Megan's Nature Nook
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Book & Movie Review - The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Marc Obmascik1/31/2021 I had read and seen The Big Year before but rereading and watching were a great way to start off my 2021 Big Year! My goal is nowhere near the over 700 species like the men in The Big Year got to, but reading the book sure got me excited to start off my year of birding! The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Marc Obmascik is about the 1998 North American Big Year and the movie “The Big Year” came out in 2011. The Book Marc Obmascik wrote about three men, Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller and their adventures in the 1998 North American Big Year. These three men were competing to beat Komito’s previous Big Year record. Each man had their own reasoning and strategy for completing a Big Year, but they all had the same end goal – get as many bird species as possible and get the new record. Not only is the book about these men’s experiences, but it also does a good job of explaining what a “Big Year” is and talking about the early history of birdwatching and the start of birding organizations. Whether you’re a bird person or not, you’ll find the history and adventure intriguing, if not a little crazy, as you read about the things some people do to have a chance at winning a Big Year. I really enjoyed reading this book again. I think it is fun to read about the crazy adventures people go on and the amount of time and money that is spent chasing after birds! Reading it got me even more excited for my Big Year and looking forward to the birds I’ll see and the adventures I will have along the way. I gave The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Marc Obmascik 5 stars on GoodReads, rating it as “It was amazing.” To learn more about the book, visit GoodReads.com by clicking the button below. The Movie The movie is based on the book. The overall story line is similar, but the movie has different characters. Brad Harris (Jack Black), Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) and Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) are competing in a Big Year to beat Sandy Komito’s record. The three men have similar back stories to the real men in the 1998 Big Year, but there are some modifications to make it more dramatic for the movie. The movie doesn’t go into as much birding history but does portray some of the birding adventures of the real men in the 1998 Big Year. Any movie that Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson are in, you know is going to be good. “The Big Year” is a funny, lighthearted movie for the whole family to watch – whether you’re into birds or not. If you have the time, read and watch The Big Year - you won’t regret it. If you’re not so sure about the whole bird thing, give the movie a try and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! If you’re reading and watching the order doesn’t really matter so you can decide to read and watch or watch and read. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy and make sure you have your binoculars and field guide handy! You’ll be ready to head outside and do some birdwatching when you’re finished! For another Big Year book review, read my review on Kenn Kauffman’s Book Kingbird Highway. Click the button below to read the review.
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It has begun! January 1, 2021 at 12:00 a.m. my big year began! For the next year I will be focusing on all things birds. My main goal is to spot as many species of birds as I can in a calendar year. I don’t have the time or money resources to get too crazy with traveling and chasing the numbers, but I’m more so doing my Big Year to see how many species of birds I can see in my daily life. Besides spotting birds, I’m excited to see what new things I can learn about birds along the way. To read more about what a “Big Year” is and what my Big Year goals are, read my blog post by clicking the link below: I started my Big Year off in Northcentral Minnesota at the cabin ice fishing and spearing. On my first day, birding wasn’t the main focus, but I did get a good start with eight species! I’ve been keeping a Nature Journal specifically for my Big Year so here’s my entry for January 1, 2021: Friday, January 1, 2021 I started out the New Year in Emily, MN at Longhaven. We were at the cabin for a few days of spearing, fishing, and ringing in the New Year with friends. Birding was not my main priority of the day, but I was lucky enough to start out the year by putting some birds on my list! As we were trekking out to our spot on the snow-covered lake, I heard some Blue Jays calling in the trees on shore – and just like that I had my 1st Bird of the Year! Soon after a Pileated Woodpecker was heard calling and drumming. This special Woodpecker just so happens to be the ABA’s 2021 Bird of the Year. I’d say that seems like a great start to the year with one of my 1st birds being the Bird of the Year! As the ice house was being set up I saw a bird flying in the distance and heard the unmistakable call of the Common Raven with it. Just as we were getting ready to leave the cabin, I took a walk down to the lake to stand near shore among the trees. Sure enough after a little waiting, Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches were calling and fluttering about in the trees above me – one of those perfect winter scenes. As we were leaving town, I spotted a Wild Turkey in the ditch walking about. Later on the drive, south of Garrison, MN Canada Geese and some Trumpeter Swans were enjoying some open water before it entered the frozen Lake Milacs. Another special bird from this month was a red-shafted Northern Flicker! I have seen Flickers before, but only the yellow-shafted which are found in the East and red-shafted are found in the west. Another good birding day was January 17: Sunday, January 17, 2021 Today I walked the trail behind Yanney Park to 2nd Ave. At first I was just seeing Mallards, Robins, and Downy Woodpeckers and was feeling a bit discouraged. Then I heard a rattle call and saw a Belted Kingfisher fly down the creek! I kept hearing it along my walk. I also heard a pair of Great Horned Owls calling to each other! It seemed like they were in the evergreens across the creek so I couldn’t see them, but I enjoyed listening to them call back and forth for a while. It was so neat to hear the pitch difference between the male and female’s calls. On the drive home a Cooper’s Hawk with a fresh bird meal caught my eye, so I stopped to watch it eat its meal on top of a utility pole. For the last bite it swallowed down the foot – like eating a spaghetti noodle! On January 18 I added not only a new bird to my Big Year count, but also to my Life List! Here’s some of that entry: Monday, January, 18, 2021 ... The most exciting bird was right by the Archway – a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk! At first glimpse I thought it was a crow, but quickly realized it was a hawk, it flew off before I could get a good look. Later I saw it again soaring and was able to get a good look and saw it perch on a utility pole and watched it there too. After some research and looking at pictures and ID tips I decided it was a Roughie for sure! ... My Big Year has been off to a good start so far! And something I realized while typing up this list; all my birds have been spotted “out in the wild” none at bird feeders. If I had been back in Minnesota for the start of the year, I know of multiple places I would have birded – primarily counting birds at feeders. With starting the year in Nebraska where I’m less familiar as to when and where find birds, it has been a fun challenge finding them out in their natural areas. Besides chasing birds this month, I also read the book and watched the movie The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession. Read my book and movie review by clicking the button below. January Birds: 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 31 - North of Kearney, NE 30. Western Meadowlark The Stats: Bird Species this Year: 30 Species for January: 30 Days Birded: 12 Lifer Birds: 1 (Lifers are marked with an *) (I’m counting “days birded” as days I saw a new bird or went out specifically for birding, not every day birded resulted in a new species for the year). We'll see what February has in store! Have you ever walked out the door into a winter wonderland? Picture beautiful pure white fluffy snow covering the ground, and a sparkling layer of frosty white covering every surface and clinging onto every nook and cranny, no matter how small. You can’t help but stop and stare in awe as this beautiful winter scene that takes your breath away. You might be familiar with the term Hoar Frost, but have you heard of Rime Ice? These two frosty scenes look similar but are formed differently. Hoar Frost goes straight from gas to solid (ice crystals) while Rime Ice goes from supercooled liquid to solid (ice crystals). It can be hard to tell if it is Hoar Frost or Rime Ice just by looking but looking at the weather when it was formed can help to figure out what type of winter beauty it really is. Hoar Frost Hoar in Old English means “showing signs of old age.” The trees look like they had white beards when they were covered in hoar frost, making them appear old. Hoar Frost is similar to dew. Water vapor in the air skips the liquid state and freezes directly to surfaces as a gas. The ice crystals attach to grass, leaves, branches and more. Hoar Frost forms when water vapor (gas) freezes onto a surface that is 32°F or below, skipping the liquid phase. Hoar Frost is formed on calm, clear, cold nights. Clouds provide insulation, so on clear nights the temperature can drop quickly. Rime Ice There are two types of Rime Ice, soft and hard. Rime Ice forms when supercooled water droplets (liquid) in the air freeze on contact with surfaces that are 32°F or lower. The liquid freezes instantly on contact. Soft Rime Ice is not as thick and can look fragile. Individual spikes are visible. Soft Rime Ice is formed when there is freezing fog with calm to no wind. Hard Rime Ice is more dense. It is formed when there is freezing fog with high wind speeds and a temperature between 17-28°F.
Happy National Bird Day! January 5 marks the day to celebrate our feathered friends both wild and captive. To help you celebrate I’m going to share some fun facts about the Pileated Woodpecker! Each year the American Birding Association (ABA) chooses a “Bird of the Year” and for 2021 it is the Pileated Woodpecker! “The ABA is proud that the Pileated Woodpecker, emblem of both the wild woods and the adaptability of birds to anthropogenically altered spaces, is our 2021 Bird of the Year.” – American Birding Association Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) are the largest species of woodpecker in North America (except the almost certainly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker). They are over a foot tall (15.8 – 19.3 inches) with a wingspan of over two feet (26 – 29.5 inches)! They are mostly black with white on their underwings that can be seen in flight. White stripes adorn their faces, topped off with a flaming-red crest at the top of their head. Both males and females have the red crest, but you can tell the two apart by their “mustaches.” Males have a red mustache, while the female has a black mustache. Pileated Woodpeckers are found in mature deciduous, coniferous, or mixed forests. They need standing dead trees and downed wood to find their food in and nest in. They may also be seen in young forests and even some partially wooded suburbs or backyards. Pileated Woodpeckers can be found year-round in the Eastern United States, up into Canada, and along the northwestern coast of the U.S. They are uncommon as a result of only one pair occupying a large territory at a time. Carpenter ants are the primary food source for Pileated Woodpeckers. Other ants, termites, flies, caterpillars, cockroaches, grasshoppers, and beetle larvae will also be eaten. Large rectangular holes which can be a foot or more long are a sure sign a Pileated Woodpecker has been around. They make these holes looking for carpenter ant tunnels and other insects. Fruit, acorns, nuts, and occasionally sap are also part of their diet. If you have bird seeds and suet at your feeders, you may be lucky enough to have one of these giant woodpeckers visit you! Mature forests are important to Pileated Woodpeckers not only as a food source, but also for nest sites. Pileated Woodpeckers are cavity nesters who excavate their own nest cavity. The male starts the excavation and the female helps near the end of excavation. Nest construction can take 3 – 6 weeks and are rarely used again by the Pileated Woodpeckers but may be used by other bird species or animals. The entrance hole to their nest cavity is oblong, which is different than the typical round shape of most birds’. The depth of the cavity ranges from 10 – 24 inches and is lined with some leftover woodchips. The rest of the woodchips from the excavation are tossed out of the cavity by the adult picking up a few at a time in their beak and tossing it out the entrance hole. Pileated Woodpeckers have 1 brood a year, with 3-5 eggs. To find Pileated Woodpeckers in your area, look for large rectangular excavations in trees surrounded by woodchips. Listen for their whinny call of wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk and loud, deep drumming. Click on the button below to hear their sounds. Fun Facts
These big birds have always been captivating, causing me to run (stealthily) to the window whenever someone says they’ve spotted one. Not only are they fascinating because of their looks, but also because of their interesting traits and habits! I was lucky enough to add a Pileate Woodpecker to my Big Year list on January 1, which I think is a great way to start the year, especially when it’s the Pileated Woodpecker’s big year, too! |
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