Red Wing Nature Notes

An excellent way to experience the transition  to the spectacular fall colors of the Hiawatha valley is to participate in a hike to the top of Barn Bluff.  As one stands nearly 350 feet above the river, a whole panorama of sights and activities is spread out before your eyes.  Last Thursday morning, September 24th, I took advantage of the beautiful weather, nearby trails and will share with you some of my observations.
As you can see, the predominant color is provided by the bright scarlet leaves of the sumac.  Throughout the next couple weeks, an array of hardwood and softwood trees will provide their own unique colors to the river valley.

If you happen to travel the summit trail that extends from the west end to the east end of the bluff, you will encounter some huge open grown bur oak trees that are well over 200 years old.  Prior to European settlement, these oaks were about the only trees found in the oak-prairie savannah along the river bluffs.  Native Americans maintained these prairies with frequent use of fires to attract bison and elk to the area.  Interestingly enough, bur oaks have bark that is resistant to fire.

On my hike, I observed three examples of fall migration.  First, several monarch butterflies were on their way to the wintering grounds in the fir forests of the mountains northwest of Mexico City.  What is truly amazing is that these butterflies are heading to a location that they have never been to.  This most certainly is an example of one nature’s  many miracles.

As I was attempting to photograph this monarch, I thought I recognized the call of the bluebird.. Searching the nearby area, I discovered a flock of at least twenty bluebirds perched in the branches of a dead elm tree.  Upon further examination, I saw a flock of equal size a little further away in another dead tree.  It sure would be interesting to know where these migrating bluebirds might spend their winter months.  As I reported last winter, it is more and more common to see bluebirds sticking around our area throughout the cold winter months.

At this time of the year on nice warm sunny days with winds out of the northwest, it is quite common to observe raptors riding thermals as they head south for the winter.  Hawk ridge along Lake Superior in Duluth is famous for observing this phenomenon.  Many people are surprised to learn that the south facing bluffs   along the Mississippi river provide thermals that attract migrating raptors.  This morning I observed a juvenile red-tailed hawk that was being pestered by a couple feisty crows.

Along your hike, keep you eyes open for the ripe and tasty wild grapes that are now in season.  Even a mouthful will provide a welcome respite to quench your thirst.  Enjoy your hike

The thermometer read 34 degrees this morning at our place and the ground is covered with frost.

There is an intense debate going on. I should make it clear this debate is taking place exclusively in my head. The experts agree that feral pigs have moved in and are laying waste to certain areas. “laying waste” is my description in this case. The reason I have more than a passing interest in this is that one of the areas affected is the field outside my house.

In areas near Frontenac State park and in our fields something has been expending a considerable amount of energy turning over sod. Bare dirt is exposed in large areas. If I had stumbled upon one of these scenes of destruction just walking I would be at a total loss as to the cause. If presented with the idea that a herd of pigs came during the night to do the destruction I would raise my eyebrows and accept it as one of those strange things that happens in this world.

A google search for “feral pigs minnesota” or the same search for Wisconsin area shows that there are wild pigs in Wisconsin and even some sightings in Minnesota. The wisconsin DNR has a map showing that feral pigs live in Pierce County just across the Mississippi river from us. A person who I’ve been told knows about trapping and tracking animals has observed the damage in Frontenac and in our fields and he is certain it is the work of pigs.

Why would I be a non believer?  The damage started a few weeks ago while I was mowing CRP land with a brushog pulled behind a tractor. When I was mowing I noted large soft areas in the fields filled with rodents that would scatter into the grass when the tractor wheels sunk into them. Also this year I have noted many badger holes in the fields. It takes several days to mow the fields. When I resumed mowing one morning I came upon an area that had been filled with rodents the night before. The ground was bare, the sod torn out in patches about a foot square in an area that covered 200 square feet. A short distance away was a fresh badger hole. As the mowing continued over the next couple of days there was more torn up ground. I was so impressed I asked a couple friends who get outside alot over to take a look. Neither had seen anything like this before. A couple of days later I got a call from one of them who said he’d been over near Frontenac State Park and seen the same kind of damage there. This is how I was put in touch with the trapper guy.

When he told me it was pigs I had already formed an opinion. I’ve had a hard time changing. Maybe because it’s because I don’t want pigs. So even though the experts say “Pig” I am clinging to “Badger”.
For the time being the massive destruction has stopped. The pig theory is that the pigs are eating acorns now and have left the fields alone.

Last night I looked for pig rubs and trails in the woods surrounding the fields. I went to two possible water sources in the area to look for pig wallows and found a few deer tracks. I went in the nearby woods where there are mature oaks and jumped two whitetails feasting on acorns. I stood and listened to the squirrels chatter and heard acorns fall around me when the wind blew. I saw deer tracks and little holes made by squirrels. The most apparant thing out of place was how dry everthing was.  No pig sign – that I could identify.

This morning I walked in the fields, not as if I was out for a walk, but more like somone looking for a lost watch. I found little holes in the grass like a skunk would make. There was a trail in the dew and followed it to more holes that were bigger, then there was one piece of sod that probably weighed as much as a skunk torn from the ground, then more little holes. This pattern repeats itself all over in the fields, less noticable than the dramatic destruction.  

video:  Maybe badger/Maybe pig

Before we had pigs on the radar the following badger theory was offered up. Right now everything is very dry and our clay soil is as hard as a rock. Voles seem to be living between the sod and the soil. They would be an easy target for a badger with big digging claws. It would be easier for a badger to scrape the sod off to get abundant voles than it would be to pursue pocket gophers in the hard clay. The unusual destruction would then be the result of dry weather and abundant vole populations.

Here are some questions I have of anyone who knows about feral pigs.
1. How can an animal that weighs over 100 lbs, doesn’t hibernate, doesent hunt, doesn’t store food sustain itself in Minnesota winter?
2. How can pigs move into an area, do all of this damage without leaving tracks or droppings?*
3. How come no one has seen a pig?
4. Why is there no sign of wallowing in the only two water sources for miles around?
I realize it is likely the experts are right, but I will still hope the badger theory is correct. Here is a video showing some of the evidence.

video: ferral pig or badger?

 *There are lots of droppings, but I think they have been identified as badger.

With the official start of the fall season fast approaching next Tuesday at 4:19pm., many bright colors are coming on the scene in the local area. The most obvious color as I travel the roads and trails is the bright scarlet of the sumac. The road ditches that haven’t been mowed or sprayed with herbicide now have numerous purple asters blooming. The most brilliant of the fall asters is the deep purple of the New England aster (Aster novae-angliae). They are not very numerous, but what they lack in numbers they more than make up for in profound color.

Another purple color that has been noticeable the last couple weeks is that of the ripe elderberries (Sambucus canadensis). This past Tuesday, a friend and I harvested a five gallon pail full of clumps of elderberries. Later that day, I sat in the shade on a beautiful summer afternoon and removed the small and numerous dark purple berries from the stems. Many years ago when the ELC participants would gather elderberries for our wild foods banquet, my friend the late Howie Rapp shared a wonderful secret in working with elderberries. The long tedious task of separating these small fruits from the stems can be expedited by using a coarse comb. Try it sometime. I have since prepared and canned a few pints of tasty cold weather beverage for next winter. The rest of the berries have been frozen and will be used later to make a delicious elderberry/apple pie.

On a recent canoe trip down the Cannon river, we noticed three recently constructed paper wasp nets hanging on low branches out over the river.

In my last post, I mentioned that Kathy and I had noticed beaver on Loon lake were busy constructing feed piles near their lodges for the upcoming winter. These feed piles consisted primarily of small aspen and white birch branches. On the just mentioned canoe adventure, we discovered that beaver along the Cannon are also building up their winter food supply. However, our local beaver are stockpiling corn instead of aspen and birch. I would be surprised if corn stocks would contain the same nutritional value. It is surprising to say the least.

Another surprise that our canoe trip held was hooking a lamprey while doing some fishing. In visiting with a DNR fisheries biologist out of Lake City, he confirmed that a small population of lampreys does exist in our local rivers. These species include the silver and chestnut lamprey. He went on to say that it was highly unusual to catch a lamprey on a hook and line because they lack jaws and instead have a tooth-lined circular “sucker” mouth as my photo demonstrates. These parasitic lampreys will attach to the host fish and feed off their blood. In the 1950’s, the lake trout population in Lake Superior was decimated by the introduction of sea lampreys through the release of ballast water from international ships.

Finally on the home front in Wacouta, we continue to observe numerous white pelicans at the head of Lake Pepin. The most common of these observations take place in the late morning as the pelicans get up off the lake and catch the rising thermal from the heat of the day. It is quite impressive to watch a flock of fifty or more birds moving in perfect synchrony as they kettle higher and higher overhead.

The last ten days we have noticed a lone snow goose feeding in the adjacent wheat field amongst at least 100 canada geese. I would love to know where it arrived from.