muskrat, greener pastures

The muskrat left the safety of the pond to find fresher food!  Usually, it eats plants that are growing in the water or very near the shore.  It has been a cold wet Spring, so maybe the plants are not producing enough for muskrats.  This critter ventured out of its comfort zone to fill its hunger.  Several times!

Near the safety of water, circled around to run up the slope to find fresh food.

At top of the slope, gathering a big mouthful of plant material.

Running downhill to the safety of the pond to munch the fresh food, and try the gathering again.

sandpiper on pond

 

yellow-rumped warbler

 Yellow-rumped Warblers Setophaga coronata arrived here on the pond today on migration to the northern part of Minnesota and Canada, where they will nest and breed young birds.  Also called "Myrtle" Warblers.  On migration they eat fruits and seeds.  Here, they flit along the shoreline hunting insects among the grasses.  These individuals came to the feeders to eat thistle and sunflower chips. When more insects appear and the Warblers arrive on the breeding ground up north, they will eat caterpillars and other larvae, small beetles, weevils, ants, scale insects, aphids, grasshoppers, caddisflies, spiders, and gnats.

northern shovelers in Spring

Northern Shovelers visited the pond today.  They eat tiny crustaceans, other aquatic invertebrates, and seeds in and around the pond.  To filter food out of the water, they have comb-like projections (called lamellae) along the edge of their bills.  Lamellae are slightly pliable.  They help many ducks, gooses, and other birds eat by filtering edible items from mud or water.

hooded mergansers in Spring

We have three types of Mergansers in North America.  The smallest of the group is the Hooded Merganser.  These are diving ducks; their long bills are slender with serrated edges, formed like teeth for grasping and holding their prey.  They dive in lakes or ponds, staying under water up to two minutes, while hunting for small fish, crustaceans, amphibians, or roots.

blue-wing teal in Spring

The wetland around the pond is a stopping place where ducks in migration can rest and get a meal.  

A pair of Blue-winged Teal stopped today.

muskrat claws

 

The muskrats Ondatra zibethicus who live on the pond are semi-aquatic rodents.  

They eat mostly plant matter, but also smaller critters that they find.  To eat, they have a thumb and four fingers -- with claws -- to grasp food.  The back feet are larger and have five webbed fingers that help swimming in ponds, lakes, and rivers.  They swim under water hunting for vegetation that they gnaw and chew with large incisor teeth located in front of their cheek.  Or, they may sit on shore chewing terrestrial grasses.

tree swallows find nest box

The pond is home to Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor who hunt insects 'on the wing'.  They catch flying insects while flying low over water or over grasses that the insects forage among. 

We have boxes that Tree Swallows use to nest in.  This bird was checking the box for suitability. 

The box has a 'Sparrow Spooker' (nylon line attached securely with hook-eyes on top and around the entrance) that protects eggs and babies of Tree Swallows from House Sparrows who cannot negotiate the lines.  House Sparrows destroy eggs and baby birds in other species' nests.

first turtle of Spring

Adult painted turtles Chrysemys picta begin active foraging usually in March or early April.  Since winter has held on strongly until now, we only saw the first turtle today when the sun was shining and temperature is in the 60's F.  

Shortly after awaking from winter, courtship begins.  If they laid clutches of eggs last fall, the little hatched turtles probably over-wintered in the nest.  Now they emerge and instinctively seek the security of water in the pond.

Today, the Spring Peepers are singing too!

ice out

 'Ice Stars' adorned the melting ice on the pond last week, since winter was long and more snowy than usual.  

Warmer this week, and ice was all melted by today.

mallards arriving

Even though Spring is here and the birds have been moving to their nesting areas in Minnesota, the ice  is thick on the middle of ponds.  The Mallard pair is finding food in the open water near the shore.  They act like ice-breakers with their beaks and legs to get to the plant material beneath the water. 

blizzard and frost depth

Another 10 inches of snow!  And blizzard winds.  The birds that ventured out of their shelters for food had to contend with lousy weather.  This female Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis was windblown and swinging while eating safflower seeds from the hanging tray feeder.  

Because so much insulating snow came down early in November and piled up repeatedly throughout winter . . .  soil frost depth is minimal at this time.  With all the moisture in the ground, it should be a good year for wildflowers!

Spring is coming . . .

It has been a long winter with more snow/sleet/rain than usual.  More snow coming this week!  

On the bright side, plenty of moisture in the soil portends a great blooming season for wildflowers. 

Look forward to seeing these early bloomers in a few weeks, once the snow melts.  

Golden Alexanders, right, blooms in April.

Blue Flag Iris, below, blooms in May.

tracks surrounding

Last winter, the critters chewed on the tree bark.  A little wire fence protected the Tamarack tree this season. 

I see proof of success by the tracks surrounding the fence!

Sorry for so many photos of WHITE . . .  we have gotten a lot of snow!

log in deep snow

The pond is covered by more snow than we have seen at one time in the last decade. This area has an average of about 50 inches of snow each winter season. By the end of January, we had more than that.  The log and the big rock are barely visible, but we can see many tracks of the critters who walk about.

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.

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.

bird tracks

 

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.

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.

dove

 

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

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.

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. 

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.

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.