A nuthatch stalking the wild goober peas.

A nuthatch stalking the wild goober peas. White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays love peanuts. If goober peas need to be boiled to be goober peas, these are not goober peas.

A nuthatch stalking the wild goober peas. White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays love peanuts. If goober peas need to be boiled to be goober peas, these are not goober peas.

I told this American Goldfinch that meteorological spring began today. It was stunned by the news.

I told this American Goldfinch that meteorological spring began today. It was stunned by the news.

A nuthatch regularly caches seeds in bark crevices and local community banks.

A nuthatch regularly caches seeds in bark crevices and local community banks.

An LBJ or an LBB?

An LBJ or an LBB?This Little Brown Job or Little Brown Bird is a Lincoln’s Sparrow.

An LBJ or an LBB?

This Little Brown Job or Little Brown Bird is a Lincoln’s Sparrow.

Naturally
Another day of snow and tell. When it’s frigid, birds become puffier. It helps to be fluffy. Watching birds is a fabulous experience. The wonders of the universe unfold before my eyes. The birds enjoy curbside service. I filled feeders and a chickadee checked out the vending machines. A hairy woodpecker put sunflower seeds into the bark of a tree and hammered them open. This activity attracted the interest of a blue jay curious to see what the woodpecker was up to. It's like one of our species back when we filled restaurants. We looked around to see what looked good going into other people's mouths.
I have window feeders. They are great for birds and for folks prone to stir-craziness. They adhere to the window via suction cups. The window needs to be clean and it helps the suction if the glass is warm. Spread vegetable oil lightly on the suction cup rims to enhance adherence. I have a heated birdbath, a recycled dog food dish. Birds can use snow and ice as a source of water but it expends precious energy to convert it to water. Heated birdbaths don't create warm water, but keep it from freezing. If you don't have a heated birdbath, you could offer fresh water in the early morning and right before dark. Those are the popular times birds want water.
A ring-necked rooster pheasant found something to crow about. The roosters crow throughout the year. I've been grounded like everyone else, but I've been fortunate to speak at birding things in Alabama, Connecticut, Alaska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc. via Zoom because roosters need to crow.
A mourning dove pair fed on fallen safflower seeds under the feeders. In ancient Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was depicted by doves. Early European superstition held that the devil and witches could turn themselves into any bird shape except the dove. In Hinduism, the dove is an emblem of the spirit and its infinite capacity for love. Ancient Aztecs believed Xochiquetzal, the mother of humanity, arrived as a dove after the great flood. Native Americans associated a dove with the Great Spirit. In the Old Testament, Noah released a dove after the great flood to search for land. It returned with an olive branch to show that the Biblical flood had receded.
At this moment in Minnesota, great horned owls are incubating eggs. A parent, typically the female, must keep them warm to prevent them from freezing. This early nesting
gives the owlets a head start in the spring and extra time to learn how to be a good great horned owl. The young aren't free of parental care until in October. Great horned owls have the most diverse diet of all North American raptors. Their principal prey items are rabbits, mice, voles, hares and coots, but their menu is substantial. They occasionally hunt in broad daylight and may walk on the ground to stalk small prey.
Nature news
Railroad crews used explosives to provoke small avalanches in British Columbia when an onlooker noticed an elk engulfed in a wave of white. The man and a friend went to help the elk and found its face peering out from the snow, immobilized by the weight of the avalanche. The men dug the elk free and it walked away. No tip was requested.
A two-headed bird (a ruffed grouse) was spotted in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The bird eats with both beaks and can fly.
The world’s oldest known wild bird is a mother once again. Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, hatched a chick on Feb. 1 on Midway Atoll. Wisdom is approximately 70 years old and has hatched 30-36 chicks.
Q&A
Jay Gregerson of Albert Lea sent a photo of a house finch with an elongated bill and wondered about the cause. Many factors have been implicated in causing bird bills to grow abnormally — disease, parasites, nutritional deficiencies, genetic defects, extreme heat, environmental contaminants and structural damage caused by a collision or other trauma.
"Do feeders help birds survive winter?" Stanley Temple, a University of Wisconsin professor studied this (1982-85) and found, on average, 69% of banded chickadees with access to a feeder survived the winter (October through April) compared to 37% without supplemental food.
"There is a downy woodpecker that appears to be healthy but sometimes remains motionless at the suet feeder or on the trunk of a tree. What's it doing?" Woodpeckers aren’t the fastest flyers, which means the downy’s best defense is to freeze in place to escape an accipiter's notice.
Thanks for stopping by
"The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings." — Wendell Berry
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." — C.S. Lewis
Do good.

©Al Batt 2021

Sometimes I look at a chickadee and I feel good about everything. Photo by Al Batt

Sometimes I look at a chickadee and I feel good about everything. Photo by Al Batt

The House Finch’s song often ends in a slur as if the bird was asking a question or had forgotten its song.

The House Finch’s song often ends in a slur as if the bird was asking a question or had forgotten its song.

The House Finch’s song often ends in a slur as if the bird was asking a question or had forgotten its song.

The rooster pheasant crows all year, which has to be exhausting.

The rooster pheasant crows all year, which has to be exhausting.

Growing up, I wasn’t the black sheep of the family. I was the black squirrel of the family.

Growing up, I wasn’t the black sheep of the family. I was the black squirrel of the family.

If you visit Hibbing, Minnesota, you can see Bob Dylan Drive without seeing Bob Dylan drive.

If you visit Hibbing, Minnesota, you can see Bob Dylan Drive without seeing Bob Dylan drive.

If you visit Hibbing, Minnesota, you can see Bob Dylan Drive without seeing Bob Dylan drive.

“The long and winding roadThat leads to your doorWill never disappearI've seen that road before.” If The Beatles had been driving this road, it would have been the long and snowy road.

“The long and winding road

That leads to your door

Will never disappear

I've seen that road before.”

If The Beatles had been driving this road, it would have been the long and snowy road.

In the opossum world, this is a social climber.

In the opossum world, this is a social climber.

A Pine Grosbeak is a mighty fine grosbeak.

A Pine Grosbeak is a mighty fine grosbeak.

A leaf tries to blend in with the snow.

A leaf tries to blend in with the snow.

A squirrel trying to make a living

Naturally

 Birds are meant to invoke awe and wonder. A love of birds is a reason to go outside. I'm constantly amazed as I watch birds trying to make a living. No bird carries a wallet or a purse. They survive without a credit card. It was -19° and the house sparrows were chirping merrily. It invigorated this listener. When I was a lad, hawks were called chicken hawks, including the beautiful red-tailed hawk. I ate more chickens than any red-tailed hawk ever did. The hawk's diet varies with availability, season and location, but mammals such as voles, mice, rats, rabbits and ground squirrels are major prey items. Tree squirrels and chipmunks are less important prey to this hawk, which is generally brown above and whitish below.
 I watched a strange cat sneak through the yard at -19° with a windchill I didn't want to know. Cats want to be outdoors. Humans want to use hard drugs, eat too much and drive too fast. Being outdoors is as bad for a cat as those other things are for us.
 I saw an American kestrel on a utility wire. The mourning dove-sized bird had slate-blue wings that identified it as a male. The female's wings are rusty. A kestrel often bobs its tail while perched.
 The news had a couple of odd nature-related things. A call to save an injured goose on the Raisin River in Detroit caused a fire rescue crew to suit up and crawl onto the treacherous ice. Once close, they discovered the goose was a decoy. Officials considered it an unexpected training session.
 Gray squirrels are an invasive species in the UK and the government there is trying to lure the squirrels into feeding boxes with small pots containing hazelnut spread spiked with an oral contraceptive. Prince Charles played a key role in setting up the UK Squirrel Accord, which aims to manage the negative impacts of invasive gray squirrels in the UK.
 I watched the fox squirrels in my yard. They survive our cantankerous winters because they keep working at it.
Q&A
 "What does beaver scat look like?" Beaver scat isn't often seen because beavers typically defecate in the water. Beaver scat is predominantly wood material. Their feces disintegrate quickly in water because they're mostly wood pulp in either a round or elongated pellet up to an inch in diameter. The scat resembles wood chips or sawdust glued together and is usually a light brown to tan color. The Beaver Institute says the preferred tree species of beavers include alder, aspen, apple, birch, cherry, cottonwood, poplar and willow. Aspen, poplar and cottonwood are their favorites. If the supply of their preferred trees is low they will harvest oaks and maples. Conifers are their least favorite. I see them gnawing on ash trees and enjoying the bark of willows. 
 "Why don't the feet of birds freeze?" Bird feet are little more than bone, sinew and scale, with few nerves. A countercurrent heat exchange system means the arteries that transport blood to the legs lie in contact with the veins that return blood to the bird’s heart. The warm arteries heat the cooler veins. Because the veins also cool the arteries, the bird’s feet are closer to the environmental temperature and don’t lose as much heat as they would if they were at body temperature.
 This system isn’t as effective in mourning doves and their feet are prone to freezing. Pigeons and chickens suffer frostbite. Frostbitten feet on other birds aren’t an impossibility. On a barely related note, the rock pigeon, the pigeon we see in farm and city, was trained for communication by the United States Army Pigeon Service or Signal Pigeon Corps. During WWII, this force consisted of 3,150 soldiers and 54,000 pigeons. Over 90% of Army messages sent by pigeons were received. The pigeon named G.I. Joe received the Dickin Medal for gallantry that saved at least 1,000 lives. From 1917 until 1957, the US Army Pigeon Breeding and Training Center was based at Fort Monmouth, N.J. 
 "Do raccoons wash their food before eating?" They aren't germaphobes. It's a myth. When they find something that might be food, they roll it around in their front paws to determine what it is. If a raccoon encounters a likely item at a distance from water, they will roll it around in their paws without involving any water. Research has determined that wetting the paws increases their sensitivity. Their scientific name, Procyon lotor, means "washing bear." Raccoons typically weigh 14 to 40 pounds, sometimes more. If raccoons had opposable thumbs, they might be our overlords.
Thanks for stopping by
 "You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment." — Annie Dillard
 "When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package." — John Ruskin
 Do good.

©Al Batt 2021

A fox squirrel hard at work making a living during the winter. Photo by Al Batt

A fox squirrel hard at work making a living during the winter. Photo by Al Batt

It’s a beautiful winter day when the blue pops out of the white.

It’s a beautiful winter day when the blue pops out of the white.

It’s a beautiful winter day when the blue pops out of the white.

I would love to meet the Badger from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. This is not that badger.

I would love to meet the Badger from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. This is not that badger.

One of the many places I didn’t make it to in 2020 was Sitka, Alaska, for their wonderful Whale Festival. I need more whale tail tales.

One of the many places I didn’t make it to in 2020 was Sitka, Alaska, for their wonderful Whale Festival. I need more whale tail tales.

Each humpback whale fluke is like a fingerprint and can be used to identify a whale.

Each humpback whale fluke is like a fingerprint and can be used to identify a whale.

When the weather drops below 20 degrees below, putting a foot into the feathers is a fine thing for a House Sparrow to do.

When the weather drops below 20 degrees below, putting a foot into the feathers is a fine thing for a House Sparrow to do.

When the weather drops below 20 degrees below, putting a foot into the feathers is a fine thing for a House Sparrow to do.

When the weather drops below 20 degrees below, putting a foot into the feathers is a fine thing for a House Sparrow to do.

When the weather drops below 20 degrees below, putting a foot into the feathers is a fine thing for a House Sparrow to do.

It was an isolated snowstorm, limited to a Blue Jay’s bill.

It was an isolated snowstorm, limited to a Blue Jay’s bill.

The starling’s bill is yellowing. Spring must be right at the tip.

The starling’s bill is yellowing. Spring must be right at the tip.

If Jim Rockford were still around, I’d have him put a tail on a bird.

Naturally

 It was one above zero. Crows gathered in the woods near my window. It was a murder in the first degree.
 A friendly chickadee landed on a feeder while I was filling it. It snacked on nyjer seeds. I don’t see chickadees as regular consumers of those thistle seeds. 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!'" A European starling’s bill turns yellow as the breeding season approaches. 
 I'm seeing flocks of horned larks. Some spend the winter in southern Minnesota. The horned larks that migrated south begin returning north into Minnesota in early February. 
 A cardinal and a house sparrow are each missing a tail in my yard. Not the same tail. If a feather is broken, it remains broken until the next molt. If a feather is pulled out, regrowth begins immediately. I doubt it's a fraternity initiation. Birds could lose their tail feathers in a fright molt while trying to avoid being captured. Those feathers come out easily, leaving the would-be predator with a mouthful of feathers. Tails are important, but not critical to survival.
 I've heard from a good number of people who have seen Carolina wrens this winter. Matt Young, the collections management leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library, said the red crossbill is the most recorded bird in that library with the Carolina wren next.
Q&A
 "How do you pronounce 'leucism'?" I hear it sometimes pronounced "loo-si-zim," but I say "loo-kiz-em." Leukemia is pronounced "loo-kee-mee-ah," not "loo-see-mee-ah." Both words come from the Greek word leukos (lyoo-kos) meaning white.
 "How can an owl catch a crow?" Great horned owls snatch them from the crows' nightly roosting sites.
 Joyce Tabor of Askov wrote, "When I sit in the living room at night, I hear owls hooting. Are they calling so they can mate or is it too early?" Great horned owls can be noisy during territorial formation and pair bonding in December and January. They lay eggs in late January into March, varying with location. When a pair of owls call a duet, the female usually hoots first and hers is higher-pitched. The male replies in a deeper voice. Females are larger than males, but the smaller male has a bigger syrinx.
 "What do opossums eat?" If opossums went to school, they'd flunk spelling, but they'd eat their homework because opossums eat almost anything, including birdseed, worms, compost, snakes, acorns, insects, slugs, eggs, young birds, berries, decayed or overripe fruit, grain, ticks, garbage and carrion. Winter is tough on them. The opossum's naked ears, nose, and tail are susceptible to frostbite.
 "Does a camel's hump hold water?" No, it stores fat. The camel uses it as nourishment when food is scarce.
 "Do juncos eat suet?" They do, especially any bits that fall to the ground. It makes sense as juncos feed on spruce budworms and consume insects during their breeding season.
 "Does the osprey eat anything other than fish?" The osprey is the only hawk on the continent that eats almost exclusively live fish, which account for 99% of an osprey’s diet. On rare occasions, ospreys have been observed feeding on dead fish, birds, snakes, voles, squirrels, muskrats and salamanders. The osprey is one of the few birds found on every continent except Antarctica. The peregrine falcon is another.
 "Do vultures circle dying animals?" They don't stalk dying creatures as a wounded animal could harm them. Circling vultures don't necessarily indicate the presence of a dead animal. Circling vultures may be gaining altitude for long flights, searching for food or exhibiting playfulness. Vultures soar on thermals of warm, rising air that allow them to conserve energy in flight. They rely on thermals of warm air to remain aloft while scanning the ground for food.
 "Will screech owls eat fish?" Eastern screech owls eat many kinds of small animals, including mammals (especially mice and voles), birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. Their diets include bats, tadpoles, moths, crickets, worms and fish. A bald eagle and an osprey aren't the only birds that watch fish like a hawk. If they can catch it, screech owls eat it. 
 "Why are moths attracted to lights?" Like a moth to a flame, moths and other insects gather around lights. Scientists don’t know why this fatal attraction occurs but speculate moths might think the light is the moon that aids their navigation. Or they might mistake it for daylight and become confused.
Thanks for stopping by
 "When February sun shines cold, there comes a day when in the air the wings of winter slow unfold, and show the golden summer there." — Philip Savage 
 "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." — Proverbs 12:18
 Do good.

© Al Batt 2021



This cardinal had lost his tail and didn’t know where to find it. The good news is that it’s growing back. Photo by Al Batt If Jim Rockford were still around, I’d have him put a tail on this cardinal.

This cardinal had lost his tail and didn’t know where to find it. The good news is that it’s growing back. Photo by Al Batt If Jim Rockford were still around, I’d have him put a tail on this cardinal.