Naturally

A joyous cloud of birds twisted across a harvested field. They were blackbirds taking advantage of flock intelligence, and they weren’t quiet about it. The birds had something to say. The mixed flocks could include red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, brown-headed cowbirds, European starlings, rusty blackbirds, Brewer’s blackbirds and yellow-headed blackbirds.

Cedar waxwings were in a hawthorn tree. The beautiful waxwings are a dessert to a banquet of birding. People often describe the waxwings as being so perfect in form that they don’t look real.

The art of noticing produces small moments of great merit. Life is an astonishment. The art of noticing allowed me to marvel over the turkey-foot seed heads of big bluestem. The three toes called my attention to the lovely grass with leaves that turn a reddish-bronze color after a frost.

I watched a robin taking a bath. It paused in its enthusiastic splashing and froze in place. It fled just ahead of a northern shrike, a predatory songbird that hunts in brushy, semi-open habitats, chasing birds and creeping through the dense brush to ambush prey and pounce on mice. Shrikes sometimes save food for later by impaling it on thorns of vegetation or on barbed wire. The robin was able to spot the threat either because other yard birds had warned the robin or because it constantly looked for something to eat and for something that might eat it.

A wonderful neighbor, Jared Knutson, sent me a video of an eastern cottontail trying to hide in a harvested cornfield. What was it hiding from? It feared the two adult bald eagles that had a hankering for a bunny meal. The rabbit didn’t initiate the attack. Those two eagles, with white heads and white tails, made several attempts at capturing the rabbit, but were unsuccessful. The eagles have been followers of Jared’s harvest activities for several years, knowing that Jared would roust rabbits from their hiding places.

Years ago, a red-tailed hawk followed my farm equipment around the field, hankering to take the voles and mice I’d exposed out to lunch. Farm equipment is much larger today, necessitating Jared’s upgrade from a hawk to two eagles.

Dining in Denali

I led a tour to Denali. Alaska is a big place, and traveling around it builds a big appetite. We stopped to eat. We grabbed sandwiches and drinks and found perches outside, because why wouldn’t we sit outside? After we’d finished our meals and prepared to walk back to our bus, another tour came in. They grabbed sandwiches and chips, placed them on the outdoor tables and went to get drinks. I advised the leader that someone should stay and watch the food. I’d do that, but I needed to hit the trail. He thought I was a goofy individual and mumbled something about who would steal their food. He was right about thinking I was goofy, but when I said, “The gulls,” he replied, “The gulls to you, too.”

I stood by the door of our bus and applied my amazing math skills to make sure all 50 of my tour participants boarded. Just before I stepped onto the deluxe motor coach, I looked back at the spot where we had enjoyed a lovely repast in the open air. Delicate-appearing gulls named mew gulls (the name has since been changed to short-billed gulls) were devouring the sandwiches of that unfortunate group of tourists. The “mew" part of the name didn’t come from its catlike call because it makes nothing that sounds like that to my ear. It’s derived from “zee meeuw,” an old Dutch name for the bird.

The moral of the story: never eat at a restaurant named “The Gull Cafe.”

That wasn’t the actual name of the eatery, but it should have been. Gulls are incredibly good at obtaining food. I had a gull in Florida snatch a partially eaten hot dog from my hand. It did so for my own good.

Q&A

“If the common nighthawk isn’t a hawk, why is it called a hawk?” The common nighthawk’s impressive booming sounds during courtship dives, in combination with its erratic, bat-like flight, earned it the colloquial name “bullbat.” The name “nighthawk” is a misnomer, since the bird isn’t strictly nocturnal—it’s active at dawn and dusk—nor closely related to hawks. They have long tails, forward-swept wings and spectacular aerial maneuverability. A common nighthawk belongs to the nightjar family, and its “hawk” name originated from its resemblance to a small hawk when it’s flying and its hawking method of catching insects in mid-air.

“Do snakes blink?” No. Snakes have no eyelids, so they can't blink or close their eyes. Scales called brille cover their eyes to protect them from damage. When a snake sheds, it regenerates the brille.

“Why do birds oil their feathers?” During preening, birds extract a waxy secretion called preen oil from their uropygial gland (or preen gland) at the base of the tail and smear it over their plumage. Preen oil is an important source of avian body odor and may serve perfuming roles, in addition to its role in plumage maintenance. Birds use the preen oil to keep their feathers in good condition, making them strong and flexible, which aids in flight and waterproofing. The oil also helps with hygiene by removing parasites and debris and maintains skin health.

Thanks for stopping by

“Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure.”—Patch Adams.

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.”—Joseph Addison.

Do good.

In the fall, I hear white-throated sparrows rehearsing their songs. It’s not as haunting as their whistle in the spring, but it’s recognizable as “Old Sven Peterson, Peterson, Peterson.” I suspect immature birds produce the less professional sounds. The white-throated sparrow comes in two color forms: white-striped or tan-striped heads. The males of both types prefer females with white stripes. Females of both types prefer males with tan stripes. Photo by Al Batt.