tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29437829566029848752024-02-07T01:52:54.697-06:00Life on the South BeachObserving Birds and Wildlife on Glacial Lake AgassizUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-49280223445637944642012-06-25T22:27:00.000-05:002012-06-25T22:36:03.778-05:00Short-eared Owls at Dusk<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkHBa5kPfiXYYtbMn-afJ1PORCBO-7yw4H-1YeKhcBfiRQj8kIjUI92KaApAe4T-7FWm2ttw-pBvT8FmyenwWoQScA2XjTw6KbidSoKU19z3cXZwhW56vMzGtjGf_h14KPg68hX9HHUpB/s1600/SEOWdusk72_6281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkHBa5kPfiXYYtbMn-afJ1PORCBO-7yw4H-1YeKhcBfiRQj8kIjUI92KaApAe4T-7FWm2ttw-pBvT8FmyenwWoQScA2XjTw6KbidSoKU19z3cXZwhW56vMzGtjGf_h14KPg68hX9HHUpB/s320/SEOWdusk72_6281.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short-eared Owl <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">©HvHughes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My first experience with Short-eared Owls years ago was unforgettable. <br />
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It was winter and bone-chilling cold. I drove up to Amherst Island in the St. Lawrence Seaway with friends to see Northern Saw-whets, up-close and personal. We got great looks at the little owls.<br />
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But it was the farm field full of Short-eareds at dusk - doing their wing-clap display and barking like dogs that I'll never forget. They were so loud I could hear them over the sound of my car engine and the noise of my heater. I considered myself very lucky - and thought I'd never see anything like it again.<br />
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That was before I moved to northwestern Minnesota.<br />
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I've lived here a little more than a year - and I have to sat the owling up here is the best I've ever seen.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVRYHklYFRFmf7ZlDP_q7odYn56O2-jAhwWvXK34WpgkLaRRTP91KOEY9d2MuKcgFL9W_1nkkWZ_LCB7wCiiPro8A8RWlk_YQrUi2avfhNCwvGDGEJtwkusKmJa-_Ku2SsOaAAz4Yw6cY/s1600/short-earedOwl72_5178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVRYHklYFRFmf7ZlDP_q7odYn56O2-jAhwWvXK34WpgkLaRRTP91KOEY9d2MuKcgFL9W_1nkkWZ_LCB7wCiiPro8A8RWlk_YQrUi2avfhNCwvGDGEJtwkusKmJa-_Ku2SsOaAAz4Yw6cY/s320/short-earedOwl72_5178.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Years Short-eared Owl <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">©HvHughes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In early January, I spotted a Short-eared Owl in a snow storm. Months later, I happened upon short-ears wing-clapping at 3pm on a cloudy day less than a mile from my house. But the Short-ears Saturday night had to be my best sighting ever.<br />
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The CRP fields were full of these stubby-bodied birds with the huge moth-like flight. We spotted 2 on the ground by the side of the road. Then two more nearby on the opposite side of the road and another sitting atop a power pole. Had to be flight school. We sat and watched as one, who appeared to be flying well, crash-landed on his noggin. <br />
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Then tonight, driving home from the Library in Thief River Falls, I rolled down my car window and slowed to photograph a Loggerhead Shrike hunt from a power line. First I'd seen since this month - same time as last year. Then I heard it: the barking of a Short-eared Owl - first one, then another and another.<br />
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Yep. There they were - two more Short-ears. Awesome!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-8466805155868836622012-03-04T15:48:00.002-06:002012-03-04T15:54:48.328-06:00Saturday Sundogs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwatM8XRvWdUyNFp1LDR4AicMokG5DxVjkk7AKmk5476cCxdI2B8dETrdFdheUupO3LK0gyFhqyQE8bV2RV6WTHXHrT0e76N1O6arLUcdkPCuPlzYmlVyltgzrX1Vbi9Hmj6rqphYwObP_/s1600/sundog_warrenMN72_1597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwatM8XRvWdUyNFp1LDR4AicMokG5DxVjkk7AKmk5476cCxdI2B8dETrdFdheUupO3LK0gyFhqyQE8bV2RV6WTHXHrT0e76N1O6arLUcdkPCuPlzYmlVyltgzrX1Vbi9Hmj6rqphYwObP_/s320/sundog_warrenMN72_1597.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sundogs - looking east on 190th St. NW in Warren MN</td></tr>
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I've only seen a "sun dog" once in my life - the afternoon of 18 January 2012. And wouldn't ya know it, I didn't have my camera.<br />
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I swore I wouldn't leave home without my camera again!<br />
<br />
This morning, camera hanging from a lanyard around my neck, I headed out at 7:30am to deliver some papers to my boss in Warren. To avoid getting stuck in drifting show, I decided to drive the 1.5 miles east to County Road 68, instead of driving directly west on township roads. <br />
<br />
I turned east as I pulled out of my driveway, and there it was - right in front of me: a "sun dog."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halosim.htm">Sundogs</a>, usually spotted at dawn and dusk, are the pair of "suns" that sit to the left and right of the rising (or setting) sun - on a 22º radius circular halo. More frequently seen than rainbows, sundogs, also known as parahelia, are formed by the sun's rays deflected by ice crystals. <br />
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<span class="style5">I was surprised to learn that sundogs are visible all over the world and at any time of year regardless of the ground level temperature. In Europe and North America they occur about twice a week. </span><br />
<span class="style5"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2WVjmMaJKYT1_jRVda-0iIIq3lYPv-B9YkYtz90ROVyXa9jzwaqaC3zYmyRRxTg2QX6MBZ_TtZP2oiSmVP8MdjKYLF15uPM2aUH-4GhvkoDV5Ozix_Pso4Gt5Ank3fzEfR_Dj4f9DKOP/s1600/Sundog72_1602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2WVjmMaJKYT1_jRVda-0iIIq3lYPv-B9YkYtz90ROVyXa9jzwaqaC3zYmyRRxTg2QX6MBZ_TtZP2oiSmVP8MdjKYLF15uPM2aUH-4GhvkoDV5Ozix_Pso4Gt5Ank3fzEfR_Dj4f9DKOP/s320/Sundog72_1602.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="style5"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9n1GV6fw6YTOvrmgR6BUB-YYIeDe4kp_MfAdIDAxya3_C9-UEULRL7qUgNsYNgMi2bCgfwuBeGTy3Qm_GeP4SWfaAq9toJvu6wIAeof5AC_Sm1px8hN4Z32RFmKyLFXrZl6UERIMMk_y9/s1600/Sundog72_1606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9n1GV6fw6YTOvrmgR6BUB-YYIeDe4kp_MfAdIDAxya3_C9-UEULRL7qUgNsYNgMi2bCgfwuBeGTy3Qm_GeP4SWfaAq9toJvu6wIAeof5AC_Sm1px8hN4Z32RFmKyLFXrZl6UERIMMk_y9/s320/Sundog72_1606.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="style5">I'm a birdwatcher who gets up early. So why haven't I seen them before? </span><br />
<span class="style5"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="style5">You just can't miss them out here on the edge of the prairie! Nothing blocks the sunrise and sunset.<br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-65909709709476226712012-02-09T21:51:00.001-06:002012-02-09T21:54:13.715-06:00A Very Big Bird Sitting on a Utility Pole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZSwl7dVEc4HVmMRQVxfqchP19ZrqsOYkRXJhM1f5_aqY8BNxUtQf8pZnLnzb4LNrCc1uXCrnoDEGOK-VP2p8fWIiFmM2NL0GhaISpRv_4YgCqh4XvxLtsnU7gFI5GMgQYI70rPpG59Iw/s1600/GoldenEagle_5217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZSwl7dVEc4HVmMRQVxfqchP19ZrqsOYkRXJhM1f5_aqY8BNxUtQf8pZnLnzb4LNrCc1uXCrnoDEGOK-VP2p8fWIiFmM2NL0GhaISpRv_4YgCqh4XvxLtsnU7gFI5GMgQYI70rPpG59Iw/s320/GoldenEagle_5217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The day started out gray and cold - bone chilling cold. I had some errands to run in Thief River Falls around noon, so I took my Prius out for a spin. My Prius has heated seats. Back when I bought the car a couple of years ago, I didn't think I'd have reason to appreciate a hot seat. On a day like today, I'm glad I did. Brrr.<br />
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As I headed east on Minnesota State Hwy 1, I started scanning the utility poles. I haven't seen a Snowy Owl in a couple of weeks so I was hoping to spot one.<br />
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Just before the curve at the road near the Viking turn off, I spotted something very big sitting on top one of the utility poles. It was easily twice the size of a Rough-legged Hawk. Its posture said: eagle. But it did not have a white head. Maybe a young bird, I thought. Maybe something else.<br />
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Do I pick up my camera - or my binoculars?<br />
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As I went for my camera, tapped my turn signal and pulled off the highway - the bird leaned forward and started to push off its perch on the pole. Fortunately for me, it flew north - right in front of my car. I rolled down my window, focused and clicked.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08PKmeWPUmcrJWb1zaBYH-5tSR1EtSHj2GUdGT6XT61SHQ7R_xKwgaZeQZJWkb1YHA4Qg3wOi4NxUQv9vLs5UXkLirkcqwToo_VjDIN05w40MCxhx4TD0JuOuwwuwKa2QwTUTx9RqiL2n/s1600/GoldenEagle72_5218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08PKmeWPUmcrJWb1zaBYH-5tSR1EtSHj2GUdGT6XT61SHQ7R_xKwgaZeQZJWkb1YHA4Qg3wOi4NxUQv9vLs5UXkLirkcqwToo_VjDIN05w40MCxhx4TD0JuOuwwuwKa2QwTUTx9RqiL2n/s320/GoldenEagle72_5218.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The wings were a mottled black and white, but it just didn't look like a Bald Eagle. It wasn't until I got back home and downloaded the photos that I realized what it was: a Golden Eagle!<br />
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A Golden Eagle. Just another day on the beach here on Glacial Lake Agassiz...<br />
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Way cool!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-35464870487410402602012-01-19T09:05:00.000-06:002012-01-19T09:05:55.546-06:00Clear Today with a High of -3º FToday promises to be all about temperature. In a word: Brrr! After a very mild introduction to Northwestern Minnesota winter - reality returned last night.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVlO89tNUsIL9KCjo-re89Vjp3MFFM3HyRuUT44A5tXAh6E81HdawAR9eXTneKA37Z8fgYgQofnQpZ24k2_3qyuYuwx5aEeYr8e2gdftlb7QzuydO8aM07JykqAhhnPzQJ7qQgnxn99Xm/s1600/xtremeCold1244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVlO89tNUsIL9KCjo-re89Vjp3MFFM3HyRuUT44A5tXAh6E81HdawAR9eXTneKA37Z8fgYgQofnQpZ24k2_3qyuYuwx5aEeYr8e2gdftlb7QzuydO8aM07JykqAhhnPzQJ7qQgnxn99Xm/s320/xtremeCold1244.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The first warning was a "crawl" notice on the television screen: National Weather Service Extreme Cold Warning. I live at the bottom of the "o" in Grand Forks.<br />
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At 10pm, meteorologist John Wheeler forecast the overnight temps: -21º F<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNDlf0sEdVJLeG7Ijk7BwRah2t-ibULI_ZM4H8ZbNxD6g5Juz2GLPoa2LYLj_S-3_w_cG92ktrKTVkW5XFBaKDdmBObLsl2sfvnzIv2YBcxXcS3uGD4K3EVBQk09dYSiX3pHg8SFRUB6v/s1600/JohnWheelerCOLD_1245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNDlf0sEdVJLeG7Ijk7BwRah2t-ibULI_ZM4H8ZbNxD6g5Juz2GLPoa2LYLj_S-3_w_cG92ktrKTVkW5XFBaKDdmBObLsl2sfvnzIv2YBcxXcS3uGD4K3EVBQk09dYSiX3pHg8SFRUB6v/s320/JohnWheelerCOLD_1245.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I checked all the thermostats and thermometers in the house. I let the water drip in the sinks. I checked all the electric baseboard heaters. I cursed the little red light on the "ripple control" box by the electrical panels in the mudroom.<br />
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I kept the fire in my little wood stove going all night.<br />
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Warm and toasty indoors.<br />
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The thermometers outside my windows told another story. -20ºF<br />
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The birds were at the feeders well before dawn this morning.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4eLa4PExTCTOu0S_HuHy2gFhhLXhlMgyEDgRCCd6aYzCSO34L7smaMFw0cxMfIWp0D2u3Jr9hO_NhhrW95GfIKKaPuPLmIrJZtHUet-2_zKGD6_XBva7nSBC3pOHzEP602dQo-ksbrbh/s1600/BrownCreeper_1435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4eLa4PExTCTOu0S_HuHy2gFhhLXhlMgyEDgRCCd6aYzCSO34L7smaMFw0cxMfIWp0D2u3Jr9hO_NhhrW95GfIKKaPuPLmIrJZtHUet-2_zKGD6_XBva7nSBC3pOHzEP602dQo-ksbrbh/s320/BrownCreeper_1435.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Creeper</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Common Redpolls, American Goldfinches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatches, a Brown Creeper and Dark-eyed Juncos.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-39611325674243573952011-12-10T09:39:00.008-06:002011-12-10T10:48:46.683-06:00The Lunar Elipse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVIZ1Yp0nrrqQqjdh4hF5T9j_4O2eiq0XqK0gUiFL0uPlS-X-4AGI9a-DJTWSUSSdRfyAoTr0qTDb6b7h4LAVlAaQtb91ra0IQGi_n7L-f8M3tgwl3JCCjk2anRSI4NShJBUjIARmBF2o/s1600/EclipseOne_5067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVIZ1Yp0nrrqQqjdh4hF5T9j_4O2eiq0XqK0gUiFL0uPlS-X-4AGI9a-DJTWSUSSdRfyAoTr0qTDb6b7h4LAVlAaQtb91ra0IQGi_n7L-f8M3tgwl3JCCjk2anRSI4NShJBUjIARmBF2o/s320/EclipseOne_5067.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I woke up earlier than usual this Saturday morning.<br />
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The moonlight streaming through my window at 4:30am was intense. <br />
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Normally, it's so dark in my yard that I have trouble waking in the morning. My window faces south, but light from the sun and the moon are filtered through a grove of evergreens, planted years ago by a legendary tree-lover who recently passed away.<br />
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I leave the curtains in my bedroom open so it's easier for me to wake up. Not to worry, we have no 2-legged neighbors out here on the beach in rural northwestern Minnesota. Just the deer, an occasional moose, bear and wolf - and lots of birds.<br />
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The moonlight was so bright - I had to wonder: did something trip the motion detector lights outside my window?<br />
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No, there was nothing artificial about it. The light was lunar.<br />
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Then I remembered - there was an eclipse last night... or was it this morning? I should have paid more attention when I heard the story on the news. At the time, I had no intention of getting up and going outside to witness it.<br />
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What I did remember from the news last night - was the weather forecast: overnight temperatures in the teens.<br />
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No, I had no plans to get up early on a Saturday morning and go out in the cold to watch the moon. Not gonna do it. No way.<br />
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But I couldn't get back to sleep. So I got up and went to my trusty MacBook Pro to watch the eclipse, on-line.<br />
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Wouldn't ya know, I was up too early. The eclipse isn't going to start until 6:45am. I looked at my thermometer: 5º F. No, I'm not going outside to watch the eclipse.<br />
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I fixed a pot of coffee and went back to my computer. <br />
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My resolve started vacillating when I hit on a posting on <a href="http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/lunar-eclipse_2011-12-09">Weather.com</a>: "Saturday's eclipsed moon may look unusually huge to the North Americans who can see it, due to the "moon illusion." It's not that the moon gets bigger when it's near the horizon; it's just that our brain is programmed to perceive sky phenomena differently depending on whether they're overhead or lower down in the sky."<br />
<br />
Okay, now I gotta do it.<br />
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I put on my coat, grabbed my camera and headed out the door, drawn by the urge to experience the "moon illusion" during an eclipse.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5eG0FWulH6ZIhUH9dTLgCEyEmpqHB6rf1UMHvppw2DjAdG2N_wPPb9n1v49dFw9uARiBXWnmDCWyZUUDS9NVqPVIiyaHa9p6RqONnL6TpYA3qw4mxN6WGs7n_o3JZT1OKpeKxjrU6o4_/s1600/Eclipse_5087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5eG0FWulH6ZIhUH9dTLgCEyEmpqHB6rf1UMHvppw2DjAdG2N_wPPb9n1v49dFw9uARiBXWnmDCWyZUUDS9NVqPVIiyaHa9p6RqONnL6TpYA3qw4mxN6WGs7n_o3JZT1OKpeKxjrU6o4_/s320/Eclipse_5087.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I spotted the moon in the northwestern sky - the eclipse had started. To get a clear view, I had to walk out of the woods and down my driveway to the main road. Along the way, I heard the little Great-horned Owl who shares my yard, announcing his territory. Who-who who-whooo.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNBw7c_b_urKHeDcG7qfkDWHkkeizCYaBxTjX_MH3UIGaU8MY92r8DHspjRm2oEqDd3XKqpjWWyHG8al9f9sPhZ2VzlBgcVvWHqmolPr1EYwWVmcRuRLIraWLAX2mLnYLlebuxSQXIi9O/s1600/GHowl_5052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNBw7c_b_urKHeDcG7qfkDWHkkeizCYaBxTjX_MH3UIGaU8MY92r8DHspjRm2oEqDd3XKqpjWWyHG8al9f9sPhZ2VzlBgcVvWHqmolPr1EYwWVmcRuRLIraWLAX2mLnYLlebuxSQXIi9O/s320/GHowl_5052.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Despite the bone-chilling cold, the experience - the eclipse, the illusion and the owl - was well worth the effort. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ49MaoKMXBbuOCCr3BWfHN_AfmSGZmipbfV2f3D8slyy5ENY73K-IrkpgyQxDGevDid-PmvR_6AnhHHp0GOmM1_gKcRo07Dy4G_XOAlH6MnMdkd8h42CPae5ZYUR7WDMZLFTDEHW9704/s1600/lunarEclipse_5121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ49MaoKMXBbuOCCr3BWfHN_AfmSGZmipbfV2f3D8slyy5ENY73K-IrkpgyQxDGevDid-PmvR_6AnhHHp0GOmM1_gKcRo07Dy4G_XOAlH6MnMdkd8h42CPae5ZYUR7WDMZLFTDEHW9704/s320/lunarEclipse_5121.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lunar eclipse in northwestern Minnesota</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ49MaoKMXBbuOCCr3BWfHN_AfmSGZmipbfV2f3D8slyy5ENY73K-IrkpgyQxDGevDid-PmvR_6AnhHHp0GOmM1_gKcRo07Dy4G_XOAlH6MnMdkd8h42CPae5ZYUR7WDMZLFTDEHW9704/s1600/lunarEclipse_5121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-36997452458666191542011-11-23T23:30:00.002-06:002011-11-25T12:24:28.943-06:00Snowy Owls in Northern Minnesota<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIxZH2Coi_Hlk6XQDjS7JikZxtdUVdotDyWtan-h9BLwt3N2Prf8WO9CsZ7KndY6V18GPslP4P0tzeR6PVDTf7J3vhpo65QOf4GcwDGqS3gGOufmUCb1dKyFczV0ZRPHlIOhB663sfFi7/s1600/Snowy72_2990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIxZH2Coi_Hlk6XQDjS7JikZxtdUVdotDyWtan-h9BLwt3N2Prf8WO9CsZ7KndY6V18GPslP4P0tzeR6PVDTf7J3vhpo65QOf4GcwDGqS3gGOufmUCb1dKyFczV0ZRPHlIOhB663sfFi7/s320/Snowy72_2990.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Snowy Owl in Thief River Falls 11/23/11 3pm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A decade or so ago, I took my first trip out to the Red River Valley - in the winter. I wanted to see a Snowy Owl. I had read somewhere that the Grand Forks area is one of the most reliable places to see them in the upper mid-west. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember packing my husband, Tom, and my gear into the car. I remember heading west on I-94. And I remember the snowstorm. Tom will never let me forget that snowstorm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We stopped at the Visitor Center in Grand Forks - to get directions to the nearest Snowy Owl. I remember Tom shaking his head as we got out of the car. Someone in there at the Visitor Center will have directions for you, he said. Yah, sure. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Undaunted by his skepticism, I asked the woman behind the desk. No, I don't know where you could see one, but, she said with a smile, I'll call someone who probably does. I watched her get on the phone and talk with a guy named "Mike." She took notes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After a few minutes, she turned to me and gave me directions to a farm out past the Air Force Base. I thanked her and we headed back out into the snowstorm. Tom asked: Can't we go to the motel? No, I said, I want to see a Snowy Owl.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We drove for what seemed like forever (in the snowstorm), looking for the landmark "Mike" gave us: a "garage door with a bison" painted on it. After awhile, Tom said: this is a wild goose chase. That guy "Mike" must have had a good laugh when he made up these directions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I laughed - and pointed. Right in front of us was the garage with the bison. We took another look at the directions: look across the street at the only big tree out in the field. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We looked. And there it was! A Snowy Owl in a snowstorm - up in a tree. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Minutes later, a car pulled up next to ours. A man in a business suit got out and said: I just wanted to be sure you found the owl. I'm Mike Jacobs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've never forgotten that owl, Mike Jacobs (editor and publisher of the<a href="http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/tag/tag/mike%20jacobs/"> Grand Forks Herald</a>) and the welcome we got at the <a href="http://www.visitgrandforks.com/main.php">Greater Grand Forks Visitor Center</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's Snowy Owl season again in the Red River Valley. Now that I live out here, I've started asking people I meet - have you seen any owls?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The answer has been a surprise. More often than not: yes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Electricians doing work on my house last week mentioned one near US 75 north of Warren and another in Viking. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM64yKv9X5L_tSuapcAt9sPrfTO5NFlzitP7JQp9wqMueX7nbVfJv1t7520xJglvH766JexmRj5r7XSBp0FprBGojXg4LlnnHTpupFeaZgZ0h4AKi33BtuA9uLgaztE8Q6dVHaUtLClLf/s1600/SnowyOwl72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM64yKv9X5L_tSuapcAt9sPrfTO5NFlzitP7JQp9wqMueX7nbVfJv1t7520xJglvH766JexmRj5r7XSBp0FprBGojXg4LlnnHTpupFeaZgZ0h4AKi33BtuA9uLgaztE8Q6dVHaUtLClLf/s320/SnowyOwl72.jpg" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warren Sewage Lagoons 11/18/11</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I spotted the Warren owl, a young male, last Saturday over by the sewage lagoons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Shelley Steva spotted one over by Oklee. Nancy Mattson said her husband spotted one north of Warren and another across the Red River by Grafton. Faith Rud said a neighbor spotted one along the CRP land south of MN Hwy 1. And <span style="color: black;">Mary Casavan, Red Lake Falls Librarian said one flew in front of her car on MN Hwy 32 at the Pennington County line.</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was thinking about owls this afternoon as I drove to Thief River Falls for a meeting. Tom came along for the ride.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYupurpzsyq4xg8Pp65KnKUnZts3z_zNBMWyeDgLQZOBPl7iC1TsMQUbT85YMpmhDbLRbC4WUZDRbInoU1rvluLzwivMD_vIPROCN35PSxrxnWPU_oIzGH5yim3aZiTqyoKtqRfhOwi_X/s1600/RoughLegNtree72_4969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYupurpzsyq4xg8Pp65KnKUnZts3z_zNBMWyeDgLQZOBPl7iC1TsMQUbT85YMpmhDbLRbC4WUZDRbInoU1rvluLzwivMD_vIPROCN35PSxrxnWPU_oIzGH5yim3aZiTqyoKtqRfhOwi_X/s320/RoughLegNtree72_4969.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rough-legged Hawk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Along the way, we got a good look at a Rough-legged Hawk in a tree. Later, where MN Hwy 1 intersects with County Roads 8 & 13, a Northern Shrike flew across the road in front of my car. As we approached Thief River Falls, I'd just about given up on spotting a Snowy Owl. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then just as we passed the sign at the turn to the Thief River Falls sewage lagoons, Tom pointed and said: pull over - there's there's one up on the pole!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLKjHnskMagc9M2whufjHq3JH87jzlDXvOus4S6ik-Z8a14B4G4JoyQVNgd_EfIt7br1HnDHloApFtpvdwyBVciokluc-jYAO6cHTe5q6RuM2tb_qnWrm5D-1aS7ofDUiyAFD4O4KYk3P/s1600/Snowy72_4984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLKjHnskMagc9M2whufjHq3JH87jzlDXvOus4S6ik-Z8a14B4G4JoyQVNgd_EfIt7br1HnDHloApFtpvdwyBVciokluc-jYAO6cHTe5q6RuM2tb_qnWrm5D-1aS7ofDUiyAFD4O4KYk3P/s320/Snowy72_4984.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sure enough, there was a very large female Snowy Owl, watching the cars go by. We watched her for 15 minutes, then she flew off to the east towards the sewage lagoons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CA7XbEsD97KWnW8xJK0-m0-wjm4N1K37wlChDMNtVMuvOkAZgt_P-NBFWwdtbdtcHxVbCSvmgS0Cjw1IF8OYqyU7YE6JfHRC0csN1H2H2NPPuqQ5W-M2khUJp0mKmjS7YU8YH7tOwF3R/s1600/Snowy72_4992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CA7XbEsD97KWnW8xJK0-m0-wjm4N1K37wlChDMNtVMuvOkAZgt_P-NBFWwdtbdtcHxVbCSvmgS0Cjw1IF8OYqyU7YE6JfHRC0csN1H2H2NPPuqQ5W-M2khUJp0mKmjS7YU8YH7tOwF3R/s320/Snowy72_4992.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another Snowy Owl in northwestern Minnesota - this time, without the snowstorm!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-89825375441726158262011-11-15T21:05:00.000-06:002011-11-16T09:28:08.261-06:00Redpolls in the Snow<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYqvSHaA28CrB9I5RMMaG04He4C0rxswRJ2-fvxhDq9Att28jqfMNcEF-98CgUgZt_5uuqSzfK6F8nfHb-BpXU1xTavfUK0HFLr7fVQe6ZccdOM_sxNVym83Poo5Joa1Sp-fzN6or6yT6/s1600/Nov15Snow_1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYqvSHaA28CrB9I5RMMaG04He4C0rxswRJ2-fvxhDq9Att28jqfMNcEF-98CgUgZt_5uuqSzfK6F8nfHb-BpXU1xTavfUK0HFLr7fVQe6ZccdOM_sxNVym83Poo5Joa1Sp-fzN6or6yT6/s320/Nov15Snow_1228.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My View from the South Beach of Lake Agassiz</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It felt like snow this morning - gray, humid and bone-chilling cold. As I walked out the door, it hit my eyeglasses first, then my cheeks. The first serious snow of the season.<br />
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I had errands in town, but I am averse to driving on icy wet pavement. So I turned around and went back inside to get my serious, snow-shoveling gloves. The sky spit a fine white dust. Later it turned wet. I was grateful there was no wind. <br />
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There is a quiet tranquility in the first snow.<br />
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The only sounds came from my shovel, the muffled calls of birds near my feeders and an irritated red squirrel, scolding me for disturbing his peace.<br />
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After noon, I took a look out my kitchen window to see who's been visiting my bird feeding station. Black-capped Chickadees bounced from the sunflower tube to the nearby willow stump, where they whacked open their seeds. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers pecked at the peanut butter suet cage. Both Red- and White-breasted Nuthatches patiently took turns at the sunflower perches. A handful of demure American Goldfinches lined up at the thistle feeder, sharing it with a lone Pine Siskin.<br />
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Then a "new" bird flew up to the thistle tube, scaring off the goldfinches.<br />
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At first I thought - another siskin. But no, the bill was the wrong color and shape. The new bird turned and cocked his head towards me - a Common Redpoll! The red cap and rosy chest cinched the ID. <br />
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My first of the season... and the first I've seen in years.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAK6U7wMUyBIwic8z3Jg83QdcZggBAFcGHAJ1s_xZAdoeaVsulTVGpoTvdYlBBnxA_sNptkVrvSuL8TcfCQTUxrMSqErgGuQb0iY2NHvZFUA4OQuOrWgr5yCaKJlEgsHi2ZgfyceF3wGf/s1600/CommonRedpoll72_4895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAK6U7wMUyBIwic8z3Jg83QdcZggBAFcGHAJ1s_xZAdoeaVsulTVGpoTvdYlBBnxA_sNptkVrvSuL8TcfCQTUxrMSqErgGuQb0iY2NHvZFUA4OQuOrWgr5yCaKJlEgsHi2ZgfyceF3wGf/s320/CommonRedpoll72_4895.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Redpoll</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Redpolls, like their boreal cousins, are irruptive species. According to Ron Pittaway's <a href="http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/winterfinches.php">Winter Finch Forecast</a>, this should be a great winter for spotting redpolls in Minnesota.<br />
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How do they know?<br />
<br />
Fact #1: Redpolls eat white birch seeds. There wasn't much of a crop in Canada this fall.<br />
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Fact #2: Redpolls also had a good breeding season this year - with double and possibly triple broods.<br />
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A poor food crop combined with a population explosion creates the "perfect storm" - resulting in an irruption year.<br />
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If you want to see them in your yard this winter - keep your sunflower and thistle/nyjer tube feeders full.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-74196065021939417282011-10-29T22:15:00.000-05:002011-10-30T20:21:56.857-05:00Snakes on the Road!I was out birding this afternoon with Sharon Milnar (a birdwatcher visiting from Delaware) when I spotted what I thought was a snake on Polk County 68. I pulled off onto the shoulder, stopped the car and hopped out, fully expecting to find a flattened carcass.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiPSbyTdVGfUvI4njzJYpfljWNJOyXhA8KXH-ek2tUfqYvX-rNzOmE2HRsSk7lTTfkSsduc997c7jrpS2GdqQ1_G7hCHput9cOgs1XRoytKpiYdYEjorOrvxadWLQuDvEl3p0Pjqo1emW/s1600/PlainsGarterCar_1188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiPSbyTdVGfUvI4njzJYpfljWNJOyXhA8KXH-ek2tUfqYvX-rNzOmE2HRsSk7lTTfkSsduc997c7jrpS2GdqQ1_G7hCHput9cOgs1XRoytKpiYdYEjorOrvxadWLQuDvEl3p0Pjqo1emW/s320/PlainsGarterCar_1188.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><br />
I certainly didn't expect to see a snake basking on the county road today. The temperature when I got up this morning was around 25-degrees F. Apparently the road held enough heat to lure this one out from its burrow.<br />
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As I approached, the snake moved its head - it was very much alive! <br />
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I calmly walked up to it and tried to coax it back off the road. It didn't budge. My sweet talking clearly fell on deaf ears. And yes, I know snakes have limited hearing capability - they don't have external ears. <br />
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Then I gave it a gentle nudge with my boot.<br />
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Why not just pick it up? Long story: When I was a kid, my brother tossed a garter snake at me. I didn't see it coming, but I managed to catch it. The terrified serpent did not appreciate my kindness. It bit me - then "musked" me - emitting a foul-smelling white liquid (the consistency of old cottage cheese) from its rear end.<br />
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Intellectually I know garter snakes are harmless, but I just haven't spent much time 'getting over' my childhood trauma. That's why I don't pick up snakes.<br />
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I nudged this snake again and again - until it finally slithered off into the ditch.<br />
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Sharon and I hopped back in the car and headed west on 180th Street. We didn't get very far before I spotted another snake on the side of the road.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuX0d08rA0isyDdM02WP-soo_m2RzneSHIM_oF7CbjNGlR8VW1TMUlBigCdpgnUwTy8L2Pg_CQhyphenhyphenW5gcza5rEXumklp8R8iLudKZP4Q01by2BTnxrnAfhRHqYb-_JqSy34NLzPHbEkwcO/s1600/PlainsGarter_1182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuX0d08rA0isyDdM02WP-soo_m2RzneSHIM_oF7CbjNGlR8VW1TMUlBigCdpgnUwTy8L2Pg_CQhyphenhyphenW5gcza5rEXumklp8R8iLudKZP4Q01by2BTnxrnAfhRHqYb-_JqSy34NLzPHbEkwcO/s320/PlainsGarter_1182.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This one didn't take kindly to my advances. It curled up into a ball, raised its head, opened its mouth wide enough to show a pink lining. It flicked its forked red tongue (with black tips) and hissed at me. Clearly agitated, it launched itself towards me, biting at my boot!<br />
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Message received. I immediately backed off.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrooh0xHh8l1GTWUb0S9o61ktPaWuhqjnH9WOPMKmZEvtddm5erNODnuh83XcL6YIRY51d09dmhyqAM3BkqjIqq_0EiR4EERfLMADOa6tP0vLy_-H8QofTsXjq0V2Dl0cPv2VYjat89YY/s1600/garter_1183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrooh0xHh8l1GTWUb0S9o61ktPaWuhqjnH9WOPMKmZEvtddm5erNODnuh83XcL6YIRY51d09dmhyqAM3BkqjIqq_0EiR4EERfLMADOa6tP0vLy_-H8QofTsXjq0V2Dl0cPv2VYjat89YY/s320/garter_1183.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I was pretty sure it was a garter snake, but I had no clue which species. So I pulled out my trusty Canon point and shoot camera and snapped a few photos. Then the snake took the hint and headed back toward the prairie.<br />
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When I got home, I pulled out my snake ID books. Based on the vertical black lines on the yellow upper lip, I narrowed it down to a Plains Garter Snake.<br />
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This species prefers grassland habitats near water where it feeds on slugs, salamanders and earthworms. It has been spotted taking prey as large as rodents, meadowlarks and bank swallows. They over-winter by hibernating, but it's not unusual to spot these cold-tolerant reptiles on a warm winter day, sunning themselves along side the road.<br />
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If you see one...<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2943782956602984875.post-49357898387924714092011-10-19T22:56:00.000-05:002011-10-20T14:58:58.636-05:00An October Moth<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7GaRmpKa0mH7D7JODlDQy5fuuTShxRoxnqiq8q1sQYfnBQo8_wBtA8BFYRGbdjQIUDEKtopLaqElNL5tNfsCakNZlFAxG7C5oG4TyQkvwycGQdRpAaXzbGasCRmsRcIK59PQStMH-Gog/s1600/moth72_1154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7GaRmpKa0mH7D7JODlDQy5fuuTShxRoxnqiq8q1sQYfnBQo8_wBtA8BFYRGbdjQIUDEKtopLaqElNL5tNfsCakNZlFAxG7C5oG4TyQkvwycGQdRpAaXzbGasCRmsRcIK59PQStMH-Gog/s320/moth72_1154.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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</style><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">Erannis tiliaria </span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> </span>
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</tbody></table>After a week of unseasonably warm weather (in the 90s), the thermometer has synched with the season. Frost this morning. We have a wood stove - today will be the first time I've fired it up.
As I headed out the sliding glass door in my living room and headed towards the woodshed, I noticed a pale, small (~1.5 inches) moth clinging to the door frame. I didn't expect to see a moth so late in the year. I took a quick, close look, but I didn't have a clue what species it was.
It was chilly and I didn't put on a jacket. So I continued on my way to the woodshed, picked out a couple of logs and headed back inside to get the fire started.
When the heat from the wood stove took the chill out of the air in the house, I picked up my little point-and-shoot camera.
It would only take a minute to get a picture. That's all it I need to find out the name of my "October" moth.
No, I'm not an entomologist, but I know what they need for an identification.
I downloaded two photos from my camera - and sent them to my favorite insect ID webpage: <a href="http://bugguide.net/">BugGuide.net</a>.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY617RrblmZSO3f2093CXN2UsHbNY93D7MOj1Iw9H0aNCu2XhwBw2emVv2NUKNhdbM9cBz12xvfh3oMS7Nq6vOl5hn83U1V5iYe1n-hmLI_C58UoOUkmdjTkrNkt8eRw-utZBmuB8fIrcC/s1600/moth72_1155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY617RrblmZSO3f2093CXN2UsHbNY93D7MOj1Iw9H0aNCu2XhwBw2emVv2NUKNhdbM9cBz12xvfh3oMS7Nq6vOl5hn83U1V5iYe1n-hmLI_C58UoOUkmdjTkrNkt8eRw-utZBmuB8fIrcC/s320/moth72_1155.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The answer arrived in my mailbox at 8pm: it's a cold season, or "winter" moth - a geometrid known as a<i> Linden Looper.</i>
My October moth was doing exactly what the books say it should do. Adults emerge in the fall and live to breed.
The small (1.5 inch) <a href="ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/sadof.looper.jpeg">caterpillars</a> are known as <i>inchworms</i> or <i>loopers</i> because of the way <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKziuEm5_Es">move.</a> The larvae hatch out in early spring and feed on leaves. Their favorite trees? Basswood (also known as linden). But they don't appear to be picky. They'll feed on aspen, elm, ash oak, maple, American hornbeam, hickory, apples and cherries too.<br />
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After a month or so of eating and moving from leaf to leaf on nearly invisible wisps of web, they burrow into the ground and pupate. The adults emerge in October. The wingless females emit pheromones that attract the winged males. After mating, the females crawl up tree trunks and lay their eggs in crevices and under bark.<br />
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They over-winter as eggs.<br />
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Ever wonder what chickadees and nuthatches are doing when you see them inspecting tree bark? They're going after these and other insect eggs.<br />
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Linden loopers are known to be irruptive - with population booms and busts. And yes, they will defoliate trees. But if you see them in your yard, don't panic and pull out the spray can - birds will take care of them for free. These caterpillars are baby food for birds. The moths are food for birds too - the late migrants and year-round residents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0