Naturally
I haven’t gone through my usual amounts of birdseed this year because of two sharp-shinned hawks patrolling the yard. During winter, sharpies hunt wooded edges and bird feeders. They’re pursuit hunters, surprising prey on the wing by bursting out from a hidden perch, using cover and stealth to get close to their prey. They are adept at flying through thick vegetation, and typically take smaller birds, such as juncos. The menu of the small hawks consists of 90% songbirds, but also includes mice and voles. I watched a vole trying to hide under a few leaves. Without a snowpack, the rodent had no subnivean environment to provide safety and comfort. Sadly, one sharpie hit a window and died.
I did have a handsome pileated woodpecker, about the size of a crow, visit my suet feeder.
With all the fuss about Groundhog Day, it’s funny the mammal isn’t more popular in the team nickname arena. After all, Elvis sang, “You ain’t nothin’ but a groundhog.” Why don’t we have the Woodbury Woodchucks, Grand Rapids Groundhogs or White Bear Lake Whistlepigs? There is the Punxsutawney High School (PA) Chucks, the St. John (ND) Woodchucks and the Wausau (WI) Woodchucks, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Northwoods League. I thought the Washington Commanders football team should have been the Woodchucks. The Princeton WhistlePigs were a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League based in Princeton (WV), which folded in 2023. Whistle pig is another name for a groundhog.
The mosquito danger level was low, so I went for a walk on a blustery January day. A fellow walker asked me to identify scat along a trail. I told her it was from a dangerous beast. It was a nincom poop.
I looked at a painting by Les Kouba called "Blue-bills." I counted the ducks in the painting. It was hard not to, and there were only five of them, not 13 as I’d expected. Kouba was born in Hutchinson (MN) and specialized in painting waterfowl. He produced some advertising art: The Old Dutch windmill on potato chip boxes, Schmidt beer wildlife scenes, and the Red Owl grocery store's logo. He’s known for incorporating 13 elements into his drawings, usually flying ducks or geese. Kouba died on Sept.13, 1998, continuing his tradition of the number 13.
Q&A
“What’s the coldest Minnesota has ever been?” On Feb. 2, 1996, a record low of 60 below zero was recorded in Tower, north of Duluth. Four days later, it was 48 above in Tower. I drove by ice shanties on a lake. There were a bunch of them—no fish was safe. I checked my car's thermometer—it was 55 degrees above zero on Jan. 30. That was outside. An old cowhand from Minnesota or a cowboy from northern Iowa might say, “That ain’t right, but it’s mighty fine.” I glanced at several thermometers on banks, schools, etc. They all showed a different number, but each was near 55. There’s little connection, but it reminded me of an old “Twilight Zone” TV episode in which the Earth was moving away from its usual orbit and gradually falling towards the sun. Food and water grew scarce. Sweaty people proliferated A radio voice warned everyone to remain indoors and be prepared for rampaging looters; it said they could cook eggs on the sidewalk and soup in the oceans. The thermometer surged past 120 degrees. The scene cuts to an apartment at night. In the frigid darkness outside, the weather was 10 below, and a blizzard raged. The protagonist is bedridden with a high fever and she was only dreaming that the Earth was moving closer to the sun. In reality, the Earth was moving away from the sun and would eventually glaciate. She concluded the description of her nightmare with, "Isn't it wonderful to have darkness and coolness?”
“How many lakes are there in Minnesota?” According to Politifact, Minnesota has 14,444 lake/pond features of 10 acres or more, which is about seven-and-a-half football fields (including end zones). The DNR says Minnesota has 11,842 lakes of 10+ acres. Mower, Olmsted, Pipestone and Rock Counties have no natural lakes. The 10 most common lake names are Mud, Long, Rice, Bass, Round, Horseshoe, Twin, Island, Johnson and Spring. The motto “10,000 Lakes” has appeared on license plates since 1950.
“Why do some red-winged blackbird males show more red than others?” They show varying amounts because they can control how much of a red epaulet is displayed. Males show red to assert dominance, defend territory or attract females, while hiding the red when feeling vulnerable or being off their territory.
Thanks for stopping by
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive."—Marcus Aurelius.
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.—Aristotle.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2025
Cows moo, dogs bark, pigs oink, cats meow and ducks quack. Right? When it comes to mallards, only the females quack. Some online nonsense claims a quack doesn’t echo. What would make a sound impervious to an echo? Nothing. A quack echoes. Photo by Al Batt.