Winter guests

It's been a very long time since I've made a post on this site.  So long that winter has come again.  Minnesota has long winters with lots of cold and snow, and this winter is no exception to the general rule.  There are plenty of wintertime activities and sports that can be enjoyed outside, but for those really cold days when going outside isn't an option, why not bring nature to you?  Putting up a bird feeder outside your window can help the birds when food is hard to find and will give you many pleasant hours watching the different kinds of birds that visit your feeder.  Have your bird book on hand so you can identify them all.

We have a simple platform feeder outside our picture window.  It is nothing fancy, just an elevated platform to hold the seeds with tree branches stuck into the snow by the platform to give the birds a place to land before hopping down to the platform.  You can see from the picture below that it's not only birds who are attracted to sunflower seeds.  This pesky red squirrel is a constant guest at our table and seems to think the seed is put out for himself alone!

We get a variety of birds at our feeder.  Below is a male Pine Grosbeak who has just landed on one of the branches by the bird feeder.  Notice his heavy beak, which is what he is named for. 

We also get a cousin of the Pine Grosbeak at our feeder.  Below (forground) is a male Evening Grosbeak.  Notice his heavy beak and vivid markings. 

The other birds in the photo with the Evening Grosbeak are Pine Grosbeaks.  To the left of the Evening Grosbeak (furthest back) is a female Pine Grosbeak, and to the right is an immature male.  A mixed group of grosbeaks makes for a colorful photo (see below).

Also coming to our feeder these days are Redpolls (little fellow in the picture below)...

...Pine Siskins (below...pesky thing hid his head right when I took the picture)...

...Chickadees, and an occasional Purple Finch.  There is always a tremendous rush of wings when something spooks the birds off the feeder.  That something is usually the red squirrel and when he has chased the birds away from the feeder and made them perch on the shrubs and trees to watch him eat (see below)

he will sometimes decide that he has to chase them from even the shrubs!  Today we watched him race up a maple tree and out onto its branches to chase the birds out of the tree.  That done, he raced down to the shrubs nearest the feeder and chased the birds out of them as well.  He seemed quite pleased with himself (see below) when he had regained sole possession of the area.

Winter would be pretty long and boring without the birds and critters.  It's always worth putting up a feeder and then watching the action!

The deer rut

With November comes the peak of the deer rut, or mating season, in Minnesota.  Male deer (bucks) are rubbing the bark off of trees and making scrapes to mark their turf and assert their dominence.  Even on the fringes of the big woods they are active!  Below is a picture of what one rascal of a buck did to our apple tree in the yard at 10:45am and before my very eyes:

This is what is known as a "rub" when talking about deer.  Incidentally, we don't mind the rascal beating up our aspen trees, but this was a little cheeky on his part!  Below is one of this buck's many scrapes:

A "scrape" is an area of ground that the buck tears up with his hooves and then marks with his urine so that other deer who come to check out the scrape get to know about the buck.  Other deer will also mark the scrape and sniff and mouth the overhanging branch that the buck has marked with his oral scent glands (spit).  Below is a close-up of the same scrape with the tracks of the buck plainly visible:

The fact that the hoof marks are smaller and the points of the hoof sharper lets us know that this is probably a yearling buck, or last year's fawn.  When I saw the buck tearing up our apple tree, I grabbed the camera and headed out sneakily (I thought) for a picture.  The buck saw me and knew he was in trouble:

So much for being sneaky with the camera!  Oh, did I mention that I forgot to remove the lense cover and had to fiddle with that while I had my best shot at a great picture?  Groan!  Keep your eyes open for buck sign when you go out into the woods at this time of the year.  And if you are in Minnesota and go out, better wear a blaze orange vest and cap because tomorrow the hunters will be hitting the woods to try and fill their freezers.  Good luck, hunters!

More trailcam shots

Below: a couple of younger deer decide to lock antlers in a minor skirmish.

And once more...Mr. Nosy Buck (the same one, I think) at his photogenic best - in his opinion anyway!

You gotta love those trail cameras!

Trail cams (slang for cameras) are all the rage today among hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.  I don't own one, but my brother-in-law does and he gets some pretty fun and sometimes unexpected pictures.  Many are like the one below, taken at night, as a doe and her fawn left the corn field they had been eating in.

And then again, who says that only deer like to have their picture taken?  The turkey gobbler below is more than happy to show off his fine beard and plumage.  The beard is composed of special feathers that feel like coarse hair and hang down from the turkey's chest.

Above we see a mature whitetail buck with a very strange beam on the left side of his antlers.  This was probably the result of an injury to the deer on some part of his right side, rather than to his strange antler.

This goofy fawn wanted to check out the branch a buck has marked with his oral scent glands.  The fawn is too short to reach by stretching his neck while all four feet are on the ground, but that's no problem for him!

The picture above doesn't have a deer hidden in it but it is a classic example of what happens when you forget to remove the weeds in front of your trail cam.  The camera is triggered by a motion sensor and leaving any weeds in front means that you will be looking at 300 pictures of the same weed blowing in the wind.  Yes, that does get a little old.

 

As a last little bit of enjoyment I give you Mr. Nosy Buck, and there is always one of them around who just has to see what that funny thing with the red blinking light that seems to be growing out of a tree is.  The flash doesn't seem to frighten the Mr. Nosy's of the deer world and many get even closer than this so that all you see is part of a nose and an ear!  Deer...you just have to love them, and trail cams make it easier to see them up close and personal.

Having fun with frogs

There are few places that are more fun to hang out around than ponds.  Whether the pond is large or small, it is an attraction for all kinds of critters.  Frogs, snakes (hate those), birds, and mammals of all kinds gravitate toward ponds for drinking or, in the case of frogs and numerous insects, ponds provide a place to breed and raise a family.  You may click on the pictures to see them in a larger format if you wish.

In the picture above is a tadpole, sometimes called a "pollywog" and in reality a frog in the making.  Over time the tadpole will develop lungs, grow legs, lose its tail, and become a full-fledged frog.  The pictures in this entry were all (with the exception of the wood frog) taken at or by my very small fishpond, which shows that you don't need to have access to a large pond in order to see lots of critters.

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What kind of frog will the tadpole grow into?  Will it be a leopard frog like the one pictured above, sunning itself on the rocks?  Or maybe it will become a little grey treefrog like the one pictured below.  The frog is green, but it is truly a gray treefrog and can change its color to match its surroundings.  If the tadpole escapes being eaten by water beetles, birds, snakes, or another larger frog, it will become some kind of frog.

Pictured above is another kind of frog that tadpole could become: a wood frog.  This one had already grown enough to leave the pond and hop about at will in search of food.  But he will return to the pond at times, drawn by the water and the safety a pond offers.

The leopard frog above has found a fine hiding place amongst the water lilies in the pond.  He can peek out to see his world, but can also zip under the lily leaves to escape danger.  Frogs are fabulous swimmers and can move very quickly.  Just try to catch one sometime and you will see how fast they can move!

The huge leopard frog (above) has found himself a fine place to hide and catch insects with his sticky tongue.  If danger threatens he can retreat under the rocks, but while it is safe he suns himself and occasionally snacks on an unwary insect.  He must be feeding well judging from the fat he is carrying, and I suspect that he has filled himself a time or two on tadpoles.

Above is a wood frog taking a rest on a mossy stone.  Wood frogs are usually seen in the woods (surprise!) where they can blend into the leaf duff and hide amongst the leaves and plants that grow on the forest floor.  Below is a small gray tree frog that has left the pond it was born into and crossed the yard to take a seat on a daisy.  Tree frogs can change colors to a point, but they cannot become as yellow as the daisy!  Still, this frog may be mistaken for a piece of stem or leaf by an insect coming to the flower.  One zip of the frog's sticky tongue, and the insect becomes a froggy's dinner.

Frogs are fun to watch as they develop from a tadpole to a frog.  Sometime if you have access to a pond, even a small one, take time to see what lives in it and what comes to it.  A pond has a world all its own and it is a fascinating world to explore.  Enjoy!

By the light of the moon

"The stars are far brighter

Than gems without measure,

The moon is far whiter

Than silver in treasure..."

From The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Above: The moon two days past full, taken September 6, 2009.

Above:  The moon, six days past full, taken September 10, 2009

How quickly the moon wanes in the Autumnal sky!  There is much to be learned and enjoyed in our viewing the moon...as quickly as it wanes, so also do our days wane so we are wise to use them well.  Getting a good chart of the moon and the stars can lead to an outdoor adventure.  Lying on your back at night, looking up at a summer sky while you identify the stars and constellations, is lots of fun and a good way to put things into perspective.  How small our troubles seem when we take time to look at the stars of heaven!  You may also have the good fortune of seeing a shooting star - that is always fun and adds zest to a nighttime outdoor adventure.  There is much beauty to be seen and enjoyed in creation, if only we take the time to look, so why not turn off the TV and enjoy an outdoor adventure yourself?  You won't be sorry! 

Birds, glorious birds

Ruffed Grouse

Robin eating crab apples

Brood of Mallard chicks

Canada Geese flying south for the winter

Cedar Waxwing

Brewer's Blackbirds

Sandhill Crane

Brown Thrasher

Hello!  Er...chickens

Herring Gull

Mama Loon with Baby on her back

Loonacy

Time for another post on my favorite subject of loons. Last night out on the lake we came across a couple of loons acting rather strangely. They were imitating each other and splashing about in the water in some kind of display which seemed almost like a courtship display only being carried on outside the courting season. They seemed to me very like children, one of whom is imitating the other to make him nutty! Anyway, here is the story as I caught it with my camera. To see the pictures in a larger format, just click on the picture.

The rainbow was actually a double but faded too quickly for me to catch it with my camera. After the storm the sun stayed out and we had a pleasant evening fishing. During our time out we saw the same beavers as pictured in an earlier post and this time they had a beaver kit with them. It was too dark for a photo, but we enjoyed seeing the kit and being startled by the male beaver splashing at the boat. You never know what you will see when you get out to the lake. Every trip is an outdoor adventure!