Naturally
Wild turkeys can run at speeds up to 25 mph and fly up to 55 mph. The wild turkey hen in our yard chases pheasant roosters and flies high into trees to harass crows. I think the crows relished the company. Once those tasks are completed, it’s as if someone flipped a switch and the turkey gets the zoomies, frenetic random activity periods (FRAPs) or frenetic activity periods (FAPs), a delightful and common behavior exhibited by dogs and cats when they sprint around the yard or house at full speed.
Red-tailed hawks hunt from perches and from the air. As they circle and soar, they can spot a mouse from 100 feet high.
One billion birds die from colliding with windows in the U.S. each year. This is the second leading human-related cause of death to birds after outdoor cats. These collisions are frequently caused when birds are drawn to lights or confused by the outside habitat reflected in windows. Methods could be implemented to alert birds that windows are solid and not an extension of their habitat. Adding closely spaced decals to the outside of windows, striping windows with tempera paint or soap, using UV-reflective tape or using one-way transparent film over windows are all temporary ways to protect birds from window strikes. More permanent solutions include using etched or bird-friendly glass, and windows with screens or netting on the outside.
Q&A
“How many eggs does a pileated woodpecker have in a clutch?” There will be 3-5 eggs.
“How does a blue jay swallow so many sunflower seeds on a visit to a feeder?” They have a throat sac called a gular pouch, which they can fill and cough up the seeds later to eat or cache.
“Why are snowy owls so often seen at airports?” Snowy owls are accustomed to the Arctic tundra, so they prefer open, flat areas, which make it easier to spot their prey. It’s a different kind of tundra. It’s a busy and noisy tundra with bright lights, but it’s still tundra to the owls.
“Why do birds migrate at night?” Most birds migrate at night. The stars and the moon aid night-flying birds’ navigation. Free of daytime thermals, the atmosphere is more stable, making it easier to maintain a steady course. Cooler temperatures at night help keep birds from overheating. There are fewer predators (cats and hawks) of those flying under the cover of darkness. Plus, they can eat during the day when food might be easier to find.
Duane Miller of Hartland was out at midnight hoping to see the northern lights. What he saw instead were birds on the highway. He wondered what they were doing there. The birds might have been looking for the northern lights. Or not. Pavement absorbs heat and holds it, causing birds to land on roads when the temperature drops. On a chilly day, I watched a manhole cover in a city being visited by house sparrows who found warmth there. Other temptations are found on roads: food, grit (just until birds get their teeth—“giggle”) and the potholes, cracks and rumble strips holding water. Pheasants stand on roads in wet weather to keep out of waterlogged grass. Many birds feed at roadsides on spilled grain and windblown seeds caught in the vegetation on the edge. Those things happen in the light of day. Nocturnal owls hunt the roads at night. They get a clear shot at prey there. Members of the nightjar family fly up from the road to capture flying insects and the open road gives them good looks at both prey and predators. I’ve encountered mourning doves and horned larks on roads before daybreak. Why the doves are there so late or so early, I don’t know. Maybe they forgot to go to bed. I suspect other ground-roosting birds other than the horned larks—snow buntings and Lapland longspurs—could be found there in the dark. Something could have rousted a bird from its preferred parking place, causing it to land on a nearby road. More things to wonder about.
“Are mosquitoes pollinators?” Just like bees or butterflies, mosquitoes transfer pollen from flower to flower as the insects feed on nectar. A female mosquito seeks a blood meal for the protein when she lays eggs and the males feed only on flower nectar and never bite.
“How often do we get a brown Christmas?” The Minnesota DNR says that 29% of the years, there is no measurable snow cover in the Twin Cities. Northern Minnesota has a 100% chance of a white Christmas in some areas. Southern and western border counties have a 60% or lower chance.
Thanks for stopping by
“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.”—Kahlil Gibran.
“It doesn’t have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention.”—Mary Oliver.
Do good.
©️Al Batt 2023
A leucistic eastern kingbird. Leucism is an abnormal condition of reduced pigmentation that results in a bird being marked by pale and muted colors or irregular patches of white. Birds with leucism have dark-colored eyes rather than the red or pink eyes characteristic of albinism. Leucism is more common than albinism. Photo by Al Batt.