How big is a hummingbird nest?

Naturally

 Ah, fall warblers. They are all atwitter.
 The vastness of my world is revealed in the passage of these tiny birds. It’s a thrilling and memorable annual event for me.
 I jumped on that teeter-totter between work and warblers. I look down at the work on my desk, and then I look out the window at the warblers.
 Hummingbirds drink sugar water and chase others away from a chance of drinking sugar water.
 I put out grape jelly in small amounts to prevent a bird from becoming mired in the sticky stuff. There are long lines to the feeders. This past week, I've watched Baltimore orioles, red-bellied woodpeckers, brown thrashers, house finches, gray catbirds, downy woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, cardinals, robins and warblers (Tennessee, Nashville, yellow, Cape May and Blackburnian) dine on the jelly. I’ve never seen so many warblers feeding on the jelly. Tennessee warblers have been the most regular of the warbler chowhounds..
 The bird waterer is at its busiest but somehow becomes busier.
 Thanks to normal molts, I’m seeing balding blue jays. They should be on the brochure of the Feather Club for Jays. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says many of those birds are juveniles undergoing their first prebasic molt, which produces the first winter adult plumage.
 Enjoy every bird.

Q&A

 “How can I tell a red oak tree from a white oak?” Red oak leaves have pointed lobes, whereas white oak leaves have rounded ones. A bur oak belongs to the white oak group. Squirrels prefer the sweeter acorns of the white oak.
 “Are they ladybugs or lady beetles?” The terms ladybug and lady beetle are 
interchangeable, although lady beetle is more scientifically accurate. All ladybugs are actually lady beetles because they aren't bugs at all. They are beetles.
 “What seeds stick to me like those of burdock?” Burdock produces seeds covered in tiny hooks that catch on the fur of passing animals or socks of passing humans. This inspired George de Mestral to invent Velcro. There are devil’s beggarticks or devil’s pitchforks. Yellow avens have dry oval seed heads covered in hooks. Beggar’s lice stickseed, also called sticktights, have small globe-shaped nutlets with bristles. They’re called beggars because they want to hitch a ride.
 “How do slugs, snails and snapping turtles spend the winter?” Slugs typically winter as eggs in protected sites in the soil or under plant debris, mulch or boards. When the weather is dry or cold, a land snail retracts into its shell and goes to sleep. A snail pumps as much water as possible out of its body and seals the opening of its shell with a film-like covering. It might glue itself to a leaf, rock or other object. Snapping turtles often congregate to hibernate below the ice, burying themselves in decaying vegetation and mud, or wedging under submerged logs. Observers have witnessed snapping turtles slowly moving through the water under the ice during winter. As with fish and plants, aquatic snails cannot survive if the pond freezes solid and a depth of 20-30 inches provides a safe haven.
 “What is the best nectar for a hummingbird feeder?” Mix 1 part white table sugar with 4 parts water. I don’t always boil the water, but it helps the sugar dissolve. Don’t add red food coloring to entice hummingbirds. The red parts of feeders attract the birds’ attention. Don’t use honey, fruit juice, soda, sugar substitutes, syrups or brown sugar.
 “How big is a hummingbird nest?” The ruby-throated hummingbird’s nest is around 2 inches across (the height of a business card) and 1 inch deep (the length from the tip of your index finger to the first knuckle). The spiderwebs used to build the nest are strong and flexible enough to allow for expansion.
 “How many dragonflies are there in Minnesota?” There are an estimated 5,500 to 6,500 dragonfly and damselfly species in the world. In Minnesota, there are around 149 total species. Dragonflies belong to the class Insecta and the Order Odonata. Odonata includes both dragonflies and damselflies.
 “Do phoebes reuse their nests?” Eastern phoebes frequently renovate and reuse old nests.
 “Is ‘species’ pronounced SPEE-shees or SPEE-sees?” Both pronunciations are correct in the US. In the UK, they prefer SPEE-shees.
 “What is the largest spider in Minnesota?” The fishing spider at 1 1/4 inches long; 3 1/2 inches long when legs are included. It’s brown with three chevron markings usually visible on the abdomen and has banded legs. Associated with ponds, swamps and slow-moving streams, it’s a predator of insects and occasionally tadpoles and small fish. Does not harm people.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Most of us are scripted to think that life is a game and the purpose of life is to win. But the divine truth is that life is a gift and the purpose of life is to learn to love well.”—Brian Zhand.
 “Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”-William Faulkner.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

A blue jay with a crewcut. Photo by Al Batt.

Tennessee warblers enjoying a dinner conversation. Photo by Al Batt.

Baltimore orioles beautify any day. Photo by Al Batt.

Exuviae is the technical term for the sloughed-off natural animal coverings such as the skins of snakes and the shed exoskeletons of insects or other arthropods. Most insects don’t leave their exuviae hanging around, but cicadas have piercing-sucking mouthparts, which prevents them from eating their exuviae, as do most insects with chewing mouthparts. Photos of cicada and its exoskeleton by Al Batt.

At the Henderson (MN) Hummingbird Garden.

Immature and female American Redstarts are often called “Yellowstarts.”

A ruby-throated hummingbird samples something in a hawthorn tree. Photo by Al Batt.

The combatants locked bills and bumped chests



Naturally

 Nature isn’t far away. That’s a beautiful thing.
 The visually stunning male goldfinches flock to the feeders to gather food for mates and young.
 I heard a whistle, a plaintive “Ken-ne-dy.” Here’s a fun fact: only .003% of eastern wood peewee males are named Kennedy. That’s not true. I kid because I love. The peewee produced this call: “pee-a-wee!”
 I found wild turkey and blue jay feathers in the yard. Does that mean there will be cold turkeys and jays this winter? Turkeys molt all of their feathers each year, and molting is most pronounced during summer. Jakes molt first, followed by the hens that didn’t nest or hatch a brood, and toms molt after their breeding activities wane when spring turns to summer. Successful hens with broods and hens that have renested molt last. Blue jays also molt in summer, and some jays drop all their head feathers simultaneously. That’s why I see bald blue jays each year.
 On a lovely day in August, what better thing to do than to consider winter? Winters can be treacherous, and it’s the only season that happens twice a year. According to folklore, a narrow orange band on a woolly bear (woolly worm) caterpillar predicts a harsh winter, while a wide orange band means a mild winter. Folklore also says the number of fogs in August will correspond to the number of snowfalls in the coming winter. Farmers’ Almanac predicts a cold winter with an average snowfall for the upcoming winter for the Midwest. January 20 to 27 could provide abundant amounts of snow.
 There had been two wild turkey hens in the yard. They came with an established pecking order. One was the numero uno, and the other was the runner-up. A third hen showed up. She brought a poult with her. The original two hens had produced no young. Things were good for a couple of days. Peace reigned. Then, the new hen with a poult decided she should move up the organizational chart. An epic battle ensued. It was a protracted fight. A scuffle to reshuffle the hierarchy. The two combatants locked bills and bumped chests while doing a fierce shoving dance across the yard, like bucks locking antlers. They moved this way and that way. It ended with the current champion ousting the newcomer. The runner-up, an enabler during the fight, tossed in a peck on the head of the loser after the bout had ended in a 10-round unanimous decision. The runner-up had maintained her position, and the poult’s mother was OK. After all, she had finished third.

Q&A

 “When do Baltimore orioles leave Minnesota?” I’ve heard for years that they are all gone by the end of the first week of September, but that isn’t true. The median departure date in the northern part of the state is September 20 and October 25 in the south. Their migration peaks in August and September.
 “Why are so many tiny acorns falling from my oak tree? They’re producing so many acorns this year.” Oak trees rock. One tree is a woodland. Premature dropping of green acorns indicates that the tree is stressed because of adverse weather. Trees have a natural cycle where they produce a larger than normal number of acorns in a year known as a mast year or oak masting, to overwhelm predators’ appetites. The belief that the number of acorns is an indicator of the winter ahead is a myth. 
 “Are there any bad birds?” No, just birds that are misunderstood or have bad reputations.
 “What part of a poison ivy causes the rash?” Poison ivy rash is caused by an allergic reaction to the oily resin called urushiol found in the leaves, stems and roots of the plant. Wash the skin that came into contact with urushiol right away. This might reduce the chances of developing a rash, which can be itchy and last for weeks. Mild poison ivy rashes can be treated at home with soothing lotions and cool baths. Severe or widespread rashes may require prescription medication.
 “Is wild parsnip dangerous?” Wild parsnip is a tall, non-native plant with hollow, grooved stems, leaves resembling large celery leaves and small, yellow flowers clustered together in a flat-topped array. It can inflict burns that look like a rash with blistering and discoloration of the skin that came into contact with the sap from the plant in the presence of sunlight. Wild parsnip thrives in open places such as roadsides, pastures, and disturbed areas.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Earth is so thick with divine possibility that it is a wonder we can walk anywhere without cracking our shins on altars.”—Barbara Brown Taylor.
 “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.—Henri J.M. Nouwen.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

It’s not the turkey trot, it’s a turkey tussle meant to determine the pecking order. Photo of wild turkey hens battling and a wild turkey poult trying to stay out of the way by Al Batt.

Oleander aphids on butterfly weed.

Pelicans symbolize triumph over obstacles, a revival and good luck



Naturally

 A cardinal sang a cheerful message, an exultation of an avian voice that could be heard as, “Oh, dear, dear, dear.”
  A phoebe engaged in some persistent tail pumping before snatching a flying insect. Phoebe, in Greek mythology, is a Titaness.
  I watched pelicans hoovering up fish, and later, I walked in a Relay for Life as pelicans flew overhead. When a pelican crosses our path, some believe it symbolizes triumph over obstacles, a revival and good luck.
 Exaggerated wingbeats carried a great blue heron over a perched raptor. Urban Cooper’s hawks find the concentrated prey to their liking.
 Lord of the stable flies, I am not. They chew on my ankles as if I were a bag of Purina stable fly chow. Small meadowhawk dragonflies flew like mini-drones. The males are red and the females are yellow.
 The “black eye” of black-eyed Susans refers to the dark brown center of the daisy-like flower head. This member of the family Asteraceae can be found growing in almost any sunny location. Wild bergamot (bee balm or horse mint) bloomed in a light-purple profusion. Fleabane provided lovely white flowers.
 Far from home, the downtown crows flew in and landed on my borrowed truck. Crows are good family birds and the extended family flock were all perched comfortably. I’d gone into a bookstore to buy a friend’s new book. The birds landed and made crow noises. I suspected they were waiting to get a ride home.

Q&A

 Janet Eastvold of Hartland asked why so many were dragonflies in her yard. Dragonflies travel long distances and congregate (swarm) in areas where there is plentiful flying food, such as winged ants, mosquitoes, etc. They typically appear near dusk. Dragonflies may see their prey better when the sun is low on the horizon. Once the prey numbers drop, the dragonflies scram. 
 “How long do parent American robins care for their young?” The eggs are incubated for 12-14 days, the nestling stage is 13 days, and the parents feed the fledglings for up to 3 weeks outside the nest.
 Toni Perschbacher of Albert Lea asked if blue-green algae impacts fish. Blue-green algae (also called cyanobacteria) are natural organisms that are present around the world in oceans and freshwater. Factors like low water levels, limited circulation, higher temperature, and increased light can lead to algal blooms and toxin release. These blooms are increasing around the world. Eating fish caught from affected waters is an unknown health risk. Not enough research. Cyanobacteria is known for its vivid blue-green color, but it can be brown, black or red. The slime is generally not harmful to fish.
 Doug Ruble of Albert Lea asked if sandhill cranes are good parents. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, with the mother typically incubating at night while the father sleeps away from the nest. They share incubation duties equally during the day. A crane lays two eggs—an heir and a spare. In years when food is abundant, both chicks may survive. Raccoons, foxes and coyotes prey on crane eggs or young. Sometimes, cranes use a broken wing ruse to lure predators away from the nest or chicks and will aggressively defend with their wings and sharp bills. Colts typically live with their parents for less than a year before they separate during the spring migration or are forced to leave the breeding area.
 “How do birds stay cool in the heat without air conditioning?” Birds deal with excessive heat by drinking water and bathing in it. They find shade or take a nap. Birds cannot sweat. When it’s hot, some species resort to gular fluttering. The bird opens its mouth and flutters its neck muscles, promoting heat loss in an avian version of panting. Birds hold their wings away from their bodies so air can reach the skin beneath their feathers and release excess heat. Vultures urinate on their legs to capitalize on evaporative cooling in an action called urohidrosis.
 “How many cygnets do trumpeter swans have?” They lay three to eight eggs on average.
 “What’s the difference between spiderwebs and cobwebs?” Not all spiderwebs are cobwebs, but all cobwebs are spiderwebs. Spiderwebs typically refer to a web that is still in use, and cobwebs refer to an abandoned web. The sticky silk of a spiderweb is excellent at catching insects and great at collecting dust. 
 Maggie Maire of St. James asked about the thrushes we have in Minnesota. Seven thrushes, including the American robin, eastern bluebird, gray-cheeked thrush, hermit thrush, Swainson’s thrush, veery and wood thrush, are commonly seen in Minnesota. Occasionally, another species appears, the varied thrush.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.”—Wendell Berry.
 “The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?’”―Aldo Leopold.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

Most eastern tiger swallowtails in Minnesota are yellow with black stripes, but the female exhibits blue and also appears in a black form. The first flight is typically May-June and the second July-August. They overwinter as chrysalises. Larva hosts include cherry, chokecherry, birch, ash, cottonwood, aspen and willow. Adults nectar on bergamot, blazing star, ironweed, joe-pye weed, lilac, milkweed, phlox, red clover and sunflower. Photo by Al Batt.

Gulls eating pilfered pizza in a parking lot



Naturally

 I’m a lowly superintendent at the Freeborn County Fair, where people are kind enough to share their bird photos with me. There were many images showing eaglets on branches because birds grow on trees.
 The strangest photos were of an immature Cooper’s hawk devouring another immature Cooper’s hawk. I don’t know the backstory on the possible fratricide that resulted in cannibalism.
 On my way to the fair, I saw three sandhill cranes in a meadow. They were as rusty as old pliers in my toolbox. The adults preen by rubbing mud on their feathers, and the mud from iron-rich environments is reddish. The colt hatched cinnamon brown and will turn grey as it matures. A lone whooping crane was seen not far away, in the company of other sandhill cranes.
 A farm field filled with water from a recent heavy rainfall was rimmed with great egrets. I couldn’t say I had no egrets.
 Not all gulls are eating pilfered pizza in a parking lot. A Bomgaars store had a large flock of ring-billed gulls on its roof. The Latin word “arena” means sand, and the stage where the gladiators and exotic animals engaged in mortal combat was covered in a thin layer of sand. The store’s roof might be a gull arena.
 Cormorants flew this way and that way as if they were suturing the sky. It was a fair day.
 At home, I walked in the woods, reveling in the lack of curb appeal. An American goldfinch male’s flight, performed in a slow circling fashion over a nesting area, was accompanied by a “po-ta-to-chip” call. 
 A red-headed woodpecker was hawking insects. Its rich red head demanded my attention. Does any bird deserve its name more than the red-headed woodpecker? It was a grand champion day.

Q&A

 “How can I tell a Canada thistle from a bull thistle? Both produce purple flowers. If the thistle has rhizomes—roots that extend out from one plant to grow another plant nearby—it’s likely a Canada thistle (a perennial). If it has spiny wings up the length of its stem, it’s a bull thistle (a biennial). A bull thistle has been described as a larger and meaner-looking Canada thistle.
 “What bird is called a mope?” Since the pine grosbeak often lives far from humans, it tends to be relatively tame, allowing observers to approach it closely. This, coupled with its slow-moving, almost sluggish ways, led the residents of Newfoundland to nickname it the “mope.” 
 “What is meadow rue and white campion?” It’s an herbaceous perennial plant that belongs to the buttercup family. It’s a native found in moist prairies, meadows and along stream banks, and typically grows 2 to 8 feet tall in a bushy, clump-forming habit. It has a finely divided, bluish-green foliage that resembles that of a fern. The plant produces airy, delicate-looking panicles of small, greenish-white flowers that bloom from late spring to early summer. The flowers are followed by attractive, fluffy seed heads that persist into the fall. White campion grows 3 feet tall and blooms from June into October. The nonnative plant’s white flowers open in the evening, close by noon, sometimes later on cloudy days, only to open again the next morning. 
 “How did the goldfinch become the state bird of Iowa?” The American goldfinch was officially designated Iowa’s state bird on May 22, 1933. The Iowa Ornithologists' Union had nominated the goldfinch, and the proposal passed the legislature because of the backing of that group and because the goldfinch is a year-round resident of Iowa that Iowans easily recognize.
 “What do loon calls mean?” There are four major loon calls. The wail resembles the howling of a wolf and is used for long-distance communication between mated pairs or when threatened. The tremolo is the laughing call given in response to a perceived threat. The yodel is a danger or warning call given only by male loons during territorial interactions or when he feels threatened. The hoot is a soft, short call typically used for short-range communication between members of a loon family unit.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Take off the wings, and put him in breeches, and crows make fair average men. Give men wings, and reduce their smartness a little, and many of them would be almost good enough to be crows.”—Henry Ward Beecher.
 “This morning, at waterside, a sparrow flew to a water rock and landed, by error, on the back of an eider duck; lightly it fluttered off, amused. The duck, too, was not provoked, but, you might say, was laughing. This afternoon a gull sailing over our house was casually scratching its stomach of white feathers with one pink foot as it flew. Oh Lord, how shining and festive is your gift to us, if we only look, and see.”—Mary Oliver.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

Buzzard Day is celebrated in Hinckley, Ohio, because the turkey vultures (sometimes incorrectly called buzzards) return there every March 15 (the Ides of March). It’s thought the vultures chose the area because of the Great Hinckley Varmint Hunt of 1818 when 475 men and boys shot and killed wolves, bears and deer; harvested the meat they wanted and left the carcasses to rot. Photo by Al Batt.

The two barred owls were in cahoots

Naturally

 There is plenty of insect pressure (mosquitoes, gnats, deerflies, and stable flies) this year, but there is plenty of insect pleasure, too. A summer azure is a tiny powder blue butterfly that flies in June, July and August, much to my delight.
 Tree swallows are staging on utility wires before beginning their fall migration in July and August, heading for Florida and Central America. They gather to reason together.
 I spotted two owls near one another. I suspect the two barred owls were in cahoots. A barred owl has one ear that is higher than the other. Hearing from two different angles helps it pinpoint the location of prey.
 Thomas Sadler Roberts was a physician known for his work in ornithology. His book “The Birds of Minnesota” is a comprehensive account of Minnesota birds in 1932. Roberts considered the raven “a disappearing bird” headed for extinction in the state. Roberts noted that limited evidence existed to support the presence of wild turkeys in Minnesota. If they ever existed, it was only in the extreme southern part of the state along the Mississippi River and its tributaries and at the headwaters of the Des Moines River in Jackson County.

Q&A

 “Is lawn grass invasive?” Some grasses are invasive, including Kentucky bluegrass, which is pervasive in our prairies.
 “I’m seeing winged ants in my house. Should I be concerned?” The reproductive members of ant colonies have wings, so it means there is a possibility of an infestation in your wall voids or a nest somewhere inside your home or nearby on your property. These ant infestations begin when your home develops sites of increased moisture due to leaks, or has accessible food or garbage nearby.
 “When did the passenger pigeon last nest in Minnesota?” The passenger pigeon, with breeding flocks numbering in the millions and nest sites covering several square miles, last nested near Minneapolis in 1895.
 “Are there chiggers in Minnesota?” There are. I taste just like chicken to them. Their bites get in all kinds of places on a body. Chiggers go boldly where no one has gone before. Chiggers are larval forms of a mite. They don’t drink our blood or burrow into our skin, but they have a taste for dissolved body tissues. Chiggers like heat and humidity. Tall grass, moist areas around lakes or rivers, and wooded areas are likely to harbor chiggers. The bites of chiggers itch enough to keep a mind preoccupied, and covering them with nail polish doesn’t help. I take my mind off the itching with an intentional earworm, forcing a song to stick in my head. “It’s a Small World” works well.
 “Do brown chicken eggs have more spots in them than white 
eggs?” About 25-30% of brown eggs have pigment or protein spots next to the yolk or floating in the albumen. White eggs have them, but lack the brown pigment that combines with protein to make them stand out. The spots aren’t an indication of fertility and they aren’t bloodspots. It’s difficult to detect interior defects when shining a candling light through a brown-shelled egg, so bloodspots are more often found in brown eggs than white ones. There is a 1 in 3000 chance of finding a bloodspot in a white egg and a 1 in 1000 chance in a brown egg. They’re safe to eat when cooked properly.
 Lona Falenczykowski of Mankato saw a Cooper’s hawk and wondered why it stood on one leg. Injury? For warmth in cold weather. Some scientists suggest the birds rest a leg. Some birds may use it as a hunting strategy. A one-legged stance makes a wading bird less conspicuous and treelike with a single trunk and overhanging mass. Other scientists argue when a bird stands on one leg, it gives it enhanced swiveling mobility, which helps it watch for predators and prey.
 “I know house wrens nest in Iowa and Minnesota. Where else?” They breed from Canada through the West Indies and Central America, southward to the southernmost point of South America. 
 “How far will a mosquito fly to bite me?” There are 51 species found in Minnesota. Most species of mosquitoes travel up to 3 miles from their breeding grounds, but some species could fly up to 15 miles to enjoy your free samples. A mosquito can sense exhaled carbon dioxide from a distance of 30 feet or more.
 “When is the tick season in Minnesota?” Any time the ground isn’t covered with snow.

Thanks for stopping by

 "There are no little things. 'Little things,' so called, are the hinges of the universe."—Fanny Fern.
 “We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully nor for much longer unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody.”—Buckminster Fuller.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

Using trained cormorants to catch fish originated in Japan or China long ago. Young wild birds are captured and learn to fish by watching older birds. A bird is tethered for recapture with a ring or loop placed around its neck, which prevents it from swallowing larger fish. When it surfaces with a large fish in its gullet, a fisherman grabs it and removes the fish. Photo of double-crested cormorants by Al Batt.

The air was flavored with the odor of skunk

Naturally

 A squirrel was giving a rousing stump speech as I stumbled through the treacherous phalanxes of mosquitoes. The air was flavored with the odor of skunk. Depending upon the environment, conditions and the sniffer's nose, one can detect the smell of skunk from 1.5 miles to 20 miles. As Pepe Le Pew said, “If you have not tried it, do not knock it.”
 Crows flapped shadows in the welkin. They made flight announcements. Henry David Thoreau wrote, “What a delicious sound! It is not merely crow calling to crow, for it speaks to me too.” I love seeing crows walking in the yard in their bandy-legged gait.
 He wanted to follow me on my walk to the mailbox. He was a fawn. I called the little buck “Fawnzie.” It was a happy day when I saw him.
 I sat on a deck with friends and watched birds, each a stunning beauty, visit the busy feeders. It’s impossible to be unhappy around friends with bird feeders.
 At home, a talkative eastern screech owl, all beak and eyes, perched on our deck rail at midnight. It wasn’t the first night it’s done that. I see it flying out of a shed, but I never see it flying in. 
 A neighbor brought over an American kestrel—a female with an injured wing. It had likely flown into a window or a wire. I called the good people at The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota and made plans to get the raptor to them. The kestrel was feisty, and I thought it had a good chance of survival, but it died before we’d completed the rescue trip. I’ve hauled many animals to The Raptor Center and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. I should be used to their deaths, but I’m not.
 Juvenile cardinals resemble adult females but have gray-to-black bills. A chickadee feeds on a sunflower seed feeder each morning while I drink a cup of tea. No matter how many chickadees there are in this world, there’s always room for one more.
 It’s the time for tiny toads in our yards and gardens as they hop from water into a terrestrial life. 
 Yellow flowers proliferate: black-eyed Susan, evening primrose, common mullein, sow thistle, goldenrods, sunflowers and birdsfoot trefoil (eggs and bacon). Birdsfoot trefoil was introduced to the US for livestock forage and erosion control. It’s a low-growing, clover-like plant with a sprawling growth that blooms on our roadsides from May through August.

Q&A

 “What are the purple flowers I see in ditches?” Depending upon where and when in Minnesota you see them, here is a list that isn’t exhaustive: bee balm, Canada thistle, common burdock, purple coneflower, dame’s rocket, purple loosestrife, rough blazing star, fireweed, hoary vervain, bittersweet, New England aster, milkweeds, spotted knapweed and vetch. Cow vetch (also known as bird vetch) and hairy vetch are legumes planted for forage and became established in roadsides and disturbed sunny areas. The flowers bloom from May to August, clustered on one-sided spikes.
 “Is that morning glory growing in the fence lines?” The perennial vining plant called bindweed or creeping jenny resembles morning glory. It has arrow-shaped leaves and creeps along the ground or climbs on objects like fences. It has white or pinkish funnel-shaped flowers that are like those of the morning glory.
 “How do I kill a tick?” Flushing a tick down the toilet isn’t always an effective way to kill it. It may drown the tick or it might be a theme park ride for it, and it’s possible for the tick to climb out of the toilet. Drop the tick into a container of alcohol to kill it. Besides rubbing alcohol, it’s said that eucalyptus oil and bleach will do the job.
 “What is the old saying about a cow’s tail indicating the weather?” The weather folklore is a cow with its tail to the west, makes weather the best. A cow with its tail to the east, makes weather the least. I’m not sure cows are crack meteorologists.
 “How can I tell the two Solomon’s seal plants apart?” False Solomon’s seal has flowers at the end of its stem. Solomon’s seal has flowers and berries along the underside of the stem.

Thanks for stopping by

 “March 13: Bought a telescope today for eight dollars. April 23: Saw my white-headed eagle…We who live this plodding life here below never know how many eagles fly over us. They are concealed in the empyrean. I think I have got the worth of my glass now that it has revealed to me the white-headed eagle.”– Thoreau, The Journal, 1854.
 “I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours…I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds…I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.”—Mary Oliver.

©️Al Batt 2024

If you lived five years in your parents’ basement after finishing school, you heard them say, “It’s time for you to spread your wings.” It’s a polite way of saying, “Scram!”

  But why does this house wren spread its wings while sunbathing? To dry wing feathers, thermoregulation, realign feathers, force parasites into motion to ease their removal or to spread preen oil across the feathers. Photo by Al Batt

Hearing a cicada makes the day a few degrees hotter



Naturally

 Hearing a cicada makes the day seem a few degrees hotter. Its call is easily heard because most of the long-winded birds have quieted with the season, with the indigo bunting, vesper sparrow and dickcissel being notable and welcome exceptions. Robins, house wrens, mourning doves, cardinals, blue jays and an eastern wood-peewee played limited parts in the diminished chorus. 
 There was a dead crow in the yard. The yard crows were having a cow because of that. I infrequently find one hit by a vehicle on a road. They’re typically blue-eyed crows—juvenile birds that hadn’t yet realized the perils of traffic. 
 A mother fed her fledgling downy woodpeckers at a suet feeder. Food was dropped from that high chair, but she was relentless. Good moms need patience. It was nice to see the red caps on the young ones, in striking contrast to the lack of red on the mother’s head and the red nape of the father. 
 There’s a good crop of young robins, spotted like feathered fawns, moving about the lawn this year. A male Eurasian tree sparrow has been initiated into a flock of house sparrows, a place where hybridization could occur. I see no sign of gray on his chestnut crown, so I doubt he’s a hybrid.
 The rain pauses only long enough to catch its breath. As I write this, mosquitoes are planning their menus with me as the daily special.   
 Despite the soggy, hangry skeeters and the dead crow, I’m blessed by all the incredible things I see just by looking or hear just by listening.

Q&A

 “Do loons migrate as a family?” No, the adult males leave first, usually in September, followed a few weeks later by the adult females. Prior to flying south, Minnesota loons congregate on Lake Michigan with thousands of other loons for around 28 days before heading to their winter homes on the Gulf of Mexico or along the southern Atlantic coast. Young loons follow a month or so later, sometimes as late as mid-November. Once they reach the coast, the young loons remain there for two years. In the third year, they return north, but may not breed for several more years. Males tend to return closer to their natal territory than females do. Minnesota has more common loons than any other state except Alaska. 
 “How do I move a snapping turtle off the road?” Be careful of traffic and snapping turtles with powerful jaws, sharp claws, and long necks they can extend rapidly. Don’t place your hands near the front half of the turtle or pick the turtle up by the tail, which can injure the bones of the tail and back. If you have an appropriately sized box or container, carefully push the turtle into the box from behind with a broom or a shovel. Gently tip the turtle out of the box on the other side of the road. You will emerge unscathed as a hero.
 “How do I tell a dragonfly from a damselfly?” Dragonflies are bulkier than damselflies, and the resting wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body like the wings of an airplane, while damselflies hold their wings folded at rest, giving them a slender appearance. If it breathes fire, it’s a dragonfly.
 Joan Mooney of Waseca wondered how to make binoculars user-friendly. Eyecups position your eyes at the correct distance from the lenses. If you don’t wear glasses, leave them in the extended “out” position; if you wear glasses, turn them “in” so that your eyes aren’t held too far from the lenses. Line up the two barrels of the binoculars with your eyes so that the two circles converge into one image. Set the diopter. This adjusts for the difference between your two eyes. An online video can show you the procedure. This dialogue takes place in the movie “Moonrise Kingdom.” Sam: “Why do you always use binoculars?” Suzy: “It helps me see things closer. Even if they're not very far away. I pretend it's my magic power.”
 Jennifer and Lily of Wells asked if flies, ticks and mosquitoes drink water? Flies drink water, but since their entire diet is liquid, most water is derived from the food they eat. It has been assumed that blood and water vapor are the only sources of water to maintain water balance and prevent the desiccation of ticks, but research found that lone star ticks also drink water. Mosquitoes achieve rehydration through three main routes: ingesting water, feeding on nectar and engaging in hematophagy (feeding on blood). Mosquitoes primarily obtain water from the nectar of plants.

Thanks for stopping by

 “I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.”―Charles Lindbergh.
 “Anything will talk to you if you love it enough.”—George Washington Carver.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

A beetle pair finds a small dead animal, like a mouse, and buries it in amenable soil, giving the beetle its common name: the burying or sexton beetle. The female lays eggs on the carcass, and the subsequent larvae depend on their parents for food. The parents regurgitate carrion for the larvae until they’re old enough to feed themselves. Photo by Al Batt. 

Why is that bird called a godwit?

Naturally

 It’s the time of the year when it becomes the land of the tall, yellow flowers. They’re worth the price of admission.
 I still think house sparrows are cute, and I’m excited that the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a limited-edition Cicada Bobblehead.

Q&A

 Jim Lageson of Ellendale asked me to explain the love life of a house wren. They nest in old woodpecker holes, natural crevices and nest boxes provided by humans. Wrens are fierce competitors for nest sites, sometimes evicting a larger species or claiming a cavity after another bird has begun nesting. Male house wrens arrive about nine days before the females and build several nests, hoping to attract a female. I read of a nest containing 500 sticks. Only the female incubates the two broods of eggs. Pairs rarely reunite a second year. Single males sometimes compete for females even after a pair has begun nesting and can displace their rivals. Some mated males sing to advertise for secondary mates at surplus cavities on their territories, a form of polygamy called polygyny. Some unpaired males add spider egg sacs to the nest. You’d think they’d function as ornaments to attract mates, but scientists found that nests containing those sacs took significantly longer to acquire mates. Their presence had no effect on the number or condition of offspring produced from a nest. Some believe wrens put the spider egg sacs in their nests to reduce the number of mites, reasoning that the eggs hatch and the baby spiders dine on the mites.
 “Why do earthworms come to the surface when it rains?” It’s likely that they find it easier to move across a wet soil surface to find food, a new habitat or a mate. Conventional wisdom holds that earthworms head to the surface because they can’t breathe. Humans drown when our lungs fill with water, but earthworms lack lungs. Studies show most earthworm species can survive being submerged in water for two weeks or more, making the drowning worm idea a myth. Some scientists believe the sound of rain hitting the ground makes worms think they're in danger from moles, causing them to escape to the surface.
 “How can I tell loon sexes apart?” The male is the one that gives a yodel and he typically has a larger bill.
 “What’s the difference between a juvenile bird and an immature bird?” A juvenile is a bird in its first plumage of non-downy feathers. An immature is a bird of any age other than an adult. A juvenile is an immature bird, but an immature bird isn’t necessarily a juvenile.
 Karen Wright of Mankato asked if earwig numbers are high this year. A mild winter can lead to a bumper crop as more adult earwigs survive and lay eggs in the spring. Dryer years see fewer earwigs, so wet winters are also good for them. Earwigs are omnivorous scavengers that feed on fruits, vegetables, decaying organic material, and weakened or dead insects and other tiny organisms. They also chew irregular holes in leaves and flower blossoms of dahlias, hostas and marigolds. The name “earwig” comes from the Old English ear-wicga, which means “ear wiggler”—named because the insect was thought to seek human ears to live in. The pincers (cerci) at the end of an earwig’s abdomen look like formidable forceps and can pinch, but the pinch isn’t robust enough to bother most people. They use their cerci to ward off enemies, to catch prey and during romantic encounters. A male earwig’s pincers are long and curved, while a female’s are shorter and straighter. Earwigs are 1/2 to 1 1/4-inch long and are reddish-brown.
 I showed tour participants a noisy marbled godwit, and some wondered about the origin of the name for this large, long-legged, wading bird. The name is of unknown origin but is likely imitative of the bird's call.
 “Are Russian olives good for deer?” Russian olive seed is relished by birds, whose droppings contribute to the tree's spread. Deer, coyotes and raccoons consume the fruit, and small mammals use the fruit and seeds as a food source. The nonnative Russian olive quickly takes over streambanks, lakeshores and prairies, choking out native vegetation. It changes nutrient cycling and taxes water reserves. The DNR recommends planting false indigo, nannyberry, chokecherry, gray dogwood, pin cherry or pussy willow instead.
 “What is a cat owl?” That’s a nickname for a great horned owl with its feathered tufts (plumicorns) resembling the ears of a cat.

Thanks for stopping by

 “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”―Mark Twain.
 “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”― Charles Bukowski.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

A female red fox, called a vixen, gives birth to 5-10 kits, pups or cubs, which become independent at 7 months of age. The fox makes many sounds, including barks and screams. The red fox has a white tip to its tail; the gray fox has a black-tipped tail. Photo of red fox kits by Al Batt.

We need a national bird

Naturally

 I rambled while wearing sandals because I love the freedom of the open-toed.
 I walked with purpose. An inspired bird saunter. My antennae were finely tuned, searching for magic doors to open. My heart sang as I glimpsed something out of the corner of my eye. I turned onto a trail of discovery. The thing turned out to be a plastic bag clinging to a branch. The bag shimmered in the wind like an air dancer outside an auto dealer’s lot. It was disappointing in many ways.
 Turkey vultures sliced the air thin. I watched as meditation. Raindrops and birds are bolts of beauty. Proust wrote, “Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy?” I walked several miles until I heard a vesper sparrow sing. I was soggy, but I’d reached my destination—an all-powerful joy.
 On a rare night without rain, I watched a baseball game at Mueller Park in New Ulm and listened to common nighthawks flying overhead and calling for “beans,” but eating flying insects instead.
 At home, I watched two suet holders do a thriving business. The birds I saw feeding on suet over a week were brown thrasher, gray catbird, red-headed woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, European starling, house sparrow, common grackle, white-breasted nuthatch, Baltimore oriole, blue jay, rose-breasted grosbeak and that gold standard of birds, the black-capped chickadee. A hairy woodpecker male displayed noisily with his bill pointed upward and bobbing from side to side of the suet feeder.
 I located a red-winged blackbird nest with three eggs (blue with black markings) in it, which was 2 feet off the ground in a Canada thistle in a prairie planting. 
 In Disney’s animated version of “Alice in Wonderland,” the White Rabbit sang, “I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say ‘Hello,’ goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!” 
 My yard’s version of the White Rabbit was a late Blackburnian warbler here on June 19. It posed for a photo, noticed the time and fled the scene. A Eurasian tree sparrow has been a recurring guest star on the suet feeders.
Our national bird
 The National Eagle Center in Wabasha and a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives are leading an effort to make the bald eagle the country’s national bird. Preston Cook, Co-Chair of the National Bird Initiative for the National Eagle Center, said, “The bison is the national mammal, the rose is the national flower, and the oak is the national tree. It’s time the bald eagle, long revered as our national symbol, finds its rightful place as our country’s official national bird.”
 Many people think it’s the national bird because on June 20, 1782, the Continental Congress installed the bald eagle on the front of the Great Seal. The legislative effort is being led by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and U.S. Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Angie Craig (D-MN).

Q&A

 “Why does a bird chirp in the middle of the night?” It means the bird’s battery is low. They also do so to communicate, declare territory, respond to danger, seek mates or are confused by light pollution.
 “When did the opossum first arrive in Minnesota?” They showed up in southeastern Minnesota around 1900.
 Jack May of Mankato asked about pelican travel. American white pelicans will fly 100 miles, at up to 31 mph, to a food source. A pelican can reach down to about 3 feet below the surface of the water, eat about 3 pounds of fish a day, and expel 3 gallons of water after a catch. 
 “Why do I see so many crows and vultures in fields of mowed hay?” American crows and turkey vultures are there for the food. They eat animals that didn’t survive the mowing. The crows also gobble up voles, mice and large insects exposed by an implement.
 “What is corn thistle?” It’s a nickname for the nonnative Canada thistle. Other nicknames include creeping thistle, field thistle, perennial thistle, small-flowered thistle, green thistle, cursed thistle and Californian thistle. It was named by early settlers who blamed its presence on French traders from Canada. The aggressive plant reduces crop yields, as its 40,000 seeds could remain viable for 21 years in the soil. There is a native plant named the field thistle.

Thanks for stopping by

 “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”―Roald Dahl.
 “If you ask me what is the most essential element in the teaching and morality of Jesus Christ, I would answer you: the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is humility.”—St. Augustine.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

Adult male orchard orioles are predominately chestnut in color. Females and juveniles of both sexes have olive and yellow plumages. The orchard oriole is the smallest species of oriole in North America. Its song is a series of loud, clear whistles with a phrasing similar to an American robin. The nest (built chiefly, if not all, by the female) is a hanging pouch. Photo by Al Batt. 

Woodpeckers are a keystone species

Naturally 

 A glance out the windows showcasing feeders unveiled a red-headed woodpecker, indigo bunting, northern cardinal, Baltimore oriole, gray catbird, blue jay and black-capped chickadee. I don’t question why I watch birds, but if I did, I’d find answers in the beauty beyond the glass.
 A great crested flycatcher continues to battle his reflection in several of those windows. Inchworms (cankerworms) are so abundant this year, I rarely see a house wren bill without a green worm in it. A check of the bluebird boxes was good news. If a bluebird you see, a good time having you be.
 Woodpeckers are considered keystone species because of their broad effects on other species. They create cavities that other species use, aid in controlling forest insects, and may help disperse spores of fungi that are agents of decay. A keystone species is one that has a disproportionately large effect on the communities in which it lives. The term was coined by American zoologist Robert T. Paine in 1969 and refers to the practice of using a wedge-shaped stone to support the top of an arch in a bridge or other construction.
 I enjoy seeing the Jack-in-the-pulpits in the woods. The plant has both male and female parts, and can change gender from year to year in response to successful (or failed) reproduction the previous year. Small flies pollinate it. The Jack-in-the-pulpit is native to the lower 48 states and parts of Canada. Some birds and mammals eat the berries of this plant, but humans should not. Native Americans harvested the roots for food, but the plant contains calcium oxalate crystals that cause blisters and painful irritations when eaten raw. 

Q&A

 “What are ditch lilies?” The bright orange flowers on tall spikes are perennials whose botanical name is Hemerocallis fulva, but are better known as ditch lilies, tiger lilies, orange daylilies, railroad lilies, corn lilies, outhouse lilies, tawny lilies and wash-house lilies.  
 “How did the loon become our state bird?” Minnesota has the largest population of common loons in the contiguous 48 states. In 1949, Minnesota's legislature appointed a state bird commission to select from eight candidates: the pileated woodpecker, wood duck, belted kingfisher, killdeer, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, mourning dove and common loon. The commission included ornithologists, museum directors and state officials. Their first task was to set up criteria for the selection. They were: 1. It should be a bird no other state had as a state bird. 2. It should be reasonably well known. 3. It should occur throughout the state, at least during the nesting season and preferably during the entire year. 4. It should be a strikingly marked bird whose pattern would lend itself well to use in an insignia. 5. It should have a special significance for Minnesota. Voting for the best of the eight choices included school children, sportsmen's clubs, other organizations and interested citizens. The voting was inconclusive and the legislature took no action. The American goldfinch was considered the unofficial state bird and the pileated woodpecker and the belted kingfisher were proposed for the honor. The Minnesota Ornithologists' Union continued to campaign for the common loon. They influenced public opinion and the legislature enough that in 1961, the common loon became the official state bird. 
 “How can I tell male and female chickadees apart?” They look identical. It’s primarily males that whistle the fee-bee song, and in aggressive encounters, males are usually dominant over females. 
 “When were honey bees brought to this country?” I’d learned that the honey bee didn’t exist on this continent until 1622, when colonists brought it from Europe and the Native Americans dubbed it "the white man's fly." Now I’ve read that honey bees existed at least 14 million years ago in North America, according to a fossil record identified by paleontologist-entomologist Michael Engle of the University of Kansas. It had been unearthed in the Stewart Valley basin in Nevada.
 “Do any fruit trees do well in wet areas?” Fruit trees don’t like wet feet. They don’t do well where water collects. Pears can grow in wet soil conditions if they get enough sun.
 “Is it only the female ticks that bite?” Both male and female ticks feed on blood by inserting their barbed, straw-like mouthparts into the skin of their host, but only female ticks drink enough to become engorged.

Thanks for stopping by

 “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.” – Ogden Nash
 “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.”—Ogden Nash.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

The melancholy hul-a, hoop, hoop, hoop is the wistful song that gave the mourning dove its name. Pigeons and doves suck water through their beaks like a straw, instead of tilting their heads back to let gravity work. Both parents feed chicks pigeon milk—a nutrient-rich substance secreted by the crop and regurgitated as a meal. Photo of parents with young mourning dove by Al Batt.

Adult males are called cobs and adult females are pens.

 Naturally

 Kelly Blackledge, visitor service manager at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, has her car serviced in a garage with woods behind it, which allows her to go birding while her oil is being changed. 
 Sigurd Olson wrote “A time for silence” and Ralph Waldo Emerson penned, “Drink the wild air.” I walked with those words and friends at Tamarac NWR in May, where we were surrounded by birdsong. I wanted to pull up a chair, lean in and listen. 
 Don Kroodsma, an author and an expert on birdsong, found that unpaired male Connecticut warblers sing through much of the night. Any male warbler who sings all day long is unpaired. Unpaired mockingbirds sing at night. He said a Connecticut warbler at Sax-Zim Bog began singing at 7:38 p.m. and ended at 10:13 a.m. He added the mockingbird has about 100 songs, the catbird 200 to 400, and the brown thrasher 1,000 to 2,000 songs. All three mimic, but the mockingbird mimics more than the other two, doing some well enough to fool the Merlin Sound ID app that listens to birds and suggests the singer. Don played a recording of a starling mimicking an eastern phoebe and a northern flicker at the same time, one with its left voice box and the other with the right voice box. He described four male chipping sparrows displaying and singing in a lek-like arena during the dawn chorus, but dispersing to their daytime centers of activity before sunrise. Two other males replaced those four after sunrise; those two had been presumably displaying elsewhere during the dawn chorus. Lek-like behavior is observed in birds such as prairie chickens.

Trumpeter swans

 I drove over the Wing River on my way to Wadena. As I did so, a pair of trumpeter swans winged their way overhead. Adult males are called cobs, and adult females are pens. They usually mate for life and typically begin nesting when 3 or 4 years old. A pair of swans may build their nest on a muskrat house, beaver lodge or construct it from marsh vegetation. Nest mounds are 6 to 12 feet across and 18 inches high. They will defend up to 100 acres of wetland territory against other swans or predators. In late April, pens will lay a clutch of 5 to 7 eggs. The young swans, called cygnets, hatch in 33 to 37 days and remain in the nest with the pen for at least 24 hours until they can maintain their own body temperature. Cygnets have a light gray plumage and feed mainly on aquatic insects and crustaceans during their first weeks of life. In July, before the cygnets can fly, the adult swans lose their primary wing feathers. In August, adult swans grow new primaries and can fly again. The cygnets fly in September when they are 14 to 17 weeks old.

Q&A

 “How many kinds of rabbits are there in Minnesota?” There are three lagomorph species in the state. One rabbit and two hares. Hares are born well-furred with eyes open, and move around shortly after birth, whereas rabbit babies are born blind, hairless and helpless. The eastern cottontail is the rabbit we commonly see. The white-tailed jackrabbit is a hare with exceptionally long ears (hare extensions), is 2 feet long and weighs 6 to 10 pounds. When surprised, it bounds off like a kangaroo. When frightened, it speeds away at up to 40 mph. It can leap 10 feet at a time. The snowshoe hare is slightly larger than the cottontail rabbit and can reach speeds of 30 mph and jump 12 feet in a single bound. Its coat is brown in summer and white in the winter, earning it the nickname varying hare. Snowshoe hares live in the upper half of the state, where they’re typically found in young forests, dense woodlands, thickets, and forest bogs and swamps. They’re about 20 inches long and weigh 3 pounds. The snowshoe hare's food changes with the seasons. In summer, it feeds on grasses, berries, wildflowers, clover and other green vegetation. In winter, it eats bark, twigs and evergreen needles. The snowshoe hare roams a 7- to 17-acre home range. An acre is slightly smaller than a football field.
 “Do adult cicadas eat?” Cicadas are often mistakenly called locusts, which are members of the grasshopper family and have chewing mouthparts. Cicadas have sucking mouthparts and don’t chew. Cicadas are in the scientific order Hemiptera, a group of insects known as true bugs. Adult cicadas feed little on plant sap.
Thanks for stopping by
 “If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows.”—Henry Ward Beecher.
 “We heap up around us things that we do not need as the crow makes piles of glittering pebbles.”—Laura Ingalls Wilder.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

 

A red-eyed vireo is noted for singing tirelessly from the treetops during the nesting season. Its song can be heard as “Here I am, up here, in the tree, look up, at the top, over here.” One dedicated listener counted 22,197 songs from one vireo in one day. The name “vireo” comes from a Latin word meaning “to be green.” Only the adults have the red eyes. Photo by Al Batt.

How many inchworms does it take to make a footworm?



Naturally 

 I heard a miracle in the song of what my father called a “summer warbler.” It was an itsy-bitsy, teenie-weenie, red-striped, yellow warbler male. Starlings imitated eastern wood-pewees and eastern meadowlarks.
 A blue-gray gnatcatcher is blue-gray above and white below, with a white eye-ring. The males have distinctive black eyebrows. They eat various small insects and spiders, not just gnats. 
 A snowy owl that delighted birders and photographers in Sax-Zim Bog last winter, died after being struck by a train. Owls don’t win that battle.
 The European invasive Dame's rocket blooms profusely in colonies. It’s often confused with native phlox, but Dame’s rocket flowers have four petals, while phlox blossoms have five petals (P-H-L-O-X).
 The names May beetle, June beetle and June bug refer to species of beetles in the genus Phyllophaga that injure turfgrass. The larvae feed on grass, tree and shrub roots, and mature in the soil, which takes the white grubs two or three years.
 The white foam blobs on various plants are produced by the nymphs of spittlebugs, small insects related to aphids. The foam protects the nymph from predators and provides insulation from temperature extremes and low humidity so the nymph doesn’t desiccate. Adult spittlebugs are called froghoppers.

Q&A

 “How many inchworms does it take to make a footworm?” Inchworms, also called cankerworms, loopers or spanworms, are caterpillars that move with a distinctive “looping” motion. Full-grown cankerworms are about an inch in length and vary in color. Fall cankerworms emerge from the soil as adult moths in late October; spring cankerworms in March. Spring and fall cankerworm eggs hatch at about the same time in the spring. Cankerworms go through natural cycles with two to seven years of high populations (average of four years), followed by 13 to 18 years of low populations. Spring and fall cankerworms feed on buds and leaves after eggs hatch in the spring. They create small BB-sized holes in leaves. Spring cankerworms can be yellow-green to brownish to blackish. A white stripe may run along the side of the body. Fall cankerworms range from light green to dark green to black.
 “Do turtles replace their shells?” The shell of most freshwater turtle species is made of multiple layers and the outermost portion consists of large scales called scutes. The scutes are made of keratin and are similar to human fingernails in that both are composed of a material called keratin. The innermost portion of a turtle’s shell is part of its skeleton. As a turtle grows, its shell must grow with it. A turtle goes through periods of molting where the scutes shed individually, appearing to peel off.
 “I read that captive-reared monarch butterflies have smaller wing sizes, decreased navigational abilities, lower migration success, slower flight with less power, are physically weaker and aren’t as intelligent as wild monarchs. True?” We thought we were doing them a favor, didn’t we? They also experience stress from human handling. The Xerxes Society recommends rearing no more than 10 monarchs per year and collecting immature monarchs locally. Keep rearing containers clean between individuals by using a 20% bleach solution to avoid spreading diseases or mold. Provide sufficient milkweed by adding fresh milkweed daily. Keep rearing containers out of direct sunlight and provide a moist (not wet) paper towel or sponge to provide adequate, not excessive, moisture. Release monarchs where they were collected at appropriate times. 
 “What plant is the old man’s whiskers?” It’s also known as prairie smoke or purple avens, a delightful spring wildflower that spreads by rhizomes to form large clumps. As the nodding reddish-pink to purplish flowers fade, they turn upright to form feathery gray tails that resemble miniature feather dusters.
 “Does a robin look or listen for worms?” The American robin uses auditory, visual, olfactory and possibly vibrotactile cues to find prey, but vision is the principal means of prey detection. Scientists found that a robin can locate earthworms just by listening, as reported in the journal Animal Behavior. Researchers hid worms behind barriers, eliminating the possibilities of sight, smell and touch. The robins found the worms easily.
 “Do rabbits dig burrows?” They don’t. To nest, the female eastern cottontail rabbit digs a shallow depression and lines it with grass and fur, and tops it with grass and leaves. The young are born blind and without fur, but within a week their eyes are open, and by the second week their fur has grown in. In the winter, rabbits might use an underground burrow abandoned by a woodchuck or other species.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Wonder takes our breath away,  and makes room for new breath. That’s why they call it breathtaking.”―Anne Lamott.
 “‘Wow’ is about having one’s mind blown by the mesmerizing or the miraculous: the veins in a leaf, birdsong, volcanoes.”—Anne Lamott.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

The question mark butterfly is a conspicuous orange and brown butterfly commonly found in wooded areas and city parks. When the butterfly folds its wings, they mimic the color and shape of a dead leaf. Its name comes from a small, silver, question mark-shaped marking on the underside of the hindwing. This butterfly overwinters as an adult. I see this butterfly feeding on nectar feeders, sap flows and rotting fruit. Photos by Al Batt.

The bird gave me a loud smacking kiss.



Naturally

 A friend said she’d been using the Merlin app on her phone to ID bird calls, but the frogs and toads called so emphatically, it left the app confounded. When I started leading birding trips, people carried binoculars and spotting scopes. More cameras became included. While leading a busload of birders recently, some depleted their phone batteries while using Merlin.
Brown noise
 I’ve heard people call the brown thrasher (state bird of Georgia) the “brown thrush.” An intriguing call of this inventive songster sounds like a loud smacking kiss. It sings, "Plant a seed, plant a seed, bury it, bury it, cover it up, cover it up, let it grow, let it grow, pull it up, pull it up, eat it, eat it."
 A thrasher greets the day on my deck rail each morning. It’s not an eponymic, so its name need not be changed unless it was named for Buster Brown. Its name could be the brown-rufous-cinnamon-rust-umber-white-gray-burnt sienna-cream-reddish-brownish-red-black-yellow-foxy thrasher. The yellow for its eyes. It’s just a thought.

Canada geese

 I walked around Lake Sagatagan at the St. John’s Abbey Arboretum. A family of Canada geese (Ma, Pa and five goslings) moved toward the water. One baby had difficulty climbing over the trunk of a fallen tree. To the gosling, it was Mt. Everest. It cried. The gander walked back to see if he could help and stepped onto the log just as the gosling reached the summit. The gander’s big foot landed directly on top of the little fellow. More crying ensued. They both shuffled into the water, appearing no worse for the wear, but I expect the gosling had nightmares.
 There was a traffic jam in Waseca. Waseca isn’t a big city, so its traffic jams generally involve farm equipment. The cause of this one was a large gaggle of Canada goose parents and their goslings traveling from feeding along the railroad tracks to a lake. I saw molt flights northward of nonbreeding and failed breeding Canada geese in late May and early June. In early to mid-June, adult geese molt and cannot fly for about a month. If the adult geese have goslings, the goslings are unable to fly until around mid-July when they’re 8 to 12 weeks old. The geese breed when two or three years old. If all of those non-breeding birds spent the summer with the breeding population, it’d stress the resources needed to raise the next generation. They need a secure area to undergo a molt and molting in a flock provides security.

Meadowlark melodies

 A male western meadowlark has serious pipes and sings to defend his nesting territory and attract a mate. There is a thunderclap in the decibel level of his song. I drove down a gravel road and thought I heard a western meadowlark singing in my backseat—it was that loud. Its paean came at full tilt from its fence post perch along the road. The meadowlark wore a brilliant yellow vest marked with a black V-shaped bib worn under a brown tweed jacket. Meadowlarks made a good impression on me when I was a boy. Like all good Minnesotans, I enjoy driving around with my windows rolled down, although there’s not much rolling required anymore. I don’t want to miss any windchills or comforting songs of western meadowlarks, which Donald Culross Peattie called “the most joyful voice in all the world of birds.” 
Born Meadow George Lemon, he adopted the name “Meadowlark” because of its “sweet happy song.” His first basket was fashioned from a coat hanger and onion sack, and an empty tin can was the ball. Meadowlark Lemon was the Clown Prince of Basketball and the star of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Q&A

 “What’s a group of warblers called?” Collective nouns for warblers are a bouquet, confusion, fall, flock or wrench.
 “When do turtles lay their eggs, and why am I seeing baby turtles now?” Most of Minnesota’s nine species of freshwater turtles lay their eggs from late May through June. Sadly, 80-90% of the nests are predated, most in the first couple of days before the scent of the freshly laid eggs diminishes. The sun warms the eggs. If the nest isn’t in a sunny spot, the turtles hatch later in the fall and stay underground until spring.
 “Is there a queen bird?” There are king penguins, king vultures, king eiders, kingfishers, kingbirds and kinglets. The Carola’s parotia is sometimes called Queen Carola’s parotia.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Here is the great privilege at every person living in the present possesses: We are entitled to enjoy all the advances of the past 300 years of society and civilization, and yet we are not required to pay one iota for that enjoyment.”–Michael Garry.
 “Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.”—James Thurber.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

Eastern chipmunks and 13-lined ground squirrels have grayish- or reddish-brown fur. Chipmunks are about 10 inches long, and ground squirrels 11 inches—including tails. The 13-lined ground squirrel has stripes that extend to its head. Only the body of a chipmunk displays stripes. Their 13 stripes (seven dark brown and six tan) give the ground squirrels (striped gophers) their name. The darker stripes usually have tan spots. Chipmunks have five broad stripes alternating between dark and light. Photos by Al Batt.

Does my car have a frog in its throat?

Naturally

 A robin sang in the rain, polishing my day. Why did it sing in the falling moisture? Why not? We sing in the shower. The robin was singing in the shower. What does it mean when a bird sings in the rain? It’s said to indicate that fair weather is approaching. That makes sense. My experience is that the rain always stops, and eventually, fair weather magically appears. A robin may sing to defend its territory or because it enjoys “Singin' in the Rain,” a 1952 musical and romantic comedy film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. I find comfort in the robin’s rain song. I’ve used this written by Robert Louis Stevenson in eulogies, “Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.”
 Among the earliest to bloom in spring, woodland wildflowers have value for pollinators when food is scarce. Spring ephemerals bloom, are pollinated and produce seed during a small window of time between snow-melt and leaf-out. Ephemerals are a heart drawn in the sand and quickly give way to more shade-tolerant flowers.
 The cracks in the sidewalk showed many small, volcanic-like mounds of soil. Pavement ants are tiny ants about 1/8th inch long and dark brown to black. The name for this ant comes from its habit of nesting under sidewalks and driveways and piling dirt removed from the nest in a mound on top of the pavement.

Q&A

 “What should I do if I find a fawn?“ Leave it where you found it. Its mother is likely nearby. The doe returns several times a day to nurse her fawn. The young fawn's best defense from predators is to hide and wait for mom. A fawn has brown fur that blends in with dry grass and leaves, and white spots to mimic dappled sunlight. By the time this fawn is around two weeks old, it’ll be able to outrun most predators.
 “Are wild strawberries good to eat?” This plant is deciduous, but leaves remain green throughout the winter. Flowers develop in May and fruits appear in June. Wild strawberries resemble cultivated strawberries but are smaller. They are delicious.
 “Do purple martins send scouts?” The first arriving individuals aren’t scouts checking out a colony site for others. They are older martins returning to areas where they’ve nested before. Martins returning north to breed for the first time come back several weeks later. A martin colony is an aggregation of birds attracted to a common breeding site. The claim that martins eat 2000 mosquitoes a day is a myth. Martins forage at heights where few mosquitoes are found. Martins are insect-eating machines that could eat mosquitos, but they prefer larger prey such as mayflies, beetles, moths, flies, butterflies and dragonflies.
 Leon Schoenrock of New Richland wrote, “ I’ve noticed when I’m driving that I can hear frogs croaking even though I’m going 40 mph with the windows up, radio on, fan blowing and the noise of a gravel road. What is it about a frog’s voice that makes it penetrate like that? And at the speed I’m traveling. I’m certainly not hearing just one frog, but the croaking seems to be continuous.” Your vehicle might have a frog in its throat. The western/boreal chorus frog, Minnesota’s smallest frog, sounds like a fingernail being dragged across a stiff comb. Little frog, big noise. They are loud and many. I’ve read their vocalizations can be heard a mile away. They are a rock band of frogs. Spring peepers aren’t found in your part of the state, but there are people who find them annoyingly loud. Emily Dickinson wrote, “How public – like a Frog –To tell one’s name – the livelong June –To an admiring Bog!” We can hear the chorus frog because they are yelling.
 “How can I keep birds from hitting the window of my house?” Try marking the outside of the window with soap or tempera paint, which is inexpensive and long lasting. Use either a grid pattern of 2 inches by 2 inches, or get creative and paint patterns or artwork on your window. Let me know if it helps.
 “How deep can an osprey dive?” About 3 feet.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.”—Hal Borland.
 “I spoke ... of the sweet singing of the western meadowlark ... among the most attractive singers to which I have ever listened; but with all bird-music much must be allowed for the surroundings, and much for the mood, and the keenness of sense of the listener. The meadowlark is a singer of a higher order, deserving to rank with the best. Its song has length, variety, power and rich melody; and there is sometimes a cadence of wild sadness, inexpressibly touching.”—Theodore Roosevelt.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

A walk with friends of wonderment at Tamarac NWR. Don Kroodsma is the fine fellow pointing. Don said, “Somewhere, always, the sun is rising, and somewhere, always, the birds are singing.” He explores the mysteries of birdsong — how birds learn to sing, why some sing and some don't, and why songs vary from bird to bird and even from place to place. More information available at “Birdsong for the Curious Naturalist.” Photo by Al Batt

Rothsay is the Prairie Chicken Capital of Minnesota.

Sitting in the catbird seat



Naturally

 Be observant. Things are happening out there.
 American white pelicans glided overhead on 9-foot-wingspans.
 In my yard, common grackles were everywhere. Despite that, their populations have had a cumulative decline of 54% from 1966 to 2014. In Minnesota, the decline averaged 2.03% per year since 1967. Since 1966, when the Breeding Bird Survey began monitoring, the house sparrow has experienced a decrease of 3.61% per year. In Minnesota, the decline has been 4.08% annually. Although common grackles are a protected species under the Federal Migratory Bird Act, they’re taken legally when causing serious damage to agricultural or horticultural crops, which impacts grackle populations. House sparrow declines have resulted from intensive agriculture. The increasing use of pesticides reduces insect populations, which lowers food availability for nestlings, and efficient farming practices limit the availability of waste grain. 
 I once kept baby geese in the porch. What kind of geese were 
they? They were porch-a-geese, of course.
 The bumblebee couldn’t decide. It landed on one flower briefly and then moved to another. It was a maybee.
 Birds can be appetites with wings. Milo in a birdseed mix is like banana chips in a trail mix. I don’t want either one.

Q&A

 Jennifer and Lillie of Wells asked what are the odd things dropping from walnut trees. Black walnut trees flower in April–May. The male flowers are in catkins, female flowers are in short spikes on the same tree. The tree is primarily wind pollinated. All walnut trees produce a yellow-green flower tendril called a catkin, which hangs from the branches in early spring. The word catkin comes from the Dutch word katteken, meaning "kitten," due to a likeness to a kitten's tail. These slim, cylindrical, pendulous clusters are 2 to 4 inches long. I suspect that’s what you’re seeing.
 “Do both catbirds in a pair sing?” Both males and females, virtually indistinguishable in appearance, sing and call, with males being louder. The male often sings shortly before twilight and in the evening. The gray bird with a black cap and a rusty butt makes a joyful noise and often produces a “mew” sound, like a kitten. Females sing infrequently and their songs are quieter. A male catbird with a complex song is desirable because it’s a demonstration of his great experience with life and survival. A “catbird seat” is a reference to  a position of great prominence or advantage. Legendary baseball announcer Red Barber used the expression “sitting in the catbird seat,” meaning a baseball player was sitting pretty like a batter with three balls and no strikes. It’s believed the expression originated in the 1942 short story by James Thurber, “The Catbird Seat”.
 “Do deer whistles work?” No. Data currently doesn't support the idea that deer whistles reduce deer-vehicle collisions. A study published in 2009 by the “Journal of Wildlife Management” concluded that whistle-like noises don’t change deer behavior. A study from 2003 found deer whistles are unlikely to produce a sound loud enough for deer to hear at a sufficient distance to avoid traffic encounters. A 2018 review of scientific literature by Iowa State University indicated inconclusive data on the device's effectiveness but confirms there is no proven efficacy in preventing deer-vehicle collisions. According to wildlife biologists at the University of Georgia, neither deer nor humans can hear ultrasonic sounds. Whistles blown near captive deer produced no response. A University of Wisconsin study found three types of whistles produced low-pitched, ultrasonic sounds at speeds of 30 to 70 mph, but researchers couldn’t verify that deer responded to the sounds. University of Georgia researchers concluded: “Considering the challenges of producing sound at appropriate intensities and distances from a moving vehicle, deer hearing capabilities, human safety concerns, and our observed lack of behavioral responses of deer to sound treatments, auditory deterrents do not appear to be appropriate for prevention of deer-vehicle collisions.”
 “What do you know about hummingbirds?” Very little.
 “When can we see fireflies in Minnesota?” Lightning bugs can be seen throughout Minnesota in areas with long grasses, particularly from mid-June through mid-July. Firefly populations have declined dramatically in the last 50 years due to habitat loss, light pollution and pesticides.

Thanks for stopping by

 “The saddest thing I ever did see Was a woodpecker peckin’ at a plastic tree. He looks at me, and ‘Friend,’ says he, ‘Things ain’t as sweet as they used to be.’”—Shel Silverstein.
 “His black cap gives him a jaunty look, for which we humans have learned to tilt our caps, in envy. When he is not singing, he is listening. Neither have I ever seen him with his eyes closed. Though he may be looking at nothing more than a cloud it brings to his mind several dozen new remarks. From one branch to another, or across the path, he dazzles with flight.”—Mary Oliver, “Catbird.”
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

  The gray catbird mimics the songs of other birds and frogs. Its syrinx allows it to make two sounds at once. Its song is distinguished from that of the brown thrasher because the thrasher usually repeats phrases twice and the catbird sings most phrases only once. In contrast to many songbirds that choose a prominent perch to sing, the catbird often elects to sing where it’s obscured by foliage. Photo by Al Batt.

The grape jelly doesn’t need toast.

Naturally

 I moved a pair of shoes down a trail and was pleased to see and hear meadowlarks. Grassland birds have suffered a 53% reduction in population, which is the most significant bird decline in any terrestrial biome.
 It was good to see the northern lights and the thistle butterflies. The University of Minnesota Extension says painted lady butterflies don’t overwinter in Minnesota but migrate from southern states each spring. Eggs are laid on the leaves of host plants, including Canada thistle, sunflower and soybean. Painted ladies are attracted to open areas with low vegetation and a variety of flowers, especially composites.
 I watched deer about to engage in road-crossing behavior. Data shows U.S. drivers have a 1 in 127 chance of a collision with an animal, according to State Farm’s annual analysis. The company estimates there were over 1.8 million animal collision insurance claims in the U.S. between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. The top 5 animal collisions reported by State Farm were deer (1,288,714), unidentified animals (207,373), rodents (94,805), dogs (55,005) and raccoons (52,054). West Virginia tops the list of states where a driver is most likely to hit an animal, with a likelihood of 1 in 38. Montana (1 in 53 chance), Pennsylvania (1 in 59), Michigan (1 in 60) and Wisconsin (1 in 60) are in the top five. Iowa is 6th at 1 in 63, South Dakota 8th at 1 in 69, Minnesota is 11th at 1 in 81 and North Dakota 12th at 1 in 82. I’d add that Minnesota must get more than its share of raccoon/car collisions. The World Animal Foundation sent me information suggesting animal/car collisions might be more frequent. https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/deer-accidents-statistics/

Q&A

 Larry Friedrich of St. Peter asked if grape jelly is bad for orioles. I’m aware of no scientific studies done to confirm whether jelly is good or bad for the lovely orioles. I put out orange slices, sliced purple grapes and grape jelly for them. Robins, brown thrashers, house finches, cardinals, scarlet tanagers, hummingbirds, Cape May warblers, red-bellied woodpeckers and other birds with sweet beaks also eat grape jelly. Chipmunks love the stuff. The orioles in my yard readily feed on suet in the spring. It’s a good idea to feed grape jelly in limited amounts, as moderation is good for all of us, and it keeps hummingbirds from becoming stuck in the jelly. You could stretch your grape jelly budget by combining one part grape jelly to one part water and mixing it to the consistency of a thick juice. Grape jelly is best if it doesn’t contain artificial coloring, other additives or corn fructose. It’s best to choose homemade jelly or grape jelly found at bird stores that is created specifically for wild birds and doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup, and avoid offering any sugar-free options. I’ve fed orange marmalade and red cherry, strawberry, blackberry and raspberry jellies to orioles without a single complaint on a comment card. For those uncomfortable with feeding grape jelly to the orioles, slice an orange in half and place it on a platform feeder or impale it on a special feeder. Placing sliced purple grapes on a platform feeder might be appreciated. You could make oriole/hummingbird nectar: One part granulated sugar to four parts non-distilled drinking water with no need to boil safe drinking water. Don’t use honey or red dye. Heidi Faulkner, Project Feederwatch Assistant at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, wrote this in 2022: “Jelly is fine to offer. We recommend trying to offer natural jelly if possible.”
 Penny Jacobsen of Albert Lea asked when it’s OK to destroy a bird nest. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act states it is illegal to "take (kill), possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such bird except as may be permitted under the terms of a valid permit." It’s illegal to move or destroy active nests, which is any nest with eggs or live young in it. You are allowed to discourage birds from building a nest in a bad spot by destroying a partially built, inactive nest. Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, it’s illegal to move or destroy eagle nests, even if they are inactive.

Thanks for stopping by

 “Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird And catch the worm for your breakfast plate. If you’re a bird, be an early early bird-But if you’re a worm, sleep late."—by Shel Silverstein.
 “The owl is wary, the owl is wise. He knows all the names of the stars in the skies. He hoots and he toots and he lives by his wits, But mostly he sits… (and he sits… and he sits).”—Jack Prelutsky.
Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

  The name “oriole” has Latin roots, deriving from aureolus, which is Latin for “golden.” The Baltimore oriole belongs to the blackbird family. The males wear orange and black, the heraldic colors of Lord Baltimore, credited as the founder of Maryland. The Baltimore oriole’s tote bag-like hanging nest is a wonderment of avian weaving. Photo by Al Batt.

Starling, starling. First starling I see today. I wish I might, I wish I may, have this wish I wish today.

Naturally

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

Q&A

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

Thanks for stopping by

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

©Al Batt 2024

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

A flying nuptial tubercle



Naturally

 I listened to the morning’s bird song featuring orchestral complexity. I joined in the dawn chorus by singing, “I Put a Spell On You.” 
 American white pelicans flew over. The upper mandible on some had developed a flattened, semicircular, fibrous plate (horn) called a nuptial tubercle. Birds mature enough to reproduce develop a nuptial tubercle, which falls off when mating season is over and is unique to the American white pelican. The size of the bump or sail is variable, and both sexes develop it. Its purpose is to make them more attractive to mates. Upon molting into its eclipse plumage at the end of the breeding season, their crests turn gray and their eye color changes from dark to light. Both the males and the females develop the tubercle.

I was in North Dakota

 I sought the company of a chestnut-collared longspur, which prefers grazed or mowed grasslands over undisturbed ground because of the short grass they provide. Overgrazing can be detrimental to nesting. The bird nests on the ground, often by a cowpie or under a clump of grass. They forage on the ground for seeds, insects and spiders. Scientists don't know why their nests are often near dried cow dung patties. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.

Q&A

 “Will swans chase away Canada geese?” Only a mature, mated territorial nesting pair of trumpeter swans chase off geese and other waterfowl in their nesting waters. This aggressive behavior is usually exhibited only during the nesting season, which begins in April. Swans and geese often co-exist nicely, and it isn’t unusual to see them swimming together. At times of the year, the swans will readily flock with the geese. Young swans or two swans of the same sex will not be as aggressive and generally tolerate geese and other waterfowl at any time of year. Swans get along famously with other species. Swans tend to discourage geese from getting too close, especially when they have babies. However, they don’t usually force geese to leave the water, except in small farm ponds.
 “Why do cats sleep so much?” On average, cats doze off for a 13 to 16 hours per day. These marathon naps aren’t a sign of laziness, but rather a reflection of cats' unique biology and health requirements. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need to get most of their nutrients from high-protein meats. Cats are skilled predators. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences implicates domestic cats in the extinction of at least two reptile species, 21 mammal species, and 40 bird species—accounting for 26% of all known contemporary extinctions in these species. Domestic cats pose a threat to a minimum of 367 species at risk of extinction. After a protein-rich meal, cats can experience a surge of the amino acid tryptophan, which leads to the production of serotonin. This naturally occurring brain chemical serves as a mood stabilizer and brings about feelings of contentment and relaxation, setting the stage for a good snooze. The tendency to doze during daylight hours and become more active as dusk falls is a natural rhythm ingrained in their predatory DNA.
 “How can I tell if a ladybug is a multicolored lady beetle?” This beetle is originally from Asia and was first released for biological control of other insects in this country in 1916. It’s not known for certain whether the establishment of lady beetles in the US resulted from accidental entries, planned releases or both. The beetle’s color ranges from yellow to orange to red, with zero to 19 black spots. The wings could even be entirely black with red spots. That’s why its name includes “multicolored.” A consistent pattern is the black “M” on a white plate behind its head, just above the wings. It could be an "M" or a "W," depending upon whether the beetle is viewed from the front or rear.
 “What bird lays the most eggs?” In an official test conducted at the College of Agriculture, University of Missouri, in 1979, a white leghorn laid 371 eggs in 365 days. This super chicken also laid an egg a day for 448 consecutive days. The average laying hen, depending on breed, produces around 300 eggs per year. 
 “How can I stop a sapsucker from drilling holes in a tree?” Wrap the targeted area in burlap over a wide enough section that the sapsucker won’t start a new ring of holes. The ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglet, phoebe, yellow-rumped warbler, Cape May warbler, ruby-throated hummingbird, woodpeckers, squirrels, moths and butterflies all feed on sap or insects found in sap wells.

Thanks for stopping by

 "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."—Ralph Waldo Emerson.
 “Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.”—Hans Christian Andersen.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

I’ve heard the ornamental fibrous plate growing on the upper mandible called a horn, bump, sail, knob or nuptial tubercle. Both male and female mature (3-year-old) American white pelicans develop nuptial tubercles that fall off when the mating mating season is over. Photo by Al Batt.

LBJs, Little Brown Jobs, fed on millet on the ground



Naturally

 The sun had just gotten up, and the turkeys and deer were doing some roadwork. The turkeys relish standing in the middle of a road and attempting to stare down cars. Large flocks of blackbirds fed in a field near the road. One black squirrel was near them. The squirrel was likely a mascot. One look at a lake and a duck said, “What a dive.” Minnesota diving ducks are the canvasback, redhead, ringneck (also called ringbill), scaup (also called bluebill), goldeneye, bufflehead and ruddy duck. Arriving home, I tossed a handful of purple grapes onto the ground on a freezing April day. I didn’t quarter them. The robins ate them with obvious pleasure.

Picking up sticks

 From Mary Oliver’s poem “Invitation”: “…it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world. I beg of you, do not walk by without pausing to attend this rather ridiculous performance…” It was a cool and damp morning. Some might have called it cold and wet. The yard that had been covered with juncos and sticks yesterday was now covered by only one junco and the sticks shed by the yard’s trees. I gathered sticks while listening to robin, cardinal, redwing, dove and rooster pheasant voices. A vesper sparrow sang, “Oh-oh-my-my, its-such-a-beautiful day” from an elevated perch. My farming father loved to hear that. The vesper sparrow sings at any time of the day but gets its name from its evening hymns (vespers), “Listen to my evening sing-ing-ing-ing.” White-throated sparrows whistled as I watched an eastern phoebe pursue flying insects I couldn’t discern. It was far from 50 degrees. Maybe some insects were dressed in wool.
 My birdfeeders are locally owned and operated. LBJs filled the space below the seed dispensaries. Little brown jobs, including white-throated sparrows, song sparrows and chipping sparrows. I saw kinglet, sapsucker, bluebird, yellow-rumped warbler, bumblebee, butterflies, dragonfly and meadowlark nearby. After giving thousands of talks, I’ve learned that no one who has heard a western meadowlark song ever forgets it. 

Nature by the yard

 I take in the feeders at night because of the rampaging and pillaging done by raccoons. Why do raccoons have black masks? So, they can watch an eclipse.
 Each morning, I return those feeders to their proper places. Sometimes, I get the feeling that something is watching me in the yard. That’s because something is always watching me. To many creatures, I look like an unsavory character. What’s watching? Squirrels? Blue jays, for sure. They keep an eye on me in case I put out peanuts in a shell, which allows them the opportunity to perform the magic act of appearing out of nowhere and causing the goobers to disappear. 

Red admiral butterflies

 I’m seeing many red admiral butterflies, named for the red-bar markings on their black upper wings. They have white in the upper corners of the forewings. The undersides of the wings, often visible when the butterfly perches, are mottled in brown, tan and black, with a pink band and white spotting on the forewing. Some red admirals migrate south in the fall and some stay behind. How far north they can survive the winter seems is up for debate, and that line could be shifting. The caterpillar hosts plants are of the nettle family, including stinging nettle and wood nettle. Red admiral adults feed on sap flows on trees, fermenting fruit and bird droppings, visiting flowers only when the other foods are unavailable.
Take a gander at a crane
 A nesting sandhill crane cam is at https://coloradocranes.org/crane-nest-camera/

Q&A

 “What do you do about the lady beetles, box elder bugs and stink bugs in your house in the spring?” For the most part, I ignore them. They’re trying to find an exit.
 “What is the rarest animal in the world?” It’s one that has yet to  be discovered by man. 
 “Are cabbage white butterflies pollinators?” This nonnative species was introduced to the US in the 1800s. The velvety green caterpillars specialize in eating cole crops like cabbage, kale and broccoli. Cole crops are typically cool-season crops that belong to the mustard (Brassica) family. The adult butterflies nectar on flowers.
 “How many fatal coyote attacks on humans have there been?” There have been only two documented cases of fatal coyote attacks in the U.S. and Canada, one in each. The Consumer Product Safety Commission found that from 2000-2020, there were 184 human fatalities due to a TV tipping over on people and another 174 deaths from a combination of TV and furniture falling on a person. Most of these were children. It’s safer to watch coyotes than to watch TV.

Thanks for stopping by

 “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”―Audrey Hepburn.
 “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.--”Leonardo da Vinci.
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2024

The white-breasted nuthatch is territorial, with pairs staying together throughout the year. It’s omnivorous, eating insects and seeds. Nuthatches cache a significantly greater proportion of seeds with the shell removed. Its foraging pattern garnered it the nickname “upside-down bird.” In winter, nuthatches often forage with chickadees, titmice and downy woodpeckers in a group called a foraging guild. Photo by Al Batt.

Is the bigger eagle I’m seeing a golden or a bald?

Naturally

 The birds come back because they miss you. A male cardinal has a great PR firm. It’s called red feathers. A short walk brought sightings of red admiral and sulphur butterflies, an eastern phoebe and a groundhog while I listened to the musical stylings of chorus frogs and red-winged blackbirds. A cardinal singing brought me ringing joy. Life gets tweeter in the spring. Even a grackle’s song sounds good in the spring.

Q&A

 Mike Johnson of the Norseland Community Preservation Association asked where red-winged blackbirds go. They follow routes called flyways, with individuals often returning to the same places year after year. The males return here first and try to impress the females who arrive later. By November, most redwings have left Minnesota and headed to the southern US for the winter.
 Red Bushman of Norseland asked about the eagles' impact on loons. Loons face a wide range of threats, including mortality from lead tackle poisoning, avian malaria and entanglement in monofilament fishing lines. The loon chicks with limited diving skills and the eggs are vulnerable to eagles.
 Don Johnson of Norseland asked where the meadowlarks are. Both eastern and western meadowlarks inhabit roadsides, grasslands, croplands, weedy fallow fields and mixed grasslands/shrubs. The western prefers drier grasslands, and the eastern favors moister habitats. Like many grassland species, the decline of the meadowlarks is attributed to habitat loss and degradation. The loss of family farms contributes. Meadowlarks nest on the ground, so any disturbance of roadsides and other cover by mowing, spraying, burning, tillage, grazing or ATV usage during the peak nesting months (May, June, July) lowers production significantly. The eastern has a simple, clear, slurred whistle while the western's song has a musical bubbling flute-like quality. Males commonly use fence posts as perches while singing.
 “Is the bigger eagle I’m seeing a golden or a bald?” The two species are about the same size, and the females are larger. The legs of golden eagles are feathered to the foot; the bald eagle has featherless, yellow ankles. Goldens frequent forested and grassland landscapes, often away from lakes, rivers and coastlines. Bald eagles are typically found near open, fish-filled waters. Both species are fond of carrion. Juvenile bald eagles are larger than adults due to their longer wing and tail feathers.
 “What is the fastest animal?” A cheetah can run as fast as 70 mph. The pronghorn can run at 35 mph for 4 miles and could hit 55 mph during a sprint. A sailfish can move through water as swiftly as 68 mph. The peregrine falcon dives at speeds up to 200 mph.
 Katie Jacobson of Albert Lea asked what to do about a robin fighting with a window. After choosing a nest site, a pair of birds claim the area as their own and defend it from other birds of their kind. 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. The window acts as a mirror. A robin is territorial and instinctively attacks rivals in its breeding territory, making an enemy of its image. A real robin would leave, but the reflection remains. Being persistent and stubborn, the robin continues the attack. If you want the robin to stop, block the image. Put a piece of cardboard, black nylon screen, painter’s cloth 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 it only until the shadowboxing robin thinks its worthy adversary has departed. Covering the inside of the window might enhance the reflection. Forget about using plastic owls or fake snakes.
 “What eats milo?” There is milo and millet. White proso millet is a tiny light-colored seed that ground-feeding birds, such as doves, native sparrows, thrashers, Carolina wrens, cardinals, starlings and house sparrows enjoy. Milo is a large, reddish round seed, also called sorghum, often used as a filler in commercial seed mixes. It’s less expensive than most types of birdseed, but isn’t appealing to most species. On Cornell Lab of Ornithology seed preference tests, western ground-feeding birds like Steller’s jays, curve-billed thrashers and Gambel’s quail preferred milo to sunflower. In another study, house sparrows didn’t eat milo, but cowbirds did. Wild turkeys, doves and pheasants eat milo. Milo is used for livestock feed.
 “Have you ever heard of Canada geese nesting in a bald eagle nest?” Yes. Here’s a link to a video of a nest in Decorah. https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/decorah-goose-cam/

Thanks for stopping by

 “Wherever there are birds, there is hope.”―Mehmet Murat ildan.
 “I doubt whether the world holds for any [child] one more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream.”—Heywood Broun.
 Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

  A birdie with a yellow bill hopped upon my suet feeder, cocked his shining eye and said nothing because he was too busy eating. With apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson, there are days when starlings dominate my suet feeder. There are starling-resistant suet feeders. Upside-down suet feeders are meant to challenge starlings and do lessen that bird’s presence, but starlings can hang upside down and feed. It’s going to the gym and eating lunch for a starling. Photo by Al Batt.