A Dark-eyed Junco is a fine looking bird. Most dictionaries say junco is borrowed from the Spanish junco, meaning reed or rush. There is no NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB team nicknamed the Juncos. That’s a shame.
A junco with snow goggles.
You catch a nice fish and you do a Tarzan yell.
You catch a nice fish and you do a Tarzan yell. Been there, done that.
Common Mergansers were called sawbills or fish ducks during my kidhood.
My favorite driftwood comes with an eagle.
If I see a flock of crows when it’s 1°, is that a murder in the first degree?
If I see a flock of crows when it’s 1°, is that a murder in the first degree?
WHAT?
Bald Eagles are beauties.
The young and the nestless
The young and the nestless. Young European Starlings from this past summer.
It was -19° and the House Sparrows were chirping merrily. It invigorated the listener.I
The Red-winged Blackbird female found winter cold because the winter day was gelid.
Some Carolina Wrens want to be Minnesota Wrens
Nature by the yard
Juncos are gray birds that brighten a gray day. A pine siskin wore the evidence of a correct weather forecast. The proof was a few snowflakes perched on the bird's back. Happiness is in the bag. Sunflower seeds. Chickadees moved to and from the feeders at the rate of the candy on an "I Love Lucy" TV episode, the one where Lucy and Ethel got jobs as candy makers at Kramer's Kandy Kitchen. They worked in the wrapping room assembly line where their task was to wrap every chocolate candy as it went by on a conveyor belt. The speed of the conveyor forced them to eat the candies or stuff the sweets into their hats and blouses.
A friend, Penny Jacobsen of Albert Lea, called to recommend the book, "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants" a nonfiction book by Robin Wall Kimmerer and published by Milkweed. It's a wonderful book I'd just started reading not long before her kind call.
I haven't seen a chipmunk in the yard since New Year's Day. Chipmunks hibernate in winter, but they don’t sleep through the season. Hibernation means something different to each species. Some call the chipmunk's a torpor. It's a restless hibernation. They retreat to their burrows and wake every few days to raise their body temperatures to normal, feed on stored food rather than fat reserves, and urinate and defecate. Their heart rate declines from about 350 beats per minute to four beats per minute. Body temperature may drop from 94° to the temperature of the burrow — as cold as 40°.
There were five pheasants and four fox squirrels foraging under the feeders. All was calm. Then another fox squirrel dropped from a feeder. Panic ensued. It became the Monty Python skit of the footrace for people with no sense of direction. I recalled a day years before when the house cat was birdwatching from a window holding a feeder attached by suction cups. As the feline watched, a squirrel dropped from the roof in a superhero attempt to find access to the feeder. The weight of the squirrel knocked the feeder from the glass. The cat's eyes grew larger as it turned and looked at me as if to say, "That's why I watch birds."
Eight pheasants became eight lumps in a bent tree in the gathering darkness. Roosting in trees is a predator-avoidance behavior.
My eyes produced tears as I walked into an east wind. The proverb says, "When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast; when the wind is in the north, the skillful fisher goes not forth; when the wind is in the south, it blows the bait in the fishes' mouth; when the wind is in the west, then 'tis at the very best."
Carol Hegel Lang of Albert Lea, Jill Evans of Mankato and Tim Scott of Mankato all reported wintering Carolina wrens. I recall walking a trail in Columbia, Missouri, lost in my thoughts and delighting in the songs of the Carolina wren that followed me.
There was a spruce budworm outbreak across large portions of Quebec and Ontario the past several years. Because of the pandemic, areas of Quebec weren't treated with pesticides for budworm. Large sections of the boreal forests produced two excellent spruce cone crops during the last four years. These things led to a finch irruption event. Evening grosbeak, purple finch, and to a lesser extent, pine siskin, are spruce budworm specialists. There are spruce budworm warblers, too — Cape May, Tennessee and bay-breasted.
Q&A
"What can I feed wintering robins?" Place apple slices, raisins, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, cherries, small bits of suet or mealworms at ground level.
"How many snowy owls have been seen in Minnesota this winter?" As of Jan. 31 there had been 72 observations in 16 counties: Becker, Kittson, Marshall, Pine, Polk, St. Louis, Benton, Dodge, Hennepin, Lac qui Parle, Le Sueur, Martin, Rice, Stearns, Stevens and Watonwan.
"Where do the sandhill cranes from Minnesota go in winter?" Minnesota birds are short-distance migrants. Birds in eastern Minnesota migrate southeast to Georgia and Florida; birds in western Minnesota migrate south to the Gulf Coast of Texas.
"When are the mating seasons for coyotes and red foxes?" Coyotes mate at age two and may pair for life. The mating season begins in January and lasts through February. Five to seven pups are born in April. Red foxes mate at age one in February and 52 days later five to ten pups are born that are fully independent at seven months.
Thanks for stopping by
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." — Attributed to Napoleon Hill, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa
"When snow falls, nature listens." — Antoinette van Kleeff
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
I took this photo of a Carolina wren in Missouri, but people are seeing them in their Minnesota and Iowa yards this winter. Photo by Al Batt
I am nowhere near this place in Sitka, Alaska, but I still strive to be alert and make noise every day.
I like opossums. They don’t complain.
I like opossums. They don’t complain.
A Brown Thrasher decided to winter in Minnesota. No reason given.
The sun dogs bark in the cold.
Spending a winter in Southeast Alaska gives the tiny bird a chance to work on its torpor technique.
I was hurrying out the door to catch a ferry from Haines, Alaska, in November and was too slow to get a decent photo of an Anna’s Hummingbird. Spending a winter in Southeast Alaska gives the tiny bird a chance to work on its torpor technique.
When I was a lad, most hawks were called chicken hawks, including this beautiful Red-tailed Hawk. I ate a lot more chickens than this raptor did.
A Hairy Woodpecker’s bill is nearly as long as its head. A Downy Woodpecker’s bill is about a third the length of its head.
A Hairy Woodpecker’s bill is nearly as long as its head. A Downy Woodpecker’s bill is about a third the length of its head.
A Downy Woodpecker’s bill is dinky.
The Black-capped Chickadee’s song is a two-note whistled “fee-bee” and its call is “chickadee-dee-dee.”
The Black-capped Chickadee’s song is a two-note whistled “fee-bee” and its call is “chickadee-dee-dee.”
The junco looks at winter though dark eyes as you’d expect from a Dark-eyed Junco.
Those elegant blue "eyebrows"
The elegant blue "eyebrows" are one way to tell an Alaskan Steller's Jay from those of the western interior states where the markings are white.
It saves on toilet paper. It’s called a slice when a raptor propels its droppings out and away from a nest or perch as this young Bald Eagle is doing.
The Black-billed Magpie is a crow wearing a tuxedo.
The Black-billed Magpie is a crow wearing a tuxedo.
The Bald Eagle watched fish like a hawk.
“Rats!” Said the rat. “I’m in Alberta!”
Naturally
A house sparrow missing his tail was in the yard. If Jim Rockford were still around, I'd have him put a tail on the bird. Dark-eyed juncos are snowbirds. Old Man Winter gave them a lot of responsibility, but they came through with 8 inches of the white stuff in the recent storm. Some red-bellied woodpeckers take their red bellies everywhere. Others, not so much. The red belly isn't always easily noticed. A friend from Maine brought up the chestnut colors on the south end of a northbound white-breasted nuthatch. A nervous rooster pheasant in the yard behaved hawkwardly. Its presence made a nice birthday pheasant for my wife. A cat sat on a warm rock I'd placed into a heated dog dish I've convinced the birds is a birdbath.
Squirrels left footprints in the snow with their larger hind feet appearing in front of the smaller front feet. Rabbit tracks resemble those of squirrels except the front feet aren't paired with hind feet and form a triangular shape. I can tell where rabbits have fed as twigs and shrubs show clean diagonal cuts.
Alberta rats
Norway rats are destructive — they can carry disease and eat crops. For over 70 years Alberta has been determined to stop rats from calling Alberta home, concentrating efforts along the Saskatchewan border, banning the animals as pets, and investigating any hint of a rat inside the province. Out of 481 rat reports in 2020, 26 were actual rats. About half of the sightings were muskrats. Rats ride into Alberta on vehicles.
Q&A
Barb Lamson of Mankato asked where squirrels live in the winter. Do they stay in their tree nests? How do they stay warm? Squirrels live in two types of structures: Dens, which are holes in trees and dreys, which are densely packed masses of sticks and leaves typically located high in the forked branches of large trees. Dens, insulated with dried leaves and other materials, are preferred for winter and brood chambers, but dreys are sturdy and weather-resistant. Dreys require more maintenance. Squirrels fatten up as much as possible, grow a thicker coat that helps keep them warm, and use shivering to generate body heat. In cold weather, squirrels might share a nest in order to share body heat, but this can lead to disputes.
"Are birds at feeders more likely to fall victim to predators?" According to a Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology study, avian predators are attracted to busy feeders, but cats aren't more active at feeding sites. Evidence suggested feeders may provide safe havens from predation. There are more birds to sound alarms. Feeders may reduce foraging time and exposure to predators.
"Why do beavers build dams?" A dam, made of trees and mud, blocks or slows water flow in a river or stream, creating a pond. They build lodges in those ponds, which provide protection from predators like wolves, coyotes or mountain lions. They offer warm places to sleep and raise young. Lodges are built of sticks, grasses and mud, and have underwater entrances. Ponds are important habitats for other wetland animals.
"What's the white covering on trees called?" If it's not snow, it could be rime ice that happens in areas of dense fog when fog droplets come in contact with surfaces below freezing. Or hoarfrost, which is similar to dew and occurs on cold, clear, calm nights when water vapor freezes onto below-freezing surfaces. Hoar refers to the frosty coating, coming from the word hoary, which means white or gray with age.
Diane Norvell of Owatonna asked if it's unusual to see robins in Minnesota in January. The great poet Anonymous wrote, "The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will the robin do then, poor thing? He’ll sit in a barn, and keep himself warm, and hide his head under his wing, poor thing!" A small percentage of our robins spend the winter in Minnesota. And why not? It's a winter wonderland. Wintering robins become gregarious, finding security in flock numbers and sleeping in conifers to stay warm at night. They frequent areas with open water. Robins can survive cold weather if they find enough food to stoke their furnaces. They feed on fruits and berries of hackberry, crabapple, hawthorn, juniper, sumac, mountain ash and buckthorn. Robins that migrated south wander north into areas when and where the temperatures average about 37° and earthworms are emerging. Our wintering emotional support robins follow the food. They move around in search of food and shelter.
Thanks for stopping by
"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather." — Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) in "Groundhog Day."
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." — Albert Camus
Do good.
©Al Batt 2021
A red-bellied woodpecker with a red belly. Photo by Al Batt
This is how squirrels find acorns under the snow. They use a dowsing or divining rod.
For some reason, this House Finch couldn’t look me in the eye.
This cardinal lost its tail and may not remember where it is
This cardinal lost its tail and may not remember where it is. Perhaps it was lost in a fright molt to escape a predator. Feathers that are pulled out begin regrow immediately.
A starling sheds snowflakes by becoming a portable cement mixer.
A European Starling’s bill begins to turn yellow as the breeding season approaches.
Sasquatch, the junior version.
Sasquatch, the junior version.
Red Squirrel.
Snow cardinals are not hatched. They are made.
If the only bird I saw today was a Red-bellied Woodpecker, I’d still be happy. I’d be incredibly concerned, but happy.
A Pine Siskin wears evidence of a correct weather forecast
A Pine Siskin wears evidence of a correct weather forecast.
Opossums are notoriously poor spellers.
This Blue Jay is as happy as a Blue Jay with a peanut
This Blue Jay is as happy as a Blue Jay with a peanut.
Gray birds can brighten a gray day.
Dark-eyed Junco.
Gray birds can brighten a gray day.
Dark-eyed Junco.
A sad sight at The Archway in Kearney, Nebraska.
A tough little bird is the House Sparrow
A tough little bird is the House Sparrow.
The squirrels have a big chair.
The snow umbrella for squirrels is a product that needs work.
The cardinal rule of looking at cardinals is to look at each one at least twice. The female is more subdued in color than the male, but is equally splendid.
The cardinal rule of looking at cardinals is to look at each one at least twice. The female is more subdued in color than the male, but is equally splendid.
The cardinal rule of looking at cardinals is to look at each one at least twice. The female is more subdued in color than the male, but is equally splendid.
I’ve not seen many American Tree Sparrows this winter. More’s the pity.
The Horned Lark is the only native lark in North America. Yet, you’d never know it by talking to the bird.
Each yard needs a watch chickadee
Naturally
Birds are endlessly entertaining. Watching them helps us where we need help. The Association for the Preservation & Appreciation of Chickadees has bribed me with endless cuteness in the hopes I'd think kindly of chickadees. There are seven species of chickadees in North America. Each one is my favorite bird.
I saw a glimpse of an accipiter. It was a shadow and then gone. They move as fast as time. It was a Cooper's hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk. I called it a Shooper's hawk and a Coop-shinned hawk. I was fine with that. The chickadees alerted everyone.
A hairy woodpecker flew onto a window feeder containing suet. The tired suction cups gave way and the entire feeder fell to the ground while the woodpecker was on it. The bird flew up into the air and landed on another feeder nearby where it looked down at the crashed feeder as if it were wondering who had pulled the ground out from under it.
I spoke virtually to the New Haven (Conn.) Bird Club. They told me their Christmas Bird Count had produced 127 species. I did one in Minnesota that had 32. I was Connecticut dreaming on such a winter’s day.
A pileated woodpecker spent time in my yard. It appeared massive at the suet feeder. I've been a member of the American Birding Association (ABA) for a goodly number of years. The ABA is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, dedicated to recreational birding primarily in the continental United States, Hawaii and Canada. Each year, the ABA picks its Bird of the Year. This year it's the Pileated Woodpecker. How do you pronounce that? It's wu̇d-pe-kər.
Carol Thomas of Minneapolis sent me this, "Up From the Egg: the Confessions of a Nuthatch Avoider" by Ogden Nash. "Bird watchers top my honors list. I aimed to be one, but I missed. Since I’m both myopic and astigmatic, My aim turned out to be erratic, and I, bespectacled and binocular, exposed myself to comment jocular. We don't need too much birdlore, do we, to tell a flamingo from a towhee; yet I cannot, and never will,Bunless the silly birds stand still. And there's no enlightenment so obscure as ornithological literature. Is yon strange creature a common chickadee, Or a migrant alouette from Picardy? You 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, that is why I sit here growing old by inches, watching the clock instead of finches, but I sometimes visualize in my gin the Audubon that I audubin."
Q&A
“What makes the blue snow in my yard?” The urine of rabbits or deer that have eaten buckthorn.
"When is the mating season for squirrels?" Fox squirrels mate twice a year, typically December to February and June through July, and have two or three babies. Gray squirrels mate twice a year, typically December to February and June through August, and have two to four babies. Red squirrels mate in late winter and have two to five babies. Red squirrels typically produce one litter per year, but in some years reproduction is skipped and in other years some females breed twice. The babies of all three species are born hairless and are completely independent at 12 weeks. All three species nest in hollow trees or in treetop dens called dreys, which are ball-shaped nests made of leaves, twigs and bark.
"Why are they called evening grosbeaks?" Grosbeak comes from the French gros for “thick” and bec for “beak,” and these finches have thick beaks strong enough to crack cherry pits. John James Audubon never saw this bird and the grosbeak wasn't described to science until 1825. Although it shares the name with the rose-breasted grosbeak, the two aren't closely related. The rose-breasted grosbeak is in the cardinal family, while the evening grosbeak is a finch. It was named the evening grosbeak because it was thought to sing mostly at dusk. That's incorrect as it's vocal most of the day. They are vacuum cleaners at feeders. Feathered hogs at a trough. A friend in North Carolina told me of a man there who'd fed over a ton of sunflower seeds primarily to a flock of the beautiful grosbeaks in his yard. Evening grosbeak populations have dropped steeply according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. There are many possible causes.
Thanks for stopping by
"Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind." — Albert Schweitzer
"The best theology is probably no theology; just love one another." — Charles Schulz
Do good.
@Al Batt 2021
Each yard needs a watch chickadee. Photo by Al Batt
I just reread the wonderful “Charlotte’s Web.” This Argiope aurantia is not Charlotte.
I am nuts about Red-breasted Nuthatches.
Red and redder. Purple Finch and Northern Cardinal.
Red and redder. Purple Finch and Northern Cardinal.
The cardinals are getting along. There is the singing of a happy song.
The cardinals are getting along. There is the singing of a happy song.
A black squirrel, the melanistic form of a Gray Squirrel. This color makes it difficult for the squirrel to become invisible when freezing in place on gray tree bark.