On May 6th, Kathy and I returned form a week visit with our daughter Karla and granddaughter, Stephanie in Kernersville, North Carolina. With temperatures in the high 70’s every day, bird activity is much farther along . Each day we observed male and female bluebirds busily feeding their young in a nesting box in Karla’s backyard.
Upon arrival home on the 6th, the first item on my agenda was to mix up syrup for our oriole and hummingbird feeders. Within one hour of hanging out the feeder, orioles had arrived. Two hours later, hummingbirds were drinking the syrup. I have always mixed my syrup with 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. Last fall a friend suggested going 8:1 instead. It works just as well.
Early this morning, May 7th, a male rose-breasted grosbeak had joined the action at our feeding station by eating sunflower seeds. More excitement awaited me as I ventured outside after breakfast. For the first time this spring, I heard the call of the white-throated sparrow “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody”. This bird will stay in our area for a short time before heading to their northern nesting grounds. For me, it is one of the real special vocal treats marking the arrival of spring
Despite spring’s slow start, the color of the landscape is changing rapidly. Box elder trees have leafed out and the larger maples have a distinct purple hue. The alfalfa field is deep green, ferns are growing up through last year’s leaves and early wildflowers are starting to appear.
Sargent’s Nursery reports that the ground temperature is just 48 degrees. Given that cool temperature, and the fact that our smaller maples have not leafed out, I transplanted a hard maple on Sunday. It’s roughly 12 feet tall. The tree was surprisingly easy to move. It was located underneath a mature maple in a cluster of other young trees. If this maple survives, I’ll move more next spring.
In a nearby alfalfa field, two deer and a group of turkey were feeding before sunset. There were a half-dozen hens and one gobbler. As the animals moved across the field, they seemed to gather in one area. The deer and turkey browsed together. Eventually, the gobbler grew uncomfortable with the deer so close. He puffed up his chest, fanned his tail, then approached the deer. The brash, self-confident gobbler scared away the larger whitetails.
There is a new wildflower book for this region. It features 1,087 species and 2,000 color photos. The book is geared for Wisconsin–it includes county distribution maps for each species–but many of the flowers are found in the Red Wing area. For information about “Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest,” visit www.uwsp.edu/english/cornerstone.
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I took a short walk this morning with my camera. The bloodroot blossoms are already starting to lose their petals. I noticed that in the morning bloodroot blossoms are closed even if they are in bloom.
In our woods the fern”fiddle heads” are about twelve inches high. There are also some tiny red plants that look like ferns. The rue anemone and bellwort are starting to bloom. Wild ginger leaves are unfurling .
There is also a little white wild flower I recognize, but don’t know the name. It is in the last photo.
I took some more photos today. If you’d like to see them click this link: More for May 5th
The bloodroot should be in full bloom here in the next couple of days. Nothing else is blooming in our woods yet. In the distance, the woods have a hint of green mixed in with the gray of tree trunks. I can pick out a couple of maples in the woods from a distance because the buds are red. Some oaks have buds others of the same species show no sign of anything. It is striking how alien something familiar can appear when you look at it closely. I’ve thought that about many things, but now I’m thinking of the maple buds in the photo below.
These photos were taken this morning. In order they are: Hard maple buds, oak buds and bloodroot with its leaves ready to unfold and the blossom ready to open. Out of the hundreds of young plants ready to pose for a picture, I chose this one because its blossom almost appears to be pink. Usually bloodroot is white. The internet does not do justice to the detail, but clicking the photo for a larger version helps a little.
Last weekend we cleared a spot in the woods. The plan is to create a small grove of fruit trees. Basically we cut down some young box elder and a few dead elm.
If there is a tall, fast-growing tree here it is most often an American elm. For years they appear healthy. Then suddenly one day the leaves will be gone, and over time the bark will peel off in large chunks until all that remains is a dead tree. Few exceed 14 or 16 inches in diameter. I have converted some of these to firewood.
Looking at so many dead elm trees this weekend, I realized that the fungus that causes Dutch elm disease is a permanent, well-established resident. It is more than 1,000 miles from here to the East Coast, and another 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. But even this great distance wasn’t enough to protect this woodlot. Scientists in the Netherlands, back in 1919, identified the fungus that was killing their elm trees. Dutch elm disease was carried from one tree to another by the bark beetle. By the 1930s the fungus had traversed the Atlantic. And over the decades it spread throughout the United States.
Save for a token tree here or there, the days of cathedral elms are long since past. In their place we will plant apple, apricot, cherry and plum.
Early this morning and continuing throughout the day, we had a Red-headed Woodpecker at our suet feeder in the backyard. We have lived here nearly 40 years and to the best of my recollection is the first time we have been visited by this colorful bird. It is one of only four species of woodpeckers known to store food and it is the only one to cover food with bark or pieces of wood.
Several times throughout the day, we would watch the woodpecker break off big chunks of suet and fly to the nearby cottonwood tree with its prize. Growing up in southern Minnesota it was fairly common to see Red-headed woodpeckers. Unfortunately that is no longer the case.
Okay, I never actually saw them, so I don’t know for sure that they are frogs.
I am re-posting this hoping someone out there knows their frog calls.
I mentioned in my blog entry last week that I recorded some frog sounds on a nearby pond. I searched different frog sounds on the internet and couldn’t find anything that sounds like them. They were the first night sound on the pond. I couldn’t find them by looking with a flashlight.
There’s a good chance your computer will play the sound if you click on the link below
Click_this_to_hear_the_frogs
I awoke this morning to 34 degrees and snow covering the roof of our house. After breakfast, I decided to take my morning walk down to the river below our house to check the rising river level. My first observation as I walked I strong northwest wind and spitting flurries of snow was the soft velvet green hue coming from the abundant willows along the flooded riverbank on the Wisconsin side of the river. Next I noticed three fishing boats working the wind driven waters just off Presbyterian Point. That must be a challenging activity.. According to Ike’s Bait Shop, the Lake Pepin Open fishing tournament is being held this weekend.
Despite our slow cold spring weather up to now, I still encountered several spring wildflowers in bloom this morning. The list includes; snow trilliums, bloodroots, Dutchman’s breeches, rue-anemone and sharp-lobed hepaticas.
On the windward side of Presbyterian Point, there was absolutely no bird activity. The leeward side of the point yielded two turkey vultures on the beach feasting on a dead fish while nearby a lone spotted sandpiper was wading the water’s edge in search of aquatic organisms. Flying just above the water were several tree swallows desperately searching for insects.
Further inland within the shelter of numerous large silver maple trees was a flooded woodland depression. This microclimate was alive with bird activity. The most predominant birds were the yellow-rumped warblers which are usually the first of the spring warbler migration. As I approached the feeding area, ten drake wood ducks lifted off the water further confirming that their mates were now sitting on eggs in the protection of some tree cavity. Other birds observed here included robins, bluebirds, a brown creeper and dark-eyed juncos.
I am sure that these many birds are as anxious as we for warm weather to arrive and stay. Did I forget to mention, the river level had risen only slightly from last evening?
A male ruffed grouse has been drumming on the hillside. Each night before dusk he thumps his wings against his chest, sounding like a far-away motor trying to start. I have not yet found his drumming tree. There are few grouse here, so I hope he succeeds. Once in a great while, we’ll jump a grouse in the young aspen. And two years ago we bumped a brood not 20 yards from the house.
Birds are pairing up and chasing away the competition. I’ve seen a pair of pileated woodpeckers cruising through the woods, and this morning two crows making new sounds in a curious flight.
Our neighbor watched a northern hawk owl in his CRP field. He suspects the owl was passing through. Apparently we’re south of their typical range, and hawk owls don’t migrate. Sometimes they will relocate farther south during winter months to find food. I listened to a hawk owl’s call on the internet and will sit outside these next few nights.
Strong winds brought down a 40-year-old birch tree in the woods. The wind pulled over the 10-inch diameter tree, pulling up the shallow root system. I cut the tree up for firewood. The wood was healthy inside. Given the green moss and lichens on the tree, the white bark seemed especially bright.
Nearly 150 years ago, Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered the eulogy at Thoreau’s funeral. Emerson listed some of his favorite quotes from Thoreau. Here’s one: “I think nothing is to be hoped from you, if this bit of mould under your feet is not sweeter to you than any other in this world or in any world.”
Perhaps this blog, in some way, gives us a chance to better appreciate the mould under our feet.
Tom Bakke commented on Bruce’s last post that he saw his first bat of the season this week, which was before I saw much night time insect activity. Yesterday as I drove home on our gravel road I noticed moths and bugs in my headlights for the first time this Spring. Pretty good timing for the bats.
In the evening there was lightening in the distance. Around one am we had the first thunderstorm of the season with loud, rolling thunder. I wonder what a moth does when confronted with this in its first twenty four hours of life.
Barb Tittle reports Purple Martin “Scouts” returned April 21st. Before the thunder storm last night there was a lot of loud peeping in the dark, near her pond. Also lots of frog or toad noises could be heard outside the High School for the first time today. The night time quietness, so noticeable in the first week of April, is gone. I would be curious to know what these first noise makers are. By our house where there is no water its still pretty quiet.
Its notable that bats and purple martins and some other unknown bug eaters in the dark all make themselves known within days or even hours of the first obvious bugs seen in the air.
Last weekend:
My trees came from the Goodhue County soil and water Conservation office. They come in bundles of twenty five. You pay in advance. They send a post card as notification of the pickup day. For three days a semi trailer full of trees is parked outside of their office in the town of Goodhue as people come to pick up their tree orders. The trees are bare root and should be planted within in a week of pickup.
I spent time this weekend planting hard maples, red oaks and white oaks. I like the open fields so I planted the oaks at the edges of the woods and maples in the thorny underbrush left from when our land was logged in the 1960’s or 70’s.
Here’s a list of Minnesota frogs with sounds. I couldn’t find anything that sounded like my recording above.
Wood ducks– While trout fishing on a local stream yesterday April 16th, I observed numerous wood ducks. They were sitting, flying and continually moving about. Their high pitched warning call was very noticeable. Nearly all ducks observed were the brightly colored males indicating that the females are busy incubating eggs. We have a small pond in our backyard and have been observing wood ducks for the last ten days. They arrive around 7:15 pm and stay until nearly dark. So far they have not decided to take up residency in one of our two nesting boxes.
Another trout stream observation on April 16th–The calls of the first swamp cricket frogs of the season.
White pelicans– I have received reports recently by several birding enthusiasts of white pelican sightings on and over the Mississippi River in the Red Wing area. Numerous pelicans have been observed lately in the bay above Colvill Park. This morning on a walk down to the lake below our house, I observed 20 pelicans on Wacouta bay. With the river being at nearly 8 feet, it is somewhat unusual to have the pelicans hang around for long periods of time. It is much more difficult for them to catch fish at high water levels. While on my walk back to the house, I observed my first woodland spring wildflowers in full bloom. The white flowers of the snowy trilliums were carpeting the forest floor in big numbers in a small area.
April 16th
Yesterday the temperature got above 60 degrees for the first time since last year. With the warmth came wind which is drying everything out. In the last few days the grass has started to turn green , but isn’t really growing yet. There is still snow in the ditch along Hay Creek Hills Drive and there are little piles of snow to the north side of the woods near our house. I expect them to melt by the end of the day. From a distance the woods look gray and brown. Some plants are starting to sprout under the leaf litter in the woods.
Moss in the woods is very noticeable. In the last few days all of it has turned bright green and sent up little stalks — I don’t know what they are called. This is a close-up photo, you can see it a lot better if you click on the picture to enlarge it. The moss in this photo is a few yards from a pile of snow.
My mom mentioned wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers were visiting her pond last week. The Mergansers were busy eating gold fish, I am sure they just stopped for a spring visit, they won’t stay around. Here is a link to see what Hooded Mergansers look like.
On Wednesday April 9th, I paddled the Cannon River for the first time in 2008 with partner Don Brook. The river level was up a little, but still well within the margin for safe travel. Despite the 35 degree temperature, our trip from Welch to highway 61 featured observing quite an array of bird life. By far the most numerous birds sighted were Canada geese, wood ducks and bald eagles. Other species observed were mallards, buffleheads, common mergansers, hooded mergansers, coot, double crested cormorants, great blue herons, red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures and wild turkeys.
On Tuesday April 8th, I received confirmation from Cannon Valley trail manager Scott Roepke that eagles are back in the nest about 1 mile upstream of highway 61.
On this north-facing hillside most of the frost has come out of the ground. In the woods I cleared away a thick layer of leaves and dug a hole. The top few inches were soggy. The next six inches were partially frozen. Below that point the ground was fully thawed. When the topsoil recieves little sunlight, frozen ground apparently thaws from the bottom up.
At first glance it is hard to see the dark-eyed juncos in the yard. Their dull, slate color blends in well with the drab land. But they are an active bunch, and easy to pick out when they move. I have no idea what they find to eat.
There were perhaps a hundred seagulls in a farmer’s field on Flower Valley Road. Their bright color provided a welcome relief this time of year. Growing up in Red Wing, I don’t remember seeing seagulls here. Did I miss them back then?
Today we had the first real rain of the year. I think of it as real rain because the the ground isn’t frozen and the water can soak in. I walked on the road about 8:30 this evening expecting it to be completely dark, but there was very faint light reflecting off of the clouds and it seemed lighter in the west as if the sky was clear in that direction.
The walk was notable for what there was not. It was warm and comfortable, almost like a summer evening. The road is sheltered from the wind so it is calm even if there is some wind up on the hill. The only sound I could hear was my footsteps on the gravel road.
I have been thinking the quiet of winter is gone. It has been noisy in the morning(sound file) with all kinds of birds making sounds in the bushes and in flocks flying overhead.
The stillness remains at night. When I stop on the road to listen more carefully, I can hear water dripping from the trees and there is the wind in bare branches up the hill by the house. Last year’s leaves still on the red oaks rattle in the distance. It seems unnatural standing in the quiet and the dark. I keep expecting the sound of a whipoorwill or the squawk of a nighthawk, but there is nothing. The faint oder of a skunk comes briefly to my nose. Despite the quiet and the dark I am sure it is busy out there in the woods and fields.
The boat launch at Covill Park is free of ice and pickup trucks trailering fishing boats are all around. The ice is gone from shallow farm ponds and the boat house village, but the upper harbor, and Pepin remain locked in ice and there are patches of snow in certain places at the edges of the fields and in the woods.
There are no crickets yet, no insect sounds. No toads or tree frogs. I haven’t seen any bats.
The maple syrup season started late, but ran strong. In ten days our nine taps yielded roughly 39 gallons. The most productive day was Saturday, March 29th, with 12 gallons collected. On that day the hard maple ran best; in the morning a random count yielded 83 drops per minute.
S&S Sugar Bush’s open house is scheduled for April 18-20. It’s a good place to learn more about tapping trees and making syrup. They’re located north of Hager City and south of Ellsworth.
The ring-necked pheasant’s cackle is a startling sound, something like a cheap horn from a small taxi. He’s been calling from the upper field. Compared to the elegant phoebe and the pure chickadee, the rooster’s cackle is sharp-edged and strained. The texture of his call is almost foreign to the place, especially in the early morning. But I’m glad he’s here and hope he survives.
With the longer days and warming temperatures we see more wildlife. Tom turkeys are strutting and parading in the far field, while the hens seem content to poke at and plod through the thawing ground. They leave black tracks in the melting snow. And swans passed overhead this morning.
There will be a new moon this week. I have been noticing the Moon this month-more here. Here are some other things I’ve noticed since last week.
March 30th: There is water around the edge of the pond, crows are feasting on winterkill goldfish. I heard a pheasant in a nearby field, but didn’t see him. Its good to know a pheasant can survive the cold and the coyotes. The fields are way too muddy for any equipment.
March 31st: Yesterday the snow was gone the except for sheltered wooded spots, even the piles pushed up by the plow along the driveway had melted. It snowed all day and school was called off. Had to be careful not to plow all of the gravel off the driveway as the top layer has thawed. Everything is white again.
Other: Turkeys still gobbling at the bottom of the hill but less active with the weather. Saw a pair of wood ducks and heard a red-winged black bird singing along the road, even though there was no body of water anywhere nearby.
I was down by Maiden Rock on the 2nd. Most of Lake Pepin still has ice on it, but there are open spots. I noticed a crack of open water starting at the shore south of Maiden Rock that extends all of the way across the lake to a big open area on the Minnesota side.
A month ago I had noticed a bunch of ice mounds in a field near Maiden Rock, some as big as a car or even larger. Some with water spraying out the top. They looked strange. I had someplace to be and could not investigate. A local tells me the ice mounds are caused by artesian flow. I’ll have to find these on a future winter day.
Tundra Swans– One of the reasons I enjoy making maple syrup every spring is that it provides an opportunity to be outside and experience through sight and sound the phenomenon of bird migration.
On Saturday March 29th, I heard the first of the tundra swans coming through. That compares with : March 16, 2007, March 25, 2006, March 26, 2005, March, 2004 and March, 15, 2003.
Tundra swans winter around Chesapeake Bay of Virginia and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They pass through this area on their return trip to the nesting grounds in the arctic. This year Lake Pepin was mostly ice covered. When the lake is open, it is a desirable resting spot. In previous years. it was quite common to see several waves of swans get up off the lake as they continued on their way.
This past week, I was overwhelmed with the volume of sap flow due to ideal temperatures. With this coming week weather forecast and more sap than I know what to do with, I pulled all my taps yesterday March 30. Now the hard work begins.
Friday March 21 was the first full day of spring and will be remembered by at least 8 inches of wet heavy snow. Remarkably this day also included my first observations this spring of wood ducks, turkey vultures and red-winged blackbirds. It was amazing to see the vultures circling overhead surrounded by large white snowflakes.
This wet heavy snow provided a good opportunity for me to finish off my first batch of maple syrup in the shelter of my garage. The previous day I had cooked down nearly 80 gallons of sap to the reduced volume of 3 gallons on my backyard wood fired stove.
Sandhill cranes- Almost like clockwork, I hear cranes fly over our house in Wacouta every morning between 8 and 9 am since March 15. Yesterday March 26, two pairs of cranes landed in the picked cornfield east of the house and fed for nearly 1 hour. What an exciting observation. I am reminded that it was about this time last spring when Kathy and I drove to Grand Island, Nebraska to witness one of nature’s great spectacles–the migration of nearly 500,000 sandhill cranes. The cranes that we see here winter in Florida while the western birds travel from New Mexico and Texas.
Bruce has been posting about Sandhill Cranes. John Penoyer, president of the Minnesota Nature Photography Club sent us some photos so we can see what Sandhill Cranes look like in the Spring. Thank you John!
John has a web site with more Nature photos: www.impressionsofnature.net
click the photos to view larger versions
