Late June into mid-August is exciting, dangerous and nostalgic for all creatures fledging – including people!
Birds and wild creatures have mated, nested, and are raising young. For some this takes weeks, months or years (kids). This spring has been fun watching the rabbits and variety of birds growing up and fledging. At the same time, Marion has been reading the Jean Craighead George series: My Side of the Mountain, The Far Side of the Mountain, and Frightful’s Mountain. About experiencing the power of observation as nature unfolds.
It’s a long way down, Mom.
A squirrel family nested in a hole in an oak within view of the back deck. One spring day we spotted a young squirrel just looking out. Soon after, we saw young in all the fruit trees hanging upside down. We think that their dexterity must be developed in part by their having been gestated in the moms leaping from branch to branch and raised in wind whipped trees.
Bunnies are on their own as soon as the mother weens them.
Recently, Rich spied a young rabbit family nest under a maple tree. This spring most ground reared animals like bunnies, turkeys and pheasants were safe from storms. So, the rabbits are prolific! They are hilarious to watch in different stages of growth from naive hand sized bunnies to teen-sized rabbits to adults. They often hold convention on our front and back lawns. They seem alert and always near tall grass because the owl population has grown – we hear them hooting at dusk.
Crow family fledging
Crows suddenly seem to appear yet they have been around all the time. In tall trees a family hangs out watching for food. On the ground you can tell the adults and young by watching who feeds whom. At some point the adults say, “You are on your own!” Off they fly and the young have to survive.
Wrens and Cardinals are always a treat to watch. The one nest off our back deck gave us great viewing as the pair bonded, set up home, fed each other as one sat on eggs, and the babes grew from a chittering brood to fully fledged and out of the nest in a matter of weeks. Now the box and deck are strangely and sadly quiet. But, the fledglings frequent the shrubs nearby, still entertaining us.
Cardinal on Ground
Cardinals are perhaps my favorite only because I watched a family grow and fledge the same time our daughter graduated and left for college.
All the animals are amazing to watch. They are smart, adaptable and instructive. We learn a lot watching them. By next spring their numbers will be decreased as many die from predation, accidents, weather and interactions with humans. Meanwhile, keep your eyes and ears alert for these incredible creatures with whom we share this ecosystem.
Take in some great summer reading! Cornelia (Connie) Mutel, Winding Pathway’s good friend, sent us her most recent book, A Sugar Creek Chronicle: Observing Climate Change from a Midwestern Woodland.
Her book weaves three themes together that encourage readers to enjoy woodlands and embrace actions to lessen climate change.
Connie is a gifted nature writer who transforms her observations into delightful prose that reminds us of Joseph Wood Krutch‘s style. Her book is a pleasant way to learn about and enjoy a woodland as it progresses through seasons and responds to weather.
As the title implies, she relates changes in her woods caused by climate change. Nature is neither politically correct nor untruthful. A knowledgeable observer, as the author is, recognizes alarming signals of a warming planet communicated by vegetation and wildlife but often unnoticed by those less informed.
Finally, she weaves her personal story into a blend of woodland delight and climate concern. She bemoans her reliance on fossil fuel to get to and from work and to run her air conditioner, expresses joy at sharing woodland hours with grandchildren, and relates her long term cancer relationship with earth health.
Sugar Creek Chronicle is a lovely book about a serious environmental threat. Perhaps its major virtue is how the author blends joy of nature’s beauty, concern about the planet’s future, and a love of life that encourages readers to lessen the impact of climate change.
University of Iowa Press Bur Oak Series www.uiowapress.org ISBN: 978-1-60938-395-4
Marion’s all time favorite summer series is by Jean Craighead George: My Side of the Mountain, The Far Side of the Mountain, and Frightful’s Mountain.
Other good books to read this summer: The Intelligent Optimist”s Gide to Life. Jurriaan Kamp. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. 2014. ISBN: 978-1-62656-275-2
Places of Quiet Beauty: Parks, Preserves and Environmentalism. Rebecca Conrad. University of Iowa Press. ISBN: 0-87745-558-9
Their Name Is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World. Johann Christoph Arnold. Plough Publishing House. ISBN: 978-0-87486-630-8
We are proud of and fortunate that our yard is home to a wide array of fascinating plants and wildlife.
Only a good friend would know that we want pictures of creepy crawlies and save them for us for our blog!
But, last year Rich encountered a wild animal that he wishes he’d avoided. A deer tick found and bit him, although he never saw the tiny eight legged creature. A classic symptom of Lyme Disease is a red rash shaped like a bull’s eye. But Rich never had one. Instead he became overwhelmed with lethargy.
“I never felt sick, just tired, and kept thinking I’d be fine in a day or two,” he said.
But the fatigue dragged on for months, so he called our family physician who urged him to come right in. She gave him a thorough check over, and prescribed a chest X Ray and a Lyme Disease blood test.
Rich did both that afternoon. Within hours the doctor called to say the X ray revealed pneumonia and prescribed an antibiotic. Four days later the Lyme test came back positive and she prescribed a 21 day regime of amoxicillin, a different antibiotic.
“In just a few days the medicine worked and I felt better. Within a month the fatigue evaporated and the only lingering symptom was mild knee pain that may or may not have been caused by Lyme. I’m 66 and have a bit of osteo arthritis,” he said.
Rich was lucky. A year after the Lyme diagnosis he’s doing fine. Fortunately, his doctor prescribed the correct tests and medication and caught the disease early. Many people are less fortunate and suffer long term pain, fatigue and other symptoms.
Ticks measured against eighth inch markings.
Lyme disease is transmitted by the deer tick, a tiny eight legged animal that is increasingly common. Ticks live in tall grass and brushy areas, and our yard at Winding Pathways has both. We walk through other places where a tick could have found Rich. Ticks usually crawl around on a person for several hours before digging through the skin and feeding on blood. A wandering tick that has not penetrated the skin cannot transmit disease. Pluck it off and flush it down the toilet or drop it into soapy water.
It’s easy to be scared by negative publicity about Lyme Disease and stay inside. While the disease is serious and is not to be taken lightly, advice to avoid brushy and grassy places must be put into context. These places are beautiful and are homes to interesting wildlife and plants. They are places to get exercise. Even after contracting Lyme we spend part of our time in tick habitat, but we are cautious.
Gaiters fit snugly over boots and pants to deter ticks.
Here’s what we now do:
Spray our clothes, ankles, and wrists with insect repellent containing DEET.
When outside for a while we don special tick resistant gaiters (sometimes called spats) that make it hard for a tick to get under pants legs. We bought them from Forestry Suppliers for $13.
Permethrin-based spray can be bought at most stores that sell insect repellent.
We spray the gaiters with special repellent containing Permethrin that both repels and kills ticks Apply this to clothing, not skin. It is effective for at least two weeks so we don’t launder the gaiters but reapply the spray a couple of times a month.
Change and launder clothes and shower when we’re done outside. Tiny deer ticks are tough to spot, but we do a body tick check as part of showering.
Pay attention to our bodies. If we spot a dug-in tick or bulls-eye rash or experience lethargy or joint pain we’ll get to our doctor right away. No procrastination.
Rich emerged from Lyme Disease cautious and smarter but not afraid of being outside in beautiful and interesting places.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The Internet has great information on ticks and Lyme Disease.
Two of our favorite information sites are:
A joy of inviting beautiful wildlife to a yard is the periodic chance to see something new. That happened recently at Winding Pathways. We were astonished to spot a Black Poll warbler in our oaks. It was the first of this species we’d ever seen anywhere. Another amazing sight happened on a clear March morning when sounds from above brought us outside. We were thrilled to watch a huge flight of snow geese winging north way over our house.
In all seasons chickadees forage and sing.
Fledgling eagle resting in the back yard.
Enjoying the thistle seed.
A turkey vulture ventured into the labyrinth.
Three species sharing the bounty
With brilliant plumage and distinctive call, the grosbeaks announce their arrival.
Photo – On a wild and windy day this Cardinal sang out his love song.
We’re not overly serious birders, but keep a running tally of species spotted each year. Lists are fun, especially for people with a competitive bent. We identify birds by either sight or sound, and use these clues in our count of yard visitors. We also include some species that fly over but don’t land. Winding Pathways is two acres. And, we’re fortunate. Just past our property line is 110 acre Faulke’s Heritage Woods. Its large oaks and elms attract forest birds that might not normally visit our yard.
Here’s our running tally this year as of mid-May:
Wild Turkey
Seven woodpecker species (Hairy, downy, red bellied, red headed, sapsucker, pileated, and flicker)
House Finch
English Sparrow
Junco
European Starling
Native sparrows (white crowned, white throated, song, fox, chipping)
Indigo bunting
Warblers (black polled, yellow rump, yellow, palm, and redstart)
Oriole, orchard and northern (Baltimore)
Cardinal
Tufted Titmouse
Black Capped Chickadee
Hummingbird
Wren (house and Carolina)
Goose (snow and Canada flying over)
Ducks (mallard and wood)
Owl (barred and great horned)
Hawk (Coopers, sharp shinned, red tailed)
Turkey vulture
Chimney Swift
Nighthawk
Brown Creeper
Cuckoo
Goldfinch
Robin
Crow
Killdeer
Whip-poor-will
Mourning Dove
Bald eagles
As we continue to add a diversity of shrubs, trees, grasses, and wildflowers we’re creating habitats that should lure new species to our yard. We’ll keep adding species as the year goes on.
We use several references to help identify birds. Here are our favorites:
Printed books. Real bird books:
The Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America. This 2008 book is fairly large and heavy, we keep it in the house to aid in identification.
The Golden Guide to Field Identification. Birds of North America. This classic bird book has been around for years. It’s small and easy to carry and is the book that stays in the car and gets carried when we’re walking a trail seeking birds.
The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. This details the life history of birds. It’s a heavy large reference book that provides information on a bird once we’ve used other sources to make an identification. A companion Sibley book helps with identification.
Electronic Identification Aids
Outstanding information sources come from the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology, both on their website and on their smart phone app called Merlin. We use Merlin regularly when in the field. Although it lacks some species our iPhone is easy to carry and the organization of the app makes it easy to identify a new species. The app includes several still photos of each bird, range maps, and the call and song of the bird. It’s Free!
When at home we often access the Lab’s Website. It includes more extensive information on more species than the iPhone app and has video clips. It is outstanding, and access is also free. We like it so much we joined the Lab and appreciate receiving its gorgeous and informative magazine called LIVING BIRD. The Lab’s general web address.
Years ago a tremendous lightning bolt struck a white pine at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The powerful blast tore a vertical strip of bark from nearly the tree’s top to the ground. It was at least 25 feet long and about four inches wide. Fearing that the hit was fatal I called then Cedar Rapids City Forester Eric Faaborg who came out and examined the pine.
I was certain it had suffered the kiss of death, but Eric reassured me. “I don’t think the hit was fatal. Give it a few years and see what happens,” he remarked.
He was correct. By the next year the pine had partially healed. Now about 20 years later it is healthy and has grown considerably. The scar from the lightning wound is still visible but has faded.
The massive white oak that was struck by lightning near our home at Winding Pathways isn’t as lucky. Unlike the pine, the oak suffered extreme damage that extended all around the circumference of the tree. Four vertical strips of bark were torn off, and where bark remained it had been blown away from the tree’s wood. Essentially the oak has been girdled. We expect it to slowly die.
According to Cedar Rapids arborist, Todd Fagan, lightning damage often stresses a tree, causing it to go into decline and eventually die. It also opens the tree up to insects and diseases. However lightning damage isn’t always fatal. If in doubt he suggests contacting a certified arborist to evaluate the tree. Or you can simply leave it in place and remove if it dies.
Fagan added that it is possible to prevent lightning damage to special trees. “Often trees on golf courses are fitted with a copper wire that channels lightning harmlessly down into the ground. It’s expensive but can prevent the loss of an especially valuable tree,” he remarked.
This stately Oak took a full bodies hit that vaporized the sap and blew off the bark in four places.
An enormous explosion brought us bolt upright in bed. 10:44 p.m. just after we’d fallen asleep on April 27th. . The blast was so powerful it knocked pictures off the wall shattering the frames and glass. A quick check revealed no other home damage and a few low rumbles assured us that the noise had been thunder created by a very close lighting strike and not a bomb.
A few days later we discovered a massive white oak about 300 feet from our home with its bark blown off in four different places and loose in others. The lightning’s heat and force vaporized the tree’s sap and enormous pressure blew the bark off. It’s hard to imagine that so much damage could happen in a two tenths of a second-long lightning bolt. The thing is, the tree top is lower than our home! Why did lightning strike there and not the house?
A lightning strike isn’t always a tree’s kiss of death. If only a narrow swath of bark is blown off it may recover. But we fear our magnificent oak was so damaged that its days are numbered.
The tree’s imminent death is good news for small songbirds, especially brown creepers that seek shelter between loose bark and a tree’s trunk. As the oak gradually deteriorates it will provide food and shelter for a host of insects and the woodpeckers that love dining on them. We anticipate a day when our pileated, red headed, red bellied, hairy and downy woodpeckers nest in the old oak snag. Eventually it will topple over and over time return nutrients from rotting wood to the soil.
The distance from the lightning strike to the house is about a football field.
Lighting can be both lethal and sneaky. Every year it strikes about 25 million times in the United States and kills an average of 49 people. Many more humans are hit but survive, often with lingering physical problems. Ligntning is nothing to fool around with. As we learned on April 27th sometimes lightning strikes well before the main storm arrives and after it leaves. The safest place to be is inside a building away from windows, pipes, water, wires and landline telephones.
To stay safe, follow the 30-30 rule of thumb. When you first see lightning, begin to count “One Mississippi, two Mississippi….” until you hear thunder. If you hear thunder before you reach the number 30, lightning from the storm is in striking distance. Go inside! And, after the last rumble of thunder wait 30 minutes before venturing outside again.
An outstanding source of information, including many safety tips, is on the US Government’s website.
