Could I hire a turkey vulture to build my house?

Naturally

  Blue jays aren’t afraid to toss their bluster around, but I watched them pick up peanuts in the shell from a feeder and toss some aside as if they were trying to determine the best watermelon to buy in a supermarket. They don’t thump the peanuts, but go by weight. They want the heavier peanuts because that means more nut meat.

  Color-coded Baltimore orioles sparred for positions at the jelly feeder. Males, females and young. Barn swallows were voyagers on the air. I saw a perched eastern screech owl about the size of a pop can, being mobbed by songbirds. The birds were looking for trouble and they found it. The owl was looking for a nap.

  Differential grasshoppers are typically a light green or yellow color and have black chevron markings on their hind legs. I heard a gray tree frog call. These weren’t breeding calls, but likely older frogs telling young ones a territory was taken.

  A spider tightroped between goldenrod and thistle. Hot dog grass is what I called cattails when I was a precious child. Cattail duff is one good wind away from being gone.

  A rabbit’s eyes are placed high on the head. This lateral placement is common in prey animals. Rabbits can see behind, up, down, on both sides and ahead. Rabbits have monocular vision and can see two different objects at one time since their eyes are pointed in two different directions. They can see predators at impressive distances.

  On August 28, two flocks of common nighthawks flew over the yard. A sound of a warm summer evening heading south—way south. I had no camera as I worked in the yard, but I can find the lovely sight in my mind. Common nighthawks travel to their wintering grounds in southern South America. 

  Deer tiptoed through the yard. Unguligrade species walk on their tiptoes, often on hooves. Deer and horses are examples. Plantigrade is “whole foot” locomotion. When humans walk, they plant the heel of the foot, roll forward the length of the foot, and then push off with the toes, creating a track that shows the heel, sole and toes. Digitigrade species walk with most of the length of their digits, but not the soles of their feet, in contact with the ground. Dogs and cats are examples.

Q&A

  “What North American mammal has the most teeth?” The Virginia opossum has 50 teeth. Most bears, coyotes and foxes have 42 teeth.

 “How did weeping willows get their name?”Native to Asia, weeping willow trees get their common name from how rain looks like tears when it's dripping off the curved branches. The roots often lie close to the soil surface, causing bumps in the lawn, which interferes with mowing. They can lift cement patios. Weeping willow tree roots can also damage underground water, sewer and plumbing lines.

  “Do turkey vultures build nests?” No, they lay their eggs in dark recesses in ledges, caves, crevices and hollow logs, and on the ground. They might nest in the abandoned stick nests of birds, in mammal burrows or abandoned buildings. Pairs often remain together all year and both parents incubate the two eggs for about 5 weeks. The young fledge in 60-80 days.

  “When do goldfinches nest in Minnesota?” Goldfinches are the latest nesting songbird in Minnesota. Unlike most songbirds, they don’t feed their young insects or larvae as their diet is strictly vegetarian. Goldfinches delay nesting until milkweed, thistle and other plants produce seeds to ensure that there will be plentiful food sources to feed their young. Parents feed the chicks a regurgitated porridge of seeds. The female builds a tightly woven nest made of small roots and plant fibers, lined with plant down, often thistle seed down. In Minnesota, nesting begins in late June, with most nesting done in July and August. The female incubates 2-7 pale blueish (sometimes with faint brown spots on the larger end) eggs for 12-14 days. Once the young hatch, they stay in the nest for 11-17 days. Goldfinches flock to feed on sunflower, black-eyed Susan, monarda, liatris, aster, sedum, Joe-pye weed, coreopsis and coneflower seeds.

  “Where do my purple martins go?” They make a long migration to South America. Most martins overwinter in Brazil, in large urban roosts. 

  “When did the opossum first arrive in Minnesota?” Opossums arrived in southeastern Minnesota sometime around 1900. They aren’t equipped to survive cold winters as their fur coats aren’t warm, and their thin ears and hairless tails make opossums vulnerable to frostbite when temperatures dip below freezing. They don’t hibernate. 

Thanks for stopping by

  “Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”― Clive James.

  “Laughing stock: cattle with a sense of humor.“—Steven Wright.

  Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

Eating can be contentious when Baltimore orioles discuss politics at the bird table. Photo by Al Batt

I had the honor of speaking in Mona, Iowa. The memory makes me smile.

Did Ted Floyd, editor of ABA’s Birding Magazine, discover a new species, the Lilliputian Burrowing Owl, at the Yampa River Botanic Park (Steamboat Springs)? We’ll see.

A view of the braided flow of the Platte River, which encourages sandbars, as seen from the Walter Scott Jr. Observation Tower at Nebraska’s lovely Mahoney State Park.

Photographic proof that there is a caterpillar larger than the state of Minnesota.

Donald Mitchell banding hummingbirds at the wonderful Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah in Henderson, Minnesota.

The caged apparatus is for trapping the tiny birds.

A favorite hangout for pelicans, the Loafing Bar.

Keeping an eagle eye on pelicans.

The woolly bear caterpillar watch has begun.

Naturally

 The woolly bear caterpillar watch has begun. Folklore says if its rusty band is wide, it will be a mild winter. The more black there is, the more severe the winter. Most scientists discount woolly bear predictions.
 Red leaves are on the sumac and goldenrods have become insect zoos. Some blue jays have become bald because of a molt. I watched someone bale hay. I’ve never baled hay just to listen to the meadowlarks, but it would have been worth it. Hummingbirds worked around the bees at feeders.
 I marveled at the persistent beauty of black-eyed Susans and spotted bee balm (horsemint). Soldier beetles gather on this bee balm, which is drought tolerant. Soldier beetles, sometimes called leatherwings, are relatives of fireflies and a soldier beetle’s larvae look like tiny alligators.
 There was the first record of a swallow-tailed kite at Hawk Ridge in Duluth. A Mississippi kite was also seen there. A Mississippi kite’s nest may be located next to or contain a wasp nest, which might help protect the chicks against climbing predators. Other bird species—mockingbirds, blue jays and house sparrows—may nest near or on kite nests, coexisting peacefully with the kites.

Q&A

 “How far north do Baltimore orioles nest?” They breed from Louisiana through central Canada.
 “I’ve noticed that the cardinals are the last to leave the feeders at the end of the day. Do you know why?” Cardinals are among the earliest visitors in the morning and the last to leave the feeders at dusk. Why they like the day’s edges is a good question. They might feel safer then as Cooper’s hawks aren’t active at either dawn or dusk. Maybe they don’t like crowds or the feeder offers specials then. The male's bright plumage appears dark in the dim light of dusk. This makes him a bit more inconspicuous. Cardinals often live close to feeders, which means they have a short commute home and face less competition at the feeders at dusk.
 “Do squirrels ever fall out of trees?” Gravity can occasionally overpower one, especially when aided by a squirrel’s injury or illness. I came out of a church in Iowa just in time for a squirrel to fall to the ground nearby from a tall tree. It bounced and ran away, appearing to have been unharmed. Its misstep might have been caused by another squirrel chasing it.
 “Why do ruffed grouse drum in the fall?” For a while, the spring and the fall daylight are about the same. Perhaps the grouse are tricked by the photoperiod and that triggers their drumming. Or maybe they drum in the autumn to ward off potential competitors for their territory.
 “Why do our oaks produce so many acorns one year and so few another?” Bur oaks are white oak trees (leaves have rounded lobes) and have a fruiting cycle analogous to an apple tree. Every spring, blooming female oak flowers are fertilized by the pollen from male flowers growing on the same tree or nearby trees of the same species. If conditions are favorable, the female flowers set acorns, which mature over the summer and drop in the fall. Red oak trees (the lobes of their leaves are pointed) develop acorns the same way white oaks do, but the nuts remain stunted woody knobs into the following spring. In their second spring, these acorns begin growing again and drop as mature acorns in the fall. Although red oak trees require two years to produce an acorn crop, but could produce a crop of acorns every year as long as the conditions for fruit-set are favorable. This is because of the different fruiting schedules of individual trees. An oak tree's health, vitality, genetics, age and resources can affect acorn numbers. A late spring frost can blight flowers, which prevents acorn development. Drought, flood and insects play important roles. Oaks have irregular cycles of boom and bust. Boom times, called “mast years,” occur every few years. A mast year isn’t a predictor of a severe winter. Oak trees might practice “predator satiation.” In a mast year, predators (chipmunks, squirrels, turkeys, blue jays, deer, bears, etc.) can’t eat all the acorns, so some germinate. Years of lean acorn production keep predator populations low, meaning there are fewer animals to eat the acorns in a mast year.
 “When are young opossums independent?” Opossums that are at least 7 inches long, not counting the tail, are old enough to survive on their own.

Thanks for stopping by

 “If an animal does something, we call it instinct; if we do the same thing for the same reason, we call it intelligence.”—Will Cuppy.
 “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”—E. F. Schumacher.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

Spotted bee balm (horsemint) tolerates dry conditions and amorous soldier beetles. Photo by Al Batt.

It was my great pleasure to ingest a crane cookie at the Yampa Valley Crane Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The Festival was a delight.

Craniacs at the Yampa Valley Crane Festival doing what craniacs do—look at cranes.

Craniacs at the Yampa Valley Crane Festival doing what craniacs do—look at cranes.

A great place to stay in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

A great place to stay in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Where to find books, scones and friends in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. And coffee, if you’re into that sort of thing.

More craniacs at the Yampa Valley Crane Festival.

At Rotary Park in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

What is a grinny?

Naturally

 A squirrel barked behind a tree full of leaves. It was hopped up on acorn juice and angry because I’d filed a restraining order against it, which said the squirrel must maintain a distance of at least 100 feet from my feeders.
 I may wish upon a chickadee, but every bird is notable. A hairy woodpecker looks more like a woodpecker than a downy does. Mourning doves flew on the wings of a dove and robins were engaged in worm hunts. I watched a mini-murmuration of starlings. It was Daylight Starling Time. An American kestrel repeated "killy, killy, killy." Falcons are more closely related to parrots than they are to hawks and eagles.
 I walked in the yard where insect bites, stings and nibbles were at a minimum, and a tiger swallowtail butterfly came within a coat of paint of landing on me. I was that close to becoming a wildflower. It was my happiest day since the two candy bars fell out of the vending machine at the same time. It may have been a butterfly, but it was the bee’s knees and it thrilled me as much as sinking a game-winning free throw during a basketball game. I have a kindly version of the chaos theory. A swallowtail flaps its wings in my yard and causes me to roll a smile out of my arsenal. 
 It was dinner theater. I made a great march to the Great Marsh of Myre-Big Island State Park. A fellow walker told me he’d shot a nuthatch when he was a boy and didn’t even know what it was. That act still bothered him. I watched a sit-and-wait predator, a green heron at a spot where small fish or frogs are. The heron remained still until it shot its head forward to grab prey with its dagger-like bill. A green heron sometimes picks up bait with its bill—a twig, feather, leaf or insect. The heron drops the bait into the water and waits for the fish to come to investigate.
 It’s a seasonal convergence. Look for the common nighthawk migration in the sky on a warm evening in late August. Common nighthawks are 10-inch long, dark birds with long, pointed wings and white wing patches. They feed on flying insects while on their way to winter in South America. They nest on flat, gravel rooftops in cities.
 The population of monarch butterflies in North America has declined 22% to 72% over 10 years, depending on the method of measurement. A male monarch can be distinguished from a female by a black scent gland on each hind wing of a male. Minnesota’s state butterfly nectars on swamp milkweed, butterfly weed, Joe Pye weed, bee balm, purple coneflower, asters, blazing stars, giant purple hyssop and Mexican sunflower (a native of Central America and Mexico). The monarchs here in late August and September fly to a small area of forested mountains in south-central Mexico, west of Mexico City, where they roost on oyamel fir trees. For many, their summer and winter homes are over 2,000 miles apart. The monarch migration west of the Rockies is a shorter one to the California coast. 
 Donald Mitchell, a noted hummingbird bander plying his trade at the Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah, said his favorite flower to attract hummingbirds is the cardinal plant, which is easy to grow, is tall, grows in soggy areas and tolerates shade. The hummingbird plant he favors for growing in a container is salvia.

Q&A

 “What is a grinny?” A chipmunk.
 “Other than monarchs, what butterflies migrate?” Other species believed to do some kind of migration include the painted lady, cloudless sulphur, gulf fritillary, American lady, red admiral, common buckeye, question mark and mourning cloak. The painted lady is the most widespread butterfly species, occupying all continents except Antarctica and Australia. The ones living in Southern Europe migrate to Africa each fall, crossing the Sahara on their journey. With a flight back to Europe, the roundtrip is an annual journey of about 7,500 miles. In the US,  their migration patterns are irregular.
 “Was the baseball team named after the Baltimore orioles or vice versa?” The MLB team adopted the bird’s name and colors, and  the bird got its name from George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, a 17th-century nobleman whose coat of arms used the same colors.
 “What eats acorns?” Squirrels, deer, blue jays, crows, wild turkeys, black bears, wood ducks, ruffed grouse, mice, chipmunks, rabbits, opossums, quail, raccoons and red-headed woodpeckers. 

Thanks for stopping by

 “Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory.”―Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
 “Forgiveness is a gift of high value. Yet 
its cost is nothing.”―Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

A red admiral butterfly. Photo by Al Batt

This is a painted lady, sometimes known as a thistle butterfly. Photo by Al Batt.

The Batt family money clip. I’ll be passing this precious heirloom onto my grandchildren.

Do opossums use their tails to carry stuff?

Naturally

 I watched a flock of American white pelicans flying overhead. The flock twisted as it moved through the sky. That movement caused them to look like white birds, then black birds and then disappear. It was magic.
 Chickadees look ratty as they go through a molt. August is a common time for the replacement of feathers.
 The Carolina grasshopper is a banded-winged grasshopper with mainly black hindwings and could be mistaken for a mourning cloak butterfly as it flutters. It’s also called the Carolina locust or butterfly grasshopper, it congregates in areas of bare ground and is commonly seen on school playgrounds, ballfields, dirt roads, gravel driveways, vacant lots and similar conditions where its coloration allows it to blend in. It crepitates, making a crackling sound as it flies.
 The yard’s feeders were busy. In the movie “Field of Dreams,” Iowa farmer Ray (Kevin Costner) hears a mysterious voice in his cornfield saying, "If you build it, he will come." Despite taunts of lunacy, Ray builds a baseball diamond on his land, supported by his wife, Annie (Amy Madigan). The ghosts of great players started coming from the field to play ball, led by Shoeless Joe Jackson. When it comes to birds, if you feed and water them, they will come.
 The striking orange and black painted lady is one of the most common butterfly species in the world, inhabiting every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Unlike many butterflies, it doesn’t become dormant during the winter and cannot survive heavy frosts. It migrates to warmer climates in winter. Host plants for the caterpillars include thistle, mallows, hollyhock, legumes and others. This charismatic butterfly feeds on nectar from the flowers of thistles, red clover, asters and many other plants. The painted lady is called the thistle butterfly and is known for its impressive migrations, which unlike many other migratory species, don’t follow a seasonal pattern. Perhaps their migratory patterns are influenced by heavy rains like El Niño, which impact the abundance of their larval host plants. In North America, the painted lady butterflies migrate in a northwestern direction in spring and sometimes a second migration back southward in the fall. Their migrations span multiple generations.
 I’m seeing wild cucumber, a native, annual vine with star-shaped leaves. In August, conspicuous small white flowers on long stalks grow skyward, turning the plant into a conspicuous large vine noticeable along roadsides.
 I’ve seen crab spiders. They are usually yellow or white, but can be brown. Their first four legs are longer than the back four and are held out to the sides, giving a crab-like appearance. They are most common on yellow or white flowers and are beneficial predators of insects. They don’t harm people.
 Joe Pye weed is blooming beautifully. Remember, it’s the ragweed and not the goldenrod that activates your hay fever.

Q&A

 “What eats grape jelly?” It’s enjoyed by orioles, catbirds, woodpeckers, house finches, tanagers, robins, yellow-rumped warblers, grosbeaks, Cape May warblers, brown thrashers and mockingbirds. Hummingbirds will drink the juice. Chipmunks, raccoons and squirrels will eat it.
 “Do opossums dig and can they use their tails to carry things?” Opossums have soft, delicate paws with nails that are easily damaged. They aren’t capable of doing a lot of digging. Opossums den where it’s dry, sheltered and safe. This includes burrows dug by other mammals, rock crevices, hollow stumps, wood piles and spaces under buildings. They gather twigs, leaves, grass and trash with their mouths and pass the items through their front legs and pack them into their curled tail for transport to their dens.
 “When do the loons leave?” In September, Minnesota's adult loons travel to their winter home along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina south to Florida, or on the Gulf of Mexico. The parents leave before the chicks can fly. The young loons follow about a month later. In Minnesota, the peak is in mid-October. The bones of most birds are hollow and light, but loons have solid bones. The extra weight helps them dive as deep as 250 feet for food. They can stay underwater for five minutes. Because their bodies are heavy relative to their wing size, loons need a long runway to take flight from a lake. Minnesota supports the largest U.S. breeding population south of Alaska.
 “How much honey can a honey bee produce?” According to The American Bee Journal, the average honey bee makes one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime and honey bees fly up to 15 mph.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Neither great poverty nor great riches will hear reason.”—Henry Fielding.
 "It is not half so important to know as to feel."—Rachel Carson.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

This lovely cedar waxwing seemed surprised to see me on a wuthering day. Photo by Al Batt

Children’s books about nature rock.

I watch birds.

Red Admiral caterpillars feed on nettles.

I see Silver-spotted Skippers most often on red, purple and pink flowers.

The Ebony Jewelwing makes a magnificent damselfly.

My wife’s favorite bird, the Indigo Bunting, as painted by a friend, Rory Mattson. It made my gift-buying experience an easy one.

Birds. Book. Scott Weidensaul. Great.

A mourning dove called, its voice sounding sad and distant.

Naturally

 A mourning dove called, its voice sounding sad and distant. An eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, patrolled the yard. A chipmunk raided the grape jelly feeder. It looked like a chipmunk clown with its red lips.
 I enjoy hearing the sleigh bell-like sounds on summer evenings (July to frost). Snowy tree crickets make the sounds but are perhaps best known as nature’s thermometer because the rate of their chirping correlates with temperature. The formula (depending on whom you ask) is to count the number of chirps in 13 seconds, then add 40 to find the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. The insects get the name “snowy” because of their pale coloration.
 Hover flies (or flower flies or syrphid flies in the family Syrphidae) are common and important natural enemies of aphids and other small, slow-moving insects. The adults resemble bees or wasps and are often seen visiting flowers, hovering over the flowers and darting about. I’m seeing cicada killer wasps. I love seeing them and had a chuckle when I saw them described as “satan’s nightmares.”

Q&A

 “What birds in the US are brood parasites?” Many birds occasionally lay eggs in the nests of other birds, but our only obligate brood parasites are the brown-headed cowbird and the bronzed cowbird. They don’t build nests. The European cuckoo of Europe and Asia (winters in Africa), lays eggs only in the nests of other birds and they make the call featured in cuckoo clocks. It’s doubtful that the brown-headed cowbird once followed the great bison herds. The cowbirds are territorial and aren’t likely to travel much during the breeding season.
 Vicki Lauruhn of Mankato asked for a good place to see sandhill cranes in southern Minnesota and wondered when the colts can fly. Sandhill cranes lay eggs in April, incubation takes about a month and a colt takes its first flight when it’s 65-75 days old. The young remain with their parents for 9-10 months, accompanying them in migration. There are three (not all in Minnesota) wonderful places to see them. The wetlands at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, a 30,700-acre refuge north of the Twin Cities, provide prime habitat for 50 pairs of nesting sandhill cranes and in September and October, thousands of cranes gather at the refuge before migrating. Thousands of greater sandhill cranes gather at Crex Meadows near Grantsburg, Wisconsin, in October and early November, where they feed in the crop fields during the day and roost in the sedge marshes at night. The International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, is the only place in the world where visitors can see all 15 species of cranes. It’s open from May 1 to October 31.
 Ryan Rasmussen of Clarks Grove hasn’t seen many toads this year and wondered why. Toads watch the weather reports and pay particular attention to the temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and barometric pressure. Toads love to come out in the rain because they prefer a wet, dark environment. After a steady rain, the area is usually cloudy, cool and moist, the right conditions for a traveling toad. It’s also a good time to find food as earthworms are plentiful after a big rain. Water puddles can be refreshing for toads. In some areas, many small woodland ponds dried up this year and that likely led to fewer toads. Toad populations are localized.
 Mark Sauck of Truman wrote that he’d stepped on a cricket and a black parasitic worm almost half the size of the cricket crawled out. He wondered what it was. It was a horsehair worm, an internal parasite of crickets. Adult horsehair worms are free-living in fresh water and damp soil. Parasitized crickets seek water because they are thirsty and this allows the horsehair worm to emerge from the insect's body and swim away in the water. Horsehair worms squirm and twist in the water, knotting themselves into a loose, ball-like shape resembling the "Gordian Knot." Another name for the horsehair worm is a gordian worm. These internal parasites of insects don’t parasitize other animals or plants and are harmless. 
 Annie Mattson of Albert Lea asks how many times robins nest. While a robin may nest three times in one year, only 40% of nests successfully produce young, and only 25% of fledged young survive to November. Only about half of the robins alive in any year make it to the next. The oldest robin known lived to almost 14 years of age, but the average 6-month-old robin has only 1.7 years to live.
 “Do deer have stomachs like cows?” Like other ruminants, deer possess a four-compartment stomach (rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum). They chew their cuds just as cattle do.

Thanks for stopping by

 “We're all just walking each other home.”—Ram Dass.
 “Politeness is the art of choosing among your thoughts.”—Madame de Stael.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

The scientific name Tyrannus means “tyrant, despot, or king” and refers to the aggressive behavior of the eastern kingbird. Photo by Al Batt.

A cellphone photo of the night sky turned into a painting.

And he’s not even a relative.

My favorite tractor. It was the first one upon which I was unleashed as a solo driver.

A rural school where the three “R’s”—reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic were learned. The stove kept the brains thawed.

A rural school where the three “R’s”—reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic were learned. The stove kept the brains thawed.

A rural school where the three “R’s”—reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic were learned. The stove kept the brains thawed.

I’ve just started reading this book and I’m enjoying it. Tim has a winner here.

A Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is hanging around Albert Lea, Minnesota for the second year in a row. Or to put it in the vernacular of a sports broadcaster, the second consecutive year in a row. Photo by Al Batt.

Spotted bee balm (horsemint) tolerates dry conditions and amorous soldier beetles. Photo by Al Batt.

What is taking the sunflower seeds from my feeders at night?

Naturally 

 I wish I could whoosh. A barn swallow flew past my head with a whoosh. I’d love to be able to do that.
 Birdsong has diminished, but I hear indigo buntings, song sparrows and vesper sparrows singing with gusto. Swallows line the utility wires. A great crested flycatcher continues to call, sounding as if it’s calling me a creep. 
 I watched a male goldfinch flying in circles or figure eights high in the air, and after singing while flying a course only it recognized, it moved to an undulating flight and dropped to a perch. It was a courtship display.
 Looking like tall dandelions blooming on roadsides, the leaves of sowthistles resemble those of thistles. Evening primrose and common mullein both produce yellow flowers on tall spikes. Complying with its name, primrose flowers open each evening.
 Spotted jewelweed blooms from July through September. Spotted jewelweed’s orange flowers are funnel-shaped. Its sap has long been used to relieve the itch of poison ivy and stinging nettle, but soap is more effective. It can lessen the discomfort of insect bites or stings. If you have a bee in your hand, you have beauty in your eye. Beauty is in the eye of the bee holder. Sorry. Jewelweed is also known as spotted touch-me-not because its seedpods have an explosive release of ripe seeds when touched. 
 Asters, goldenrods and sunflowers bloom. Weather folklore says, for every fog in August, there will be a day of snowfall in winter.

Q&A

 “Please give a simple and concise answer to this question, how can a woodpecker hammer on a tree without doing itself harm?” Woodpeckers are designed to do what they do and smaller animals can withstand higher accelerations than larger ones.
 “How can I keep ants out of my hummingbird feeder?” Choose a feeder with an ant moat or install an ant moat on an existing feeder. An ant moat features a shallow trough and sits above the feeder. It’s filled with water to discourage ants. If the water evaporates too quickly, try coating the ant moat with a thin layer of vegetable oil. For a DIY ant moat, use a small plastic cup, a pill bottle or cut off the top of a pop bottle (the bowl-shaped section) with the cap on it and poke or drill a hole through the bottoms of the cup or pill bottle, or the cap of the pop bottle. Cut off the straight part of a coat hanger and push it through the hole. Put hot glue or silicon around that wire hole so there won’t be any leaks in your moat. Give it time to dry and then bend hooks on the ends of the coat hanger wire so the moat could hang from a hook and the hummingbird feeder could hang below it. Fill the moat with water and it should deter ants as long as it’s kept free of debris that might act as a bridge for the ants.
 “How can I tell if I’ve seen a coyote or a wolf?” Coyotes are much more common, so it’s likely a coyote. Wolves are much larger (legs are longer), their tracks dwarf those of a coyote, and they have broader faces. Wolves are blockheads.
 “Why lawns?” Lawns dominate many landscapes. A lawn used to be an opening in the woods enabling approaching hostile visitors to be spotted. The lawn was often maintained by sheep. Lawns began with the ruling class. The gentry could afford to devote a vast amount of land for aesthetic purposes around the manor or the castle. Before the lawnmower, only the rich could afford a living green carpet. The 40-hour work week freed Saturdays for lawnmowing. Clover, dandelion and plantain were part of a healthy lawn. Golf greens, for no good reason, became the epitome of a perfect lawn, banning any plant but grass. A lawn is man’s attempt to control nature by any method. Poisons were set free on the environment in an attempt to make a lawn weed-free in the conformist ‘50s when everyone watched for signs of communism and crabgrass. Edible landscaping is changing yards.
 “What is taking the sunflower seeds from my feeders at night?” It could be a neighbor who found a free supply of bird seed. If you have flying squirrels around, they’re good at doing that. Raccoons are specialists at the job and deer are talented when it comes to licking a feeder clean. At least there are no flying raccoons—yet. I recall sitting on a deck with friends in Edina one night and being entertained by the flying squirrels gliding to the feeders. 

In memoriam
 RIP Tom Tow of Fairmont. I treasure your many kindnesses.

Thanks for stopping by
 “Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the human heart can hold.”—Zelda Fitzgerald.
 “There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other.”—Eric Hoffer.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

There were 367 coyote attacks on humans between 1977 and 2015 in the U.S. and Canada, according to research published in 2017 in the journal Human-Wildlife Interactions. These attacks were largely in urban and suburban environments. Reports estimate 4.5 million dog bites per year in the U.S. with approximately 800,000 receiving medical attention. LegalMatch estimates 66,000 hospital emergency visits each year due to injuries done by cats. Photo by Al Batt.

Ask Al, the Frivolity Department

Naturally

 I was captivated by ditches filled with interesting things. The white umbels of Queen Anne’s lace (wild carrot or bird’s nest) looked like giant snowflakes of summer.
 Dragonflies whizzed by. The insects have a corral filled with nicknames including snake doctor, devil’s darning needle and mosquito hawk.
 I worked at a county fair and sat near a fountain dispensing cool water on a hot day. It had four bubblers coming from a straight pipe. Free water! There were two crows drinking the bubbling aqua. One crow was an adult and the other wasn’t. 
 I had been on a spring’s roads and was staying in a hotel. Across the street were stores of every kind. I wanted to get a large bottle of iced tea to put in my room’s refrigerator. I’d decided to walk to the store and wondered aloud, “But which store should I go to?” A chickadee whistled, “Hy-Vee.” The black-capped chickadee’s song is a simple two-note whistled “fee-bee.” 
 Erica McAlister, a curator of Diptera (flies) at the Museum of Natural History in London, reported there are an estimated 17 million flies per person. I don’t know who counted them.
 A caller sent a photo asking if a lovely beetle was a Japanese beetle. The sides of a Japanese beetle’s abdomen are adorned with five patches of white hairs and the tip has two patches. Robber flies and assassin bugs prey on Japanese beetles, which  feed on about 300 species of plants—devouring leaves, flowers and fruit. The metallic-hued beetle in the photo was a dogbane leaf beetle, which has a green head and copper, gold and emerald elytra (wing cases). Its green legs have a metallic gleam and it has longer antennae than Japanese beetles. Dogbane leaf beetles mate, feed and grow on dogbane plants. 
 I watched a greater roadrunner in Texas. No beep, beep or meep, meep. The male makes a cooing sound. It’s sometimes called el paisano or chaparral bird. An opportunistic predator, it feeds upon snakes, lizards, scorpions, snails, spiders, insects, rodents, bats and birds.
 I spoke at the lovely Merrick State Park along the backwaters of the Mississippi River near Fountain City, Wisconsin, when a brown thrasher, a one-bird band, joined me. It’s nicknamed Mavis. I called out that name and it flew away. 

Q&A

 Denny Tostenson of Albert Lea had no Baltimore orioles this summer. I suggested he dress like Oriole Bird, the mascot of the Baltimore Orioles MLB team. Denny saw one owl chasing another owl in his July  yard and wondered what was going on. Great horned owls begin nesting in January or February. They lay their eggs in abandoned nests of squirrels, hawks or crows or in hollow trees. The one to five eggs hatch in 30 to 37 days. The young owls leave the nest in six to nine weeks. Juveniles are dependent on their parents through the summer, and sometimes don’t leave their parents' territory until forced to do so in late fall. Barred owls begin nesting in March with the two or three eggs hatching in 28 to 33 days. Young barred owls leave the nest four to five weeks after hatching. At about eight weeks old they begin to fly, but don’t master flight until they are 12 weeks old. Young owls stay with their parents until the end of summer or sometimes later, before taking off on their own. Barred owl parents feed their chicks for up to four to five months of age, at which point the young start dispersing. What Denny saw was likely a young owl hoping to be fed by its parent.
 “What is blue-green algae?” Blue-green algae are bacteria, actually cyanobacteria—cyan means "blue-green"—and are commonly found on lakes, rivers and ponds. A combination of warm temperatures, sunlight and nutrient-rich waters can cause blue-green algae to reproduce rapidly (bloom). It often looks like green paint or pea soup floating on the water, but can also appear bluish, brownish or reddish-green. Some blue-green algae produce toxins or poisons. In their toxic forms, blue-green algae can cause illness in humans, pets, waterfowl and other animals that come in contact with the algae. 

Ask Al, the Frivolity Department

 “What is the purpose of raccoons?” The animals let us know when the sweet corn is ripe.
 “I saw a tern being shadowed by another tern. Whatever one did, the other did likewise. What were they doing?” One was a tern and the other was an intern gaining valuable work experience.
 “Why do vultures fly in circles?” They’re buffering.
 “How do you catch a skunk with your bare hands?” Only once.

Thanks for stopping by

 “If you love it enough, anything will talk to you.”—George Washington Carver.
 “Religions are many and diverse, but reason and goodness are one.”—Elbert Hubbard.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

The dogbane leaf beetle, an incredibly beautiful insect, feeds mainly on dogbane, but occasionally eats milkweed. It’s a gorgeous beetle, the sight of which thrills me. Photo by Al Batt

I really enjoyed this children’s book

A friend made this out of a bucket of junk. Freeborn County Fair.

I volunteered at the Freeborn County Historical Society Village near this bee house. It not be my house.

I got a laugh out of the description of the cicada killer.

Hope on a Butterfly Weed.

Caroline Kennedy had a pet canary named Robin

Naturally

I was in one of life’s quiet corners when a Cooper’s hawk flew low over my head. My resemblance to Big Bird nearly cost me.
Robins filled the table of contents for my yard. Caroline Kennedy had a pet canary when JFK was in the White House. When the bird died, it was buried in the White House yard. The canary was named Robin because Caroline liked robins.
Field bindweed or its larger relative, the hedge bindweed, are perennial vines with white or pink flowers and arrowhead-shaped leaves. I often see hedge bindweed climbing shrubs or fences, and in open fields. It’s similar to field bindweed, which is a weedier species with smaller flowers and leaves. They are closely related to the morning glory of the garden, which is an annual vine with white, pink, purple or blue flowers and heart-shaped leaves.
Peregrine falcons are one of the most widespread bird species in the world. They are found on all continents except Antarctica and they nest on cliffs with a large percentage of their nest sites being manmade structures, including electricity transmission towers, quarries, silos, skyscrapers, churches and bridges. Peregrine falcons are primarily bird hunters with starlings, pigeons, blackbirds, jays, shorebirds and waterfowl all being fair game for a hungry peregrine.
The air carried fireflies, insects with their check engine lights flashing. I watched an opossum moving through the darkening yard. Male opossums are jacks, the females are jills and the young are joeys.

Wawa

I was having my car filled with gas at a Wawa convenience store because you can't pump your own gas in New Jersey. “Wawa" is a Native American word for the Canada goose (more or less).

You are one with nature

You can’t help but be one with nature if you draw a single breath. Spending time in a natural environment has been linked to lower stress levels (reductions in tension and anxiety) and improved memory. Forest bathing is the process of soaking up the sights, smells and sounds of a natural setting to promote physiological and psychological health. People on nature walks tend to engage in less negative self-referential overthinking. The EPA says that Americans, on average, spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often much higher than typical outdoor concentrations. The idea of forest bathing is to awaken the five senses to everything that surrounds us. The costs of forest bathing are reimbursed by health insurance in Japan, China and Korea.

Q&A

“How many bird species are there in the world?” It depends on who you ask. Princeton University experts found there are an estimated 9,700 bird species in the world. According to BirdLife.org, there are nearly 11,000 species worldwide.
Ken Nelson of Clarks Grove asked how many broods barn swallows have each year? One or two.
“What preys on skunks?” According to research by Ohio State University biologist Stan Gehrt found coyotes, foxes, dogs, bobcats, mountain lions, badgers and great horned owls can all eat skunks but rarely do. Gehrt’s research shows that less than 5% of skunk mortality is caused by predators, not counting cars.
“What species of trees are MLB bats made from?” All MLB bats must be made from a single piece of wood and cannot be metal or composite bats. Maple is the most popular wood, with 75-80% of the market. Maple has great density and is hard and durable, but can shatter when it breaks. Ash, which used to be the most popular bat, is flexible and light, but not as durable as maple or birch. Birch bats are soft, flexible and more durable, but require a break-in period. You can’t hit a home run without a bat. Anther tree is involved when a player steps into the batter’s box. Pine tar is a tacky substance produced by the high-temperature carbonization of pine wood. It’s used in soaps, shampoos and treatments for certain skin conditions. Wooden bats can be slippery, so pine tar is added to improve the grip.
“Do mourning doves mate for life?” They are seasonally monogamous, with indications that some birds may re-pair in subsequent breeding seasons.
“What preys upon the monarch butterfly caterpillars found on milkweeds?” Tachinid flies, spined soldier bugs, spiders, and wasps. There are over 100 species of milkweeds in North America and monarchs use about 30 milkweed species as hosts for their larvae. Estimates are that 90% of the monarch butterflies that winter in Mexico have fed on one species, the common milkweed, as larvae.

Thanks for stopping by

“I hold one share in the corporate earth and am uneasy about the management.”—E.B. White.
“Education will not cure all the problems of society, but without it no cure for any problem is possible.”—Lyndon B. Johnson.
Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

Mourning doves (called “turtle doves” by some) drink without lifting their heads after each sip as most birds do. This photo of a napping dove is by Al Batt.

Becoming a proper robin.

The crows were trying to let people know that the sign didn’t apply to them.

A salute to the impressive epaulets of a Red-winged Blackbird.

I love the views from Minnesota’s rest areas. Great places to do a bit of birding.

I love the views from Minnesota’s rest areas. Great places to do a bit of birding.

Common Mullein seeds are consumed by American Goldfinches and colonists used the flannel-like leaves as “Quaker rouge” to raise a red blush on a rubbed face.

Common Mullein seeds are consumed by American Goldfinches and colonists used the flannel-like leaves as “Quaker rouge” to raise a red blush on a rubbed face.

While doing a program at Merrick State Park in Wisconsin, I noticed an Eastern Phoebe was using the screen (nest on top right).

Virginia Creeper has taken up residence in a bat house.

A Minnesota picnic—tater tot hotdish, SPAM, Green Giant green beans & corn, buttermilk biscuits, a turkey leg bigger than the brain of anyone trying to eat more than one, a thermos holding something to wash it all down and a Bundt cake. When in doubt, Bundt. All that’s missing is some kind of bug dope.

Babe the Blue Ox and Paul Bunyan were spotted at the Blue Earth County Library in Mankato, Minnesota. They are readers. Babe’s eyes are blue. Here’s a little known fact, Babe Ruth’s eyes were not blue.

What bird says, “Which is it? which is it?”

Naturally

The common yellowthroat sang, “Which is it? Which is it?” as I filled feeders it won’t patronize.
I fill the feeders because birds are into outdoor dining. I’m into outdoor shaving and brushing my teeth. I like to do those things while walking. Thanks to battery-powered devices, I’m able to.
The Dog Days are when the Good Humor man, despite impressive sales, isn’t in one. Sirius, also called Alpha Canis Majoris or the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the night sky. When Sirius appeared in the sky just before the sun near the end of July and marked the beginning of the hottest days of the year, the Romans referred to it as the days of the Dog Star. Ancient Egyptians, because Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile River’s flooding, used the star as a watchdog for that event. Since its rising coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time.
An acorn woodpecker was discovered in Carlton County. In North America, the breeding range of acorn woodpeckers is southwestern Washington, Oregon, California, southwestern U.S. and western Mexico. Acorn woodpeckers are typically year-round residents, however, those in and around the Huachuca Mountains in southeastern Arizona may migrate to Mexico during winter, depending on the mast crop.

Q&A

“How can I identify wild parsnip?” A native of Europe and Asia, no one is sure when wild parsnip arrived here or how. It’s been here a long time. There are records of this plant being in Wisconsin in 1894. It’s a biennial that grows to 5 feet tall with leaves consisting of two to five pairs of toothed leaflets that are often shaped like mittens. It has yellowish-green flowers that form umbrella-shaped clusters 4 to 8 inches across and bloom in June and July. The stem is green, 1 to 2 inches thick and smooth with few hairs. Wild parsnip tolerates a range of soils and moisture levels, but requires sun and is found in open areas, pastures, fields, roadsides and disturbed areas. Wild parsnip is persistent even after being sprayed. Contact with the sap of wild parsnip combined with the presence of sunlight causes phytophotodermatitis, unpleasant rashes or blisters on skin. The prairie plant golden alexander, a native perennial, can be mistaken for wild parsnip. The primary difference between the plants is a matter of scale. Wild parsnip is much more robust. Both are lacy-looking plants with thick green stems topped with disk-like clusters of yellow flowers, but golden alexander is significantly smaller when mature. Wild parsnip has appreciably broader leaves, and bigger, flatter flower clusters. Wild parsnip has deeply forked leaves and those of golden alexander are smooth with fine serrations. The flowers of wild parsnip form flat clusters, while golden alexander flowers are more loosely and unevenly clustered. Queen Anne’s lace has white flowers that bloom in an umbrella shape pattern called an umbel. The flowers of Queen Anne’s lace usually have a single purplish flower in the center of the umbel. Legend says Queen Anne pricked her finger while sewing the lace and a droplet of her blood fell to the center of the flowers.
Deb Weitzel-Vitha of Albert Lea wondered, “How much does a pelican weigh?” The last two injured American white pelicans I took to a rehabilitation center weighed 10 and 16 pounds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says 8-20 pounds.
“There are webs on my lawn on a dewy morning. What spider makes those?” If the sheetlike webs aren’t sticky and have a funnel or tunnel on one side, they are the work of the funnel or grass spider. These webs become noticeable on the heavy dew of a cool, humid morning. A web could be a dollar spot fungus. The branching mycelia of this fungus resemble spider webs on the grass, but dollar spot disappears when the dew dries. Excess moisture and lack of nutrients are causes of dollar spot fungus.
“Will feeding safflower seeds instead of sunflower seeds discourage squirrels?” Safflower seeds aren’t a squirrel’s favorite food, but it will eat them because there is no bird food that a squirrel won’t eat. House sparrows, European starlings and common grackles sample safflower when other foods are lacking. Not all the regular feeder birds enjoy eating safflower. Goldfinches don’t flock to it. Chipmunks relish safflower, as do mourning doves and house finches. Chickadees, nuthatches and rose-breasted grosbeaks eat it. I’ve heard from many readers that cardinals enjoy it, but the ones in my yard aren’t crazy about safflower.

Thanks for stopping by

“The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us.”—Bill Watterson.
“All the arguments to prove man's superiority cannot shatter this hard fact: in suffering the animals are our equals.”—Peter Singer.
Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

Each year, fireflies (lightning bugs) provide silent fireworks that evoke wonder in me. Photo by Al Batt.

Something smelled like a wet robin.

The male Indigo Bunting (blue canary) is dressed for prom.

A mobile garden.

Minnesotans will stand in long lines under the hot sun for certain kinds of peaches.

The huge smile of a small sunflower.

“Hip; hip; hip hurrah boys; spring is here!”

It may be summer, but the Song Sparrow sings, “Hip; hip; hip hurrah boys; spring is here!” Photo by Al Batt.

The Ebony Jewelwing is a striking damselfly that preys upon mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies and flying ants.

The Ebony Jewelwing is a striking damselfly that preys upon mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies and flying ants.

Naturally

 There were blinking bugs. Fireflies or lightning bugs are quiet fireworks. They prefer warm, humid environments, which means muggy June and July days are perfect for them. Look up and down around tall grasses or bushes and areas near water. A lawn could host fireflies. A firefly is an identity mark of summer and evokes wonder in those who see it.
 The morning’s sweet chorus of early birds featured the incessant voice of a robin accompanied by drumbeats. Each woodpecker is a drummer, not a guitar player in the flock. Robins, catbirds and orioles splash in the water of the birdbath, showing Baptist tendencies. Robins, cardinals and other birds fight with their reflections in windows. Blue jays seem to understand the image isn’t a real bird. Magpies have been tested and found to understand mirrored birds. Someone commented on the plainness of the house sparrow. I couldn’t agree. I think they are handsome birds. A house sparrow doesn’t give a thought to what it’s wearing.
 Deer walked through the yard like ballerinas. Thistles and milkweeds bloomed. Look for an increase in butterflies and grasshoppers. I’ve noticed gobs of foamy “spit” on the stems of plants—mostly yarrow and daisy. The spit is where young spittlebugs (froghoppers) grow up.
 Crown vetch is a perennial plant widely planted along roadsides for erosion control and can spread into prairies, forest edges and riverbanks. Its stems trail over other plants and can grow 2-6 feet long. Crown vetch has tubular white to pink to lavender flowers that bloom from May through August. Crown vetch can cover other plants, spread vegetatively and cover acres of land. Outcompeting other plants reduces species diversity and habitat. As a legume, crown vetch can change nitrogen levels in soils, which can make it difficult for native plants to compete. Crown vetch is non-palatable to grazing animals. Birdsfoot trefoil was introduced to the U. S. for livestock forage and erosion control. It grows well in Minnesota and its yellow flowers are evident on roadsides. Foxtail barley, sometimes called squirrel-tail grass, is a common grass on roadsides. Its flowering spikes are attractive, silky and waving in the breeze.

Birds in the news

 A group of African gray parrots was quarantined 
together at a UK safari park when they taught each other how to swear. When the birds realized staff members were laughing at their swearing, they started laughing, too.

Q&A

 “Do ants help peonies to bloom?” Folklore says ants tickle the buds to help the flowers open, but they will open without the presence of ants. The peonies provide nectar (food) for the ants and the ants protect the peonies from aphids and other harmful insect pests. 
 “How many litters does a rabbit have each year?” An eastern cottontail rabbit female is capable of having seven litters a year, but in Minnesota it’s likely to have only three, possibly four. Each year, about 80% percent of Minnesota's cottontail population dies from weather, predators and disease. 
 Bill and Patrice Thompson of Mantorville have a red-headed woodpecker coming to a feeder and asked for information on that bird in southern Minnesota. I did a Breeding Bird Survey in Freeborn, Mower and Steele Counties and was cheered by the red-headed woodpeckers I saw in all three counties. In Longfellow’s poem “The Song of Hiawatha,” Hiawatha gave the bird its red head. In Minnesota, they’re most commonly found in southern Minnesota. They prefer woodlands where the canopy is relatively open, there is a sufficient number of dead trees and dead limbs, and an abundant supply of acorns. It makes use of farmland woodlots and shelterbelts. Their numbers have dropped 6.07% per year in Minnesota since 1967. I’m seeing more than I did a few years ago.
 “How do woodpeckers keep from getting concussions when hammering on a tree?” The Field Museum said that with each peck, woodpeckers absorb more than 10 times the force it would take to give a human a concussion. Woodpeckers have thick yet spongy skull bones that act as a helmet, there is a cushion of cartilage located where the skull meets the jawbone, powerful muscles deflect the brunt of the blow to the skull, the woodpecker’s brain is held tightly against its skull, and the hyoid bone wraps around its skull like a seatbelt that protects its brain. Woodpeckers have built-in goggles—sort of. They close their eyelids an instant before each strike, keeping eyeballs under pressure and protecting against splinters. Woodpeckers are designed to do what they do.

Thanks for stopping by

 “When there is very little else left to believe in, one can still believe in an honest loaf of fragrant, home-baked bread.”—Anna Thomas.
 “Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you've only founded a superstition. If you test it, you've started a science.”—Hal Clement.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

The northern flicker apparently has a goal of making as much noise as possible. It often drums on metal things. A heavy metal drummer. The black mustache stripe means this is a male. Photo by Al Batt.

One of my favorite flowers—the Canada Anemone. Some folks call this robust perennial the meadow anemone. I grow it in my yard and have never had the deer lunch on it.

One of my favorite flowers—the Canada Anemone. Some folks call this robust perennial the meadow anemone. I grow it in my yard and have never had the deer lunch on it.

Birding via the radio.

Aunts are gift-bearing, often bringing food, and should be welcomed.

Naturally

 I did a Breeding Bird Survey for the U.S. Geological Survey in Freeborn, Mower and Steele Counties. The lowlights were the stable flies. The highlights were many, but seeing trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes and red-headed woodpeckers topped the list. I saw several red-heads. Are woodpeckers educated at the school of hard knocks? The male red-headed woodpecker does most of the excavation of nest cavities and completes the project in 12–17 days.
 I watched robins in the yard. Two males battled at the edge of their territories. One appeared to be slightly larger than the other and won every battle. I reckon the burly bird gets the worm.
 I watched two crows, about twice the length of a blue jay, mosey across the lawn. They stopped occasionally to vocalize. I don’t think crows ever grow tired of being crows. I rarely see a dead crow on the road, but I found one I could tell was a young crow because of its blue eyes. It hadn’t learned to fear the speed of a car.
 I’m seeing fireflies. In the butterfly world, I’m enjoying the brownish colors of skippers and crescents.
 Several studies have found that mosquitos may prefer to bite individuals with Type O blood over other blood types. It’s important to note that a number of factors may influence a person’s chances of getting bitten: hormones, carbon dioxide emission, perfumes, alcohol intake and more.
 Summer offers more blooming flowers in prairies, fields and ditches, and outside the woods where I found flowers blooming in the spring. White (bladder) campion is a European species that provides white flowers from May to September.

Q&A

 “How long do squirrels live?” Red squirrels live 3-10 years in the wild, with only about 25% living longer than a year. Fox squirrels 8-18 years in the wild, flying squirrels 3-5 years and grey squirrels live 6-12 years.
 “What ants could I have in my house?” They could be your aunts. Aunts are gift-bearing, often bringing food, and should be welcomed. Carpenter ant workers are 3/16-1/2 inch long. They don’t eat wood, but nest in moist or rotting wood. Cornfield ants are light to dark brown and workers are 1/10-1/8 inch long. Common in the soil in exposed areas, forming small craters several inches wide, especially in lawns where the grass has thinned or is bare. They feed on sweets including honeydew and are sometimes found feeding on honeydew from insects infesting houseplants. Field ants are black, brown, red or combinations of those colors. Workers range in size from 1/8-1/4 inch long. Some make large mounds, up to 10 inches across. They also nest under objects, such as wood, stones and patio blocks. They don’t nest inside buildings. Pavement ants are reddish-brown to black and 1/8 inch long. They nest in soil under sidewalks, driveways, stones and logs, and are commonly found under homes with concrete slab construction. Pharaoh ants are 1/16 inch long and light yellow to red with a darker colored thorax and can be confused with thief ants. They feed on a wide variety of foods, especially those containing grease or fats, and also feed on many types of sweets, dead insects, toothpaste and soap. They nest in cracks and crevices behind countertops, baseboards, wall voids, and other small openings. Thief ants, often called grease ants, are the smallest household ants found here. They nest near the nests of larger ants and steal their larvae. Thief ants are yellow to light brown and are 1/20 inch long. They prefer protein and greasy foods, such as meats, cheese, peanut butter and nuts, but also eat sweets. They are small enough to enter almost any type of food container and can nest indoors in small spaces under countertops, wall voids, cabinet voids and behind baseboards. 
 “What birds other than the loon were considered as Minnesota’s state bird?” Before the legislature decided on the common loon as Minnesota's state bird in 1961, several other birds were suggested, including the eastern goldfinch (1947), the mourning dove (1951), the pileated woodpecker (1951 and 1953), the scarlet tanager (1951) and the wood duck (1951). Erratic swimmers are the loon’s favorite since it makes them easy to catch. Loons eat a lot of yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed and crayfish.
 “Is Absorbine Jr. good for keeping mosquitoes away?” I have heard from people that Absorbine Jr., a pain reliever designed to help aching muscles and joints, works for them as a mosquito and gnat repellent, but I’ve not tried it.

Thanks for stopping by

 “If the world were a big apartment, we wouldn’t get our deposit back.”—John Ross.
 “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”—Henry David Thoreau.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

Does a red-headed woodpecker learn all it needs to know at the school of hard knocks? Photo by Al Batt.

What is a shitepoke?

Naturally 

 What did you say?
 I asked that as I listened to a catbird running through its jumbled repertoire. Horned larks sang high in the sky.
 I saw fledged starlings on June 5. Most sources say they have 1-2 broods per year, but I suspect one is usually the case in Minnesota. 

Q&A

 Mac Ehrhardt of Albert Lea asked how to attract goldfinches. He has clean feeders and fresh seeds. They like some security, so nyjer or black oil sunflower feeders placed 10-20 feet of trees, bushes or shrubs might help. They nest later than many birds, so they can be nomadic. I know people who have tied a yellow ribbon to a feeder to make it more visually attractive. Planting sunflowers, black-eyed susans, asters, coneflowers and native thistles is a “sale” sign to goldfinches. They like dandelions, but you might not need to plant those. 
 “How do I know if a young squirrel needs rescuing?” Juvenile squirrels look like miniature adults. If an uninjured squirrel has a fluffed-out tail and a body longer than 6 inches, not including the tail, it’s OK. Squirrels are independent at 10-12 weeks of age. But if it approaches humans or pets, consult a rehabilitator.
 “What is a shitepoke?”Herons and egrets are called “shitepokes” or “shypokes.” Shitepoke refers to how it defecates  when frightened. “Chalkline” is another nickname. 
 “Do ruffed grouse actually drum?” No, you’re thinking of Ringo Starr. The drumming sound is made when the grouse beats his wings against his chest, creating an air vacuum. The male performs this while standing on a drumming log, stone or dirt mound to establish territories. 
 “Why don’t I see many American black ducks?” The North American Breeding Bird Survey recorded a decline of 84% between 1966 and 2014. Farming, logging and urbanization contributed to the fall in numbers. Duck hunters exploited this duck for decades, shooting an estimated 800,000 per year in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1982, the Humane Society pursued a lawsuit that led to hunting restrictions. Records indicate about 115,000 per year are shot today. Black ducks are warier than mallards and less tolerant of disturbance. Mallards have contributed to the decline by hybridizing with black ducks. Black ducks are vulnerable to lead poisoning after eating lead shot.
 “Why do some eggs hatch at the same time and others don’t?” In many birds, including most precocial species, incubation doesn’t begin until the last egg has been laid, resulting in all the eggs hatching within a few hours. Precocial species (e.g. ducks, geese and chickens) need to hit the ground a-running. Other birds begin incubation prior to laying the last egg of the clutch. This results in asynchronous hatchings separated by anywhere from a few hours to several days. Asynchronous hatching gives the first chicks a head start at attracting parental attention. Asynchronous hatching is a parental strategy for raising the largest number of offspring that food resources allow. Brood reduction by starvation routinely occurs in gulls and raptors, and is common in birds as diverse as cormorants, herons, egrets, terns and common grackles.
Eagles, cranes, pelicans and owls exhibit siblicide, in which the larger chick kills its sibling. Any egg more than one serves as insurance against the loss of the first egg from infertility, predation or damage. Nest predation could encourage the evolution of asynchronous hatching to minimize the time that eggs and nestlings spend in a nest.
 “How many broods do black-capped chickadees raise each year?” One.
 Delores Hanna of Albert Lea asked how to keep barn swallows from nesting over the door of her home. Slick, smooth surfaces will prevent barn swallows from adhering their mud nests to a wall. Plastic cling could work. Blocking the area where birds want to nest with plastic netting or other objects might work. Leave no openings that would allow entrance to the desired area.
 “Do rabbits dig burrows?” Eastern cottontail rabbits live within a 5-acre area their entire lives and don't dig burrows. They crawl into the vacant burrows of other animals during cold or wet weather and to escape pursuit. They will huddle under woody vegetation or brush piles. About 30% of rabbits survive a winter. Cottontails have protruding eyes that give them nearly a 260-degree vision. They have a blind spot about 10 degrees wide directly in front of them.
 “What tree smells like cat urine?” Called skunk spruce or cat spruce, the crushed needles of the white spruce give off a strong odor that reminds folks of a skunk or cat pee. Several other plants carry that odor.

Thanks for stopping by

 “The hum of bees is the voice of the garden.”–Elizabeth Lawrence.
 “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”—Edmund Burke.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

This male orchard oriole hatched last year. He’s beginning to acquire the chestnut-brown color of an adult male. Photo by Al Batt.

When stable flies attack

Naturally

As I sampled wild strawberries, tiny and sweet, I marveled at the butterflies moving about the yard. Eastern tiger swallowtails (flight times mid-May to early September in my yard), clouded sulphurs (on the wing from late May to early October), red admirals (early May-early October) and spring azures (late April-late June). William Henry Davies wrote, “A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.”
White grubs are the larvae of June beetles and Japanese beetles. Their presence produces dead patches on a lawn. Their feeding injures plant roots, causing the turf grass to wilt and die. Raccoons, skunks and crows tear up a lawn looking for these grubs to eat.
Dame's rocket blooms May-July and is often confused for a native phlox, but it has four petals and phlox has five-petaled flowers. Dame's rocket can form massive colonies, typically settling in disturbed soils. Yellow goat’s beard is evident on roadsides. The flowers are followed by seedheads resembling a dandelion on steroids.
Cedar waxwings fed on mulberries as a deer snorted in my direction. It’s an alarm signal. It made the distinctive sound by expelling air forcefully through its nasal passages.
Dragonflies zipped through the air. One study found dragonflies had a 95-97% success rate in capturing prey. African lions have about a 25% success rate.
In early June, I watched a flock of trumpeter swans flying over. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology reported molt migrations similar to that done by Canada geese. A trumpeter swan named Louis was the main character in E. B. White’s children’s book, “The Trumpet of the Swan.”

Q&A

“How long have red-bellied woodpeckers been in Minnesota?” T.S. Roberts first observed the bird in June 1898 in Houston County. They were found in Goodhue County in 1900 and in Minneapolis by 1908. There is a 1907–1908 winter record in Rochester and one in the fall of 1908 in Steele County. Nesting was first confirmed in 1903 in Red Wing. Roberts noted the species was likely breeding farther south in the state for many years prior.
“Does a bird’s bill continue to grow?” A bird’s beak is made of keratin, like our fingernails, and grows continuously throughout its life. The beak must be constantly ground down via the bird’s normal activities.
“Are the feet of dabbling ducks different from those of divers?” While dabblers occasionally dive to feed or to escape predators, they typically skim food from the surface or feed in the shallows by tipping forward to submerge their heads and necks. Diving ducks propel themselves underwater with large feet attached to short legs situated far back on the body. Dabblers have smaller feet and their legs are situated farther forward. Many divers also dabble.
“How long do hummingbirds live?” Most ruby-throated hummingbirds die in their first year, but when they've survived a year, their lifespan is 3-5 years. Their short legs prevent them from walking or hopping. The best they can do is shuffle along.
“Do great horned owls add anything to a nest?” They commandeer the nests of red-tailed hawks, crows, ravens, herons, squirrels and even eagles. Owls may line the nest with bark, leaves, their own down and fur or feathers from prey.
Matt Haase of Mankato asked how he could stop the attacks by stable flies. The flies resemble house flies and are about 1/4-inch long, and are sometimes called "biting house flies" or “ankle biters” and tend to attack during daylight hours. They have checkerboard markings on the abdomen and bayonet-like mouthparts used to pierce the skin and suck blood. Both sexes can inflict a painful bite. Wearing pants and long sleeves is the best way to avoid bites, which can sting and itch. The flies go after pets, too. Stable flies breed in damp organic matter, such as animal bedding and grass clippings. Wearing blue-colored clothing attracts stable flies for unknown reasons. People have told me DEET has been helpful and EPA research states that repellents containing Picaridin repel the pests. A flamethrower might prove effective, but please resist the urge to use it on the stable flies.
“Is a butterfly bush good for butterflies?” A butterfly bush provides nectar for butterflies, but it offers no value for the butterfly or moth larvae. Not a single native North American caterpillar feeds on its leaves according to entomologist Doug Tallamy in his book “Bringing Nature Home.“
“What would kill a baby raccoon?” Coyotes, foxes, great horned owls, dogs, bobcats, adult male raccoons, cars and humans. Ingesting a poison such as antifreeze leaked from a car is another possibility.

Thanks for stopping by

“No man is lonely while eating spaghetti: it requires so much attention.“—Christopher Morley.
“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”—Bertrand Russell.
Do good.

@Al Batt 2022

The song of the scarlet tanager has been compared to the song of a robin with a sore throat. Photo by Al Batt.

Take a hooked bill, aquamarine eyes and fecal matter that can kill a nest tree and what do you have? Either my Uncle Herman or a Double-crested Cormorant.

All the honking was about a molt migration

Naturally

Around June 1, give or take a few days, I hear honking (goose music) and see a loose V-formation of Canada geese flying overhead in a molt migration. All birds, geese included, shed feathers and replace them at least once each year. The geese become flightless for 4-5 weeks. The molt is timed to occur on the breeding grounds when adult birds are tending broods. Geese not old enough to breed (they begin mating at 2-3 years of age), those that lost nests early in the season and those who had their goslings adopted by more experienced or aggressive geese, undertake a molt migration. Individuals may move hundreds of miles to waters where they feel safe while flightless. In September and October, many of these individuals return from this seasonal journey.
I haven’t been seeing many house sparrows in the yard. Their numbers usually decrease when spring hits, but their populations have declined by about 3% per year resulting in a cumulative decline of nearly 80% between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
The red-eyed vireo is an olive-green songbird with a thick bill, a signature red eye and a strong white eye stripe. I enjoy watching them as they glean insects from the foliage of trees. Red-eyed vireos are vigorous singers, sounding as if they’re talking to themselves “See me, here I am, up here.” They sing nearly non-stop, “Here I am! Where are you?” Some birders call it the preacher bird because they find its song interminable. “Where are you? Here I am, way up here. Here I am, over here, see me, where am I?” The bird sounds as if it’s counting the leaves of a tree.

Q&A

“Why are birds so loud in the morning?” The dawn chorus is borne of spring and peaks an hour before and after sunrise. Birds might sing then because foraging (especially for insectivorous birds) is difficult in dim light, making singing a better use of their time and energy; singing robustly after surviving the night exhibits vitality; fewer environmental noises clutter the airwaves; and the wind is often lacking. The result is a beautiful free-form jazz. Some birds sing in the darkness in response to artificial light. City lights and noises have disrupted the natural sleep cycle of birds like robins, which makes it difficult for them to tell day from night. Birds may sing louder in a city in an attempt to overpower the noise.
“Why are there fewer red-headed woodpeckers than there used to be?” According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the omnivorous bird’s population declined by 54% from 1966 to 2019. Some studies say starlings have displaced the cavity-nesting woodpeckers from nest sites. Other studies disagree. The lack of dead trees has been hard on them and many are hit by cars while the birds are flycatching. The Minnesota DNR designated the bird as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
“I saw pine siskins not long ago in southern Minnesota. Do they nest here?” Pine siskins’ primary breeding distribution is in the northeastern coniferous region of the state. Following a large irruptive year, siskins have been known to stay and breed far south of their normal breeding range if there is a good food supply available. Increased establishment of conifers may have moved the siskins’ normal range farther south than its traditional range. The increased availability of feeders might have helped.
“How do I know if a young rabbit needs help?” If the rabbit is fully furred, its eyes are open, it has no visible injuries and is larger than a baseball, it doesn’t need rescuing.
“Why are so many young robins on the ground before they can fly?” Robins leave the nest before they can fly. It’s natural and this unflighted time is a normal and vital part of the young birds’ development. Fledglings can walk, hop, and flap well enough to attempt short flights. They tend to stay close to shrubbery or low branches, where they find safety. Their parents continue to feed them.

Meeting adjourned

“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can't eat money.—Alanis Obomsawin.
“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day, I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. But by sitting still, and the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. Thus if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.”—Søren Kierkegaard.
Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

The red-eyed vireo is an olive-green songbird with a thick bill, a signature red eye and a strong white eye stripe. I enjoy watching them as they glean insects from the foliage of trees. Red-eyed vireos are vigorous singers, sounding as if they’re talking to themselves “See me, here I am, up here.” Photo by Al Batt.

Baby robins to the right of me, baby robins to the left of me, baby robins in front of me, and they are all on the ground. Al Batt on the radio.

Forest bathing is enhanced when in the company of woodland butterlies like Mourning Cloaks.

The New Ulm Eagles varsity won the Mankato Breakdown Tournament at MSU by defeating Mountain Iron-Buhl, New Prague, and Norwood Young America. I’m proud of the team and my granddaughter Hadley (smiling at the front of the group).

The rooster called “cow-cat” and flapped its wings to get me out of bed

Naturally

 House wrens like clotheslines. One nested in my mother’s clothespin bag and another nested in my blue jeans hanging on a line. Simple joys weren’t denied as young wrens fledged in unrehearsed flights from both sites. One year, there was a crow that plucked off the clothespins nearest to the post where it was perched. It did nothing more than drop them to the ground, caw several times and fly away.
 I saw a red-winged blackbird on a street sign. I’d love to see one on a street sign reading “Broadway.” It’d be great to hear that bird singing on Broadway.
 I watched an osprey pluck a fish from the water. The osprey’s feathers are slightly oily to limit water absorption and it’s the only raptor having that adaptation.   
 In Florida, I listened to mockingbirds alternating the sounds of a cardinal, a cellphone, a blue jay, a car alarm and a Carolina wren. Research has found frogs and toads are on the list of sounds mimicked by mockingbirds.
 I watched a broad-winged hawk, the most common raptor of the forests in Minnesota. The record number of broad-wings flying over Hawk Ridge in Duluth was 160,703 birds in the fall of 2003. Annual fall counts at Hawk Ridge vary considerably and are subject to weather during migration. This hawk migrates at high altitudes and seldom stops to hunt during migration. To conserve energy on the long journey, they float upward to find lift on vertical air currents as high as they can go, and then glide to another. When one broad-wing discovers a thermal or updraft, others join it, all swirling up in a “kettle.” Their fall migration is an exciting spectacle as they wing their way to Central and South America.
 I walked a trail in Columbia, Missouri. Male Carolina wrens sang a series of quick, three-part whistles, which sounded like “teakettle” or “Germany.” Their bite was once thought to be deadly poisonous, probably because wrens eat spiders. It’s not.
 Alcatraz was a federal prison once the home of Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Alvin Karpis (the first public enemy #1) and Robert Stroud, all sent to “The Rock” for attitude adjustments. Stroud’s life was made into the “Birdman of Alcatraz” movie starring Burt Lancaster. The exact meaning is debated, but Alcatraz likely came from “Alcatraces,” meaning “the island of pelicans” and was named by a Spanish explorer in 1775 because of the brown pelicans seen there. It was anglicized to Alcatraz. Another movie “The Escape from Alcatraz” starred Clint Eastwood.

Q&A

 “What are my chances of seeing a brown pelican in Minnesota? Slim. There have been five sightings according to the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union’s historical records. 
 “My grandfather called a brown thrasher by another name, but I can’t remember what it was. What are its other names?” The nicknames  of this talented and talkative state bird of Georgia include red Mavis, eastern roadrunner, French mockingbird, ferruginous thrush, sandy mocker, corn planter, fox-colored thrush, red thrush and ferruginous mockingbird.
 “What’s the difference between a cocoon and a chrysalis?” The two words are used interchangeably, but they are different things. Cocoons are specific to moths, while butterflies form chrysalises. Moths spin silk around themselves and molt inside the silk casing. This provides warmth and protection from its environment. You can find a camouflaged cocoon attached to a leaf or branch, buried underground or in leaf litter. Chrysalises aren’t silk. A butterfly molts into a chrysalis, which is a hard exoskeleton covering that protects the developing butterfly beneath. Chrysalises are found hanging from something.
 “Where does the word ‘piebald’ come from?” It derives from a combination of "pie," from "magpie" and "bald," meaning "white patch." The reference is to the black-and-white plumage of a magpie.
 “What is the largest flying bird in the world?” The wandering albatross has the largest known wingspan of any living bird, reaching nearly 12 feet. This albatross is the master of the wind.
 “Are there hummingbirds in Russia?” Hummingbirds are found only in the New World (the Western Hemisphere, which is North and South America and their surrounding waters) and the majority of the species live in South America. 
 “What bird is the water witch?” Pied-billed grebes don’t dive as deeply as loons, 20 feet or fewer for about 30 seconds. An alarmed grebe dives swiftly and may swim underwater until reaching plants in shallow water, where it remains submerged, except for its eyes and bill, until the danger passes. This impressive disappearing act is responsible for the bird’s nickname, “water witch.” The pied-bill and other grebes share another nickname emphasizing their diving skills—“hell diver.”

Thanks for stopping by

 “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”—Albert Einstein.
 “Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.”—Henry Miller.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2022

This handsome ring-necked pheasant rooster has been crowing outside my bedroom window early each morning in an attempt to secure employment as my alarm clock. He took the Myers-Briggs test, but no job offer has been made. Photo by Al Batt.

A delightful little book with some big ideas. The insect by the author’s name (James) was a live insect and a reader. It was probably not named James.

A Groundhog enjoys a salad.

The beautiful Wild Columbine has a plenitude of nicknames including: Cluckies, Dancing Fairies, Granny’s Bonnets, Jack-In-Trousers, Meetinghouses, and Rock Lily.

A White-tailed Deer button buck.

A White-tailed Deer button buck.

What is that baby robin doing on the ground? It’s listening to Al Batt on the radio.

House wrens and their housing developments

Naturally

 The indigo bunting is my wife’s favorite bird and my late father called it a “blue canary.” That makes this bird a big deal in my yard. 
 I know it’s dawn when the ring-necked pheasant rooster crows “cow-cat” loudly outside my bedroom window. He follows it up with a loud, rapid beating of his wings.
 I was parked on the highway, waiting for a pilot car to lead me down the road. I watched turkey vultures doing an aerial ballet. Killdeer dashed across the ground. A kingfisher made a metallic sound. They were comfort birds sent to ease the stress of getting nowhere fast.
 Eastern bluebirds, also called the blue robin or the blue redbreast by some settlers, are closely related to the American robin as both are members of the thrush family.
 Birds have systems in place to survive as long as the weather does what’s expected. It takes a lot of insects to make one barn swallow. Barn swallows love lawn mowers because the grass munchers kick up flying insects. Oak trees have more caterpillars than most trees and can provide a well-stocked pantry for many birds.
 June bugs (also called May beetles or June beetles) are common beetles ½ to 1 inch long and vary in color from reddish-brown to nearly black. The adults are active after dusk in late May and early June and are attracted to lights at night. The clumsy fliers collide with windows and cling to screens. 

Q&A

 “Why do wrens build so many nests?” The male house wren stacks a pile of twigs in multiple cavities. It’s his way of lighting a “No vacancy” sign. The female picks one and takes over the construction. The male’s leftover nests may discourage other birds from nesting in those cavities. A wren might build dummy nests to lay claim to all the best nest sites in his territory. His industriousness might prove his nest-building skills and impress a female or confuse a predator. Both parents feed the chicks.
 Lona Falenczykowski of Mankato asked how long the nesting process is for a robin. It takes 2-6 days to build the nest, there is a 12-14 day incubation period and 13 days in the nestling stage. 
 “Do baby skunks practice spraying and how can I de-skunk my dog?” Use 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda and 1 teaspoon liquid soap. Mix and bathe, using caution around a dog’s eyes. Don’t store the mixture. I’ve been told the stored mixture could explode. Baby skunks (born in May and June) discover ways to weaponize their protection spray and I expect they practice a few times to improve their aim.
 Marian Bahl of Faribault asked if robins reuse nests. Old nests may be reused with or without a new lining and a new nest may be built on top of an old one, but more commonly, a new nest is constructed for each brood.
 “How can I tell a house finch from a purple finch?” Both females are brown and white, but female purple finches have a well-defined white mark above each eye. The male house finch is a reddish-orange and the male purple finch is a reddish-purple, looking as if it had been dipped in raspberry juice. The male house finch has streaking on his breast and sides, and is a brown bird with red or orange mixed in. The purple finch has stripes and is a purple bird with brown mixed in. 
 “What is the most abundant bird in the world?” The domestic chicken, which outnumbers humans 3 to 1.
 “Does a swan really sing before it dies?” The term “swan song” originates from the legend that swans are mute all their lives before singing beautifully and mournfully right before they die. This was known to be false as early as the days of ancient Rome when Pliny the Elder refuted it. The legend persisted because poetic imagery proved to be more attractive than scientific evidence. Swan song is commonly used to refer to celebrated performers embarking on farewell tours.
 “What’s the difference between midges and mayflies?” Midges are smaller than a mayfly and  emerge when the surface water temperature is around 60° and live 5-10 days. Mayflies have larger wings, a pronounced tail and emerge when surface water temps are around 70° and have a lifespan of about a day. Midges remind people of mosquitoes.

Thanks for stopping by

 “I want people to talk to one another no matter what their difference of opinion might be.”—Studs Terkel.
 “What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility. This is a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to do with mysticism.”—Albert Einstein.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

An Indigo Bunting male sings, “ Fire! Fire! Where? Where? Here! Here! Put it out. Put it out. “ Photo by Al Batt

Can an owl be wise if it isn’t?

Deer will eat dandelions.

Groundhogs love dandelions.

Mr. & Mrs. Rose-breasted Grosbeak at home. Not really. The nest is usually in the fork of a tree and is so thinly constructed I can often see the eggs from below.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak male sings when he has incubation duties on the nest. He whistles while he works.

It was like looking into a mirror for these two Baltimore Oriole males.

This young male Orchard Oriole is showing a bit of the coloration of an adult.

A bird with a Dutch oven

Naturally

 Spring was spreading like wildflowers and I listened to field sparrows at Minneopa State Park. Their song came from all directions as I watched starlings ride on the backs of bison. The bison drive is open to cars every day but Wednesday. There were four bison calves, the little pumpkins or red dogs were orangish-red, reddish-brown, or cinnamon-colored. A male indigo bunting bedazzled a small tree. One good look and I realized there was no need to gild that lily. What a glorious day to be on earth.

Quarry Park and Nature Preserve

 I walked the trails of Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, a 684-acre park in Waite Park, the site of former granite mining quarries. The trails wind through woodland, prairie, wetland and bedrock areas. Near the entrance are the Liberty Derrick and Derrick House, which pay homage to the history of the granite mining industry in the early 1900s. I moseyed down the paths not long after golf ball-sized hailstones had battered my car. Some cars lost windshields and rear windows to the hail. Heavy rains caused the trails to carry a lot of water. As I watched ornaments in the trees, scarlet tanagers were lovely and unafraid as they searched for food, I heard an ovenbird sing, “Nature, nature, nature.” Some ears hear it as “Teacher, teacher, teacher.” This warbler walks on the forest floor and its name is a reference to its nest, a domed structure resembling a Dutch oven. Its ringing song becomes stronger toward its end. Nature was good company and I was happy to be there.    

 The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published an article that said water sounds, a gurgling brook or waterfall, were effective at improving positive affect (the psychological term for a positive outlook or disposition and the experience of joy), while bird sounds were excellent for lowering stress. The study’s lead author was Rachel Buxton, Ph.D., a research associate and conservation biologist in the Department of Biology at Carleton University in Ottawa, and her colleagues from six universities and the National Park Service did a statistical analysis of three dozen studies exploring the measurable health benefits of natural sounds. Lancet Public Health funded by the World Health Organization pooled data from nine studies involving over 8 million people from seven different countries. That research showed that people who live near or in green spaces tend to live longer than those exposed to less green space. Research published in Ecological Applications, looked at about 3,000 people in Tokyo and found that seeing greenery from a window or going outside improved mental health measures like depression, happiness, self-esteem and loneliness. Iranian scientists found ICU patients on ventilators reported less pain when they listened to natural sounds via headphones. I know walking a wet trail while listening to a bird sing about nature as I watched gorgeous birds enhanced my existence. Listen to the birds.

Q&A

  “Do owl decoys discourage birds?” The effectiveness of the plastic statues is limited because even the most skittish bird quickly finds them no threat.

Thanks for stopping by

   “There is a singer everyone has heard, loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird.
Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again. He says that leaves are old and that for flowers mid-summer is to spring as one to ten. He says the early petal-fall is past
when pear and cherry bloom went down in showers on sunny days a moment overcast;
and comes that other fall we name the fall. He says the highway dust is over all.
The bird would cease and be as other birds but that he knows in singing not to sing.
The question that he frames in all but words is what to make of a diminished thing.”–Robert Frost.
 

“Bird watchers top my honors list. I aimed to be one, but I missed. Since I’m both myopic and astigmatic, my aim turned out to be erratic, and I, bespectacled and binocular, exposed myself to comment jocular. We don’t need too much birdlore, do we, to tell a flamingo from a towhee; yet I cannot, and never will, unless the silly birds stand still. And there’s no enlightenment in a tour of ornithological literature. Is yon strange creature a common chickadee, or a migrant alouette from Picardy? You can rush to consult your nature guide and inspect the gallery inside, but a bird in the open never looks like its picture in the birdie books—or if it once did, it has changed its plumage, and plunges you back into ignorant gloomage. That is why I sit here growing old by inches, watching a clock instead of finches, but I sometimes visualize in my gin the Audubon that I audubin.”—Ogden Nash.

 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

The well known Minnesota poet Robert Bly mentioned “The Nimble Oven Bird,” in his poem known as “The Slim Fir Seeds.” Ovenbird photo by Al Batt.

A wise owl isn’t fighting with your window.

Why does a squirrel play chicken with my car?

Naturally

I gathered sticks from the yard and added them to the burgeoning brush plies. The wind had been busy. Turkey vultures flew over in a scavenger hunt. I was serenaded by white-throated sparrows whistling, “Old Sven Peterson, Peterson.” Or it could have been “Old Sven Petersen, Petersen.” Or “Old Sven Pedersen, Pedersen.” You get the idea. I’m not sure sparrows are concerned with the proper spelling of anything.
Trumpeter swans are nesting, Canada goose goslings have been waddling around since May began, many white-crowned sparrows were sporting bike helmets, Lincoln’s and field sparrows were numerous, and yellow-headed blackbirds were here and there. I saw the “mustard heads” in a number of locations, which brought me joy. They were hard for me to find in those same places last year. They put some spring into spring. I paused in adding to my stick collection to watch a Little Rickie flit about in the short trees. I call the tiny ruby-crowned kinglet “Little Rickie” based on the official four-letter code used by bird-banders and birders, RCKI. The kinglet has a big voice. The frosting on the cake was a noisy red-headed woodpecker.
Think of one of your favorite songs. You know how it starts and how it progresses. That’s how nature moves in spring. There is an order. Dabbling ducks are on vernal ponds and midges, resembling mosquitoes without the bite, provide food for swallows. A late spring compresses plant activity.
Crows were acting crowish. Crows in a city in Sweden are being trained to collect cigarette butts from the streets and drop them into a machine that rewards them with food. It’s a project called “Corvid Cleaning” by The Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation and aims to lower the costs of street cleaning in the city.
I found bits of a balloon tangled in vegetation near water. There is no such thing as a good free-range balloon. It becomes toxic trash.

Q&A
Ken Nelson of Clarks Grove wondered when Baltimore orioles leave Minnesota after nesting and how many broods they have. They have one brood. In July, most young orioles are leaving the nest and becoming independent. The parents start molting their body and flight feathers in anticipation of their migration south. By September, it’s rare to see any orioles hanging around. Their durable sock-like nests continue to hang, thanks to a tightly woven construction, strong knots and superior building materials.
“Do robins find worms by sight or sound?” Robins hop around our yards, with heads cocked, searching for worms. There was research published in the journal Animal Behavior that concluded robins could use either visual or auditory cues to find worms, but probably use both.
“Why do squirrels insist on stopping in a street and then running in front of my car?” Why do squirrels run into the path of an oncoming car? Are they panicking or just goofy? Squirrels spend their lives trying not to be killed and then they do this? Instinct drives this behavior while you’re driving your car. Squirrels run in a serpentine or zig-zag pattern to throw hunting hawks off their swooping game. This method helps squirrels dodge raptors and other predators. I must add that this is a commonly held theory, which squirrels have refused to confirm or deny.
“I watched a kingfisher catch a big fish for the bird’s size. It whacked its catch on a branch and then perched there for a long time with the fish hanging from its bill. What was it doing?” The kingfisher, around a foot long, leaves a comparatively large, captured fish hanging out of its beak and filling the bird’s throat, as rapid digestion allows the fish to inch its way down the kingfisher’s gullet. Kingfishers regurgitate pellets made of indigestible parts, just as an owl does.
“What do hummingbirds feed on when they return in a cold, late spring?” Sap and insects. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers, which winter in the southeastern U.S. and Central America, migrate north in early spring when the sap is running. They use their strong bills to notch rows of sapwells in trees. They drink the sap and feed on the insects attracted to it. Hummingbirds rely on the bounty of sap provided by sapsuckers and visit the wells to drink the sweet liquid and feed on the insects attracted to it. For the hummingbirds, this is an important food source that helps them survive until the flowers bloom.

Thanks for stopping by
“Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago.”—Horace Mann.
“Is there anything more beautiful in the world than to sit before an open window and enjoy nature, to listen to the birds singing?”—Anne Frank.
Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

A white-crowned sparrow looks as if it is wearing a bike helmet and loves to hang around brush piles. Photo by Al Batt.

Hummingbirds are stalking sapsuckers.

The weather brought out the heavy artillery. Some angry golf ball-sized hailstones battered my car while I taught writing classes at College of St. Ben’s. Windshields and rear windows of other cars needed to be replaced. It wasn’t flossing with barbed wire, but it was disturbing. The good thing about hail is—I guess there is no good thing about hail unless you’re in the auto glass repair and replacement business. One auto glass company vehicle had oversized mudflaps intended to prevent its rear tires from kicking up rocks. They weren’t out drumming up business.

Seeing a Scarlet Tanager causes me to turn 111 shades of happy.

A total lunar eclipse caused the handsome sky to reveal a blood moon.

What the hey? It’s an Osprey.

To alter John Donne’s words only slightly, “Any death diminishes me.” A Cooper’s Hawk chased this Gray Catbird into a window collision, with sad results. I believe the accipiter escaped unscathed.

To alter John Donne’s words only slightly, “Any death diminishes me.” A Cooper’s Hawk chased this Gray Catbird into a window collision, with sad results. I believe the accipiter escaped unscathed.

I know it’s dawn when the ring-necked pheasant rooster crows “cow-cat” loudly outside my bedroom. He follows it up with a loud, rapid beating of his wings.

The common name for this butterfly, mourning cloak, refers to its resemblance to a traditional cloak worn by someone in mourning. It’s called the Camberwell beauty in the U.K.

Who is that saying “whoo-eek”?

Naturally

 The yard’s starlings used mimicry to tell me of the other voices they’ve heard recently.
 The first warbler I see each spring is the yellow-rumped warbler, nicknamed “butterbutt.” It’s first in line because it’s capable of eating berries and suet, plus it winters closer to us than do other warblers. The first flycatcher to return is the eastern phoebe. It says fee-bee and commonly nests on outbuildings. The first swallow I see is a tree swallow, which has a diet of insects, but may eat plant material during bad weather.
 When the marshes are open, the goose migration has passed. I heard a ruby-crowned kinglet singing outside of church. A tiny bird with an enormous voice.
 In February, peregrine falcons return to the nest box on top of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. From mid-March to mid-April, 1 to 5 eggs are laid, which hatch in mid-May after about a 35-day incubation period. The chicks are named by patients, staff and volunteers. They fledge in June and July. The Latin name for the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, means “wanderer.” A peregrine is a crow-sized bird and an adult has a blue-gray back with a light-colored horizontal striped underside and a dark-colored head. The male is about 1/3 smaller than the female. They can reach speeds over 240 mph in spectacular dives and live on every continent except Antarctica. Historically, the peregrine falcon preferred nests on high cliffs near water. Today, the birds are found on smokestacks, bridges and tall buildings such as those of the Mayo Clinic.
 Male wood ducks call to females with a squeaky whistle of "jeeeee." The females call with a different, louder "whoo-eek" whistle, the most commonly heard wood duck sound.

Bluebirds
 Keith Radel of Faribault said he’d fledged 140 black-capped chickadees last year. House wrens can be hard on chickadee eggs. He recommends closing vent holes on bluebird boxes and not worrying about the boxes being too hot. 
 Mike Jeresek of Rushford puts a vanilla-scented pine tree (car air freshener) in each bluebird box or sprays each with an undiluted vanilla spray. Gnats can be lethal to nestlings and the vanilla discourages them. Mike finds the gnats terrible from the last week of May through July 4 in his area. Bluebirders living where bears live, might not want to use the vanilla technique, as bears will destroy the boxes. He isn’t concerned with the direction his boxes face. His only recommendation is they should face toward a tree and not a road. A young bluebird can fly up to 300 feet when fledging and prefers landing in a tree.

Q&A
 “What do brown thrashers eat?” Brown thrashers eat mostly insects and other arthropods along with some fruits, seeds and nuts. They typically feed on the ground, sweeping their bills through the leaf litter and soil with quick, sideways motions.
 “How many broods do tree swallows have?” Tree swallows raise one brood per year. 
 Leigh Pomeroy of Mankato asked how to discourage a robin from fighting with a window. A window cleaning company might have hired the robin to drum up business by soiling the glass. Hey, a bird has to put food on the table. OK, the robin doesn’t have a table. All the more reason he needed a job. It’s doing what birds of many species do. When a pair decides on a nest site, the surrounding area becomes their territory and they aggressively defend it by driving away other birds of their species. When a male robin spots another male, a chasing fight ensues. The dominant male gets a mate, the nesting location, the territory and the area’s food. When a territorial bird sees its mirrored image in a window’s reflective surface, it perceives that image as a rival and tries to drive the other bird away. A real robin would leave, but the stubborn reflection remains. Being persistent, the robin continues to attack. To get a robin to stop, block the image. Put a piece of cardboard or plastic cling on the outside of the window where the bird is attacking. Soaping the window works. This may cause Martha Stewart to shudder, but in most cases, you’ll need to cover it only until the shadowboxing robin thinks its worthy adversary has departed. Putting something on the inside of the window generally enhances the mirrored image. Warning: a robin intent on finding a fight will move to another window and some are more determined than others. They fought with the mirror of my car and its baby moon hubcaps. I’ve heard of them battling with gazing balls. I have an angry chickadee providing a glass act here. 

Thanks for stopping by
 “The rain begins with a single drop.”—Manal al-Sharif.
 “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”—Albert Einstein.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

A nuptial tubercle is a fibrous plate on the upper part of an American white pelican’s bill. It will fall off when the mating season is over. Pelicans often fish in groups as these birds are doing. Photos by Al Batt

A lovely book presenting an engaging tale of a Minnesotan’s adventurous search for a feathered treasure buried in Russia’s far east. It’s a quick read only because it’s difficult to put it down.—Al Batt

Zungunruhe and a hermit thrush

The Hermit Thrush is a lovely singer and likely gets its name because of its retiring ways. Photo by Al Batt.

Naturally
Birds are a handle for me to hold on to. The goldfinches become more lemony each day, tree swallows (spring on the wing) slice the air, and juncos persist in high numbers in my yard. Amid this junco jubilation and chorus frog caroling are fox sparrows, brown thrashers, white-throated sparrows, song sparrows, robins and a hermit thrush busily feeding. It’s a rare leaf resting on the ground that hasn’t had its butt kicked by all that scratching, flipping and tossing. It’s as if an avian The Who were playing a version of “The Chicken Dance” while smashing their guitars.
I rejoiced in the return of brown thrashers. The birds are masters of imitations and invention in their songs. Many folks are familiar with the northern mockingbird commonly seen and heard in much of this country. Brown thrashers typically repeat phrases only twice, while mockingbirds repeat theirs three or more times. Brown thrashers and gray catbirds hit the shuffle button.
My overlords, the squirrels, ate heartily. What would the people selling bird feeders do without squirrels? They ensure repeat customers. Squirrels live every day as if it’s their first.
Robins sing earlier some evenings than others. They time their singing to the intensity of light and time of sunset. When dark clouds roll in, they sing earlier. From sunset until dark, a robin adds ethereal whispered notes to its carol, creating a song of remarkable complexity. The American robin is one of the first bird species to sing each morning before the dawn chorus starts and one of the last ones to sing in the evening. Studies have found it sings the least around noon. A robin’s crepuscular singing may correlate with the physiology of its eyes, which are adapted to low-light environments, like dawn and dusk. In locations with more artificial light, robins initiate their morning songs earlier than in darker areas. Whispered syllables are frequently heard during dawn and dusk. The primary reason males sing is to attract a mate and to establish and defend a territory.
I enjoy counting raptors as I drive—mostly red-tailed hawks and American kestrels. An osprey looked large in the air, with its distinctive kink in its wings. I spotted a northern harrier male, a gray ghost of the marsh. It was once called a marsh hawk. I see them gliding low over a field as they hunt. This raptor has a white rump at the base of its tail. The females are brown.
I watched specklebellies (greater white-fronted geese) fly overhead and smiled at their laughing calls sounding strangely human. The belly of the goose is grayish with dark brown to black blotches and bars, giving it the nickname "specklebelly” or “speckled belly.”
I see organized groups culling our ditches of trash. They do good work. I pick up trash when I’m birding and have for so many years I can’t remember when I didn’t. I can’t pick it all up and I don’t try. I can pick up some of it and I do. One day, I found an entire pen. It hadn’t been crushed by a vehicle tire. It didn’t have any ink, but you can’t have everything. A woman asked me why I was picking up trash. She likely thought I’d been sentenced to community service. “I am birding,” I said.
I was on a long drive home from a speaking engagement. My journey was nothing compared to the migration of the bar-tailed godwit. Individuals of that species have traveled over 8100 miles without food or rest. How do birds know when to migrate? Day length, food availability, weather, temperature, body condition, other birds are migrating and Zungunruhe (a migratory restlessness).

Q&A
“How long is a chipmunk’s burrow?” The cute little eastern chipmunk with his cheeks stuffed with food has a burrow that reaches 2 feet deep and 30 feet long.
“What is Minnesota’s heaviest flying bird?” Weighing in at over 25 pounds, the trumpeter swan is the heaviest bird flying in North America.
“I see eagles by my cabin in northern Minnesota. Could they be golden eagles?” They would be immature bald eagles, which are the same size. Golden eagles don’t breed in Minnesota, but are regular winter residents of the blufflands region of southeast Minnesota.
“What kind of birds might be nesting in a bluebird nest box?” Bluebirds, tree swallows, black-capped chickadees, house wrens and house sparrows. Use a 1 9/16-inch entrance hole for bluebirds and 1 1/8-inch for chickadees.

Thanks for stopping by
“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.”—Henry David Thoreau.
“To look at any thing, if you would know that thing, you must look at it long.”—John Moffitt.
Do good.

©Al Batt 2022

I love a lemony American Goldfinch.

The damage done to Hartland, Minnesota, in December’s tornado are evident.

I hope the lovely mural endures.

When it comes to fishing, some of us (I’m talking about you, American White Pelicans) get carried away.

When it comes to fishing, some of us (I’m talking about you, American White Pelicans) get carried away.

A White-crowned Sparrow looks as if it’s wearing a bike helmet.

A White-crowned Sparrow looks as if it’s wearing a bike helmet.

My walk was a leaf-covered mosey. One of the leaves turned out to be a Mourning Cloak butterfly. I watched it as it flew to a place where it could feed on tree sap. This handsome creature hibernates as an adult.

Kids built this along a walking/bike trail. They were probably taking a class from a beaver.

In Rochester, Minnesota.

I’m seeing Red Admiral butterflies. They enjoy feeding on tree sap.

Spring radio.

These Common Loons spend the year here.