by Winding Pathways | Mar 13, 2016 | Amphibians/Reptiles, Birds, Nature, Travel/Columns
After an unusually mild winter we were hardly surprised by the early onset of spring’s symphony. At Winding Pathways in Iowa it usually starts on clear cold February days when male cardinals begin their beeker beeker beeker call. They were close to their normal schedule this late winter. Then red winged blackbirds arrived fully two weeks early and added their voices to roadside ditches and wetlands.
On March 7 we heard the glorious sound that truly harkens spring – Chorus Frogs and Peepers! We were driving a dirt road through southern Iowa’s Shimek State Forest when Marion heard the voices of dozens of tiny frogs coming from a puddle the size of our car.
Chorus Frogs
To naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch singing peepers heralded a true resurrection and marked the start of the warm season. Living in Connecticut he noted that they always began singing in the period of time in which Easter can fall. In other words between March 22 and April 25 .
That’s usually true in Iowa but this year they are earlier, much earlier.
Most people have heard peepers and chorus frogs but have never seen the tiny amphibians that sing with magnificent enthusiasm. The two species often live in the same places and can be easily told apart by their calls. Chorus frogs sound like a person running his finger along the teeth of a comb, while peepers make the “peep peep peep” calls that gives them their name. To hear recorded peepers and chorus frogs log in to Manitoba Frog and Toad Calls.
Frogs are far from the only animals that begin calling as winter transitions into spring. Migrating birds are already beginning to appear in yards, woodlands, and wetlands across America and often they are easier to hear than see. Some of the most melodic singers are the hardest birds to spot, and identifying them by sound is often more efficient than trying to spot a bird in thick brush. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has excellent audios of bird calls for mobile apps.
Experienced birders (and froggers for that matter) use both ears and eyes to identify species. Like many birders we started out using printed bird guides to help us learn species. Only much later did we begin learning their calls. It’s been a rewarding hobby that has a cruel catch.
Each Rich would learn new bird calls when history caught up with him. Probably due to intense noise of heavy machine guns in Army training decades ago his ability to hear many sounds, particularly those of high pitches is fading. Marion can hear birdsong he can’t. He’s investigating hearing aids that should help him continue this fascinating means of identification. Stay tuned. He’ll report on hearing aids later.
USING THE MERLIN APP
For years we lugged around bird books that were either large and heavy or compact but limited in the information they provided. They were the best way to learn new species in the field.
That’s changed thanks to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. We loaded their free Merlin App into our smart phones. It makes identifying 400 bird species a snap. At the touch of a few keys several photos of each species appear, a range map, and……best of all…… recorded sounds of each bird.
We still carry and refer to a paper bird book but the Merlin App has become our favorite field tool for identifying birds, especially by their call.
ABOUT THE LABORATORY OF ORNITHOLOGY
We joined the Lab a few years ago and love its colorful and informative magazine, LIVING BIRD, and the many bird tips posted on their websiteChorus Frogs. The Lab has been a leader in bird science for decades and they’ve helped us become better birders and gain new insights into the lives of these fascinating animals.
by Winding Pathways | Jan 4, 2016 | Nature, Travel/Columns, Wonderment
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Our winter wreath will soon sport hearts and last us through the season.
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Wintering woodpeckers, including the pileated, gobble up suet.
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A lone Carolina Wren has hung around and appreciates the suet on our outdoor Christmas Tree.
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Eagles have come down from the north. As waterways freeze over they concentrate below roller dams.
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Lonely winter grill
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A cautious squirrel scoping out the action.
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The birds have not yet flocked to the High Bush Cranberries but will later in the winter.
by Winding Pathways | Dec 25, 2015 | Birds, Nature
De-light the tree if you must and adorn it with seed for greater natural delights!
After the holiday cheer fades and ornaments are stored away the Christmas tree can enjoy a second life alive with birds.
Nothing makes a better bird feeder than an upright fir. We take our old tree outside and set it upright. We either use the stand to hold it, dig a hole in the ground deep enough to hold the tree upright, or pound a tall stake into the ground and tie the tree to it. A few strings going out to stakes in the ground will keep it standing in high wind.
Then the fun starts. We pour a couple of cups of birdseed on the very top of the tree and let it settle down into the needles. Larger seeds, like peanuts and gray striped sunflower, work best.
So many birds flock to our tree to find seeds within its branches that it quivers with life and color.
Good sources of seeds include your local feed and wild bird stores, Amazon, Kaytee Products, and Pine Tree Farms, Inc, and of course, many others.
by Winding Pathways | Nov 24, 2015 | Birds, Chickens, Nature
Strutting his stuff
As we enjoy Thanksgiving dinner we pay homage to the great gift the Americas gave the world.
Beef, pork, lamb, and chicken all come from animals with Old World origins. Shortly after Europeans discovered North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and other new worlds they introduced these familiar and useful farm animals. Before Columbus made landfall, Native Americans knew nothing about these exotic animals. But, they knew turkeys.
Of all common meat animals eaten today only turkeys came from the New World. Before Columbus, wild turkeys abounded across much of North America. Their domestic cousins were tended by some tribes. Treated with great care, the domesticated turkeys were an important source of clothing, tools and food. Among some uses of the tribes of the Four Corners of the United States, turkeys provided feathers for coats, eggs for eating and reproduction, and bones for tools. Evidence exists that the Native Americans cross bred for certain valued characteristics. Europeans quickly developed a taste for turkey and brought them eastward across the Atlantic where they became a common European food.
Our Thanksgiving dinner consists of turkey, potatoes, and winter squash, all Native American foods. Sometimes we add acorn muffins and capstone the meal with a long time family recipe for pumpkin pie, made from a plant that also originated here.
by Winding Pathways | Nov 14, 2014 | Nature
Nearly everyone living up north knows that many birds evacuate before cold weather arrives. By late summer or early fall warblers, orioles, catbirds, house wrens and dozens of other species head for the South’s warmth. Many birds go as far as the tropics to escape the snow. Few people realize that some birds migrate south to winter in New England, the Lake States, and all across the Snowbelt. Including Iowa. Probably best known is the junco. Although abundant, juncos aren’t readily noticed. They lack the bright colors of cardinals or blue jays. Some refer to Juncos as “The Pilgrim Bird” because they arrive just ahead of Thanksgiving and sport slate-gray or brownish backs with a lighter colored belly. As they fly off a white stripe is visible on each outer side of their tail. Juncos summer and raise their young in the northern forests of Canada and Alaska. As cold approaches they head south but stop long before reaching a balmy climate. Instead they winter across northern parts of the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Subzero cold poses no problem for this hardy bird, which probably realizes that it’s warmer here than in the Yukon. Next April, just as spring arrives and the weather warms, they’ll take wing and return to their chilly breeding ground. Juncos are one of the most common winter yard birds. They rarely land at feeders and prefer gleaning tiny bits of seed on the ground. Juncos love millet, bits of sunflower seeds and finely cracked corn.
