Red Wing Nature Notes

On March 14th of this past spring, I heard the first sandhill cranes fly over our house and head out to the Mississippi river backwaters.   For the next ten days their distinctive calls were heard several times as they prepared for the upcoming nesting season which begins here around the first of April.

Since that time, I have heard few if any calls in our area until yesterday morning.  Given the fact that there is a thirty day incubation period and approximately ten additional weeks before the young crane is capable of flying, the timing is right on for this morning’s activity.
 

Every evening I have to stow away all my bird feeding equipment because of persistent raccoons in our neighborhood.  Early yesterday morning as I was replacing my feeders, I heard their loud rolling bugle off in the distance.  A short time later, we received a phone call from our observant neighbor Nancy Braschler informing us that a pair of cranes and their young chick were feeding nearby in the recently harvested wheat field.

Even though two eggs are usually laid in the nest each spring only one chick typically survives the nesting season.  This is because one bird hatches a couple days before the second bird emerges.  The older chick often attacks the younger chick, resulting in only one offspring surviving.

As one drives or hikes around our area this summer, you begin to wonder if native vegetation will survive the onslaught of so many invasive species.  I am including photos of three such species that are now in full bloom or have fruits that are very colorful and quite obvious.
 

First is Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica).  This invasive species can live in a broad range of plant communities with varying moisture and shade conditions.  Woodland edges seem to be most affected.  Native to Asia and western Europe these honeysuckle were introduced to North America as an ornamental in 1752.  Rural infestations resulted from the planting for wildlife cover and food source.  The widespread distribution is enhanced by birds eating the ripe fruits and dispersing the seeds over a big area. 

Another pest of concern is Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).  Loosestrife is a wetland plant growing in shallow freshwater pond edges  This plant is native to Asia and western Europe and was introduced in this country as an ornamental and accidently from ship ballast water.  Flowers from this plant require pollination by insects for which it supplies an abundant source of nectar.  It is easy to introduce to a wetland area and some evidence is available that it was used at one time as a source of nectar for beekeepers.
 

So aggressive loosestrife can invade marshes and lakeshores replacing native plants like cattails.  The resulting vegetation is so thick it makes these areas unsuitable for nesting sites or cover for birds and wildlife.

Finally we have Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota).  This plant is also known as wild carrot and was native to Europe and was naturalized in North America.  Domesticated carrots are a result of a subspecies of this plant.  The name originates because the flower looks like lace.  Legend has it the red floret in the center of the flower represents a blood droplet where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace.  In actuality, the red floret is used by the plant to attract insects.

Finally, because my competence level is very low when it comes to identifying butterflies I could use some help.  Anyone who can indentify the colorful butterfly that I photographed yesterday feeding on nectar from the purple clover plant, please do so by submitting a comment.  Thanks.

For nearly the past forty years, Kathy and I have watched the alternating growing and harvesting of just two crops in the field next to our home.  With the exception of one year of alfalfa, the 150 acres have been planted to either corn or soybeans.  Last fall after the soybean harvest, we noticed that the farmer who is renting the land immediately went to work and planted winter wheat.

With adequate moisture last fall, the seeds germinated and we could look at a beautiful carpet of green at the base of Rattlesnake bluff.  The new lush vegetation was also noticed by a sizeable herd of deer particularly in the evening and after dark.  It was quite common to drive by and observe 15 to 20 pairs of eyes alongside the road.

This spring and early summer it has been most interesting watching the winter wheat field grow and mature.  In fact, my last post included the July 7th full moon rising over Rattlesnake bluff and the ripe wheat field.  This past Wednesday July 15th Dan Tipcke and family of Goodhue began their most interesting work of harvesting the ripe grain and caught the attention of all residents who happened to drive by.

Dan and his family were most generous with their time and allowed me to ask numerous questions which satisfied my curiosity about this new venture in Wacouta.  I will share with you some of the information that I learned from them.
(1)  because most agronomists in this area deal primarily with corn, soybeans and alfalfa, little help or encouragement was available for them to take advantage of for winter wheat production.  In fact, the seed they used to plant last fall had to be shipped in from Kansas.

(2) not knowing how this project would work out in this area and light sandy soil. they spread their risk by planting three different varieties of seed.  They were most pleased with the average yield of 50+ bushels per acre over the 150 acres.

(3) if the harvested wheat tests high enough in protein, it can be sold to a mill that will make flour for bread.  If it has a low protein test, the wheat will be sold for a source of poultry or livestock food.

(4) the residual straw is baled into 700 lb round bales and sold to a dairy farmer for bedding for their cows.  A comparable sized bale of hay can weigh up to 1400 lbs.

(5) with the light sandy soil out here, Dan can no longer make a profit in growing corn.  The poor yield and the high costs of inputs for corn production make it unprofitable.  With the current production of ethanol, the price for a 50lb bag of seed corn now costs 280 dollars.  Do the math.  That is a hefty bill for 150 acres.

On a different subject, I observed all three Cannon Valley trail eaglets alive and well this past Wednesday morning.  In fact, they are quickly becoming quite wary.

The saga continues for the three infamous eaglets along the Cannon Valley Trail with some very unusual behavior.  Yesterday morning Nancy Braschler, a frequent contributor of observations to Nature Notes, joined me for a canoe trip down the Cannon river.

In the cool crisp air of the early morning, we observed and heard a whole host of birdlife including kingfishers, bank swallows, killdeer, mallards, wood ducks and several flocks of Canada geese.  In many cases the goslings were almost as large as the adults.  In all cases, the birds are flightless and not very vocal at all.  During July and part of August, the adults molt and lose all their flight feathers at once.  These flightless birds escape danger by trying to remain hidden in the tall vegetation along the riverbank.

As we were approaching the approximate area of the former eagle nest, we noticed a sizeable flock of geese lounging along the edge of the river on a sandbar.  Suddenly one of the eaglets became airborne from the midst of all those geese and flew downstream and eventually out of sight.  To our utter amazement, the other two eaglets were on the ground and appeared to be socializing with the geese.  It was quite obvious that the geese didn’t view the eaglets as a threat and the eaglets didn’t understand that the geese were a potential meal.  Eventually one of the eaglets wandered back into the protection of the tall vegetation while the other one flew downstream and landed in a dead tree that had become lodged in the middle of the river.  At this point, we simply let the current drift the canoe downstream within 30 feet of the eaglet.  What an opportunity to observe this amazing young bird and at the same time take the featured photo.

Two additional observations for this post include the “Buck (full) Moon” that rose over Rattlesnake Bluff last evening and…….

It is time to get out and pick black raspberries (blackcaps).  There appears to be a bumper crop this summer.

The first few days of July were chilly for July, but temps in the 60’s made for nice bonfire weather. With the cool nights the fireflies temporarily stopped their night time blinking.

Dan Dietrich mentioned to me he recently he saw a fawn noting that they still have their spots. This fact was verified shortly after our conversation when this young fawn ambled into the field near our house. Also, I scared a turkey and her young out of the long grass. The little ones were smaller than grouse, but they still could fly quite well. They must be born almost ready to fly. A second adult turkey sat still in the grass as I passed. I pretended I did not see her and walked on by.

This morning I worked with  a Mattock(a pick/hoe that I wrongly call a pulaski sometimes) making a ditch for a pipe. Gradually I became aware of a steady clicking noise when I would rest. The sound was coming from a blue bird throwing itself against the window of my car. Lately they’ve been doing this against the windows of the house as well. This must wear them out and make them feel pretty bad.

I became aware that as I watched the blue bird someone else was watching me pick away at the ground. Swallows sat perched on the power line in the field. Taking an excuse to rest a little longer I counted them, sixty five. When I went to get water I got the camera but discovered this is one thing I couldn’t photograph very well. I produced photos of blue sky and a field, the birds and wire were too small to show up in the picture.

A couple of days ago as I sat at the kitchen table a gold finch landed on the screen to the window. He kept fluttering away and coming back. I finally figured out he wanted the plastic knob that holds the screen in. He kept pecking at it through the screen. I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a picture.

As sometimes happens I made a false start on this post and decided it didn’t belong here so I put my first try on my other blog. Here’s a link to that.

That’s all for now.

As you can see from the comment by Kevin Olson on the last post, as of this past Thursday evening all three eaglets survived the nest coming down.  Yesterday a friend and I went for a canoe ride down the Cannon river from Welch to highway 61 with the intention of trying to locate any of the eaglets that might be near the river.

As you can see from the photo, we did observe one eaglet perching on the dead branch of a willow tree quite near the water and within 100 feet of the nest site.  As we sat and observed the eaglet, it would frequently let out a screech as a way of communicating with the rest of the family.

Just a short time upstream from this point, we observed some activity in a shallow stretch of rapids.  To add color to this activity, the riverbanks were ablaze with the bright yellow flowers of mustard in full bloom.  The movement in the water turned out to be a couple mature eagles feeding on something.  Perching nearby in a couple large cottonwood trees were four immature eagles probably a year or two old.

Upon closer examination, we discovered what was left of a huge carp.  Before the eaglets become adept at hunting and catching their own food, it is very common for the adults to catch the food and allow the younger birds to share in the meal.