Naturally

 Starling, starling. First starling I see today. I wish I might, I wish I may, have this wish I wish today. That’s right, I wished upon a starling.
 May never leaves me dismayed. Everyone should go outdoors if for no other reason than it’s safer than going out windows.
 It was a gee-whiz morning for me. It was a soggy day for the birds. The suet feeders had a rush of business made up of rose-breasted grosbeaks, brown thrashers, woodpeckers (downy, hairy & red-bellied), starlings, nuthatches, chickadees and blue jays. It was the time of the whistling sparrows, and I love the company of white-throated, Harris’s and white-crowned. It was also the time when I remember how much I enjoy wren and thrasher music. It’s like hearing a nearly forgotten Etta James song.
 Life is little moments. I was thrilled to see meadowlarks flapping with short, stiff, grouse-like wingbeats and gliding as I listened to the snoring sounds of leopard frogs, when I noticed a great egret standing in the middle of the road. Why didn’t the egret cross the road? Because a pair of Canada geese wouldn’t let it. The gander tends to be bigger than the female, and he stretched his neck threateningly. The egret gave up. A wild turkey crossed the road. The geese looked the other way. A meadowlark sang, “Have-you-planted your wheat yet?"
 Eastern fox squirrels have two breeding seasons, one of which occurs in December-February, and the other in May-June. The gestation period lasts for 44-45 days, yielding a litter of up to 7 young with an average of 2-3. Females are able to produce two litters per year but generally yield only a single litter. Young squirrels are independent within 12 weeks.

Q&A

 “When do wild turkeys lay eggs?” The breeding season goes from mid-April to mid-May, depending on the weather. Hens lay between eight and 15 eggs, one per day, from mid-April to mid-June and don’t start incubating until the last egg is laid. She incubates them for 28 days. When the eggs hatch, the chicks leave the nest with the hen within a day. The chicks feed themselves immediately, but depend on the hen for warmth and protection. Ducks, geese and pheasants also have precocial hatchlings. That means they need to incubate their eggs all at the same time regardless of when they lay the eggs so that all babies can leave the nest quickly because of a vulnerability in the nest. 
 Dean Muesing sent photos of Canada geese on a roof and wondered if there’s any particular reason for it. Rooftops provide plenty of flat and open space with a good view of potential predators and the surrounding habitat. Roofs offer security since most of a flock's predators are ground based. A building is an odd, but useful tree and geese will nest on a roof or in a tree.
 “Where could I see otters?” In otter space, of course. The playful river otters are found on lakes, ponds and streams. They dig dens in river banks. An adult river otter is 4 to 5.5 feet long, including its 18-inch tail and weighs up to 30 pounds, with 15 to 19 pounds the average. An otter’s diet is both aquatic and terrestrial, including fish, crayfish, clams, muskrats, mussels, turtles, amphibians, fruits, reptiles, birds, aquatic insects and small mammals.
 Jane of St. James asked if putting cayenne pepper on birdseed discourages squirrels. The taste of cayenne pepper does often repel squirrels, and eating moderate amounts of pepper apparently doesn’t harm birds. In the American tropics, some birds eat the red fruits of native wild peppers without being affected by the capsaicin. In general, birds have fewer taste buds than mammals, and the burning sensation doesn’t bother them. Birds can eat pepper without harm because they have tough digestive systems. Pepper in a powdered form has the potential of getting in birds’ eyes. It wouldn’t be an assault. It’d be a-pepper.
 “Where are morel mushrooms usually found?” Morels are most often found in woodlands or woody edges. Morels grow under or around decaying elms, ash, poplar and apple trees. Common sites include south-facing slopes, and burned or logged woodlands.
 “What is the earliest nesting songbird in Iowa and Minnesota?” It’s likely the horned lark. Smaller than a robin, it’s the only true lark native to North America. The meadowlark isn’t a lark. It’s a member of the blackbird family. The horned lark has babies during a time when it seems only owls and eagles should.

Thanks for stopping by

 “A wise old owl lived in an oak. The more he saw the less he spoke. The less he spoke the more he heard. Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?”—Anonymous.
 “I am that little robin That sits upon a tree. I sing to you each morning But you don't know it’s me.”—John F. Connor.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

Why is this lovely bird called a brown thrasher? There’s an entire box of crayons there. Perhaps it’s brown for simplicity’s sake. Thrasher is a version of an older term “thrusher” or a reflection of the bird’s feeding behavior. It thrashes about in leaf litter by vigorously swinging its bill back and forth in pursuit of insects, fruits and nuts. It sings varied songs that include imitations of other birds. Photo by Al Batt.