1/30/2023

tree sparrow

American Tree Sparrows come to the feeders often in winter.  Spizelloides arborea Tree Sparrows often fluff out their feathers.  A rusty cap makes them look like chipping sparrows, who migrate south of Minnesota for winter.  These little birds come 'south' to the northern US for winter.  In spring, they breed in the far north tundra in Canada (near the tree line) building nests on the ground, often in a tussock of grass.  They sport a rusty eyeline, a brown back, and dark smudge in the center of the smooth breast.

1/16/2023

heavy snow

We use a metal toy 'slinky' to keep squirrels away from the bird feeders.  The feeder was blown off the metal pole that held it. But the slinky held on and gathered a coating of the wet heavy snow.

Slinkys have been discouraging squirrels for many years in my experience as a bird watcher.  They try to get to the feeders again and again.  But they are startled by the movement under their claws, or their feet get tangled up in the flat wire coil.

12/30/2022

12/23/2022

sparrow

 Sparrows are common birds all across North America. They quietly nest in woodlands, prairies, wetlands, and open grasslands so they have seeds to eat and they can hunt insects to feed their babies.  In winter, sparrows that stay through winter eat seeds from dried plants and at bird feeders.


12/20/2022

logs in snow



The logs on the edge of the pond are partly submersed for the critters to use them in many ways spring, summer, and autumn  . . .   to watch for prey in the water below, to watch for dragonflies flying above, or merely take a nap in the sunshine.

This winter, after several snowstorms, the logs are all under an icy blanket.  Even the big rock, which we use to gauge the water level, is under snow.

11/25/2022

dove

 


Mourning doves are often seen in winter, especially under bird feeders.




11/19/2022

muskrat home

Several muskrats Ondatra zibethicus live in a burrow on the east shore of the pond. 

This year, I noticed an area of collapsed dirt over their burrow. Recently, it seemed they were active on the north shore of the pond, digging a new burrow where they may spend the winter. 

Some muskrats build domed houses of mud and vegetation visible above ground, but just as often they dig burrows with an underwater entrance.



11/14/2022

ice stars

'Ice stars' or 'Lake stars' develop under very specific early winter conditions. 

First, a cold snap that freezes the pond ice an inch or two thick, followed by warmer days that bump the ice temperature above 32F. Pores form in the ice sheet where there are any imperfections in the water surface (plant matter, logs). Then, some snow falls with a cold front blowing in.  Warm water wells up from beneath the thin layer of ice, covered with a coating of snow and slush.  Temperature and precipitation have to be perfect for this to happen. 



11/04/2022

Crows gather in massive groups to roost together at night so they can share warmth and safety from predators. It is believed they even exchange information about food and weather fronts.

11/01/2022

tamarack in autumn


 

The Tamarack tree Larix laricina is a deciduous tree.  In summer it has lush green needle-like leaves; in autumn the leaves turn golden before they drop.  Next to the pond, it gets along with other swamp and wetland species. 

This tree is also a conifer, making small cones that shed winged seeds in the fall.

10/28/2022

heat wave in October


70+ degrees F. !!  Wonderful autumn weather. 

Turtle still sunning on rocks in the pond. 

Frog jumping when I venture into the wetland. 

Mallard pair still paddling around, feeding.

New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae blooming.

10/12/2022

first snow 2022

Snow overnight. The log is totally exposed, because we are down more than 8 inches of precipitation.

10/10/2022

hidden nest found in autumn

We trimmed back some undesirable willow plants around the pond.  That action revealed a hidden nest.  Earlier this summer, I found one Red-winged Blackbird nest near the pond in some reeds.  All summer long, the male RWBB was bothered when anyone walked near the willows. He even dived at my head when I walked near that shore. I assumed he and his mate had a nest among the reeds closer to the pond.  No wonder I could not find it in the reeds!  It was revealed -- low in the willow sprouts -- when we trimmed around that area.
 

10/03/2022

canada milkvetch


 

Seed pods of Canada Milkvetch are beginning to dry enough to spill the tiny seeds.  In the background is the ubiquitous white asters that grow everywhere among native wildflowers at this time of the year.

9/14/2022

sneezeweed


Sneezeweed Helenium autumnale, a late-summer bloomer, will feed bees and butterflies and unfold their blooms continuously until the first freeze here.  Sneezeweed can be identified by the wings in each stem; the base of the leaf extends down the stem to the next leaf.  

9/08/2022

very green heron

The taxonomic name for Green Heron is Butorides virescens.  It translates to the bird "resembles bitterns" and the color is "greenish".  Green Herons hunt from shore rather than wading like other herons who have longer legs, so they like to stand on the log to hunt for food.  Today he spread his wing out fully so we could admire the green.

9/07/2022

turtle tower







Painted Turtles Chrysemys picta of all sizes live in the pond.  They are oval shaped, and the carapace (top)  can be almost black to dark olive green.  The plastron (bottom) varies from red to orange with differing amounts of black patterning.  The older ones are as big as ten inches long, with the females being bigger than males.

These two 10" turtles are starting a 'turtle tower' on their favorite rock.




9/06/2022

vivipary = seed heads sprouting

This wildflower was finished blooming and was forming seeds. But its seed head sprouted green leaves!  Fascinated, I looked closer.  Some of new seeds were actually germinating and sprouting while still in the seed head. Usually, they wait until they are in the perfect place (soil, moisture, temperature, sunlight) to begin new growth.  Sometimes you see this while seeds are still inside the fruit, like a tomato or green pepper.  In plants, it is called vivipary (Latin for 'live birth') and involves seeds germinating before their determined time.  I first learned about this a few years ago when my grandson sent me a photo of a sunflower seed head that was doing the same thing.

9/05/2022

scouring rush 'horsetail'


 

Scouring Rush Equisetum hyemale grows in the wetland around the pond.  

It is also called 'horsetail'. This plant has coarse fibers and silica deposits in its stems, so herbivores don't eat this plant.  

For more about this plant, see blog posts on 7/23/2020 and 6/25/2021.






9/04/2022

hummingbirds sitting still



Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been enjoying the red trumpet flowers on the lonicera vine all summer.  Finally, we saw them sitting still!


 

9/03/2022

baby snapping turtle

We found this baby Snapping Turtle on a street curb in the neighborhood. We relocated it to the wetland around the pond, hoping it would find enough to eat there.  Snapping Turtles Chelydra serpentina eat water plants as well as insects, worms, snails, small fish, and anything edible that it can find.