Naturally
Two of my favorite birds are the fox sparrow I'm seeing now and the brown thrasher that I'll be seeing soon. I'm thrilled by their rufous-brown colors. White-throated and song sparrows decorate my yard with their presence.
I saw a small flock of ring-billed gulls in a parking lot. They're called seagulls, but that name is colloquial and not scientific. They could be more rightly called parking-lot gulls, landfill gulls or french-fry gulls. This gathering of gulls enjoyed fries.
A flock of birds is one enormous eye. And it looks in all directions. A murder of crows flew over a farm field. Their name is one of the most recognized collective nouns for birds. I enjoy seeing horned larks on roadsides, which gives me an opportunity to declare, "An exultation of larks." Other interesting group names are a murmuration of starlings, an unkindness of ravens, a parliament of owls (rarely seen in groups other than at nests) and a pitying of doves. I'm not sure of the legitimacy of the dove one. It's a book title. A murder of crows is the name of books, movies, TV shows, plays, albums and bands. An unkindness of ravens is the title of a novel.
There are many names for the full moon in March. The sugar moon or sap moon because March marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maple trees flows and the crust moon because of the crusty snow that results from thawing during the day and refreezing at night. The crow moon because of the cawing of crows at the end of winter and the worm moon because March is the time of year in which earthworms appear in the soil as the ground thaws.
Q&A
"When do crows nest in Minnesota?" They build a bulky bowl of dead twigs high in a tree. Crow nests are large, measuring 1.5 feet or more in diameter and 8 or more inches high, but well concealed. Crows lay 3-7 eggs. Nest construction begins in early March and could continue through June. I've seen active nests in April, May and June. It takes 1-2 weeks to finish a nest with a lifespan of about 9-10 weeks including 1-2 weeks building, 6 days of egg-laying, 20 days of incubating and 4 weeks (30-40 days) of nestlings. Crows use a nest once and fledge one brood a year. They will build on top of an old nest in areas where nest trees are sparse.
"Why do worms come to the surface when it rains?" In my childhood, I thought they did so to keep from drowning when water filled their burrows, but they can survive for a long time submerged in water. Scientists have theories about why worms engage in this behavior. One is that coming above ground when it rains allows worm tourism. Traveling across dry ground can be difficult for them. Worms might move toward the surface to escape a mole and move the same way when it rains, mistaking the vibrations caused by the rain for predators.
"How many eggs does a pheasant lay and how long does she sit on them?" A ring-necked pheasant hen lays 7-15 eggs and incubates them for 23-28 days, with most egg laying done in April and May.
"There is a wobbly squirrel in my yard. Is it injured?" Possibly, but it's more likely the
victim of raccoon roundworm, a disease spread by raccoon feces that can cause neurological problems. The roundworm is found in the intestines of raccoons and their eggs are shed in scat. If these eggs are ingested by an animal eating seeds, it can damage its brain. This can affect mice, woodchucks, rabbits, birds, chipmunks, ground squirrels, foxes, porcupines, dogs and squirrels. The most common symptoms exhibited by squirrels affected by this disease are balance problems, a strange lopsided stance and staggering. An infected squirrel might demonstrate a lack of coordination, an inability to walk or climb properly, and little fear of humans. It's rare in humans, but keep pets and children away from areas with raccoon fecal contamination (evidence of latrines).
The Book Club
I read "Walking my Dog, Jane" by Ned Rozell. It's about travel and a dog. What could be better? The author said, "I took my dog for a walk last spring and we didn't come home until fall." Ned and Jane, a chocolate Lab that had seen him through "three pickup trucks and seven girlfriends," walked 800 miles along the trans-Alaska pipeline beginning at Valdez and ending at Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean.
Thanks for stopping by
"Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush." — Doug Larson
"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." — Louis L'Amour
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
Female Red-winged Blackbird photo by Al Batt.
Male Red-winged Blackbird photo by Al Batt.
