Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
When I am out birding, I rely on my ears a lot! Often times I hear a bird before I see it and can use their call to hone in where to look for the bird. Even with an idea of where the bird is, you can’t always spot it because it’s hiding in dense vegetation, is a distance away, it’s too dark, or you might spot it but can’t tell two very similar species apart. That is where birding by ear comes in! By learning the songs and calls of birds, you’ll more easily be able to identify the birds around you, even if you can’t get a great look at them. One of the things you can do to help you remember bird songs and calls is to put words to it, a tool called mnemonics (the M is not pronounced). A mnemonic device is a learning tool to aid in memory. By putting a word or phrase to a bird call or song, you’ll more easily be able to remember it and be able to successfully identify a bird whether you’re able to spot it or not. Even with bird mnemonics, identifying bird calls can be tricky! Many birds make more than one type of sound. Don’t let this discourage you, birding by ear is a process that takes time and practice! The more you get out birding and pay attention to the calls and who is making them, the easier it will become. Two of my favorite bird apps for bird calls and identification are Merlin and BirdNET.
Below I have complied a list of some Minnesota birds and their mnemonics. It is just a handful of the many birds in Minnesota, but it will get you started on your way to birding by ear. Common Birds American Goldfinch po-ta-to-chip (when flying) chip, chip, chip-py American Robin cheer-up, cheer-a-lee, cheer-ee-o Black-capped Chickadee chik-a-dee-dee-dee (the more dee’s the more danger) Cheese-bur-ger (high note followed by two lower notes on the same pitch) Northern Cardinal cheer-cheer-cheer-purty-purty-purty White-breasted Nuthatch yank, yank, yank (very nasally, sound kind of like they’re laughing at you) Red-winged Blackbird konk-o-reeeeeeeee Song Sparrow maids maids-maids-put-on-your tea-kettle-ettle-ettle, Hip; hip; hip hurrah boys; spring is here! Madge; Madge; Madge pick beetles off; the water's hot Chipping Sparrow chipping trill (mechanical sounding) Dark-eyed Junco riiiiing riiiing (old telephone ring, high pitched trill) Northern Flicker flicka, flicka, flicka, flicka, flicka wika, wika, wika, wika, wika Red-bellied Woodpecker churrr, churrr Tufted Titmouse Peter, peter, peter Brown-headed Cowbird Bubble-bubble-zeeee! (sounds like water dripping) White-throated Sparrow Oh sweet, Canada, Canada, Canada (low note followed but repeating higher notes) Oh Sam, Peabody, Peabody, Peabody Gray Catbird meeeee-ew or maaaaaanh (nasally) Ovenbird t-cher, t-cher, t-cher (very fast and increasing in volume) Yellow Warbler sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet Common Yellowthroat whitchity, whitchity, whitchity Great Crested Flycatcher reeep, reeep (buzzy) Red-eyed Vireo Where are you? Here I am. Over here (pause between each phrase) Indigo Bunting Fire, fire! Where, where? Here, Here! Put-it-out, put-it-out! Sweet, sweet, chew, chew, see-it, see-it Chimney Swift t-t-t-t-t-t-t (chittering) Eastern Towhee Drink-your-teeaaaa (tea is a musical trill, may be more than one “drink” note) Common Nighthawk beeeer, beeeer (somewhat buzzy) American Woodcock Peeent; peeent; peeent (nasally with pauses between peents) Owls Barred Owl Who-cook-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-allll? Great Horned Owl Who’s awake? Me too Saw-whet Owl too-too-too (like truck back up beeping signal) Birds that Say Their Name Eastern Phoebe FEE-beee (very buzzy, sounds like they’re yelling their name, last syllable raspy) Eastern Wood Pewee Pee-oo-weeEEE Killdeer kill-deeeeer kill-deeeeer kee-dee kee-dee Blue Jay jay jay jay queedle-queedle-queedle fee-der-de-lurp Bobwhite bob-white! Whip-poor-will whip-poooor-will, whip-poor-will For pictures of the above birds, more information about them, and to hear their calls use the Merlin app or visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website. Now that you know some new tricks to bird songs and calls, test out your skills and see who you can hear singing! Happy Birding!
For more tips on how to learn bird songs and calls, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website by clicking the button below.
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May has been another awesome month of birding! The month started off very busy with new birds everyday for the first week and a steady amount of new birds through the rest of the month. The weather was cool to start and held back the warblers, but once the weather warmed up they showed up in droves! I was asked many times while out birding, “Is it warbler season?” and the answer was, “YES!” Warblers can be quite tricky, but they offer a fun challenge for this short time each year. Once the warmer weather hit and the warblers were migrating through, it was a race with the weather to see how much I could get out to bird. Once it warmed up the leaves really started popping making birding for those small birds very difficult, and then we had a string of rainy days making it hard to get out and bird. Mid-month once the leaves were out, I moved on to other bird species that are easier to spot with fully leaved trees. Some warblers are still around since I can hear them, but they are so good at hiding for such brightly colored birds! Overall it was a very fun month of birding. The excitement of migration was in full force this month and I never knew what I would spot as I headed out to bird. I didn’t get as many warbler species as I would have liked (but do you ever get all the birds you want?) but I still added a good amount to my Big Year list and to my Life List this month. I’m already looking forward to the next “warbler season”! May will be a hard month to beat, especially with migration winding down. I'm anticipating June being slower, but am eager to see what it has to offer! Here are some Birding Journal excerpts: Saturday, May 1, 2021 Today I got three new birds! Saw the FOY (First of the Year) Baltimore Oriole at the feeders of the Oxbow Nature Center, a Harris’s Sparrow, and FOY Indigo Bunting! Saturday, May 8, 2021 Today is my birthday and the Global Big Day! Seems fitting for my Big Year that they would land on the same day! Clare, Jaide, and I spent the day birding to celebrate both occasions. We started off the morning at Frontenac State Park by the Overlook. There were other birders that reported a Yellow-throated Warbler and pointed us in the right direction. We found him calling and got some good views of him. We also saw a beautiful Magnolia Warbler and Yellow-throated Vireo. Near the lower quarry we saw Northern Rough-winged Swallows. We saw a total of 24 species over our 2.5 mile walk. Then we went down to the Sandpoint trail. We started off great with a Blue-winged Warbler right at the start of the trail. We saw a good variety and lots of other birds on our way out to the point. Including some Wood Ducks perched in trees, Pileated Woodpeckers, Orioles, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Blue-winged Teal and more! Once at the beach there were geese, two Great Blue Herons, and lots of swallows including a Barn Swallow! We also saw a Green Heron fly by! At Sandpoint we saw a total of 33 species on our about 2 mile walk. BIG Day totals- Species: 44 Birds: 159 !!! For a morning/early afternoon of birding, we had a GREAT Big Day! Friday, May 14, 2021 This morning I decided to check out the grass walking path at Lower AP Anderson Park. I found a lot of the usuals but also two new birds. A Least Flycatcher caught my eye and finally sang so I could ID it. I also spotted a Tennessee Warbler where I was seeing some other warblers. There were lots of Redstarts out today! And I got a great view of a Blue-winged Warbler. Later in the day we biked on the Pioneer/Haycreek trail and heard many birds including Ovenbirds among other warblers like the Blue-winged Warblers which were easy to ID by their funny call. Saturday, May 15, 2021 While over at the bison pen at Oxbow I spotted an Eastern Kingbird! The body shape plus white-tipped tail made it easy to ID even without binoculars. Saturday, May 22, 2021 My nephew and I went to the Pioneer/Haycreek Bike Trail this morning. He biked and I walked. Right away we heard Common Yellowthroats doing their whichity-whichity-whichity call. Finally, I was able to spot a male in the trees. It is amazing how a bright bird can hide so well! Farther down the trail we heard the thump thump thump of a Ruffed Grouse drumming. We continued to hear it as we went down the path. We saw and heard quite a few other birds – mostly the usuals. May Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) 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 – Kutzky 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* Bird Species this Year: 166 Species for May: 36 Days Birded this Year: 60 Days Birded in May: 17 Lifers in May: 11 (Birds with an (*) are Lifer Birds) Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
Pheasant Back (Polyporus squamosus), also known as Dryad’s Saddle or Hawk’s Wing is a fairly common mushroom that can be found May through November (most commonly in the Spring) in the Midwest. The large, flat, dark scales on the tan cap of this mushroom give the appearance of feathers, giving it its common names. The mushroom cap can be 2-12 inches across in a circular or fan-like shape. Either growing singly or in a small cluster of overlapping mushrooms. It grows on deciduous trees, logs, or stumps and can be found year after year in the same place until its “host” (wood food) is depleted. The mushroom is attached to the wood with a short, thick stem that is off center or may be directly attached to the wood. It has whitish to creamy-yellow colored pores on the underside that can be rather large. The flesh is rather soft when young and becomes tough and corky with age. The flesh smells like watermelon rind or cucumbers when fresh. Luckily, Pheasant Back is a pretty common mushroom to find in the woods and doesn’t have any toxic look-alikes. It is an edible mushroom, but isn’t very tasty on its own. With a little doctoring it can be quite tasty! I tried this mushroom jerky recipe last Spring and it was a keeper, so now that I’ve seen Pheasant Back popping up in the woods for the year, it is time to make it again! I found this recipe from Kari on her blog, Kari Eats Plants https://karieatsplants.wixsite.com/mysite/post/hot-and-sweet-pheasant-back-dryad-saddle-jerky It’s a fairly simple recipe with common pantry ingredients. Sometimes the hardest part is finding enough mushrooms! Head out to the woods and keep your eyes peeled for Pheasant Backs. Remember when you are out and about to check the foraging rules if you are going on public land. Some organizations will allow the harvesting of “fruiting bodies” while others do not allow any harvesting. When harvesting mushrooms, place them in a mesh bag so the spores can release and spread as you walk. Reusable produce bags, mesh laundry bags, or old onion bags work well for this. Ingredient List: 16 oz Pheasant Back Mushrooms Marinade 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or oil of your choice ½ Cup Low-sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce (I use Soy Sauce) ¼ Cup Real Maple Syrup 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke 1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Garlic Powder 2 Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce (optional) or ½ tsp Cayenne (This recipe is easy to half if you can't find enough mushrooms for a full batch) Instructions: 1. Harvest your mushrooms being sure to properly identify before picking. Smaller, younger mushrooms will be softer and better for eating. Look at the general size of the mushroom, color, and size of the pores to determine the age of the mushroom. 2. Using a knife, shave the pores from the underside of the mushroom. Remove any of the very hard parts of the mushroom (the larger mushrooms will have more hard parts). The best parts for eating are the outer edges of the mushroom cap. If the pores are not shaving off well, discard that mushroom, it is too tough for eating. 3. Add mushrooms to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Once the mushrooms are cool, drain well and press out excess water. Slice mushrooms into jerky sized slices. (They will shrink some during the drying process). 4. Prepare the marinade in a seal-able container. Add mushrooms to the marinade and coat well. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight. 5. Remove the mushrooms from marinade and place on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115-120°F for 8-12 hours depending on how chewy or dry you want your jerky. Alternatively, you can place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake in the oven on the lowest setting for a few hours checking often until it is the desired consistency. Pheasant Back Mushroom JerkyIngredient List: 16 oz Pheasant Back Mushrooms Marinade 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil or oil of your choice ½ Cup Low-sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce (I use Soy Sauce) ¼ Cup Real Maple Syrup 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke 1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Garlic Powder 2 Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce (optional) or ½ tsp Cayenne Instructions: 1. Harvest your mushrooms being sure to properly identify before picking. Smaller, younger mushrooms will be softer and better for eating. Look at the general size of the mushroom, color, and size of the pores to determine the age of the mushroom. 2. Using a knife, shave the pores from the underside of the mushroom. Remove any of the very hard parts of the mushroom (the larger mushrooms will have more hard parts). The best parts for eating are the outer edges of the mushroom cap. If the pores are not shaving off well, discard that mushroom, it is too tough for eating. 3. Add mushrooms to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Once the mushrooms are cool, drain well and press out excess water. Slice mushrooms into jerky sized slices. (They will shrink some during the drying process). 4. Prepare the marinade in a seal-able container. Add mushrooms to the marinade and coat well. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight. 5. Remove the mushrooms from marinade and place on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115-120°F for 8-12 hours depending on how chewy or dry you want your jerky. Alternatively, you can place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake in the oven on the lowest setting for a few hours checking often until it is the desired consistency. Notes:
If you're interested in learning more about mushrooms, I have two field guides I use quite often for mushroom identification and learning more about fungi. Fascinating Fungi of the North Woods 2nd Edition By Cora Mollen and Larry Weber This book has awesome illustrations with useful and fun facts about the different fungi. I really like how this book is organized because it splits up the fungi into different groups based on where they grow and if they have gills or not, making it easy to find your mystery mushroom. It also has a handy chart for each fungus that shows when you'll most likely find it, breaking it down to the months of the year instead of just saying summer or fall. Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest 2nd Edition By Teresa Marrone and Kathy Yerich This guide has great full color pictures of the various fungi making ID easier. It has detailed descriptions and goes more in depth for various types and species of fungi. This one is organized by shape and if it has gills or pores, it also has a section about which fungi are popular edibles and which you should stay away from. Happy mushroom hunting and enjoy your new tasty treats!
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.
With warmer weather and spring bird migration underway, it’s a great time to get out and birdwatch! BirdCast is a great tool to help you know when the birds are migrating, and when to expect to see more birds in your area. Spring migration is always exciting because it seems like new bird species are arriving all the time! Many passerine (songbird) species migrate at night and in large enough flocks that they are often picked up on weather radars. In 2018 the BirdCast website launched and started forecasting bird migrations and predicting the number of birds that would be migrating at night. They also have a live migration map that reports how many birds actually were in flight. With these maps they’re able to gather information about when birds migrate, where they migrate, and how far they’ll fly on their migration journey. Over the years this information will be able to help us understand more about migration timing and pathways and how migration behaviors respond to climate changes, population changes, and much more. BirdCast is a website (birdcast.info) that is run by The Cornell Lab, Colorado State University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is only live for a few months in the spring and fall during migration season. The two main things on their website are the 3-day Migration Forecast Map and Live Bird Migration Maps. The 3-day forecast shows you the predicted migration intensity across the continental United States and the live map shows you real-time analysis of actual nocturnal bird migration that is picked up on weather radar. Another neat tool on their website is the Local Bird Migration Alert. Just type in your city and you can see if there will be any birds passing overhead tonight. It will even estimate the number of brids/km/night. There is a lot of great info about migration and their different migration forecasting tools. I encourage you to check it out and look around the website!
I think it is fun to check BirdCast and see where birds are migrating and moving around. It’s interesting to see how weather can affect their migration and timing. And it is always exciting when there is high intensity of migration in your area, meaning you have a good chance of seeing some new species! Head over to the BirdCast website and see if there are any birds migrating in your area tonight! 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.
With Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter earlier this month, we still have plenty of winter, and ice, ahead of us. With slippery roads and sidewalks, salt can be one of our best friends during winter – but it can also be one of our worst enemies if used improperly. Salt (a compound of sodium and chloride) does a good job of melting snow and ice, but it can be bad for pets, cars, concrete, lawns, gardens, and especially our waterways. Accumulated salt that ends up in waterways can negatively affect the plants and animals (aquatic and land dwelling) that rely on water sources and ultimately affect our drinking water. When salt is applied to roads and sidewalks it will eventually run off into nearby lakes, streams, and ponds and will also end up in ground water and well systems. The runoff can be a result of snow and ice melting, or rainstorms washing the salt away. For humans, that can mean an increase of saline in our drinking water in both city water and well water. Increased saline content in waterways can cause amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders to die since they cannot regulate the salt content in their bodies. A frog less here and there may not seem like a big deal, but everything in the ecosystem is connected, so if there are issues even with the “small guys” it can cause big problems. Runoff isn’t the only problem with road salt. Large mammals like deer and moose are attracted to salt on roadways. This causes both a problem for the animals and people driving on the roads, increasing the chance of car collisions. The plants next to roads can also be affected by salt, causing the plants’ leaves, stems, and roots to burn and not grow. As a result, erosion alongside some roadways could become an issue since the plants are no longer there to hold the soil in place. Your car, roadways, and bridges are affected by the corrosive nature of salt. The metal in cars, rebar in roads, and bridge supports can be weakened by salt and corrosion overtime. Not only making some of these things unsafe, but they’re also expensive to fix. Although there can be many downsides to using road salt, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use it. We just need to be conscious of when and how we are using it. At this time there is no good way to remove salt from water, so the next best thing is to reduce our usage. Here are some tips and tricks to using road salt:
Beside reducing salt usage, you can also try a salt alternative. Some cities have gotten creative with their deicing strategies. Cheese brine is a common deicer in Wisconsin. The salty liquid used to make cheese is a byproduct that many dairy farms have to dispose of. So instead of going to waste, it can be used on the roads. Beet molasses is a byproduct of sugar beets being made into sugar that also doubles as a deicer. These alternatives usually work at a lower temperature than road salt making them more efficient in a number of ways. If you don’t have cheese brine or beet molasses readily available for your own driveway and sidewalk, you can try these salt alternatives: Pickle Brine Pickle brine is still salt based but has 4-29% less chloride that will end up in our waterways. Pickle brine prevents ice from sticking to the road making it easier to clean up. Make your own brine by mixing 2 lbs. of salt per 1 gallon of water. Sand, Ash, Coffee Grounds Sand, ash from your fireplace, and used coffee grounds can help melt ice and provide traction. The dark colors absorb heat and melt the snow and ice while the “grit” of each will provide traction. Coffee grounds also have the added melting power of acid which helps it melt faster. Mix 5% salt with 95% sand to reduce your salt usage but still be effective in removing ice. Be careful with sand as it can also be overused and runoff into our waterways causing its own issues. Sweep up any sand after it has done its job melting the snow and ice. Save it and use it again later! Vinegar Need a window deicer for your car? Mix 3 cups of white vinegar with 1 cup lukewarm water in a spray bottle and spray on icy windows. You could also try applying this to other icy spots like stairs. The moral of the story is, in order to keep our natural resources happy and healthy for the future we need to do our part now. Road salt is important for keeping us safe during icy and snowy winter conditions, but we have to be careful with how we use it. There is a time and place (and amount) where road salt usage is appropriate. When salt is needed, we need to reduce our amount usage, and use an alternative whenever possible. The best way to combat ice and snow is the good ole fashioned way – shoveling and removal! Why add something to the environment like salt, beet molasses, or sand when we don’t need to? You’d be amazed at the power of the sun. Even during our frigid cold snap, snow and ice was melting on a -24°F day because the driveway had been recently shoveled. Do your part this winter (and every winter) and help our plants and animals that rely on clean water. And don’t forget, you rely on that clean water, too! If you’re interested in learning more about how road salt affects our waterways, check out the Izaak Walton League of America’s Winter Salt Watch page by clicking the button below. This winter I have been participating in their citizen science program, Winter Salt Watch, to help scientists learn more about road salt and the effect it has on our environment. This sampling season is already underway, but for more information about the program you can visit their website by clicking the link below. It is an easy program to participate in that has a big impact! Learn about the program so you can request your free sampling kit next winter! (Not so) Fun Fact: 1 teaspoon of salt pollutes five gallons of water!
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. 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! |
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