Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
Winter and cold temperatures have finally hit us in Minnesota. Many birds (and some insects) migrate to escape the cold, other animals grow thick winter coats and adapt their diets to what is available, while others decide to skip the cold weather and just sleep through it. These tactics are all great ways to survive harsh winters, but did you know that some animals actually survive cold weather by freezing themselves and thawing out in the Spring? Usually freezing is not a good thing for living organisms - think frostbite. When ice forms, cells can be pierced by the growth of sharp ice crystals or the cell can rupture because of the expansion of fluids in the cell resulting in the death of the cell. Luckily some animals have special cryoprotectant (cryo = ice, cold, frost in Greek) substances in their tissue that protects the tissue from freezing and being damaged. Wood Frog Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) live in wooded areas and when cold weather approaches they bury themselves under leaf litter just under the surface of the soil. They can freeze up to 70% of their body including the brain and lenses of the eyes. Their heart completely stops, their breathing stops, and there is no muscle movement. Then in Spring when their body warms up, water will return to the cells and the frog returns to normal functions. They will repeat this process each year. How can they freeze and essentially cease to live for such a long time? Wood frogs have special nucleating proteins that suck most of the water out of their cells. The liver produces glucose (sugar) to fill the cells and prevents them from freezing solid and rupturing. This natural antifreeze protects their cells in cold weather. Woolly Bear Caterpillar Woolly Bear Caterpillars (Pyrrharctia isabella) are the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth. These fuzzy black and brown caterpillars are usually seen in the fall as they search for their overwintering spots inside cavities, under leaves, rocks, logs, or bark. Their long “fur,” called setae, helps them to freeze more controllably. They produce a natural antifreeze called glycerol which keeps cells from fully freezing and bursting. Woolly Bear Caterpillars will spend winter in this mostly frozen state and will thaw in the Spring and make a cocoon, later emerging as a moth. These small yet mighty insects can survive down to -90°F! Painted Turtle Hatchling
Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta) lay their eggs in early summer (June) and they hatch in late summer (August). Although many turtle hatchlings will emerge from the nest to start their new lives, some will overwinter as hatchlings underground in the nest. Environmental cues dictate whether the turtles should emerge or stay in the nest for winter. Painted Turtle hatchlings can do something called supercooling. They’re able to lower their body temperature to as low as 10°F without having their body fluids freeze. They’re able to do this because they don’t have Ice Nucleating Agents (INAs) internally. INAs are particles that an ice crystal can form around. So without INAs they can cool below freezing without ice forming and causing damage to the cells. It’s pretty amazing what each of these small creatures can do to survive our harsh winters! Animals have a variety of ways to help them survive winter, but I think freezing themselves and being able to thaw out in the spring is one of the most unique ways! As you bundle up to enjoy the great outdoors this winter, think of all the animal popsicles that may be hiding just out of sight awaiting the warmth of Spring.
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The birds are singing and the frogs are calling, the soundtrack of Spring is welcoming after a long winter! Last fall I randomly came across a video about tree frog hotels and was reminded of this when the frogs started calling this spring. I hadn’t heard of tree frog hotels before but I was intrigued. Do they really work? So I decided to try making my own tree frog hotel and see what happens. If you build it, they will come - right? Tree frogs have toe pads that allow them to climb trees and shrubs. In residential areas they can be found stuck to windows and glass sliding doors eating insects attracted to lights. So PVC pipes in this DIY treefrog hotel are easy to climb and make a great hiding place for them. For this DIY you’ll need minimal supplies and you might already have some on hand. I was able to scrounge up everything for this project except for the PVC pipe caps and fittings. Gather your supplies and welcome tree frogs to your yard with this easy project! Supplies
Tools
Step 1. Choose a container with drainage holes or one you can put drainage holes into. The size of the container will determine how many pipes you can fit in it. I found a pot for free from Facebook Marketplace last fall, a great time to get free containers as people are cleaning up their gardening supplies and don’t want to store them. Step 2. Add a thin layer of rock to the bottom of the container. I used small rocks leftover from an aquarium project. Step 3. Arrange your PVC pipes in the container and decide how many you can fit and what heights you want. Use a pencil or marker to mark your pipe lengths. I used PVC that my dad had leftover from a project so all of mine were 2 inches in diameter. You can use different sizes for variety. I liked the look of varying heights so I made all the pipes a different height, but you can make them all the same if you’d like. Step 4. Use a hand saw or miter box saw to cut the PVC pipes to the desired length. Then use sandpaper, a file, or deburring tool to smooth out any rough edges from the saw. We used a miter box saw and the PVC pipe left a lot of little shavings that stuck to everything. A paper towel pushed through the pipe with a dowel rod took care of a majority of the shaving and a quick rinse got rid of the rest. It is also a good idea to wash your PVC pipes and fittings so they are safe for the tree frogs as amphibians can be sensitive to things in their environment. Step 5. Drill a ¼ inch hole approximately 5 inches from the base of the pipe. This will allow for the pipes to hold water, but not fill completely. Use the sandpaper, file, or deburring tool again to smooth out any rough edges from the drill. Step 6. Place the caps on the bottom of the PVC pipes and angled fittings to the top (if using). I used a 45° and 90° fitting and left the other two open with no fitting. Step 7. Arrange the assembled PVC pipes in your container and scoop in rock to hold the pipes in place. Fill to just below the drainage holes so water can drain easily. I tied the pipes together with a shoestring to hold them upright and in place as I added rocks. Step 8. Find the perfect location for your frog hotel and fill the pipes with water until they begin to drain out. Unfortunately, I don’t hear tree frogs at my house, so I decided to leave the tree frog hotel at my parents’ house since they have better habitat. I even heard a tree frog singing as I was assembling the hotel so I know they’re in the area! I chose a shady spot near the edge of the woods, hoping the tree frogs will think this is a great location, too! Step 9.
Keep your PVC pipes filled with water and keep checking for froggy friends! It may take them a little while to find it, but with moisture, shade, and nice hiding spots in the pipes your hotel should have visitors in no time! There are many variations to this frog hotel! You can use a variety of containers, use as many or as few pipes as you would like. Add varying heights, diameters, and attachments at the top. Instead of rock you could use soil and plant a shade loving plant to help retain moisture and add an extra hiding spot for the frogs. The pipes could also be painted (outside only) if desired. I chose not to since tree frogs can be sensitive to things in their environment. If you don’t have space for a hotel, you can make a frog tube by making a single PVC pipe as described above with a drainage hole and cap. Near the top drill a hole that you can hang on a screw drilled into a fence post, shed, deck, or the like. Keep it filled with water so the frogs have moisture. And there you have it! An easy DIY project to encourage tree frogs in your yard. Not only are they fun critters to have around and hear calling, but they eat insects and can help keep pests in your yard at bay. Try your hand as a hotel owner, you may be surprised at who you attract! With Valentine’s Day upon us, the topic of love in the animal world and mating rituals seemed appropriate. Human mating rituals include activities from offering food, to giving gifts, and even dancing. Animals have similar rituals, but there are some species who take it a step farther and have very interesting and odd rituals! We'll start with some cute ways animals show love and we’ll work our way to the very odd and crazy ones! Let’s start with some birds and their cute and loving rituals. Bowerbirds Bowerbirds are found in Australia and PauPau New Guinea. Males build twig structures called bowers to attract females. They decorate the bowers with natural and manmade material and have an affinity to blue items. The males will dance near his bower and show females his colorful objects to woo her. There is some research showing that he will try to trick her with optical illusions, placing larger objects farther away and smaller ones up close to make himself appear larger with the optical illusion. Dancing Birds There are many birds that dance to attract their mates, some well known dancing species are Sage Grouse, Prairie Chickens, Grebes, Sandhill Cranes, and Hummingbirds.
Prairie Vole Prairie Voles are monogamous and affectionate mammals. They can sense when their partner is stressed and gives the equivalent of hugs and kisses to make them feel better. They take their relationship seriously and will run off other Prairie Voles. Researchers tested their fidelity while under the influence and females stuck with their mate while males were more likely to wander from their mate when drunk. I’m not sure why they tested this theory or how the intoxicated these little voles, but maybe animals aren’t that different than people... Adelie Penguin Adelie Penguins make their nests out of rocks. Males will look on rocky beaches for smooth, shiny pebbles to bring to females. If she likes the pebble, she’ll use it to line her nest and mate with the male. If the males wanders off, the female will mate with other males who bring pebbles she likes. Here is where the cute rituals start to turn weird and a little morbid... Nursery Web Spider Males bring food wrapped in silk to the female to request to mate. It sounds like a nice gift, but the male may trick the female. He may eat the food but leave the exoskeleton and wrap it up or even wrap up a stick instead of food to trick her. The female is not happy when she finds out she has been tricked! North American Porcupine Females have a very short mating window of only 8 – 12 hours once a year! To woo a female, males will climb a tree and pee on her, from up to seven feet away! If she likes how it smells she will mate with him until he tires out. Despite their short mating window, they are successful 90% of the time. I work with porcupines and I can tell you they don’t smell very good, so female porcupines must have a different sense of what a nice cologne smells like! Fireflies With most firefly species, only the male will blink to attract females. Each species has its own blinking pattern to attract mates of its own kind. There is one species where the female will mimic blinks of other species to lure them in and then eats them! That’s one way to take out the competition! Praying Mantis Males are lured to the female by pheromones. If she like the male she will mate with him, but if she doesn’t, she’ll bite his head off! During mating season, males can make up 60% of the female’s diet. Females that eat males lay more eggs. Last but not least the Angler Fish! This “love” is quite intense, the poetic phrase of “and two shall become one” has a whole new meaning with these fish! Angler Fish Angler fish live in the dark depths of the ocean where it can be hard to find a mate. When a male finds a female, he will bite her to attach himself to her and lives as a parasite on her body. Over time the male becomes absorbed into the female, even sharing a circulatory system. All that remains of the male is the gonads that the females uses for reproduction when she’s ready. More than one male can be attached to a female at a time! Well, there you have it. Love comes in many different shapes and sizes. It varies from gift giving and wooing, to food and consumption – each species having their own unique spin on things. This Valentine’s Day you can woo your loved one with some interesting animal love facts! And maybe a box of chocolates, too. P.S. THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me by reading and sharing blog posts and subscribing to my e-mail list! This is the 100th blog post that I've written and your support is greatly appreciated! We’ve all had that moment when you’re driving in the dark and suddenly you see eyes glowing on the side of the road! But why does that happen? Why do animals’ eyes seem to glow in the dark but not humans’ eyes? Many animals, especially ones that are more active at night, have a special reflective surface behind the retina called the tapetum (Ta-PEA-tum) lucidum or “tapestry of light.” This reflective surface helps them to see better in low light conditions, but how exactly does that work? Light such as moonlight or starlight enters the eye and hits photoreceptors that transmit information to the brain. Sometimes there is not enough light for the brain to process an image, so the tapetum lucidum works like a mirror and bounces light back for a second chance for the photoreceptors to capture the information for the brain to process. Not all animals have a tapetum lucidum. Animals that do have it are usually most active at night. The tapetum lucidum boosts their night vision and helps them to see in low light conditions. There are many mammals, reptiles, invertebrates (like spiders), amphibians, and some nocturnal birds that have a tapetum lucidum. Owls which are often active at night do not have a tapetum lucidum but have other adaptations that help them to see at night. Although humans’ eyes may “glow” red in photographs we do not have a tapetum lucidum. What you are seeing when that happens is the flash reflecting off red blood cells behind the retina.
When you’ve seen an animal’s eyes glow, have you ever noticed that the color of the eyes can vary? Glow or eyeshine color can vary by species so you can sometimes use it to help identify the animal in the dark. Different eyeshine colors are caused by the mineral content (like Riboflavin or Zinc) in the tapetum lucidum and pigment amounts in the retina. Age of the animal can also affect the color so color isn’t always a dependable way to identify an animal. Although color can vary for each individual, even animals of the same species, there are a few generalizations that can help you identify whose eyes are glowing even if you can’t see the rest of the animal. Deer generally have a white glow, raccoons have yellow, and house cats are green. While researching I found many lists with more animals and colors, but with cross referencing not many of them added up. This could be because of how people perceive colors, yellow to one person may look more orange to another. Or the mineral content, eye pigment, and animal ages cause enough of a variation that you can’t easily categorize all individuals of a species into one color category. Luckily there are more things we can look at the help identify an animal in the depths of night. Besides the eyeshine color, you can look at the shape and size of the eye, placement (side vs front) on the head, pupil slit orientations (think cat eyes), and the height of the eyes (small animal would be closer to the ground than a larger animal). Now the next time you see eyes shining back at you in the depths of the night, you’ll know why and you’ll be able to identify who those eyes belong to! Last fall we had the unique opportunity to observe a Yellow Garden Spider that took up residence in the hostas next to our front door. She used the flower stalks of the hosta to anchor her large web. It was fun to see her dew-covered web each morning and see what she had in her web each afternoon. She occupied her web for quite some time and even laid two egg sacks before she disappeared when the weather got too cold. It was a cool experience, and I can only hope that one of her young will take up residence in the landscaping this year. Yellow Garden Spiders (Argiope aurantia) are members of the orb weaver family. They are known by many names like black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, zigzag spider, and zipper spider. Orb weavers have an additional claw (most spiders have two) that helps them to spin complex webs. Garden Spiders are fairly large with the female’s body reaching ¾ inch to a little over an inch in size. The female’s body is black with a yellow pattern on the abdomen. The legs are brown at the base with black towards the tips. Males at about 1/3 the size of the female with brown legs and less yellow. Garden Spiders can be found in the Continental U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Central America. They’re often found in prairies, gardens, yards – any sunny spot with plants that they can anchor a web to. Garden Spiders are a welcome friend as they eat a variety of things including flies, bees, and flying insects that get caught in their web. They immobilize their prey by biting and injecting them with a venom which is harmless to humans. Because they’re part of the orb weaver family, Garden Spiders weave complex webs that they anchor on plants. They have an intricate zigzag pattern in the middle of the web, but researchers aren’t exactly sure why. It could possibly be to alert birds to the web, attract insects, or stabilize the web. Garden Spiders use their webs to catch prey. They’ll sit on the web waiting, and when something gets stuck in it, they feel the web vibrate, then run to the prey, bite, and inject it’s venom to immobilize the prey. Webs aren’t only for catching prey. Males will court a female by plucking the web. Once they mate, the female will deposit an egg sack made of brown silk about an inch in diameter. Egg sacks can hold hundreds to thousands of eggs. That may seem like a lot of baby siders, but egg sacks are often parasitized by wasps and flies. Babies will hatch in the spring or fall. In colder climates the young will stay in egg sacks overwinter and emerge in the spring. Garden Spiders will usually live for one year, females will die the first hard frost after mating. If there is no hard frost, in warmer climates, the females may live several years. Fun Fact: Garden Spiders may eat and respin their web each night. Earlier this summer, Tony came to visit me at the zoo and spotted a caterpillar hanging on the rock wall in a “J” formation. When you see a caterpillar in the “J” it means that it will be transforming into its chrysalis within the next 24 hours. This spiky caterpillar wasn’t one that we were familiar with, so we did some searching and found out that it was a Mourning Cloak caterpillar. As I was researching Mourning Cloaks, I found some interesting information about these butterflies! Mourning Cloak Butterflies (Nymphalis antiopa) can be found throughout the United States and most of Canada down to central Mexico. They’re not a very common species but can be seen throughout the warmer months. Mourning Cloak butterflies have a wingspan of 3-4 inches. Wings are dark, chocolate brown in the middle, with a yellow/cream color on the boarder. The wings are adorned with blue spots just inside the yellow edging of the wings. Both the fore and hind wings have rough edges with protruding parts of the wing. Caterpillars are black with spikes all over the body. They have light speckles throughout the body and rusty red spots along the back. Their lifecycle is similar to other butterflies. Adults mate in the spring and female butterflies lay eggs on host plants which include willow, cottonwood, aspen, birch, elm, hackberry, and other species of trees. They lay multiple eggs at a time, circling twigs of the plant. When the eggs hatch out after a few days to a few weeks, the caterpillars live in a communal web and feed on the plants. After three to four weeks of feeding and growing, it is time for the caterpillars to transform into a chrysalis where their metamorphosis into a butterfly will happen. They usually pupate and transform into butterflies in June or July. Adult butterflies feed on tree sap, fruit (especially rotting), and occasionally flower nectar. They’ll feed briefly after emerging from their chrysalis and then estivate until fall when they reemerge and feed to store energy for their winter hibernation. Estivation is when an animal spends a hot or dry period in extended dormancy. Some adults may migrate south to warmer weather in the fall instead of hibernating.
Mourning Cloak butterflies are a special species because they overwinter as adults. Most insects overwinter as eggs or larvae. Because of this, they’re one of the last butterflies we see in the fall, and one of the first we see in the spring. As temperatures cool in the fall, they find a protected area under bark, in a log, or a crevice of a building where they will spend the winter until temperatures reach about 60 degrees in the spring and they become active again. Then the cycle will start again, egg, caterpillar, butterfly. Mourning Cloak butterflies can live as long as 10 - 11 months, most butterfly species are a few weeks to a few months so they may be the longest-lived butterfly! Minnesota Fishing Opener was this past weekend. After a long winter, people are excited to get out on the water fishing and enjoy the warm weather. They’ve been dreaming of getting out fishing, but one thing they don’t think about when planning their fishing trip is how their fishing tackle can affect the wildlife around them. In 2020 the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) launched a program called “Get the Lead Out” to promote the use of lead-free fishing tackle. The program is funded from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During the oil spill many loons were negatively affected, causing concern for their population. Minnesota is a hotspot for nesting loons, so their efforts were focused on helping their populations in breeding areas. With the program, the MPCA has been getting the word out and educating people about why lead tackle is dangerous to wildlife and what you can do to help. Lead poisoning from tackle is common in loons, waterbirds like ducks and swans, raptors, and occasionally small mammals like racoons that eat fish. Loons swallow pea-sized pebbles on the bottom of lakes to aid in digestion, like grit for chickens. Ducks and other waterbirds may ingest lead jigs or sinkers while foraging for invertebrates. Jigs are meant to entice fish and may look like a minnow to waterfowl and be ingested because of that. Another way loons or raptors, like eagles or osprey, may ingest fishing tackle is by eating a fish that has swallowed a jig or sinker. Once the lead is ingested, it is exposed to acid and rocks in the stomach which break it down. The lead is then released and enters bird’s blood stream, slowly poisoning the bird. It takes only ONE lead sinker to poison a loon and can take 2-3 weeks after ingesting for the loon to die -which can be a long and painful death. Once the lead has entered the blood stream, it affects the brain and nervous system, digestive organs, kidneys, heart, and reproductive system of the animal. Basically, if a loon or other animals ingests lead tack, they’re going to die. It is just a matter of time. Some signs of lead poisoning can be flying poorly, crash landings, head tilt, gasping, trembling, droopy wings, and emaciation from not eating. Lead tackle is an obvious problem, as loons, waterbirds, and raptors can easily ingest it while foraging or eating fish that have swallowed lead tackle. They get very sick and succumb to death. This can be worrisome as it may threaten bird populations. Not only is lead poisoning bad news for the birds, but it can also get into the environment from being in a water system. Sand or rocks rub on the lead, releasing it into the water. It can then be in the water or soil, be taken up by plants growing and animals can ingest lead by eating the plants. It could also potentially be a health hazard to humans who recreate in the water and possibly contaminate drinking water over time. I’ve been reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson which has me really thinking about contamination in the environment and how things can compound overtime becoming detrimental, and hard to reverse – if even possible. There are many negative effects of using lead fishing tackle, but luckily there are things we can do to help “Get the Lead Out” and keep our wildlife and environment healthy. Over there years many non-lead alternatives have become available. Stainless steel, bismuth, tin, tungsten, ceramic, recycled glass, and natural granite are just some of the alternatives. Besides being non-toxic, some of these alternatives are harder than lead, making them less likely to get stuck on rocks. Some are denser which gives a smaller profile, and some have lower melting points which can allow for finer detail. Ask your local bait and tackle store to stock non-lead sinkers and tackle. The MPCA has a list of lead-free fishing tackle on their website. Once you purchase your new non-lead tackle, be sure to dispose of your old lead sinkers and jigs properly. Bring them to household hazardous waste collection sites. Never throw old tack into the water or on shore!
If you don’t fish yourself, you can gift non-lead fishing tackle to the favorite fishermen and fisherwomen in your lives. And the easiest thing to do: share this information with friends and family to “Get the Lead Out!” Making one small change can help to better the lives of wildlife around you and keep our environment healthy. A small step of changing to non-lead fishing tackle can make a big impact! Now is a great time to sort through your fishing tackle, properly dispose of your lead tackle, and get some new non-lead tackle to start off the fishing season! And this winter don’t forget to check your ice fishing gear to see what you can switch over to non-lead. Happy fishing! You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish, unless of course you play bass! Each year when I see the John Beargrease Dogsled Marathon on the news, it reminds me of this unique winter sport that we’re lucky enough to have in Minnesota. Last winter I wanted to learn more about dogsledding, so I read Yukon Alone: The World’s Toughest Adventure Race by John Balzar – a book about the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. While reading I was so amazed at what these mushers and dogs go through and their dedication to the sport. So naturally, after reading about dogsledding, it made me want to go dogsledding even more! So, I started looking into different dogsledding outfitters in Ely, Minnesota – the self-proclaimed capitol of dogsledding. There are all sorts of different styles, lengths, and price points of trips to choose from. Ones that are a few hours to others that are multiple day trips including camping. Since this was our first time dogsledding, we decided to go with Chilly Dogs Sled Dog Trips. (One of the reasons I picked them was because I liked the name!) Chilly Dogs is operated by the Hway Family. Jeff and Donna, along with their son, Jake and his wife Jess run the day-to-day operations. They also have other staff members that come in to help, and Jake and Jess’ kids help with the dogs, too! Their place is home to over 90 retired Alaskan Husky sled dogs, many of them having participated in well-known races like the John Beargrease and Iditarod Dogsled Marathons. Most of the dogs are around 12-15 years old, a few were 17 and even a 19-year-old dog was there! The dogs had so much energy and definitely didn’t act or look their age, you can tell they love running! Because of their breed, diet, and lifestyle it’s not uncommon for these dogs to be able to live and perform for so long. Although many of the dogs are older, they run an average of 25 miles a day doing dogsledding trips and about half the dogs are used on the weekends by the Boy Scouts of America to do trips into the Boundary Waters. This is the Hway Family’s 18th season running dogsledding trips. They usually run trips from December – March, depending on snow conditions. If you’re wanting to book a trip, don’t delay! They can fill up fast, especially on the weekends. We secured a weekday afternoon trip in early February. The booking process was really easy, and they sent along some great information on what to expect and how to dress for the trip. On the day of our trip, we headed just south of Ely to Chilly Dogs. Jake was waiting for us and welcomed everyone as we arrived. To start off the trip, we met in the lodge that was decorated with dogsledding memorabilia and had a wood stove. Jake and Donna talked about Alaskan Huskies, dogsledding, how to dress properly and gave a rundown of the trip. We chose the Snowy Owl Run which is a three-hour trip, about one hour on the trail. Before heading outside, they checked over everyone’s gear. If you don’t have the proper winter gear, they have anything you would need for a reasonable rental fee including coats, boots, gloves, ski goggles, and even hand and foot warmers! Once we were bundled up, it was time to head outside into a winter wonderland! It was snowing when we arrived and now had huge, fluffy flakes coming down. We headed to the dog yard to meet our new four-legged friends! Just before heading into the yard, we were met by two guides, John and Haley, who had two sled dogs out and told us a little bit about the dogs, their diet, personalities, and how to properly approach them. Then we were able to go in and meet the dogs! Most were very eager to meet us and loved being pet and getting butt scratches. A few weren’t as interested and stayed in their houses relaxing. As we were meeting the dogs, the guides were around to tell us their names and a little bit of their backstories. After we met the dogs and they met us, it was time for some dogsledding orientation. Luckily the dogs do most of the hard work, but there are still some things you need to know before heading out on the trail. They had another building where we went for our orientation. Jake had a sled and gangline laid out so we could learn how to break and steer the sled and what to do if we tipped the sled. The biggest thing we learned was: never let go! And secondly the dogs are the gas pedal so it’s important to know how to slow down and stop! Now is when the fun really began! We headed back out to the dog yard and got our sled assignments. The guides put together the assignments each day based on the people riding/mushing, number of sleds, and dogs that will be going on the trip. For our trip we had a total of five sleds, and Tony and I were the last sled to go. We had a guide at the front leading the group, two guest sleds, a second guide, and then us. I hopped in the sled bag and Tony stood on the brake of the sled while the guides and various Hway family members (including the kids) hooked up our dogs to the sled. The second we came out of the orientation building the dogs knew what was up! They were barking, howling, jumping, and dancing around in anticipation and excitement. Once all the dogs were hooked up it was go time! The anchor was lifted, Tony stepped off the brake bar, yelled “hike,” and away we went! It was crazy how fast it went from noisy pandemonium to silence as the dogs fell into rhythm and ran with their team. The snow was really coming down and with the wind we were dogsledding in a blizzard. The scenery was beautiful as we wove our way through wooded and brushy areas. It was fun to see the dogs in their element and see them grab mouthfuls of snow from the edge of the trail – some seeming to dunk their whole head in the snow as their ran. Some of the dogs had their tongues lolling out and you could just tell that they were really enjoying themselves! We were on the trail for about an hour and covered around eight miles. About halfway through we did a quick stop and switched positions. Now it was my turn to mush! Riding in the sled was fun, but wow, mushing was a whole new experience! It was so cool to feel the power from the dogs and how effortlessly they pulled the sled. During the ride, one of the guides, John, on the sled in front of us told us the names of our dogs and what positions they were in (lead, swing/point, and wheel). For the most part the dogs do all the hard work, but when you come to hills you have to help them out. I’d say the hardest part as a musher was when you went up a hill, you have to hop off the sled and run alongside it until you reach the top, then you can hop on again. You have to run pretty quick to keep up with the sled, and if you hopped on too early (before you got to the top) the dogs would look back at you like, “Really? Come on, help us out!” As we approached the dog yard near the end of our trail ride, the other dogs were barking and howling to welcome us back. We had time to stop and take some pictures with the dogs and our sled to document our awesome experience. From the snow and cold Tony’s beard was a pretty impressive sight. Once pictures were taken, the guides and Hway family brought the dogs back to their spots in the dog yard and we headed back to the lodge. Inside we shed our snowy outer layers and warmed up with a nice cup of hot cocoa and some treats of individually wrapped cookies, fruit snacks, and candy bars. While we were enjoying our treats, Jake and Donna told us more about dogsledding and answered more questions. Before heading out we perused the gift shop and got some fun souvenirs to remember this awesome experience! If you’re think about doing a dogsledding trip – do it! It was totally worth it and will always be a fun experience to look back on! I know Tony and I both greatly enjoyed it and I wouldn’t be surprised if another dogsledding trip is in our future. The Hway Family did a great job welcoming us into their world of dogsledding. You can tell they care a great deal about the dogs, and ultimately do it for the dogs – so they can keep on running even after they’re retired from long races. They did a good job explaining how the lives of sled dogs are different than your typical pet’s, but not any worse than a pet’s life. Alaskan Huskies love to be outside, are built for the cold and are acclimated to it. They are fed high calorie diets that fuel them during their running activities. They’re working dogs that enjoy running, they don’t do it because they have to, but because they want to. And because of this active working dog lifestyle, they are healthy and can live long lives. But just because they’re working dogs doesn’t mean they aren’t loved, these dogs get plenty of attention with lots of pets, hugs, kisses, and butt scratches from the Chilly Dogs family and staff, and visitors alike. If you’re looking to try dogsledding for yourself, check out Chilly Dogs Dog Sled Trips and have the ride of a lifetime! It was a really neat and unique experience and I’m so happy Tony and I could experience it together. I’m writing this as I drink hot cocoa from my new Chilly Dogs mug and snow falls outside my window, leaving me wishing that I was out on the trail with the dogs today. Check out the video below that Tony made of our dogsledding trip! Wow, what a year! As I began my Big Year on January 1, 2021 I didn’t really know what to expect, or should I say, what I was getting myself into. I’ve always enjoyed being outside and watching birds, but doing a Big Year brought things to a whole new level. I didn’t have the time or resources to do a typical Big Year where participants travel all over the country on a moment’s notice to get a bird and end their year with upwards of 700 species, but I did end my Big Year being impressed with all I had learned over the year and how many species I saw. My main focus of my Big Year wasn’t the final number of species, but instead to learn more about birds. Their life history, behaviors, fun facts, and to get better at sight and sound identification. Throughout my year I met and exceeded that goal. 2021 was a year of birds and I’m so happy I decided to take the plunge into a whole new level of birding for me! Before the start of my Big Year, I set some goals for myself. Not only did I want to see how many bird species I could spot in my daily life, but I wanted to learn more about birds, get better at ID, and help birds so I wrote down a list of goals to keep me on track for the year. Here were my goals and how I reached them: Spot as many bird species as I can in my daily life in 1 calendar year I spent many days on the lookout for new birds and ended my year with 187 species, which I think is a pretty good number for only birding in 3 states (Minnesota, Nebraska, Georgia)! Learn more about birds – life history, behavior, fun facts I spent a fair amount of time reading various magazines and articles about all sorts of birds. If I was scrolling online or flipping through a magazine and something about birds caught my eye, I took the time to stop and read and I learned a lot by doing so. I also learned a lot by birding with others. I was lucky enough to have a nature related job where I was outside a majority of the time and had co-workers that were just as interested in birds and birding as I was. We learned a lot from sharing all the fun bird facts with each other and helping each other ID various birds. ID – get better at sight and sound Practice, practice, practice! Birding with friends really helped with this goal. The more eyes and ears on a bird the better. Having others to bounce ideas off of was really helpful. We consulted field guides, apps, pictures, and sound recordings to help us ID those tricky birds. The best thing to do when learning new birds is to get outside and put your skills to work. Enjoy! Use it as a great excuse to be outside! I wanted my Big Year to be something enjoyable and not turn into a chore. I wanted birding to stay fun and not be something I was forcing myself to go out and do but on the flip side, it was also a great motivation to get outside and take a hike. I found a good balance of birding helping to me stay active, but also not feeling like I always had to have my binos with or be birding if I was outside. Read 3 bird related books The three books I read for my Big Year were:
Listen to bird related podcasts BirdNote Daily is a podcast that has an episode every day that is two minutes or less. I listened to every episode of theirs in 2021. Some things they talked about I already knew, but I learned a ton of new interesting things from that podcast. A few other podcasts I listen to had some bird related episode throughout the year so I made it a point to listen to those. Ologies with Alie Ward, Species by Macken Muphy, Animals to the Max Podcast by Corbin Maxey, and This is Love by Criminal. You have to cherry pick a little to get just bird episodes, but I enjoy listening to all their content, not just the bird ones. Nature Centered from Wild Birds Unlimited and Bring Birds Back by BirdNote are two more good bird podcasts to add to your list. Submit birding lists to eBird eBird was kind of intimidating for me to use until I just dove in and tried it. It wasn’t until a few months into my Big Year that I started using it, but now I submit lists fairly regularly while watching the bird feeders or out on a hike. It’s a fun way to keep track of the birds I’ve seen, when, and where, but also to help researchers and scientists understand birds better by helping them to collect data through Citizen Science programs like eBird. Support a bird related project or organization Surprisingly this goal was somewhat hard, but mostly because I couldn’t decide which project or organization I wanted to support! There are so many great ones out there. Ultimately, I decided to support HawkWatch International through their Adopt-a-Hawk program and the Teton Raptor Center by selecting them as my Amazon Smile donation recipient. (If you don’t use AmazonSmile yet, I encourage you to do so! They donate a portion of your Amazon sale to a selected charity with no extra charge to you). Some other bird organizations and projects that would be good to support:
Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count and Global Big Day The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is held in February each year and the Global Big Day is in May each year. On these special birding days I submitted my birding lists on eBird and helped scientists to get a better “big picture” view of bird populations and ranges. This year the Global Big Day was on my birthday, which was a perfect was to celebrate during my Big Year! For more info on GBBC check out my blog post. Become more involved as a Birds & Blooms field editor The summer of 2020 I applied to be a Birds & Blooms field editor where I answer questions and submit content for the magazine. Since it was a year focused on birds, I wanted to become more involved in the field editor group, so this year I submitted more things and was even interviewed for an article about the Great Backyard Bird Count and my participation in it! So, if you’re looking for some reading material check out the January 2022 issue of Birds & Blooms Extra! Write in my Nature Journal more I have a Nature Journal where I keep track of all sorts of phenology things, but for my Big Year I decided to dedicate a notebook just to the Big Year. So, I started my Big Year Birding Journal where I journaled each day I went birding – where I went, what I saw, if I saw any new birds, and what my count was. Let the Birding Begin! Once I had set my goals, it was time for birding! On January 1, 2021 we were up at the cabin in Emily, MN to go ice fishing and spearing with friends to ring in the new year. Although it was the first day of my big year, fishing was on the forefront so I didn’t seek out birds, but was able to spot 8 species on my first day! Including a Pileated Woodpecker which was the American Birding Association’s “Bird of the Year” for 2021. Throughout January and February I was in Nebraska and regularly added new species to my list since everything, even “the usuals,” were new species for the year. Most walks and nature outings resulted in adding birds to my list. Then in March the fun really began! We headed to St. Simon’s Island on the coast of Georgia for a week. The birding was awesome! There were SO many shorebirds, many of them were not only new species for the year, but new to me! My Big Year list and Life List were growing quickly. When my Big Year started, I thought 100 species would make a good goal. Well, in Georgia I got 50 new species, bringing me real close to 100, and I ended up reaching that 100 species goal before the end of March, so I had to up my goal to 150. In April I moved back to Minnesota where I would be spending the remainder of my Big Year. April was another great month adding 30 species to my list, most of those being waterfowl as they migrated to their summer homes. Then in May it was time for Warbler Season! These tricky little birds kept us on our toes trying to ID them all, but it was a fun challenge! May ended with 36 new species! After migration season, things slowed down quite a bit. I added a handful of birds in June, July, and September. August, October, and November yielded no new species, things were getting pretty slow. I was still getting out for hikes and watching the feeders, but it was “the usuals” with no new birds. I was stuck at 180 birds for quite a while. I was a little worried as the days kept ticking by in December and the 31st wasn’t far off. For the new year we were up to the cabin again with friends to go ice fishing and spearing. On the 31st before our friends got there, we made a quick trip over to the Sax-Zim Bog. Even before my Big Year I had been wanting to visit the Bog, so I was really happy we were able to squeeze it in! With only about 4 hours of birding (much less than we would have wanted) I added 7 more species to my Big Year List and some more to my Life List! A quick, but well worth it trip and an awesome way to end my Big Year! I ended with 187 species on December 31, 2021. It was fun to see things come full circle. I started and ended my Big Year in the same place, with the same people. I birded in three states over 12 months. Racked up 187 species during 103 days spent birding, with 72 of those species being Lifers. I witnessed countless once-in-a-lifetime moments while out in nature and found more than just birds on my outings. I learned an immense amount of bird information and impressed myself with the knowledge I gained over the year. My Big Year made me not only better at bird ID, but also better at observing and appreciating all that nature has to offer – you just have to slow down and take some time to admire it. My Big Year was more than just birds, and I’m so happy I took the plunge and did it! It was a year well spent and I’m looking forward to doing another Big Year sometime in the future! Even if a Big Year isn’t your thing, get out and watch the birds! You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy them. The Final Count! - Big Year 2021 Species List
(First number is the species number for the year, number in (#) is the species number for the month) January January 1 1. Blue Jay – Emily, MN 2. Pileated Woodpecker – Emily, MN 3. Common Raven – Emily, MN 4. Black-capped Chickadee – Emily, MN 5. White-breasted Nuthatch – Emily, MN 6. Wild Turkey – Emily, MN 7. Canada Goose – Garrison, MN 8. Trumpeter Swan – Near Lake Milacs January 2 9. American Crow – Champlin, MN 10. Red-tailed Hawk – Owatonna, MN January 3 – Kearney, NE 11. Northern Cardinal 12. Dark-eyed Junco 13. Eurasian Collared Dove 14. House Sparrow January 5 15. Mallard Duck – Cottonmill Park, Kearney, NE 16. American Robin – Cottonmill Park 17. Northern Flicker (red-shafted) – Cottonmill Park 18. American Goldfinch – Cottonmill Park 19. Rock Pigeon – Kearney, NE 20. European Starling – Kearney, NE January 6 – Kearney, NE 21. Hairy Woodpecker January 8 – Kearney, NE 22. Downy Woodpecker January 9 23. American Tree Sparrow – Yanney Park, Kearney NE 24. Cooper’s Hawk – Kearney, NE January 17 – Hike & Bike trail behind Yanney Park, Kearney, NE 25. Belted Kingfisher 26. Great Horned Owl January 18 – Archway Hike & Bike trail, Kearney, NE 27. Rough-legged Hawk* (dark morph) 28. Red-bellied Woodpecker January 24 – Kearney Cemetery 29. Red-breasted Nuthatch January 30 – North of Kearney, NE 30. Western Meadowlark February February 1 – Archway hike & bike trail, Kearney, NE 31. (1) Northern Shoveler 32. (2) Cedar Waxwing 33. (3) Bald Eagle 34. (4) Song Sparrow February 6 – Hike & bike trail from Yanney to 2nd Ave, Kearney, NE 35. (5) Green-winged Teal February 16 – Kearney, NE 36. (6) Horned Lark February 21 – Archway hike & bike trail, Kearney, NE 37. (7) Common Goldeneye February 21 – Kearney, NE 38. (8) Sandhill Crane February 28 – Kearney, NE 39. (9) Pine Sisken March March 5 – Downtown Kearney, NE 40. (1) House Finch March 7 – Gibbon, NE 41. (2) Red-winged Black Bird 42. (3) Snow Goose 43. (4) Killdeer March 10 – St. Simons Island, GA 44. (5) Wood Stork* 45. (6) Northern Harrier* 46. (7) Mourning Dove 47. (8) Palm Warbler 48. (9) Yellow-rumped Warbler 49. (10) Double-crested Cormorant 50. (11) Brown Pelican* 51. (12) Eastern Bluebird March 11 52. (13) Carolina Wren* – St. Simon’s Island 53. (14) Carolina Chickadee* – St. Simon’s Island Gould’s Inlet 54. (15) Vesper Sparrow* 55. (16) Boat-tailed Grackle* 56. (17) Great Egret 57. (18) Forster’s Tern* 58. (19) Willet* 59. (20) Ring-billed Gull 60. (21) Laughing Gull* 61. (22) Semipalmated Plover* 62. (23) Black Skimmer* 63. (24) Sanderling 64. (25) Marbled Godwit* Kayaking tour near Brunswick 65. (26) Snowy Egret* 66. (27) Tri-colored Heron* 67. (28) Greater Yellow Legs* 68. (29) White Ibis* 69. (30) While Pelican 70. (31) Osprey 71. (32) Marsh Wren* 72. (33) Tree Swallow 73. (34) Cattle Egret 74. (35) Rusty Blackbird* 75. (36) Mockingbird Gould’s Inlet 76. (37) Wilson’s Plover* 77. (38) Piping Plover* March 12 – Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge 78. (39) Black Vulture* 79. (40) Turkey Vulture 80. (41) American Bittern* 81. (42) Anhinga* 82. (43) Red-shouldered Hawk* 83. (44) Little Blue Heron* 84. (45) Blue-grey gnatcatcher* 85. (46) Gray Catbird 86. (47) Great Blue Heron March 13 – Jekyll Island, GA 87. (48) Fish Crow* 88. (49) Herring Gull 89. (50) Cackling Goose* March 14 – Ocean Drive, St. Simons Island, GA 90. (51) Savannah Sparrow 91. (52) Sora* 92. (53) Swamp Sparrow* March 15 – St. Simon’s Island, GA 93. (54) Tufted Titmouse March 28 94. (55) Ring-necked Duck – Path between Archway and I-80, Kearney, NE 95. (56) Bufflehead – Path between Archway and I-80, Kearney, NE 96. (57) Blue-winged Teal – Kea Lake WMA, Kearney, NE 97. (58) Common Grackle – Kea Lake WMA, Kearney, NE 98. (59) American Coot – Kea Lake WMA, Kearney, NE 99. (60) Pied-billed Grebe – Cunningham’s Journal Lake, Kearney, NE 100. (61) Ruddy Duck* – Rowe Sanctuary Viewing Pond, Gibbon, NE April April 1 – Pine Island, NE 101. (1) American Kestrel April 2 – Sand Point Trail, Frontenac State Park, Frontenac, MN 102. (2) Eastern Phoebe 103. (3) Wood Duck 104. (4) Canvasback* 105. (5) Redhead* 106. (6) Lesser Scaup 107. (7) Golden-crowned Kinglet April 3 – Lake Koronis, Paynesville, MN 108. (8) Hooded Merganser 109. (9) Red-breasted Merganser* 110. (10) Common Loon April 4 – Lake Koronis, Paynesville, MN 111. (11) Greater White Fronted Goose* 112. (12) Gadwall 113. (13) Common Redpoll April 18 – Hultine WMA, Eldorado, NE 114. (14) Northern Pintail* 115. (15) American Wigeon* 116. (16) Cinnamon Teal* April 24 – Lake Superior, Lutsen, MN 117. (17) Eared Grebe* 118. (18) Red-throated Grebe* April 25 – Red Wing, MN 119. (19) Purple Finch 120. (20) Ruby-crowned Kinglet April 26 – Red Wing, MN 121. (21) Brown Creeper 122. (22) White-throated Sparrow April 27 – Oxbow Park, Byron, MN 123. (23) Broad-winged Hawk April 28 Oxbow Park, Byron, MN 124. (24) Rose-breasted Grosbeak 125. (25) White-crowned Sparrow April 29 – Kalmar Reservoir, Byron, MN 126. (26) American Golden Plover* 127. (27) Eastern Meadowlark* 128. (28) Semipalmated Sandpiper* 129. (29) Least Sandpiper* 130. (30) Long-billed Dowitcher* May May 1 – Oxbow Park, Byron, MN – feeders 131. (1) Baltimore Oriole 132. (2) Harris’s Sparrow* 133. (3) Indigo Bunting May 2 – Red Wing, MN 134. (4) Ruby-throated Hummingbird May 3 – Kutsky Park, Rochester, MN 135. (5) Northern Waterthrush 136. (6) Yellow Warbler 137. (7) Northern Parula* 138. (8) House Wren May 4 – Kasson, MN 139. (9) Ring-necked Pheasant May 5 – Oxbow Park, Byron, MN – feeders 140. (10) Brown-headed Cowbird May 6 – Zumbro Trail, Oxbow Park, Byron, MN 141. (11) Black-and-white Warbler 142. (12) Great-crested Flycatcher 143. (13) Swainson’s Thrush* May 7 – Red Wing, MN 144. (14) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker May 8 Frontenac State Park, Frontenac, MN 145. (15) Yellow-throated Warbler 146. (16) Magnolia Warbler 147. (17) Yellow-throated Vireo* 148. (18) Northern Rough-winged Swallow* Sand Point, Frontenac State Park, Frontanac, MN 149. (19) Blue-winged Warbler* 150. (20) Barn Swallow 151. (21) Green Heron* May 10 – Hayfield, MN 152. (22) Woodthrush* May 13 – Hok-si-la Park, Lake City, MN 153. (23) Cape May Warbler* 154. (24) Veery 155. (25) American Redstart May 14 – Lower AP Anderson Park, Red Wing, MN 156. (26) Least Flycatcher 157. (27) Tennessee Warbler* 158. (28) Ovenbird – Pioneer/Haycreek Bike Trail, Red Wing, MN May 15 – Oxbow Park, Byron, MN 159. (29) Eastern Kingbird May 21 160. (30) Chimney Swift – Oxbow Park, Byron, MN 161. (31) Common Night Hawk – Red Wing, MN May 22 – Pioneer/Haycreek Bike Trail, Red Wing, MN 162. (32) Common Yellowthroat 163. (33) Ruffed Grouse May 30 164. (34) Yellow-headed Blackbird – Garrison, MN 165. (35) Red-eyed Vireo – Emily, MN May 31 – Oxbow Park – Main Picnic Area, Byron, MN 166. (36) Warbling Vireo* June June 6 – Lower A.P. Anderson Park, Red Wing, MN 167. (1) Eastern Wood Pewee* June 11 – Yanney Park, Kearney, NE 168. (2) Mute Swan* 169. (3) Purple Martin 170. (4) Dickcissel* June 16 – Oxbow Park, Byron, MN – Maple Trail 171. (5) Barred Owl June 17 – Sand Point Trail, Frontenac State Park, Frontenac, MN 172. (6) Cliff Swallow 173. (7) Eastern Towhee July July 2 – Drive to Paynesville, MN 174. (1) Bobolink* July 5 – Oxbow Park – Byron, MN 175. (2) Field Sparrow* July 9 – Rock Dell WMA, Rock Dell, MN 176. (3) Clay-colored Sparrow* July 18 – Red Wing, MN 177. (4) Peregrine Falcon* August 0 September September 10 – Izaak Walton Wetlands, Rochester, MN 178. (1) Chestnut-sided Warbler September 20 – Rock Dell WMA, Rock Dell, MN 179. (2) Red-headed Woodpecker September 30 – Rock Dell WMA, Rock Dell, MN 180. (3) Lincoln’s Sparrow* October 0 November 0 December December 31 – Sax-Zim Bog, Meadowlands, MN 181. (1) Pine Grosbeak* 182. (2) Boreal Chickadee* 183. (3) Gray Jay* 184. (4) Black-billed Magpie 185. (5) Evening Grosbeak* 186. (6) Northern Shrike* 187. (7) Snow Bunting* Final Big Year Count: 187 Big Year Lifers: 72 Days Birded During Big Year: 103 Thank you for joining me on this year long birding adventure! Happy Birding! December included a fair amount of bird feeder watching with Project FeederWatch in full swing and birds spending more time at the feeders because of the cold weather and snow. Although the feeders didn’t produce any new birds for the year, it’s always fun to see the winter “usuals.” I stayed at a Big Year count of 180 species all the way from September until December 31st when we squeezed in a quick trip to the Sax-Zim Bog right at the end of the year. And boy, did that trip pay off! Not only had I been wanting to visit the Bog since before my Big Year, but I added birds to my Big Year list and Life List! It was well worth the drive even for the short amount of time we were there, and I can’t wait to go back and see what else we can find! I ended up finishing my Big Year at the same place it started and with the same people at the cabin in north central Minnesota. As the clock stuck midnight on December 31, 2021 my Big Year was complete and I had logged 187 species for the year! Although my Big Year may be over, birding is not. Here are some excerpts from my Birding Nature Journal this month: Monday, December 6, 2021 FeederWatch day at Oxbow, no new birds today. Thursday, December 9, 2021 I watched the Red Wing feeders while I ate breakfast and drank my tea, 10 species today. Friday, December 31, 2021 Today is the last day of my Big Year and we went to the Sax-Zim Bog to end on a high note! The Bog has been on my bucket list of places to visit, so nothing like waiting until the last day of the Big Year to go! We started off by checking out the feeders at the Visitor Center where we saw Pine Grosbeaks and a Boreal Chickadee. Then we drove around and stopped at a few feeders. By the end of the day we saw Gray Jays, a Black-billed Magpie, tons of Evening Grosbeaks at “The Zabin,” a Northern Shrike, and Snow Buntings as we were heading back to the cabin. Car birding isn’t something I’m very used to but with only about 4 hours of birding, I added 7 species to my list and 6 of those were lifers! Definitely want to head back to the Bog when we have more time to explore!! December Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) December 31 – Sax-Zim Bog, Meadowlands, MN 181. (1) Pine Grosbeak* 182. (2) Boreal Chickadee* 183. (3) Gray Jay* 184. (4) Black-billed Magpie 185. (5) Evening Grosbeak* 186. (6) Northern Shrike* 187. (7) Snow Bunting* Birds Species this Year: 187! Species for December: 7 Days Birded this Year: 103 Days Birded in December: 9 Lifers in December: 6 (Birds with an (*) are Lifer Birds) An added bonus for my Big Year - earlier this year I was interviewed for an article about the Great Backyard Bird Count for the Birds & Blooms magazine! It was printed in the January Extra edition of the magazine, but arrived in December, just in time for my Big Year! Stay tuned for a Big Year wrap up blog post! |
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