Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
Last night we got about four inches of fresh snow which was a welcomed sight after the melting and snow/sleet/rain we had earlier this week. Since it was such a nice day and we had fresh snow I took advantage of it and went for a hike after lunch. I figured that during my hike I would find the usual animal signs like tracks and maybe even some scat, but I found more than I guessed I would! Early on in my hike I found two small, down feathers. After getting a closer look, I stood back up, turned around, and on the other side of the trail under some small trees there were a bunch more feathers. I happened upon a murder scene! A Northern Cardinal was the meal for a raptor (there were no tracks so it wasn’t a mammal). It was most likely a Cooper’s or Sharp-shined Hawk. Although, Barred and Long-eared Owls will also eat Cardinals. All that was left of the Cardinal was a small chunk of meat and plenty of feathers. Whenever I see something like this with feathers from song birds strewn about, I always feel a little bit bad. I enjoy watching those birds at the feeders and flitting through the woods and I hate to see them gone. But, on the other hand, raptors need to eat, too and they work hard to get their food. For the songbirds we put out feeders and it’s an easy food source. We can’t exactly do the same for raptors to make it easier for them. Although I suppose in a way, when we put out feeders and bring in the songbirds, it is kind of like a birdie buffet for the raptors – if they’re quick enough.
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This post is way overdue, but I said I would keep track in December and report back, so here it is… Some of you may have read my previous blog post about November being the cloudiest month in the Midwest. (If you need a refresher, click here to read November: Cloudiest Month of the Year and to see some interesting weather maps). I stuck to my word and kept track of the cloud cover throughout December as well to compare the two and find out which month is really the cloudiest (at least in 2017). Here are my results for December:
Days with Clouds: 25 Days with No Clouds: 6 (or very few passing clouds) 80.65% of the month was Cloudy Review of November’s Results: Days with Clouds: 22 Days with No Clouds: 8 (or very few passing clouds) 73.33% of the month was Cloudy In 2017, December was actually cloudier than November but not by much. I think we overlook the fact and think November is dreary because the leaves are falling, plants are dying, and the days are getting shorter. While in December, we have Christmas lights, holiday cheer, and are looking forward to the holidays and being with friends and family. With all these distractions, we don’t focus on the cloudy weather. Also, this December most cloudy days were accompanied by pretty snow, adding to the cheery mood. So, although December was actually cloudier in 2017, November got the bad rap. An interesting note – most of the sunny days in December had below zero temperatures! The clouds help to insulate and keep the temperatures warmer. Do you prefer clouds or colder temps? This week a co-worker and I were out on a hike at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge when we came across an animal crime scene, or as we call it, WSI: Wildlife Scene Investigation. I will spare you the details (and most of the pictures) of this crime scene, but long story short, we believe an owl got an Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) as a meal. We found large blood spots, a blood trail, gut pile, fur, scat, and lastly, blue snow! I can see where most of these parts come into play during a predator-prey interaction, except for the blue snow – what in the world?! It turns out, rabbit urine can turn blue! When Eastern Cottontails eat the twigs and bark of Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), an invasive species, their urine turns blue. A chemical in the Buckthorn is excreted in their urine. Initially the urine is yellowish to brown, but within 10 minutes or so, sunlight reacts with the chemical and changes the urine to blue. So, no you aren’t crazy, and no there aren’t smurfs running around in the woods; it’s just rabbits eating Buckthorn causing the blue snow.
Thank you to Elana for the photo and for always being up for a hiking adventure so we can find cool things like this! We have a special visitor at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, MN! A few months ago, I was watching the bird feeders and an odd bird showed up! At first glance it kind of looked like a cross between a Downy Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch. The body was the size and shape of a Downy, but the markings on its head just weren’t quite right. They almost looked like the markings of a Nuthatch, black on top with white cheeks. It turns out this interesting little bird was a leucistic Downy Woodpecker and I’ve been lucky enough to see it quite a bit this winter. This is actually the second winter the leucistic Downy has been a regular at the Refuge and it attracts birders and nature photographers alike. Leucism is a partial loss of pigmentation. This can cause the animal to have pale or white patches of skin, fur, feathers, scales, or cuticle but does not affect the eyes. Leucism is different than albinism; when an animal is albino they are mostly white and have red or pink eyes. Leucistic animals can be fully white, but they will not have red eyes. Since Downy Woodpeckers naturally have quite a bit of white on them, it is hard for us to know exactly how much of its coloration is affected by the leucism. Some parts that are obviously lacking in pigmentation are the head and the wings. The head is missing the black stripes on the cheeks that connect in the back. It does have the black coloration on the top of the head which I think looks like a toupee. The beak is lighter than usual. When you look at the wings, you can see towards the top they are lighter. Because of the leucism we don’t know if our Downy is a male or female. Males usually have a red patch on that back of their head.
Although this Downy looks a bit different than our others, it doesn’t seem to be negatively affected by the leucism at all. This could be because of the dominant white coloring Downies naturally have. Other species of birds may be more affected by leucism if it affects their camouflage or mating habits. If leucism interests you, look up more pictures not only of birds, but also other animals. It is quite an interesting phenomenon! Happy Groundhog Day! My favorite Holiday! This morning, Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter! I am excited about this forecast as long as it includes snow. Predictions: If Phil sees his shadow = 6 more weeks of winter If there is not a shadow = warmer weather is around the corner This 132-year-old tradition started in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. But it had a history even before that. The tradition started in Europe as a Christian holiday, called Candlemas Day. Germans settling in Pennsylvania brought the tradition to America. In Europe, a hedgehog or badger was originally used. Once in America they were not able to find either of these animals in the wild, so that’s where the groundhog came in. Punxsutawney, PA even has the “Punxsutawney Groundhog Club” which has a group of men in the “Inner Circle.” These men are the ones in the top hats who care for Phil and plan all the Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney. And let me tell you, there are a lot! Check out http://www.groundhog.org/fileadmin/user_upload/online2018guide.pdf to see all the festivities going on. A few fun facts:
Here is a poem for today from the one and only www.groundhog.org: Up early this morning Far from home Are you searching for the Phil-osopher's stone? Well, even my best friends They don’t know. Is it an early spring Or just more snow My faithful followers, your hands (and my paws) are getting cold So here is my forecast Not lead, but solid gold: I see my royal Shadow! Six more weeks of Winter to go! If you’re a fan of Groundhog Day like me, be sure to check out their website! www.groundhog.org. They even have t-shirts and Groundhog Day cards.
Happy Groundhog Day! |
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