Naturally

Thoreau wrote, “Is not January the hardest month to get through?” Kind weather helps. So do cardinals by whistling “what-cheer, cheer, cheer, birdie, birdie, birdie.” Both sexes sing.
I heard the drumming of a woodpecker in January. It was more percussion than melody. This proclamation of territory increases in frequency as winter lengthens. It’s sometimes called tattooing when downy, hairy, red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers peck on objects to communicate. They drum by rapidly striking beaks against resonant objects such as hollow trees, logs, stumps, utility poles, transformer boxes, metal chimneys, exhaust vents, rain gutters, downspouts and exterior light covers. Both male and female drum, most frequently in late winter or early spring when seeking mates and establishing territories. Drumming is most common in the morning, but woodpeckers may drum any time of day.

Q&A

“I heard you on the radio and you said ‘fog eats snow.’ How does it do that?” Fog doesn't literally eat snow or make it vanish magically before our very eyes, but fog makes the snow melt faster. An above-freezing air temperature contributes to snowmelt. When fog forms, condensation takes place, which releases energy as heat into the air. This added heat increases the rate at which the snow melts. Water droplets from the fog melt some snow. The fog, specifically "advection fog," develops because the air and dew point temperatures are warmer than the snowpack temperature. The cold snow causes the air to cool and become saturated and there is a positive condensation from the air onto the snow. Fog absorbs and then re-radiates long-wave radiation, which helps melt the snow.
“I saw birds in an airport terminal. How did they get there?” They fly for Delta. I was doing what I could to prepare myself for my job of keeping the airplane, in which I was a passenger, from falling out of the sky, when birds in an airport brightened my day. How did the house sparrows I saw get into the Denver International Airport? There are many doors through the terminals and jet bridges. When one door closes, another opens, and in come the house sparrows.
Tom Steinman asked how to tell a male from a female hawk or eagle. It’s difficult to tell unless you see a pair together. The primary difference between males and females is size. This is true for most raptors. Females can be 25 to 33% larger than males.
“Could I tell if it’s a male or a female blue jay calling?” Check your caller ID. Blue jays use a number of calls to communicate with one another. Males are more aggressive and females are more expressive. Males and females use the same calls; however, there are slight variances, such as a peep call the females use during an egg-laying period.
“Do turkey vultures make sounds?” Yes, they say, “Are you going to eat that opossum?” They produce a low, guttural hiss when irritated or vying for a spot on a carcass. They may give a low, nasal whine while in flight.
Father Eugene Stenzel of Wells asked why a bald eagle pair would build a second nest. Eagle pairs often build an alternate nest, usually within a mile of the first nest and within the pair’s territory, and the pair may take turns nesting between the two from year to year. A pair generally returns to the same nest annually, which is called nest site fidelity. An alternate nest serves as insurance in case the primary nest is destroyed early in the nesting season. A nest could go unused for several years, often because of the death of one of the pair, and then be reoccupied by either the original pair or one member with a new mate.
A pair may abandon a nest for unknown reasons and build another, or it may continue adding to and renovating a single nest (nestorations), which includes repairs and pair bonding. Eagles take advantage of available resources. Besides large stands of trees, the nesting habitat must provide an abundant food source. If a nest blows down, the pair usually builds another nest nearby. A nest failure could be caused by a food shortage, inclement weather, human disturbance, predators (raccoons, great horned owls, etc.) and environmental contaminants.

Thanks for stopping by

“Everyone has a belief system, B.S., the trick is to learn not to take anyone's B.S. too seriously, especially your own.”—Robert Anton Wilson.
“The wonderful purity of nature at this season is a most pleasing fact. Every decayed stump and moss-grown stone and rail, and the dead leaves of autumn, are concealed by a clean napkin of snow. In the bare fields and tinkling woods, see what virtue survives. In the coldest and bleakest places, the warmest charities still maintain a foothold.”—Henry D. Thoreau.
Do good.

©️Al Batt 2024

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote “A birdie with a yellow bill Hopped upon my window sill, Cocked his shining eye and said: ‘Ain't you 'shamed, you sleepy-head!’"
The bill of the European starling is yellow during the breeding season and darkens after the breeding season to a dark gray-brown or black and by early winter only 5–10% of starlings have yellow bills. Bills of adult males begin turning yellow in late December, followed by adult females, then first-year birds. Photos by Al Batt.