Naturally
I rambled while wearing sandals because I love the freedom of the open-toed.
I walked with purpose. An inspired bird saunter. My antennae were finely tuned, searching for magic doors to open. My heart sang as I glimpsed something out of the corner of my eye. I turned onto a trail of discovery. The thing turned out to be a plastic bag clinging to a branch. The bag shimmered in the wind like an air dancer outside an auto dealer’s lot. It was disappointing in many ways.
Turkey vultures sliced the air thin. I watched as meditation. Raindrops and birds are bolts of beauty. Proust wrote, “Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy?” I walked several miles until I heard a vesper sparrow sing. I was soggy, but I’d reached my destination—an all-powerful joy.
On a rare night without rain, I watched a baseball game at Mueller Park in New Ulm and listened to common nighthawks flying overhead and calling for “beans,” but eating flying insects instead.
At home, I watched two suet holders do a thriving business. The birds I saw feeding on suet over a week were brown thrasher, gray catbird, red-headed woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, European starling, house sparrow, common grackle, white-breasted nuthatch, Baltimore oriole, blue jay and that gold standard of birds, the black-capped chickadee. A hairy woodpecker male displayed noisily with his bill pointed upward and bobbing from side to side of the suet feeder.
I located a red-winged blackbird nest with three eggs (blue with black markings) in it, which was 2 feet off the ground in a Canada thistle in a prairie planting.
In Disney’s animated version of “Alice in Wonderland,” the White Rabbit sang, “I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say ‘Hello,’ goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!”
My yard’s version of the White Rabbit was a late Blackburnian warbler here on June 19. It posed for a photo, noticed the time and fled the scene. A Eurasian tree sparrow has been a recurring guest star on the suet feeders.
Our national bird
The National Eagle Center in Wabasha and a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives are leading an effort to make the bald eagle the country’s national bird. Preston Cook, Co-Chair of the National Bird Initiative for the National Eagle Center, said, “The bison is the national mammal, the rose is the national flower, and the oak is the national tree. It’s time the bald eagle, long revered as our national symbol, finds its rightful place as our country’s official national bird.”
Many people think it’s the national bird because on June 20, 1782, the Continental Congress installed the bald eagle on the front of the Great Seal. The legislative effort is being led by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and U.S. Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Angie Craig (D-MN).
Q&A
“Why does a bird chirp in the middle of the night?” It means the bird’s battery is low. They also do so to communicate, declare territory, respond to danger, seek mates or are confused by light pollution.
“When did the opossum first arrive in Minnesota?” They showed up in southeastern Minnesota around 1900.
Jack May of Mankato asked about pelican travel. American white pelicans will fly 100 miles, at up to 31 mph, to a food source. A pelican can reach down to about 3 feet below the surface of the water, eat about 3 pounds of fish a day, and expel 3 gallons of water after a catch.
“Why do I see so many crows and vultures in fields of mowed hay?” American crows and turkey vultures are there for the food. They eat animals that didn’t survive the mowing. The crows also gobble up voles, mice and large insects exposed by an implement.
“What is corn thistle?” It’s a nickname for the nonnative Canada thistle. Other nicknames include creeping thistle, field thistle, perennial thistle, small-flowered thistle, green thistle, cursed thistle and Californian thistle. It was named by early settlers who blamed its presence on French traders from Canada. The aggressive plant reduces crop yields, as its 40,000 seeds could remain viable for 21 years in the soil. There is a native plant named the field thistle.
Thanks for stopping by
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”―Roald Dahl.
“If you ask me what is the most essential element in the teaching and morality of Jesus Christ, I would answer you: the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is humility.”—St. Augustine.
Do good.
©Al Batt 2024
Adult male orchard orioles are predominately chestnut in color. Females and juveniles of both sexes have olive and yellow plumages. The orchard oriole is the smallest species of oriole in North America. Its song is a series of loud, clear whistles with a phrasing similar to an American robin. The nest (built chiefly, if not all, by the female) is a hanging pouch. Photo by Al Batt.