️Al Batt 2023
Some might consider it an LBJ—a “Little Brown Job,” but the song sparrow is a subtle array of browns that vary in appearance. It pumps its tail in flight and its serenading song is a “sweet, sweet, sweet” followed by shorter notes and a trill. Photo by Al Batt.