One of the things I love about the change of seasons is to see the different birds that come and go.
This is the time of year that we see lots of Dark-Eyed Juncos, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Hairy and Downy Woodpecks. Of course, the crows are more abundant this time of year too.
So as I as I am sitting here at my desk, listening to the dogs barking at each other in the other room (someone must have a raw hide that the others want), a hairy woodpecker just came and lit upon the storm window. Crazy bird. It started pecking at the old chipping frame of it, then moved over to the screen next to it and pecked. Hmm. Never have seen that happen before.
We also get the striking Red Headed Woodpecker. And believe me, they are striking in appearance and they strike whoever gets in their way too. Nasty acting birds if I ever saw some. I thought Blue Jays could be nasty and bossy at the feeder, but these things have chased off many a Blue Jay.
About two summers ago, we started getting this one RHW that decided that he was going to claim his territory every morning at sunrise by sitting in our metal rain gutter and rapping away just outside our bedroom window. It drove me crazy! Well, for a summer and a half (they migrate in winter, only here for about 3 months and gone again), he continued to do this. Then one day, we noticed 2 RHW lying on the side of the road, dead. Hmmm. That was quite odd. Well, after that, no more alarm clock woodpecker.
Oh geez, this little Hairy is relentless, he is pecking all over the house now. There isn't any wood for him to get at, so I don't know what the heck he is doing. Hopefully, not pecking holes in the insulation we temporarily have up on the north and west sides. As I said, Crazy Bird.
One year, to my sheer delight, I saw a couple of red flashes through the window. It was May and of course there are a few breeds that migrate through for more Northern areas. No, it was not Cardinals, we get those all of the time. We started seeing Scarlet Tanagers!!! I had never seen one before and I was just tickled. I grabbed the camera and ran outside. Well, the pictures are not great, but they will always remind me of that day. It ended up that we saw them going through for about 3 days. There were small flocks going through. Never saw them before, nor have we seen them since. What a beautiful little bird.
For less than a year just before my husband parted ways with the Navy, we lived in Mississippi, about 12-miles off the coast in Gautier (pronounce go-SHAY). It was an area that was just being developed, where our house was, so there were lots of trees. There were flocks of Indigo Buntings, Rosebreasted Grosbeaks, Yellow Grosbeaks, and Blue Grosbeaks. We kept our feeder filled anyway, but I was even more diligent about keeping it full when they started going through. I would sit in my dining room with my video camera, watching them. Isn't is amazing how Mother Nature has so many little things that can just take your breath away? That was the one thing I missed when we left Mississippi. Being a Northern girl, it just wasn't my cup of tea living in that region otherwise. Occasionally, we spot an Indigo Bunting here, and occasionally we see a pair or couple pairs of the Rosebreasted Grosbeaks, but nothing like the migratory flocks we saw down there.
Trumpeter Swans are a species that is now being released back into the wild for rehabitation and repopulation. They do live here in Minnesota, but the last thing you would expect to see here on the flat, almost treeless prairie is a Trumpeter Swan. One evening I looked out across the field and saw this HUGE bird! Okay, techinically, it is a waterfowl. But this amazing, HUGE Trumpeter Swan was flying about 20-feet off the ground and passed right along the east side of our farmstead. I thought I would pee myself! Since then I think I have seen them twice in groups of 2 or 4 and not quite as close to our property. There is a pond in the field by us that is about 10 acres in size, and it gets frequent visitors as they migrate through. Two summers ago I even saw a Cormorant down in it, and they are open water birds. I have pictures to prove it too. My son and I went out to take pictures for a 4-H project he was working on and there was this Cormorant sitting in the middle of the pond.
I love having children who appreciate wildlife. My kids get all excited when we see an unusual bird out and around. For instance, my oldest and I have an on-going contest to see who is the first to spot an Indigo Bunting in the spring. He is winning. One thing that is becoming more usual though, is the Bald Eagle. When I was growing up, these magnificent birds were on the brink of extinction. I have given my kids that speech about, "Well, when I was a kid...." and they roll their eyes. But it is true. Here is this awesome creature that was near extinction and is now abundant again thanks to the Fish and Wildlife Service, whom my big brother works for (I do not have bias on this though). Once when I was visiting my brother in Maryland, he took us out to the game refuge where they propogate endangered species of birds. I got to see some of the birds of all ages and stages in the aviaries they had set up for breeding and raising them. Again, I have pictures to prove it, just not in my computer. I will never forget that, and I felt privileged to see them.
Now, we have the darned things perching in our yard and eye-balling my chicken yard. Just this last week, we were going out to the van and there was one just above the driveway and it scared the heck out of my son. It flew off the limb and circled the house, then it flew off to check out the neighbor's chicken yard. Boy, have we come a long way since I was a kid. I still get a thrill when I see them and if I am not driving, I still will stop and watch them soar across the sky. I guess once in while our government does get something right. Minnesota is one of the most populated states for Bald Eagles now. Just a perk of living here.
Well, I still hear that little Hairy out there pecking around the house. I suppose I should go see what the heck he thinks he is doing. I sure don't need any more holes in this old place now that Old Man Winter has settled in for the seasons.
Just one request....if you have a real Christmas tree this year, do your feathered friends outside a favor, leave it in a spot where they can use it for shelter this winter and then dispose of it in the spring when they are done. Just a little something you can give back to nature.
CC
No comments:
Post a Comment