Mystery Birds

Sometimes it's hard to identify the birds that show up at my feeders. They flit back and forth from feeder to bushes so quickly that much of the time it is hard to notice details. But you can figure out the identity of your mystery bird by using field guides. And not just one - I look at several since no one book has everything I need.

When you spot an unknown bird, look carefully at the size of the bird, the colors and patterns on the body and where they are located. Look at the feet  - the color and size. But don't grab your field guide just yet. Your book will be there a long time, but the bird will fly off soon so spend time looking at the bird rather than flipping through pages in the book. If you've got a camera handy, snap a couple of shots - they may help.

Once the bird is gone, grab your field guides and start looking. Read the information in the guides - look at the drawings/photographs, read the descriptions, especially information describing behaviors. Look at the range maps, too.

Lately, there have been some birds coming to my window feeders. They're about the size of goldfinches - just a little smaller - and have some yellow splotches. But their chests are very striped. and the beak is small and pointy. They mix with the flocks of goldfinches. They eat similar foods - mainly thistle seed.  Their call is a thin, reedy tee-tee.

Use  a couple of field guides and try to identify the bird shown above. 

Some of my favorite field guides include:

                                            

I prefer regional guides to national ones since they focus on birds that are most likely to be found here in Minnesota. (If you want a guide for the larger area, choose one for the Eastern United States rather than the Western U.S. The dividing line is the Mississippi River and since it splits MN in half, you might think either guide would work fine, but the ones for the eastern birds will work better.)

So, who do you think the mystery bird is?

(They are pine siskins, periodic winter visitors to our area. )

Safe from the Storm

It's snowing today - not as heavily as the big storm from a couple of weeks ago, but it's still coming down enough to limit visibility and make things challenging for man and beast. I'm interested in how the beasts are coping.

To help the birds in my backyard, I not only have feeders and a heated birdbath, but I've also made sure they have shelter. Trees and bushes are important as places for the birds to seek refuge from weather and from predators.

But another way I give them shelter is through brushpiles - a mound of branches of various sizes stacked about  two feet high and three feet long. The birds, especially house sparrows, jump back and forth in and out of the branches, sometimes looking for food, other times getting away from the hawks that show up looking for a meal.

Today, I spotted the birds making use of another spot in the yard for their shelter. In anticipation of maple syruping in March, I started stockpiling wood that I can use for the fire to boil the sap into syrup. The wood is stacked up on pallets and covered with a tarp. This morning, I spotted house sparrows and juncoes hopping in and out of the fire wood pile.

Adaptable and curious, birds do what it takes to survive in Minnesota's changable weather.

What do the crows know?

Remember Hitchcock's "The Birds"? Large flocks of menacing birds harrassing people in a town. Or have you read the Dauphne de Maurier short story called the "The Birds." Very creepy.

So, it's got me wondering - what's up with all the crows around the nature center lately? We've observed the injured crow we care for (named Diablo) pushing food out of its cage for the wild crows to eat. And there are always lots of tracks around his pen. But it's not just that there are lots of crows hanging out by Diablo.

Last week,  about a dozen crows were chasing either a hawk or an owl by the Overlook Pond.

And multiple times over the past week, many on the staff have noticed 20-30 crows gathering on Marie Avenue near the entrance to the nature center. They'll be on the road (even when there doesn't seem to be any food for them to scavenge) and up in the trees, especially on the south side of the street. The crows wait until the last minute to get out of the way of the cars and then  fly right back down to the street as soon as the vehicle has passed.

Bold, curious, gregarious - and very, very intelligent. What are the crows planning?

Sunrise...Sunset

Today's sunrise and sunset were beautiful. Both washed the horizon and tinted the clouds above with an unusually reddish-pink color. The old saying is  "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at dawn, sailor be warned."   The day brought us above average temperatures. Nothing disastrous but melting snow- it was quite the sloppy mess.  So, that makes me wonder - if we have a day when both sunrise and sunset are red (and not because of smoke from fires), do the delight and warning cancel each other out?
     


Sunrise on 12-12-12



Sunset 12-12-12



Something Stinks

This past week, seventh graders visited the nature center to practice wilderness skills as a way to prepare for their trip to Wolf Ridge in January. They did a great job learning how to engineer a warm, dry shelter and build fires that could boil water. Two of the days were cold - it felt good to be wearing longjohns, winter coats, hats, and mittens.

But Thursday felt like a late spring day. It was in the high 40s by late morning. As the groups looked for branches to use in their shelters and fires, their teacher spotted a bright green stink bug.

It's December. These bugs shouldn't be active anymore. But this one wasn't sluggish at all - just busy moving around.

An then, winter returned. Yesterday, Mother Nature dumped over 10 inches of heavy, wet snow on the southern part of the Twin Cities. (I got 10.5" in my backyard.)

I'm wondering where the stink bug is now and if it's even alive anymore. And more than just the stink bug, how many other animals were caught unprepared by the abrupt change? Some animals, like wood frogs, create an almost anti-freeze like substance within their bodies that let them freeze and survive winter's cold. As temperatures warm, chemical changes in the body break down the "anti-freeze" and the frog's metabolism revs up. This system gives the frogs a way to handle winter. But there has to be enough time for the frog to respond to changes in its environment.

For many animals, the amount of daylight is what triggers the changes to the body. But temperature affects some animals, too. And when we have these wild temperature swings, like the ones we've had this fall, it must impact certain animals. They can't adapt fast enough, so I guess, some days, it stinks to be a stink bug.

NaNoWriMo Mania

So, for the past 29 days I've been busy writing - just not here. November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) - an insane, yet fabulous concept where you try to write a 50000 word novel between November 1 and November 30. That averages out to about 1667 words per day.

Well, I did it. I have successfully created a children's book that is over 50000 words long.  Even though it isn't finished yet, I can say I have written at least the minimum of 50000 words. What a rush. I went into this with a general idea of what I wanted to have happen, but things happened that I never planned on - characters I never envisioned.

I'd read a book about what to expect when doing this and I'm so glad I did. The author, the guy who came up with this crazy idea, Chris Baty, says to expect this will be a crappy first draft, and let it be. More important is to get the ideas down. Then you can take the time you need to revise.

So, now that the 50000 words are out of my head and in my computer, I'll have time to get back to blogging.

More Minnesota Weather Fun

Yet another occurence of extremes in Minnesota weather: Saturday was gloriously warm. We even set a new record high temperature of 69F. And that amazing weather triggered not only thunderstorms, but even sprawned two tornadoes in Dakota County! Now they were only EF0 tornadoes, but that means the winds were still around 80 m.p.h. Trees came down, branches in the streets. Quite a show.

But it gets better - balmy temps and tempests on Saturday morphed into a cold and windy Sunday resulting in Monday's wake-up call of, yes - that's right - SNOW! Looking out my bedroom window, I saw white roofs and a snow-covered street. Flurries twirled through the air and the birdfeeders were like Grand Central station with juncoes, finches, chickadees, and cardinals zooming back and forth from feeder to bushes to trees and back. It was heavyweight longjohn weather.

What a change from Saturday. But that's Minnesota for you!

When technology goes awry...

As the 7th graders from Heritage E-STEM Middle School learn about the prairie ecosystem, we take time to learn about both the plants and the animals that live there. Students looked for signs of animals during their visits this past week. We found coyote scat, squirrel dreys, holes (not snake holes - see the earlier post), deer rubs, insect holes and tunnels under the bark. We saw and heard birds. And a couple of students even spotted voles dashing through the grass as they walked in the prairie looking for live traps.

We also set up two trail cameras to try to capture images of animals active at night. Last year, we got pictures of deer, coyote, and raccoons. (Lots of people, too.) This year, the camera by the bridge crossing the creek took pictures, but none of them revealed any animals. It was windy on some of the days the camera was set up and moving plants will trigger the motion sensor in the camera.

The camera by the trails had taken at least 196 pictures by the time the second class came out on Thursday. Admittedly, most of them were taken as the students walked past the camera, waved at the camera, jumped up and down by the camera. Even so, some of the pictures probably showed something other than 7th graders. But, we'll never know. When the group arrived at the camera on Friday, it had reset itself to zero. To be sure, I checked the memory card when I took the camera back to the nature center. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. No pictures.

So what went wrong with the camera? I'm not sure. I've used it in colder conditions. I've had it take more than 200 pictures before I've downloaded them from the memory card. I don't know what could have happened. But it's a good lesson that just because you have technology, it doesn't mean you'll be more successful. Lesson learned.

Snake Hole

Today the Heritage 7th Graders from Yellow House were exploring the Lilly Prairie for signs of animals. Along with nests, scat, and trails of crushed plants through the prairie, there were a surprising number of holes alongside the trails and scattered among the grasses.

Many students (and adults) will guess these are "snake holes." Well - no, that's not the case. Snakes are opportunistic. They'll seek out holes, both for the shelter they provide and also for the potential meal - too bad for the original homeowner. The snake gets to eat and takes over its new home.

So, who made the holes? Most likely, the holes were made by moles or shrews. To get an idea of who might be digging holes in your prairie (or yard), check out this article: http://kennedyee.weebly.com/little-holes-on-the-prairie.html.

Fly-By

Yesterday afternoon, the birds were busy feeding. Juncoes, chickadees, goldfinches, house sparrows, and mourning doves flitting to and from the main feeder and the suet feeders. Suddenly, the birds scattered - out of the feeders and out of the yard. The cause of this panic? A Cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk screaming through the yard like a kamikazee pilot on his final approach.

Usually, the hawks will fly in and sit on the fence or in the mulberry tree, looking around for some unsuspecting prey. I've seen the Cooper's Hawk jump down by the brush pile trying to get at the sparrows huddled inside. Eventually, it gave up and flew off, the sparrows exiting their twiggy fortress a short while later when they were sure the coast was clear.

One time a smaller hawks snatch a mourning dove from atop the main feeder. It started eating with the bird clutched tightly in its talons. But it kept looking skyward and much to my surprise (and delight) a red-tailed hawk flew into the yard. I've never seen red-tailed hawks here - in my yard!- but they must be around because this one showed up within minutes of the capture, ready to steal away the food. The Cooper's flew off with its meal, but dropped the dead bird in the area between my fence and my neighbor's fence. The red-tailed hawk couldn't navigate among the tangled lilac and maple branches. And the Cooper's never went back for its meal.

I'm not sure why yesterday's hawk was moving so fast. Did it see something beyond my yard that it was zeroing in on? It was gone as quickly as it came. The songbirds probably appreciated that.

Juncoes - The Snowbirds Have Returned

Our summer birds are almost all gone - the wrens, indigo buntings, orioles, hummingbirds...

There are still a couple of male red-winged blackbirds coming to my feeders, but I don't expect they'll stay much longer. Because the snowbirds have arrived. Yes, that's right - the juncoes are here. We tend to think of migrating birds traveling far to the south, to sun-drenched lands where they'll spend the winter where it's warm and snowless. But juncoes don't need to go much farther than here in Minnesota. Look for them around your feeders and flying into the brush as you walk down wooded trails. Notice the flash of white on the outside edges of the tail when they are flying.

Juncoes - just one more sign that summer is REALLY over.

Bandits!

It was a dark and stormy night. Okay - it wasn't stormy, but it was night, just after dusk. The normally quiet backyard was disturbed by crashes and rattling fences. Looking closely, the bird feeders that usually hung from the shepherd's hook were missing. In fact, the shepherd's hook was bent at a forty-five degree angle. Who were the culprits? Most likely - raccoons.

A couple of times a week, raccoons will waddle around the yard after dark, checking out what's left on the ground or in the one feeder on the fenceline. After months of this, someone got curious and bold and figured out how to climb the shepherd's hook. But being the fatty-boombaladdies that they are, one particularly adventurous raccoon's weight bent over the metal pole and let it unhook the feeders.

After I charged out of the house, chasing the thieves away, I located the feeders - one in the garden right by the shepherd's hook, but the other a good 20 feet away - and empty, of course. Bandits! Thieves!

So now, I bring the feeders in each night at dark, and take them back out in the morning. What I do for the birds!

Sunburn and then snow showers

So, Wednesday we had temperatures in the upper 70s. Lovely, warm - t-shirt weather. Today - snow showers. Not quite the blizzard that hit northwestern Minnesota a couple of days ago dumping nearly a foot of snow in some areas, but what was falling was definitely snow. Ah, yes - wonderful Minnesota, where it is so true: If you don't like the weather, just wait a couple of hours!

The Colors of Fall

This is the week that the colors of fall have popped at the nature center. I have to stop myself from taking pictures of every beautiful tree I see. But here are a few images from the past few days. Enjoy!

Maple tree

Virginia Creeper on tree trunk

Chickadee at feeder in front of maple tree

Not so scenic this fall...

With October starting tomorrow, you'd expect the fall colors to be peaking here in the Twin Cities. But it has been so dry (we just experienced the 2nd driest September ever since they started keeping records in the late 1800s) that the leaves are just drying up and falling off the trees. Once in a while, you'll spot a particular tree that is gorgeous - lots of oranges and reds and yellows, but most of the trees are just looking tired. That kind of sums up the weather conditions in this odd, odd year - tired and ready for a change.

Here are a couple of pictures of some lovely fall colors from a couple of years ago.

Still around

Yesterday, a female hummingbird showed up at the nectar feeder. The day was warm - 77F. But we'd had temperatures almost at the freezing point the day before so it was a pleasant surprise to see hummers still here. Most sources recommend keeping feeders out until October, so I made fresh nectar, cleaned the feeder, and rehung it. I'll keep my eyes open hoping to see more!

Today, a male red-winged blackbird turned up at my main feeder. Although my yard isn't near any water (there is a small marshy area a couple of blocks away), red-winged blackbirds turn up often during the summer. This may be one of last ones since red-winged blackbirds migrate. Maybe he was passing through as he headed south. I'll be watching in March for their return.

Name that Caterpillar!

This week, seventh graders from Heritage E-STEM Middle School explored plants on the east end of Dodge Nature Center's Lilly Prairie. We'll be using this site all year to learn about ecosystems and to restore this property by collecting seed and growing plants to return to the prairie next spring. While we were focusing on the plants this week, we also took time to see what wildlife was present. On one kind of plant, we spotted these caterpillars.

There were several of these caterpillars on each plant. Nearby leaves showed evidence of having been eaten, but we weren't sure if the caterpillars were the insects responsible for the leaf damage. Webbing stretched from leaf to leaf, not as a dense mat, but as individual strands.

I've been researching what kind of caterpillars these may be, but so far no luck. It may be some kind of fall webworm, but I'm not sure. The 7th graders took several of the caterpillars and leaves from the plants back to school. I'm curious about what they'll discover working with these caterpillars. 

If you know what they are, let me know!

Visitors passing through...

As the nights turn cold and the number of daylight hours lessen, be on the lookout. The woods, fields, and even our yards are being visited by birds who are ready to head home for the winter. This is the time of year to watch for those birds that have spent the summer raising young among an abundance of space and food. But cooler temperatures means less food, so warblers, sparrows, buntings, wrens, blackbirds, ducks, and many more types of birds are on their way.  Those migrators come from throughout the state and from Canada. And how far they travel depends on which species they are. Some only need to go as far as the southern U.S., while others continue on to Central America or all the way to southern South America. And some, coming from Canada or northern Minnesota, will stop here - we're "south" for them! (More about them later - once they'ver arrived in late September.)

We tend to think of migrating birds going south as "visitors" because here - the north - is their "real" home. But that's not the case - they are actually visiting during the months we see them here in the north. They come to breed and once that's completed, it's time to head home - south. Food will be available even if space is limited. Isn't that just like human guests - hang around until the food's gone and then leave?!

Missed the Migration?

Usually, over Labor Day weekend and the first week or two of September, there are monarchs everywhere, especially on the goldenrod and blazing star. It is the time of year to tag these butterflies since they're on their way to Mexico.

But this year continues to be strange. Many of the flowers bloomed earlier than usual, so there are less nectaring plants for the butterflies to feed on. That may be why I'm seeing fewer monarchs.

And the few that I have seen feeding on flowers are very flighty - they leave the plants if you come anywhere near them.

Yesterday, at Dakota County's Spring Lake Park Schaar's Bluff, my family and I looked for monarchs to tag. We spotted one, but - zoom - it took off before we could anywhere close to it. We did spot a viceroy, though, something I haven't seen in a couple of years.


Notice how the viceroy looks a lot like a monarch.
But viceroys have the added dark line on the lower wings.

 I wonder if the main migration of monarchs from Minnesota is over - they've flown the coop already, I guess!

How do you tag a monarch?

With the end of summer (it's Labor Day, after all) comes the time of year when we can tag monarchs. This generation of butterflies doesn't mate. Instead, it migrates. And scientists tag these monarchs to track their movements and how the environment influences their travels.

MonarchWatch is the organization that coordinates the tagging process. Tags have a three-letter, three-number code along with contact information for MonarchWatch. When you catch a monarch, a tag is placed in the center of the lower wing. The tags don't harm the monarch in any way - the glue can't hurt them and the weight of the tag doesn't affect the monarch's ability to fly.

The monarchs can be tricky to catch. Even when they're busy feeding (drinking nectar from flowers) they are aware of their surroundings and fly at the first sign of a perceived threat. On a good day, I can catch them with just my hands, plucking them off of the flowers. But most times, I will be 1/4" from the wings and the butterflies sense the heat of my fingers or something else about me, and zoom - they're gone!

These butterflies will head south, flying about 50 miles a day, heading for the mountains of central Mexico where they'll roost all winter long.

Starting in late January, scientists head to the sanctuaries (protected areas of the forests where the monarchs spend the winter) looking for tagged monarchs. Usually, these are found on the ground, meaning the monarch has died. Using the code number, scientists can determine when and where the monarch was tagged. 

I enjoy tagging monarchs for several reasons. It gives me the opportunity to contribute to scientific research through its role as a citizen science project. By having people across the country tagging monarchs, scientists develop a much larger database than they could develop themselves. Secondly, it's fun! There is a challenge and finesse to capturing monarchs without hurting them or the flowers they're on.

Be on the lookout for the monarchs - you may be lucky enough to see large groups flying overhead or to even spot a tree where they've rested overnight.

Hummers

It sounds like a giant insect buzzing above your head. A flash of green and red and you spot the male hummingbird zooming after another hummingbird. One of the most amazing birds, hummingbirds can fly not only forward and down, but they can move up and backwards. When flying forward, they can flap their wings 80 times in a second. (Try flapping your arms as fast as you can for one minute - how did you do?)

Males have a red throat; the females' throats are white like their bellies. Sometimes, it's hard to spot the red throat, but wait a second and when the bird turns, you'll spot the iridescence.


Is this hummingbird male or female?

This time of year, more hummingbirds may turn up at your feeders since some from up north have begun migrating. Hummers are territorial, so you may notice one coming to your feeder only to be chased away by another. Listen carefully - you can hear the buzzing of their wings and the chittering noises they make as they scold one another.

In the Twin Cities, you can keep your feeders out until about mid-October. The migrating hummingbirds are hungry and there aren't too many blooming flowers left at that time. Mix one part sugar to four parts water to make your own nectar. Don't color the nectar - the birds don't need it. The feeders usually have red on them and that will attract the hummingbirds.

Feed the birds and enjoy the antics of those amazing hummingbirds!

"I Saw a Baby Monarch" Really?

I've been doing some public programs about monarchs lately. This is the time of year that we can start tagging monarchs since from here on the monarchs that hatch will be migrating to Mexico. At some point in the program, someone usually says something about seeing "baby monarchs." The idea that a butterfly will hatch out at one size and then grow larger is something people don't seem to think is odd. Yet, if you think about the metamorphosis that butterflies go through, you'd realize that a butterfly emerges at the size it will be for the rest of its life.

So, what are the "babies" that people think they are seeing? Well, there are several butterflies that look similar to monarchs. There is the American Copper, the Meadow Fritillary, the American Lady, Viceroys, and the Tawny Emperor.


Meadow Fritillary



Painted Lady



Viceroy

 I suppose if you glimpsed one of these butterflies, you might think it was a monarch - just a small one. But now you know better!

Definitely NOT the Dog Days of Summer

This morning, I woke up to the lowest temperature in many weeks - it was only about 49F. After weeks of summer heat, with the overnight lows never dropping below the 60s, it is heavenly to fell the need for blankets and closed windows overnight. This time of year is often referred to as "The Dog Days of Summer" so called because of the reappearance of Sirius, the Dog Star of the constellation Canis Major. (My favorite constellation, Orion, is now again visible, but only in the last hours of night, just before dawn.) I'm not naive enough to think we won't have hot temperatures at some point in the next month, but for now, I'm enjoying being cold!

Bison Buggy

Last Wednesday, a group of us from the nature center had the opportunity to visit Belwin Conservancy's property where "the buffalo roam." Belwin has a group of about 28 two-year-old female bison that roam freely in a large restored prairie.

The Conservancy staff have studied the effects of the bison on the prairie - Do grasses do better than forbs? Do certain kinds of grasses grow better where the bison walk regularly? Is the quality of the meat different for bison grazing on prairie grasses versus those grazing on standard fields? (Yes!) The buggy is able to get close to the herd (which is used to the sound and motion of the vehicle) and gave us a really good look at the animals.

As we wrapped up our visit, the staff let us collect a few artifacts to add to the props we use in our prairie classes. Naturalists - we like weird stuff!

It's Both the Heat and the Humidity

On average, the Twin Cities has around 15 days of temperatures 90F or higher a year. But the oddness of this year continues. After a remarkably warm spring (especially March), the trend continues. Yesterday, we reached 90F or warmer for the 21st time. And it was the 22nd consecutive day of temperatures over 85F. Today is the anomaly - it stayed in the 70s. The humidity was high again, so it felt warmer than it was, but at least we weren't dealing with heat indices in the 100s. That's coming back this weekend! Stay cool!

Hearing Nature

Hike out to your favorite natural spot. Get comfortable. Close your eyes. And just listen...

caw caw caw
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
buzz-z-z-z-z-z
cheerio-cheeri up
peep peep peep
pee-o-ee

The woods at the Marie Property rang with birdsong - chickadees, crows, pewees, robins, wild turkey chicks, and many others that I didn't know. The cicadas sounded close by as their high pitched buzzing cut through the trills, chirps and warbles of the birds. A crashing sound in the underbrush marked the trail of a rabbit.

Take time to listen. Nature speaks as much as it shows.

How Animals Beat the Heat

I’m sitting in my air conditioned house trying to find ways to avoid going outside because of the oppressive heat. I’m not exaggerating using that word: oppressive. In fact, there is an Oppressive Heat Warning for the Twin Cities area. It’s 98ºF with a dew point of 71. (I’ve decided I will try really hard to to be a good person because this is must be what hell is like.)

So, this got me wondering about what animals do when the weather is hot like this – they can’t get out of it like humans do, so how do wild animals deal with heat?

Sweat It Out: Horses sweat and dogs do too, but through their paws.

Getting the Heat Out: Sweating isn’t enough to cool off dogs, so they’ll also pant to release body heat. But dogs aren’t the only ones. Birds pant, too! Look for birds with their beaks open – they’re breathing hard to get rid of excess heat.

Shelter: Many animals will hide out, seeking shade under bushes or deep within trees. Or they'll go deep into lakes where the water is cool.

Protection: Some animals, like squirrels, use body parts to divert the heat. By exposing the lighter colored underside of the tail, less heat will be absorbed and the squirrel will stay cooler.

Damp by Choice: Even if they aren’t aquatic, many animals seek out water – birdbaths and sprinklers are welcome relief. And, if you’re a vulture, you’ll cool yourself down by urinating down your legs.

Lots of amazing strategies!

July 2: late afternoon
Just after posting the above content, I was watching the grey squirrels in my backyard. One was in the rose garden, stretched out - fully flat - on the bare ground. Earlier in the day, I had watered that garden. I think the squirrel was spreading out on the damp soil to cool off. It stayed like this for about 10 minutes, then went out into the yard and did the same thing on the lawn. Doin' whatever it takes to stay cool!

Engineering in Nature: Seed Dispersal Strategy of Lupines



The lupines are, for the most part, done blooming. The other prairie forbs and the grasses tower over the palmate-style leaves of the lupines. But, if you look very carefully, you can spot the seed pods. When they first develop, they resemble lime green pea pods, but fuzzy ones. Then they gradually turn black. And once they have dried, they pop! The shell doesn't just crack open, but both halves twist, flinging the white, rock hard seeds away from the parent plant. I collected some black pods yesterday and left them in a seed tray to dry. The tray is about 2" deep and in the morning, I found seeds and twisted pod halves on the counter around the pan. An amazing amount of power from such a tiny object. 

New seed pods



Dried seed pod just beginning to open



Attracting Birds to Your Yard

Read any book on how to get birds to flock to your yard and you'll see the same ideas over and over: Provide cover. Offer water. Have a variety of seeds, but if you can only afford one - go with sunflower seeds. Have suet available, especially in the winter.

These things all work. The birds love splashing around in the birdbath. Sunflower seeds, millet, milo, safflower seeds, and cracked corn draw not only birds, but chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels to my yard. The suet disappears within a day from the locusts that are really woodpeckers, chickadees, goldfinches, wrens, and even the red-winged blackbirds. But in the summer, the one thing that attracts more birds than anything else is the mulberry tree.


Ripe mulberries are dark purple.

From mid-June to early July, the berries ripen and draw a wide variety of birds and mammals. These mildly sweet, juicy berries are a magnet for blue jays, robins, cowbirds, catbirds, woodpeckers, flycatchers, cardinals, chickadees, plus squirrels, chipmunks, and even woodchucks. Foxes and raccoons like to eat the berries that fall to the ground.

No denying that, while the berries are ripe, it's messy. There are purple stains on the yard furniture, patio, and driveway.  And if you walk anywhere near the tree, you'd better check the bottom of your shoes to make sure you don't track in any smashed berries. But it's worth it, getting to see all the bird activity. It's like Grand Central Station!



Blue jay in mulberry tree



A prairie by any other name...

Yesterday, at the Metro Training, we had the opportunity to tour the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis. Our very knowledgeable guide walked us through the bog, trillium woodland, fern glen, hemlock site, and then proudly, took us around their prairie.

When I hear the word "prairie," I envision endless tracts of waving grasses interrupted with patches of colorful forbs. Prairie is where the buffalo roam, where prairie dogs scamper about, where trees don't exist.

What struck me about the EB prairie was its...messy-ness. Everywhere I looked, there were not only grasses and forbs, but shrubs and vines. Rather than a prairie, I guess I'd call what we saw a meadow - that transitional zone bordering woodlands where trees give way to grasses, but conditions favor all the other kinds of plants, too. Like vines and shrubs. It was lovely, and maybe I'm just being picky, but it wasn't prairie the way I see prairie.

Night Lights

Looking out into the darkened backyard last night, I spotted one - a firefly. Like aerial Morse code, it blinked its way across the yard and up into the the trees. Probably of the species Photuris pensylvanica, the males fly around, blinking from their behinds as they try to attract females. But they need to be careful - the females of some other firefly species will signal back to the males, ambush them and eat them! It's tough being a male insect!

A Bug's Life

Walking the Lilly Prairie today, lots of blooming forbs attracted a variety of interesting insects.

Don't expect to see the actual bug, but look for the globs of foam between stems and leaves on a variety of plants. This is where spittlebugs are developing.

Only about 1/2" long, this bland looking insect can take care of itself. It is part of the stink bug family. Look - don't touch!



My favorite bug of the day - it let me take picture after picture without flinching or fleeing. Notice the thick back legs? This is a leaf-footed bug.

Insects are difficult to identify, partly because there are just so many of them and, unlike birds or flowers, I haven't found a regional guide that does a really good job of distinguishing which is which. So, if I've misidentified one of these creatures, let me know!

Chrysalis Time

Monarchs arrived in the Metro at the beginning of May. We spotted eggs everywhere on the milkweed around the Dodge property. Then we started seeing caterpillars. And now, the monarchs are beginning the next stage in their lives. After shedding their skin one last time as a larva, the monarch is surrounded by the jade green chrysalis. During this time, the insect is particularly vulnerable, so the color of the chrysalis is critical to their survival. The green color helps them blend in with the leaves of the plants where they are hanging out until they emerge as an adult. Depending on the weather, it will take 7-14 days before the next generation of butterflies appear. So, that's what we're looking for next. More butterflies!

Lesson for the Day

Temperatures were in the 90s today - lots of sun and humidity. And I learned today that a homemade suet mixture of lard, peanut butter and oatmeal doesn't stand up to the heat. Not even close...

Remember how the creature moved in the movie "The Blob"? That's what it kind of looked. There's nothing like watching globs of  brown goo ooze down the sides of the feeders, dripping onto the squirrel baffles below. Even the woodpeckers weren't interested in the stuff - they'd fly in, peck at the mess in the holes, and fly away. I can only assume they flew off in disgust. "What is this stuff? Yech!"Since I don't speak woodpecker, I guessing at their reaction based on their behavior.

A thunderstorm came through about 7 p.m. and the temperature is dropping. Hopefully, the goo will solidify and be more appealing tomorrow. Or - I need to try something different for the rest of the summer.

Mini Mammals on the Prairie

This week the 7th Graders from Heritage E-STEM Middle School applied engineering skills they'd been learning by designing and constructing live traps. They planned on placing the traps around the Lilly Prairie to see what kinds of small mammals live there. (Back in November we set up trail cameras to capture images of larger mammals active at the Lilly. We saw deer, a raccoon, a coyote, people, and a mink!) Today each class had several successes - traps that actually worked! So what was in the traps?

We found meadow voles. The students tended to assume these animals were mice, but there are easily observed differences. Mice have large ears and long tails. Look carefully at the picture and notice the tiny, dark eyes and almost absent ears. Their tails are shorter than the length of their bodies.

Meadow voles are probably the most abundant mammal on the prairie. They reproduce at an early age, have large litters, and become food for many others on the prairie. You probably won't ever see them, but the traps we used today helped us know they are on the Lilly.

Gloomy Day

Listening to people the past few days, it's been interesting to hear them talk about how they could tell rain was coming: the color of the clouds, the smell in the air, the ache in their knees. In this day and age with all the technological bells and whistles available, it's great that people still rely on their senses to predict weather. Phone apps and computer alerts are useful, but we should be doing more with our eyes and ears and getting back to trusting our instincts about the world around us.  

Caterpillar Time



First, there were dozens of monarch eggs on the milkweed. And now there are tiny caterpillars everywhere. The larvae start out less than 1/4" long and about as thick as dental floss. It can be hard to spot the actual caterpillars, so don't look for them - look for signs of them instead.

Notice the tiny holes in the leaves in the picture above? That's what to look for - signs of the larvae eating. These first instar larvae eat their egg case first, then the tiny hairs on the underside of the leaf. Then they start eating the leaf itself. The holes are small and the caterpillar makes one after the other. Any break in the surface of the leaf lets the white, sticky latex leak out. While the caterpillars can ingest the latex without it being toxic to them (although anything trying to eat the caterpillar will be poisoned), it can glue their tiny mouths shut. Always another hurdle to overcome!

Lupine Time

This is the time of year for my favorite spring prairie wildflower - lupines. Hike to the northwest corner of the main prairie and there you'll see them - rafts of that indescribable bluish-purple color swaying in the breeze. Nearby you'll see the orange of the hoary puccoon - a lovely contrast to the lupines. In a month or two, come back and look for the fuzzy black seed pods. They twist apart to toss the hard white seeds out onto the prairie where they'll rest all winter before sprouting next spring.

If you like lupines and like the idea of doing something to make the world a better place, take a few minutes to read Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney - an excellent children's book with a message for anyone.

Lots of monarch activity

The lawn in the backyard needs mowing, but there's milkweed sprouting up everywhere. And looking carefully at the leaves and stems, I've spotted almost 30 eggs. No caterpillars yet. I collected about 20 eggs and am raising them in the basement. The earliest I've found eggs before is mid-June. What a crazy spring!

Who's that grunting?

Sitting on the north platform of the boardwalk, I could hear an odd sound coming from the marsh to the west. Not a bird, but another frog. The chorus frogs are still making their comb-thrumming calls. This frog's sound was like a cross between a snore and a grunt. Checking with other naturalists, we decided it was a green frog.

Another small frog, green frogs are only about 2-3" long, bright green with a white belly. The males' throats are yellow. They snack on grasshoppers, crickets, snails, slugs, and other invertebrates. It's not surprising that I heard this frog where I did since they prefer marshes and ponds. Now I'll just have to keep an eye out for one.

Tiny Miracles

Since last week, milkweed has been popping up everywhere.  And with the presence of milkweed, the monarchs have been busy laying eggs on any plants they find - even ones that are no taller than 5".

Two monarch eggs on a newly emerged milkweed plant

Even in my backyard, I've seen monarch eggs - over 10 on 4 different plants. This is the earliest I've ever noticed eggs  - and the abundance of eggs!

There is much concern about the future of monarchs given the extent of habitat loss both in monarchs' summer range and winter roosting sites. Seeing this many eggs so soon and in such numbers makes me hopeful that the species will survive. For being such a tiny insect, they are certainly tenacious!

Morel Mania

One benefit of this wild weather we've been having is that it seems to be good for mushrooms - especially morels. This past week, naturalists and preschoolers were collecting morels throughout the nature center. And the size of the things - heads standing 4"-6" tall. Amazing and elusive!

from minnesotafirsts.com

Morels (Morchella esculenta) officially became Minnesota's state mushroom in 1984. 

Black and Orange - Spring Signs Abound

Students gathered at the top of Dakota Life Hill were busy trying to start fires using hand drills, bow drills, and flint-and-steel. It was noisy with their excitement. But a rumble of distant thunder got the adults looking skyward and the inky blackness of the western sky convinced us it was time to head inside. The trek back to the classroom took us through a woodland of trees. What little light there was filtered through young leaves giving the woods a strange greenish glow. Fascinating to look at, but we had no time to appreciate the quality of the light. And just in time, we made it to the classroom. The hail and rain that poured down were most impressive.

It seems that storms that develop quickly are also short-lived. And that was the case today - by noon, the skies were clear. Red admirals and dragonflies were flying everywhere. Naturalists were out hunting for morels. And there - by the feeders near the office - orioles! Just about the time we hung an oriole feeder, a monarch butterfly was spotted near the raptor mews. This is why I so enjoy observing the changes of spring.

The Voice

Of all the birds that return in spring, and of all the birds that sing and trill and call with the exurberance only spring can inspire, the most exuberant of all has to be wrens. This morning, I awoke to a wren singing away. This is the third year I can remember the wren being in the backyard. Not a bad way to wake up - hearing the rolling trills of this tiny singer.

It nests in a birdhouse hanging from the neighbor's clothesline. For being such a tiny bird, it is one of the feistiest. This afternoon, a male house sparrow was trying to take over the birdhouse. The sparrow is almost twice as large as the wren, but size didn't matter. The wren kept dive-bombing the sparrow. And even when the sparrow flew away from the house, the wren followed it and chased it until the bird flew out of the yard. What determination! And what beautiful singing!

Frogs croak - toads trill...

The chorus frogs have been singing for almost a month now. And Tuesday night of this week, you could hear the toads trilling. Yet another sign of spring.

American toads are small - between 2" and 4" long. They eat grasshoppers, insects, worms, spiders, and slugs. Warm, rainy nights are when they are most active. This time of year they're doing a lot of calling for mates. A female will lay 2000- 20000 eggs underwater. In 4-10 days tadpoles will hatch and then change into full-fledged toads in about two months. The warmer it is, the faster the transformation will take place.

After a couple of warm days, today is cool and snow flurries are possible tonight, so I don't expect to hear the toads. Maybe next week...

My nieces holding toads found in the yard in the Summer of 2008 - no, they won't get warts!

What is this fragrance so appealing?

This is the time of year when we can experience a particularly appealing fragrance - the scent of lilacs. But as all things have been weird this spring, the lilacs have been no different. The lilacs bloomed early, but they haven't been very fragrant. If you stuck your nose right into a fully-opened cluster, you could detect a slight scent. But today, with temperatures soaring into the high 70s, lilac fragrant filled the air. Definitely a sign of spring - and a heavenly one, at that!

(An article from last year on a horticulture website talked about plans for a lilac that would flower in both spring and summer. Many people were against the idea saying that it made lilacs that much more special knowing their fragrance was only available for a short time as winter let go and summer arrived. I haven't seen anything since then, so maybe the plant developers changed their minds.)

More of the Same

Well, yesterday we had another of those odd Minnesota weather days. It was snowing heavily through the Range at the same time that tornadoes were touching down in the southwestern part of the state. Looking at weather maps, a distinct line showed where the break was between the cold and warm air masses. All we got here in northern Dakota County was a gentle rain - about 0.3".

Several new birds have shown up - female cowbirds (they're the same size and shape as the males, but are a more uniform grey color), and chipping sparrows. The chipping sparrows are a good sign because they show up just before the juncoes leave. I'm seeing more white-throated sparrows in the backyard, too. Lots of activity as bird populations shift from their southern habitats to their northern ones.

White-throated sparrow - easy to see how this species got its name!

More arrivals

This morning, during the training for Physics on the Farm, I heard the distinctive call of a sora rail. It's not surprising that I didn't see the bird - they tend to be quite secretive. Or, according to an article in this month's BirdWatcher's Digest (ID Yourself: Rails, p. 32), it's just that rails tend to hang out in dense vegetation which makes them hard to spot - they're there, but not in plain view. Soras look a little like a stocky chicken, but walk more upright. They have a black mask and greenish-yellow bill and legs. You might spot one at the edge of the cattails, but it's more likely that you'll hear something that makes you think of the Three Stooges: a whoop-whoop-whoop kind of cry that starts on a high pitch and descends with each "whoop." Listen (and look) for the sora at the Farm Pond, the north end.

The other arrival spotted today at the nature center is the white-throated sparrow. Along with a white patch on the throat, look for two white stripes from the eyes over the crown of the head to the neck. And listen for their distinct call. It's rhythm makes it sound like they are saying: "Oh-h-h my Can-a-da, Can-a-da, Can-a-da." Some people hear "Oh-h-h Sam Pea-bod-y, Pea-bod-y, Pea-bod-y." Say either phrase out loud and you'll hear the pattern. The white-throated sparrows are here for a short time as they are migrating through the area and heading north. With their appearance, you can start counting the days until the juncoes also depart for the north. My records from home show the average last appearance of juncoes is April 28. It's usually within two weeks of the first sighting of a white-throated sparrow. The countdown has begun...

Just ducky...

Walking down the Farm Road with a class this afternoon, we spotted a male mallard in the pools of water in the marsh on the north side of the road. There's probably less than 4" of water in these temporary pools created by the recent rains.

Later  in the afternoon, I spotted another mallard duck and drake in the reeds on the south side of the boardwalk. The cattails haven't sprouted yet but there are lots of dead stalks lying in the water. The mallards were waddling across them and stopping periodically to feed.

It seems that these mallards aren't too particular about the amount or location of water so long as there is a small amount to swim in.

Mallards seem very adaptable in another way. Yet again, there is a mallard duck nesting in the courtyard at Heritage E-STEM Middle School. Last year, staff had to help the ducklings and mom to leave the area. We'll keep track of what happens this year.

Extremes - but this is Minnesota, after all...

Yesterday it was warm and slightly muggy. In the evening, we were under a tornado watch. Heavy rain fell around 7:30 p.m. and again after midnight. Tornadoes were spotted west of the Twin Cities. At the same time, northeastern Minnesota was under a winter weather watch and by this morning, schools across the area were closed. In the Twin Cities, we had blasts of snow throughout the morning, although no accumulation - just snow and cold, cold winds. A winter coat, mittens and a hat felt really good. And I'm glad I was wearing my longjohns.

And this is what makes this spring so challenging - tomorrow I won't need them - we're going to be back in the 60s. Minnesota - either you love the wacky weather or you need to leave!

Hello...Good-bye

Another sign of spring - this morning I spotted a white-throated sparrow in the backyard. They migrate through and will only be around for a couple of weeks. But their appearance signals the soon-to-be departure of the juncoes. Looking back at my phenology records for the past ten years, this is the average time of spring when the white-throated sparrows return. So, all the warm weather we had in March and April doesn't seem to have impacted the travel plans of the birds. Maybe their actions are more strongly affected by the amount of sunlight we have each day than by temperature. Anyway, my records show that it is usually within two weeks of the the sparrows arrival that the juncoes head home - north. We'll see what that date actually is for this year.

What's Blooming?

As I took out the trash barrels last night, I noticed lots of plants sprouting in the garden under the spruce tree at the foot of the driveway. The wild roses are already 8" tall and there are lots of weeds, like lambs quarters, popping up. And there - among the roses and thistles - were two small milkweed plants. This is probably the earliest I've seen milkweed up.  The frost of the last few nights didn't seem to affect them. I'm not expecting to spot monarch for 6-7 weeks; if the milkweed will have lots of time to grow and be ready for the the butterflies, their eggs, and larvae.

Spring in Minnesota

Today we awoke to below freezing temperatures for the first time in a month. Given all the plant growth because of the warm weather, there were many concerns about how the the cold would affect the plants. Experts from the Arboretum stated that most of the perennials we're seeing (violets, tulips, daffodils, crocuses) are adapted to a range of temperatures and will withstand the cold just fine.  And while the fruit trees that are blooming will loose blossoms, only about 10% will die off. There are plenty that will survive to bear fruit.

Even with the strong northwest winds that made today seem more like late February than early April, I spotted blooming bleeding hearts by the farm house. Look for the lovely arches of pink heart-shaped flowers by the spruce tree. The tree and the house probably shelter the plant from the worst of the cold.

One last observation about today: I needed to wear my winter coat today. Mittens felt good against the cold breeze. As I came into my house after work, I could hear someone cutting grass. All I could picture was someone in a parka, mittens, and stocking cap pushing their mower back and forth across the lawn. Gotta love Minnesota and it's weird weather.

The bees are happy...

As you walk around the nature center, you'll notice there are lots of flowers finally blooming. Look by the farm for dandelions. While most of us consider dandelions to be a nuisance, they're important for our bees. They've been busy collecting nectar to start making a new year's batch of honey.

The lilacs below the Farm Ed. kitchen windows are open, but they don't have much fragrance yet. And look for these at the west end of the apiary trail.

Pete is responsible for starting these marsh marigolds on the north side of the apiary trail where the stream curves out of the marsh and heads west. The leaves are thick and fleshy. The flowers are bright yellow. Another name for this plant was cowslip, so named because (according to Wildflowers of Minnesota ) "the plant grew on the hummocks and cows slipped on it when they went to the stream to drink."

More Arrivals

There are lambs, piglets, and chicks at the farm. On the Farm Pond dragonflies, cormorants, and egrets are active. And in my backyard, I spotted a female red-winged blackbird and a grackle. And - a less than thrilling sighting - I found seven dandelions blooming in all their yellow glory this morning in the front yard. Time to rip some weeds out of the lawn...

Farewell, Marvelous March

Record-breaking high temperatures - almost no snow - sightings of spring events over two weeks earlier than typical...what a March it has been. We're finishing off this month having had the warmest March ever since record-keeping began in the 1800s. No doubt that there have been warmer Marchs or that the birds have come back sooner than usual, but it hasn't happened in a long time - not in my lifetime.  I think Minnesotans love that "I was there" experience of special weather record-setting events. I know that I do.

New signs of spring this week included the violets (see the earlier post) and maple seeds. There is a maple tree on the north side of the parking lot (by the "Visitor Parking" signs) that has seeds almost 1" long. I haven't seen any seeds on other maple trees - yet. They can't be far behind.

At home, male cowbirds are at the feeders and there has been a chipmunk scurrying around.

What a March - I can't wait to see what April will be like!

Roses are red, Violets are...Blooming!

Another sign of spring - I spotted violets blooming yesterday. Most other years, the violets aren't blooming until around the 3rd week of April. But, as with everything (it seems this year), things are happening sooner than usual.

Look for dark purple violets behind the Sugar Shack on the path leading to the cauldron.  In the next week or so, look for more violets in the woods north of the apiary sheds. And in another couple of weeks, look for the magenta violets in the woods between the parking lot and the path leading to the Lab.

Grey Skies

Today felt the way March is supposed to be. It was windy, cold, drizzly - raw. But the greyness provides a wonderful backdrop to highlight the promise of spring - dark clouds behind the chartreuse greens of budding trees. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I took the picture below when we were at the Lilly Property today. The grey and the greens are there, but the picture can't capture the way the leaves seem to glow. Look for it tomorrow when you go out.

Hide and Seek

As I was leaving the parking lot the other day, I spotted an animal within the woods on the south side of the parking lot. Since I was planning on doing a lesson with the Heritage 7th Graders about camouflage, it seemed like a great opportunity to snap a picture to add to my collection of photos for a powerpoint on "Camouflaged Critters." Look carefully at the picture below. An animal is hiding in plain sight - can you spot it?

Can you spot the animal?

It's Spring!

Well, Spring officially arrived at 12:14 this morning, but the unbelievable string of record-setting temperatures have helped to move along the first date of sighting/experiencing the following events around the nature center.

 Red-winged blackbirds, bluebirds, phoebes, a woodcock, song sparrows, American tree sparrows, and great blue herons have returned. Juncos are gathering – a flock of several hundred were spotted along the western edge of the main property and seem to be getting ready to head north.

The ice is off of the ponds. A muskrat was spotted on the Farm Pond, and Canada geese and mallards are staking territories. Lots of squawking and chasing have been seen. A painted turtle was sunning itself on a log in the Prairie Pond.

The chorus frogs are singing.

The silver maples have flowered and the box elders have leafed out.

Earthworms, woodticks, gnats, bees, and darkling beetles are active.

A pair of great horned owls may be nesting near the large white pine just past the pump station for Dodge’s well.

A second saw-whet owl has been spotted in the pines near our resident saw-whet. This one is smaller so it may be a male and they may be pairing up.

Near the Photoblind trail, in a dead pine snag, a pair of pileated woodpeckers has been busy, possibly excavating a nesting cavity.

The male turkeys are strutting their stuff, but the females seem less than impressed.

Thanks to everyone for their observations.

Enjoy the season!