Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
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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With November complete, the final count down is on! There’s just one more month left in my Big Year. I haven’t had a new bird in a while, so I’m hoping I’ll get lucky and be able to add a few more before the year’s end. Although I haven’t added any new birds this month, I’ve been doing plenty of birding – mostly watching the feeders. With deer hunting season in full swing I haven’t been visiting my usual hiking trails, but the cooler weather and shorter days have made the feeders popular with the birds and great for viewing. Here are some excerpts from my Birding Nature Journal this month: Thursday, November 12, 2021 It’s been nice starting my day off by watching the birds and doing an ebird list as I drink my tea. No new birds, but still enjoyable! Thursday, November 25, 2021 I did two ebird lists this morning watching the feeders in Red Wing. At one point, within just a few minutes, we had a Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple House Finch, and American Robin! Plus, many of the usuals, coming to 14 species total. Later in the afternoon as we were eating our Thanksgiving dessert a Cooper’s Hawk came flying through by the feeders to try and get itself a meal! November Birds: Birds Species this Year: 180! Species for November: 0 Days Birded this Year: 94 Days Birded in November: 8 September was still slow, but I did get a few new birds! Birds have been migrating through, but quite sporadically. In the spring you can time when they’ll be here because of the weather, and you get a big push of birds all at once. In the fall, they trickle through, each bird choosing when they want to migrate, the weather not influencing them as much. You see a few here and there but nothing like the influx of birds during “Warbler Season” in May. Fall migration also has more challenges than spring migration; like more leaves on the trees and quieter birds. In the spring the woods are full of birds calling and singing as they look for mates, but in the fall they’re considerably quieter so you can’t bird by ear as much. We had a few cooler days pushing the Warblers through faster, but overall the weather in September has been great for getting outside, even a little warm on some days! Trees are still holding onto their leaves making seeing birds a little tricky, but my last three outings of the month produced, adding three new birds to my Big Year list and bringing me to 180 species! Just three more months of the year left to see what else I can add to my list. Here are some excerpts from my Birding Nature Journal this month: Friday, September 10, 2021 I went back to the Izaak Walton Wetlands this morning and I got my first new species since July! It was a Chestnut-sided Warbler! The Warblers and Vireos have been hard to spot/ID lately because of all the tree cover. This Warbler gladly showed off the chestnut colored flanks so I knew who I had! Monday, September 20, 2021 This morning I was back at the Rock Dell WMA. At the beginning near the woods, I saw two birds flying so once they landed, I quick got them in my binos so I could see who it was. The bird was backlit from the sun, but I could see it had red on its head. So, I walked a little more down the path to get a better view, and it was a Red-headed Woodpecker! This bird has been eluding me this year! Not only was there one, but there was also a juvie with it! They even called back and forth to each other giving me a show. Later as I was heading back to my car, I looked at a hole in a tree with my binos and there was a Red-headed Woodpecker looking back out at me! Such a fun way to see this bird! Thursday, September 30, 2021 I squeezed in one more day of birding this month with a short hike out at Rock Dell WMA. In the prairie there were some birds flitting about eating the seeds from prairie plants. They were hard to see but I got a few good glimpses. Luckily, there were a few that came closer and were calling to each other so I could get a positive ID of a Lincoln’s Sparrow! September Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) 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* Birds Species this Year: 180! Species for September: 3 Days Birded this Year: 82 Days Birded in September: 6 Lifers in September: 1 (Birds with an (*) are Lifer Birds) Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
July was my slowest month yet. Although I only got a handful of new birds, they were all Lifers! Not a lot for new birds, but there are still plenty of birds around. With shorter days, and cooler temps coming in the next few months I anticipate birds to be preparing for migration and moving around soon. So we will see what the coming months have to offer. Here are some excerpts from my Birding Nature Journal this month: Friday, July 9, 2021 This morning I went to the Rock Dell WMA. There were tons of Dickcissels calling in the prairie. I also heard some Field Sparrows and a Clay-colored Sparrow! I heard the Clay-colored Sparrow throughout my walk, but finally got a great view of it perched in a tree right at the end! Friday, July 23, 2021 I went to my local patch, Lower AP Anderson Park, to see if I could add any birds to the eBird list there, and I was able to! I saw four Cooper’s Hawks and what I believe is their nest! They flew into the woods and two perched close enough that I could identify them! I’m guessing it was an adult with young. No new birds for the year, but it was a very cool sighting! July Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) 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* Bird Species this Year: 177 Species for July: 4 Days Birded this Year: 73 Days Birded in July: 8 Lifers in July: 4 (Birds with an (*) are Lifer Birds) Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
April wasn’t quite as crazy as March, but still plenty of birds to go around! And more on the horizon with spring migration starting to heat up! I started the month off in Minnesota, did some birding in Nebraska mid April, and rounded out the month back in Minnesota. I added 30 birds for the month, with 14 new Lifer birds. It was another fun month of birding with more on the way for May! Here are a few Birding Journal excerpts: Sunday, April 18, 2021 Today Tony and I were in search of a Burrowing Owl – we found some prairie dog towns but no owls. We did however add 3 birds to my year list and two were lifers! We saw Northern Pintail, American Widgeon, and the most surprising – a Cinnamon Teal! We saw tons of other waterfowl like teal, Northern Shovelers, and Coots along with a Northern Harrier that was flying above the prairie. We didn’t get our “target bird” but had a successful day of birding at Houltine WMA! So far the three times I have gone out in search of a specific species have not been successful. I’ve always found a new bird, just not the one I had gone out looking for! Saturday, April 24, 2021 Today was a grebe day! Out on Lake Superior there was an Eared Grebe and Red-necked Grebe among some other divers and a Common Loon. Thursday, April 29, 2021 After work we went out to the Kalmar Reservoir to look for shorebirds. We brought the spotting scope since they’re tricky to ID! Right away we saw and heard an Eastern Meadowlark. We saw some shorebirds we already had, but got 3 new ones today! American Golden Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Least Sandpiper. We observed and deliberated a lot but were able to ID those new ones Another successful day of birding! With pictures, we later ID’d a Long-billed Dowitcher adding to our count. April Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) 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* The Stats: Bird Species this Year: 130 Species for April: 30 Days Birded this Year: 43 Days Birded in April: 13 Lifers in April: 14 (Birds with an (*) are Lifer Birds) Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
Wow, what a month of birding! February may have been slow, but March had LOTS of birds to offer! The month started off with watching Sandhill Cranes make their way to the river for roosting at night, then watching them feed in the fields the next day. We were treated with a beautiful sunset and some other new Big Year species! In mid-March we headed to St. Simons Island on the coast of Georgia, which did not disappoint! Georgia had a plethora of new birds for my Big Year, along with some lifers! This had been the third Spring I’ve been able to experience the Great Sandhill Crane Migration in Nebraska! Kearney, Nebraska is known as the Sandhill Crane Capital of the world. Each year during their Spring migration hundreds of thousands of birds stopover in Central Nebraska to rest and refuel during their long migration. During the day they eat in the fields, then head over to the Platte River in the evenings to roost in the shallow waters for protection from predators. Their movement to and from the river is a spectacle to see as huge flocks of noisy birds come and go at the same time. Read more about this AMAZING wildlife experience and see some pictures and a video on a blog post I wrote last year. We’ve had our trip to the Georgia coast tentatively planned since summer, but hadn’t made any solid plans until closer since we weren’t sure how things would be with the pandemic. Luckily, everything worked out and we were able to explore the Georgia coast and the many activities (and creatures) it has to offer! Being from Minnesota and currently living in Nebraska, Georgia had a variety of different birds that I am not used to seeing. It was so much fun to see new species and to add so many new birds to my Big Year count. I couldn’t believe how fast my list was growing over the first few days, it seemed like every bird we saw was a new one! While planning the trip we looked for activities that were nature centered and for many of them that included seeing birds. I also was lucky enough to go on this trip with others who were just as excited about the birds! It was a lot of fun to have a group of excited birders and have other people to bounce thing off to help with some of those tricky birds to ID. Going to Georgia really boosted my Big Year list!
Here are a few excerpts from my Big Year Birding Journal this month: When in Nebraska during the spring you have to see the cranes! This is the third spring I’ve had the chance to watch them as they head to their nighttime roosting sights, it is an amazing thing to see! Sunday, March 7, 2021 Mom and Dad are visiting us in NE so we went out near Rowe Sanctuary to watch the Sandhill Cranes come in to roost for the night on the Platte River. No matter how many times you see this beautiful scene of thousands and thousands of cranes coming into the river during sunset you can’t help but be amazed! Not only is it amazing to watch but the sound is incredible! We stood on a viewing deck near the river to watch. We even got to see some deer enjoying the river, too! Right when we arrived the spring call of a Red-winged Blackbird greeted us. There were HUGE flocks of Snow Geese mixed with cranes flying overhead. Later in the evening a Killdeer was running by the shallow water and was heard calling. Each day in Georgia was an awesome day! We had great weather, fun activities, and lots of birding opportunities. The second day there was my best day of birding which really boosted my Big Year list! It was so fun to see birds that are so different than the ones I am used to seeing in the Midwest. Thursday, March 11, 2021 Today was an AWESOME day for birding! Started off the morning by seeing a Carolina Wren out on the patio. Then on the walk to the beach we heard and saw a Carolina Chickadee. We walked the Gould’s Inlet beach with binos and the spotting scope. We added lots to the list this morning! Vesper Sparrow, Boat-tailed Grackle, Great Egret, Forster’s Tern, Willet, Ring-billed Gull, Laughing Gull, Semipalmated Plover, Black Skimmer, Sanderling, Marbled Godwit. It was so much fun to walk the beach and spot birds flying, running by the waves, and out on the sandbars. It was low tide, so the birds were finding things in the sand to pick at. Then at noon we went on a 2-hour kayaking tour where we saw a Snowy Egret, Tri-colored Heron – which I was able to kayak near and get a great look with the binos! Greater Yellowlegs, White Ibis, White Pelicans which were feeding, and Osprey that soared perfectly overhead, Marsh Wrens flitting about in the reeds and chattering lots, Tree Swallows, Cattle Egrets, Rusty Blackbirds, and a Mockingbird. We also saw some other shore/water birds that we had seen before. It was a great way to see birds and diamond terrapin turtles. As the high tide was receding right at sunset we walked the beach and saw Wilson’s Plover and Piping Plovers on Gouldn’s Inlet! The plovers are so cute and so fast as they run along the beach! At the end of the day I had 26 new birds for the year including some new birds for my Life List! The next day was also a great day for birding! We spent it at the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge where we started off the day on a boat tour in the swamp. Right off the bat we had a great view of an American Bittern who was walking on a dock. We were tickled with this awesome viewing and didn’t think we would see any more, boy were we wrong! We saw about 10 different Bitterns through the tour! They have such amazing camouflage, so it was amazing to see them so close and see that camouflage put to work. Closing in on the end of the month, I took advantage of the nice spring weather and spent a majority of the day birding around the Kearney area. It paid off, as I reached my 100th bird of the year! Sunday, March 28, 2021 I spent most of this beautiful day out and about birding and it sure paid off! I started the morning by Bufflehead WMA on the hike and bike trail where I spotted a Ring-necked Duck and Bufflehead from a viewing blind. There were lots of other birds around, too. Then I went to Bassway WMA and saw Northern Shovelers, American Robins, and Dark-eyed Juncos. An Eagle also flew right over the car very low! Next I quick stopped at the Fort Kearney Rec Area to get a good view of the Sandhill Cranes. Then I took the backroads and saw TONS of Sandhill Cranes on my way to Kea WMA. I saw Blue-winged Teal, Common Grackles, American Coots along with other birds already on my list. The birds were singing away! On the way home I drove by the lake behind Cunningham’s and spotted a Pied-billed Grebe! After lunch I was on the lookout for the Common Crane that has been seen I the area with the Sandhill Cranes. This is a European Species of Crane. I looked where it has been seen the past week according to eBird but had no luck. Before heading home, I stopped at a Birding Hotspot – Rowe Sanctuary Viewing Pond and saw my 100th bird! A Ruddy Duck! Which is my favorite duck species! There also was a Blue Phase Snow Goose and a Scaup that I couldn’t ID as to if it was a Greater or Lesser. Some other waterfowl were on the pond too, but I already had them. All in all, it was a busy but successful day of birding! Seven locations were birded, and I completed 2 eBird lists. Although February was slow, March sure made up for it! March Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) 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 Bird Species this Year: 100 Species for March: 61 Days Birded this Year: 30 Days Birded in March: 11 Lifers in March: 32 (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). Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
This February was cold! Even in Nebraska we had temperatures in the negatives for about two weeks. The cold temps and work kept me from birding as much as I would have liked. Even with the frigid temperatures I did bundle up and venture out, just not as long or as often as I wish I could have. Although I may not have added many new birds to my list for the year, birding was a great excuse to get outside and enjoy the snow, fresh air, and sunshine February had to offer! Here are a few excerpts from my Big Year Nature Journal this month: Monday, February 1, 2021 To start off the month I went to the hike and bike trail behind the Archway again, and it did not disappoint. I got 4 new birds! Northern Shovelers were enjoying the open stream water, most everything else was frozen. I found a flock of Cedar Waxwings first by their high pitched “bzee” then was able to watch them at the top of a tree. A Bald Eagle flew high overhead. A puffed-up Song Sparrow played in the bush by the path just long enough to ID it. There were other common songbirds singing and flitting about. Some days you don’t find many new birds, but it is fun to get to know “the usuals” in a certain area. I frequent a trail behind a local park and have enjoyed hearing and seeing the Belted Kingfishers that hang out around the creek along the path. Saturday, February 6, 2021 It was a cold and breezy day, but I decided to visit the trail from Yanney to 2nd Ave again. The stream was still open, and Geese and Mallards were taking advantage of it. A lone male Green-winged Teal was with a Mallard pair. I hear the resident Belted Kingfisher and was surprised when I heard another one calling. At one point I saw both, one flying after the other in and out of the stream area. A pair? One defending its territory from the other? I was also lucky enough to see a flock of Horned Larks while I was running errands, a nice surprise for the day! And in the nick of time, just before the end of the month, I got my first Sandhill Crane for the year! I’m looking forward to seeing more cranes as they arrive by the masses. The past two Springs Tony and I have gone on crane tours at the Rowe Sanctuary and it is an awe-inspiring sight to see thousands of cranes congregating on the river for the night. Read about our crane viewing tour and see a video of this spectacular spectacle by clicking the button below! Saturday, February 27, 2021 On my walk home from work today I heard the unmistakable call of the Sandhill Crane and high above in the sky saw a large flock that appeared as tiny dots up so high. This is just the start of the hundreds of thousands of cranes that will stopover in the Kearney area during their northern Spring migration. Even if I didn’t rack up many birds, I still had a fun month of birding. I’m looking forward to March and the birds I’ll see! February Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) 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 Bird Species this Year: 39 Species for February: 9 Days Birded this Year: 19 Days Birded in February: 7 (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). Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
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! I know it’s mid-January and I am a little late if you have already set your New Year’s Resolutions, but instead of a resolution, this one is more of a goal. For the year 2020, my goal is to read a chapter of Aldo Leopold’s book A Sand County Almanac each month. Each chapter corresponds with a month of the year and talks about what is going on in nature at that time. I’ll be walking through the year with Aldo and seeing nature through his eyes. I had read this book as an undergrad for one of my wildlife classes, but that was all in one chunk, so it will be interesting to read it throughout the year as the seasons change. Aldo Leopold Aldo Leopold is known to many as the father of wildlife ecology. He was a conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast. He came up with the “Land Ethic” which calls for a positive and caring relationship between people and nature. Aldo was born in Burlington, Iowa in 1887 and had a love for nature at an early age. He attended Yale Forest School and graduated in 1909. After graduation he worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona and New Mexico. In 1924 he and his family moved to Madison, Wisconsin as part of a job transfer. In 1935 they bought a worn-out farm along the Wisconsin River near Baraboo, Wisconsin. They would spend their weekends there at “the Shack” as they worked on ecological restoration experiments; Leopold documenting the changes. Leopold was quite the writer and wrote a textbook along with articles for professional journals and magazines. A week after finding out that his manuscript for A Sand County Almanac would be published, he died on April 21, 1948 from a heart attack while fighting a grass fire on a neighbor’s farm. About a year after his death the book was published and has become a highly regarded book about the environment. For a more detailed biography, visit AldoLeopold.org Join Me! It is an easy goal for the year, reading just a few pages a month. Take a little time to slow down and appreciate the everyday happenings of nature that we often overlook. There are multiple editions of A Sand County Almanac, with the difference being what collection of essays is after the “A Sand County Almanac” section. Any of these editions will work, and I encourage you to read the essays included in your edition. You can find A Sand County Almanac at your local bookstore, numerous places online in print or digital download, or even at your local library. The Book A Sand County Almanac was first published in 1949. Throughout the book, Aldo Leopold documents the happenings and changes in nature around the Shack near Baraboo, Wisconsin throughout the year. JANUARY: January Thaw FEBRUARY: Good Oak MARCH: The Geese Return APRIL: Come High Water, Draba, Bur Oak, Sky Dance MAY: Back from the Argentine JUNE: The Alder Fork JULY: Great Possessions, Prairie Birthday AUGUST: The Green Pasture SEPTEMBER: The Choral Copse OCTOBER: Smoky Gold, Too Early, Red Lanterns NOVEMBER: If I Were the Wind, Axe-in-Hand, A Mighty Fortress DECEMBER: Home Range, Pines above the Snow, 65290 Let me know what you think of the book! Fun Facts
Visit the Leopold Shack You can visit the Leopold Shack and see the landscape that inspired Aldo. The Leopold Center is just down the road and has exhibits on Leopold’s life and legacy. Enjoy a walk through the prairie or woods along one of their hiking trails. The Center is open year-round and located near Baraboo, Wisconsin and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. You can take a scheduled tour or explore on your own. Visit the Aldo Leopold Foundation website to learn more. Get Started Find yourself a copy of A Sand County Almanac and join me in this nature reading journey. I’m starting off reading indoors under a warm blanket, but come Spring you’ll be able to find me outside soaking up the sun with a copy of A Sand County Almanac in my hands. Happy Reading! P.S. After reading the book, check out the 2011 documentary Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time about Aldo Leopold’s career and how he influenced others. You can find it on the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s website. 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? |
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