Naturally
A lively bird feeder entertained me. Under the feeder, a chipmunk scampered about. Chipmunks might be the epitome of scamperers. Squirrels are more into scurrying. Chipmunks don’t hibernate in the truest sense. They don’t put on much fat before taking a long nap. Some people refer to it as partial hibernation because the body temperature drops and the heart rate slows. But theirs is a waking sleep, and unlike deep hibernators, they wake occasionally. They usually don’t leave their dens, relieve themselves, have a snack and go back to sleep. Sound familiar? However, on mild days, they may wander from their underground burrows.
Chipmunks love tomato juice, and when tomatoes ripen, chipmunks chew holes in the bottoms to get the juice.
While chipmunks were dining aboveground, a turkey vulture was way above ground, flying overhead in an otherwise empty space that rivaled that found in a bag of potato chips. A vulture that had migrated to the southern U.S. for the winter, maybe even farther south, was teetering and gliding its way back into Minnesota. Vultures migrate during the day.
Q&A
“What’s the difference between a possum and an opossum?” An opossum is a possum that surprises you. Oh, possum! Merriam-Webster says, “Both possum and opossum correctly refer to the Virginia opossum frequently seen in North America. In common use, possum is the usual term; in technical or scientific contexts opossum is preferred. Opossum can be pronounced with its first syllable either voiced or silent.” The name opossum is derived from the Algonquian word aposoum, meaning “white dog” or “white beast."
“Why do raccoons have black around their eyes?” It’s an occupational hazard. It comes from working nights. The black rings help reduce glare from lights, making it easier for the little bandits to see during their nighttime escapades. It’s much like the black stripes athletes put under their eyes during sporting events, which absorb light and reduce glare. The raccoon gets its English name from the Powhatan word “aroughcun,” which means “one that scratches with its hands.” It gets the name trash panda or masked bandit from people who deal with them. Raccoons cover their eyes when they’re scared or trying to hide. Small children often exhibit this same behavior. When scientists studied this tendency in humans, they discovered that young children with their eyes covered acknowledged their bodies, arms, hair, feet and legs could be seen, but insisted they couldn’t be seen. Raccoons must have a concept of selfhood and a theory of mind.
“How much help is it to feed birds in the winter?” A study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology found birds with access to feeders during the winter were able to maintain a slightly higher body temperature at night compared to those who didn’t have access. This indicates the feeder birds gathered enough energy to survive a winter night without needing to lower their body temperature as much.
“Where do pheasants roost?” They roost in trees, dense shrubs, forested wetlands, farm fields, cattail wetlands, weed-grown fence lines, weedy areas like stands of giant ragweed and small farmland woodlots. Dense vegetation near foraging sites is necessary as escape cover. The pheasants that winter in my yard roost in evergreen trees. During extreme winter weather, pheasants can go up to two weeks without feeding by reducing their metabolism and energy. Yet, there is no “Diet Like a Pheasant” book on the New York Times Best Sellers list.
“How good is a bird’s hearing?” It has to be good because birds can’t read lips and they have ears that don’t take well to hearing aids. Our range extends from a low of 20 cycles per second to a high of 20,000 cycles per second. The range of frequencies heard varies among birds according to species. Starlings hear nearly as well as we do at high to mid-range, but their hearing fails on the low end. While they may not hear as wide a range as we can, birds are about 10 times as sensitive to rapid changes in pitch and intensity. Birds hear shorter notes than we do. Where we hear one sound only, a bird may hear 10 separate notes. Generally, nocturnal birds, like owls, have more sensitive hearing than diurnal birds.
Thanks for stopping by
“Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc., and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons.”—Douglas Adams.
“You ever wish that fireworks were incredibly quiet and also didn't disappear so quickly and also you could keep them in your home and also you could hold them in your hands? Because if so, I'd love to introduce you to flowers.”—Jonny Sun.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2024
Snow is the true March Madness. A starling told me. Photo by Al Batt
A robin searches the sky for a break in the snowstorm. The ones in my yard have been eating suet pieces that have fallen to the ground and millet. Photo by Al Batt.