Bird Feeder Report 2010
Posted at 6:00 AM on March 18, 2010
by Dale Connelly
(46 Comments)
One year ago today we had our Trial Balloon Bird Feeder report with multitudinous signs of spring.
Here is some of what was happening back then:
Sheila from Ada - My (20+ chickens) and (3) turkeys were out in the yard enjoying their new-found freedom in the 45 degree day. I happened to glance out the window and observe my Tom Turkey (actually named Larry) strutting and puffing mightily at the very romantic (to him) vision of the propane tank out back. He gave a go at, umm, standing atop it, but evidently the tank would have no part and Larry slid off it 3 times before taking himself back to the flock.Mark - I had the bike on the deck taking off the studded tires which is the sign of spring I most look for since riding on studded tires is both noisy and lots of extra work. A Cardinal serenaded me during my effort and while that's not so much of a spring bird, the singing was quite welcome.
Deb - Signs of spring here in SE Minnesota/Western WI (on the Mississippi) include the return of eagles and gulls. The geese are passing through, and my mother saw a heron in the bay and has had goldfinches at the feeder. We expect the first barges on the river very soon. And the surest sign of spring: the opening of Rudy's Drive-In in LaCrosse!
The Lavender Wench - Have seen robins, woodpeckers, cardinals, junkos, sparrows, finches, oh just about everyone out and about, flitting in amongst the branches of our maples. Occasionally they stop in the tree and start tweeting, much to the delight of my birds. Then we get a tweet and screech fest going!
Scott - The eagle has landed in White Bear Lake.
The bald eagle returned to its nest near Manitou Island in White Bear Lake last week. Before it got too soupy, i trekked across the frozen lake to take a closer look. Not sure what it is eating with 2 or 3 feet of ice yet in the lake. Neighbors who own a toy poodle are advised to keep it indoors.Mike in Albert Lea - My backyard bird report signaling spring is the increased activity of Barred Owls. We have some that nest in the trees behind our house. Their call is characterized by the "Who cooks for you?" series of hoots. Occasionally I'll go have a stare-down with one sitting in a pine tree. We love having them as backyard neighbors.
One year later ... how goes it? Yesterday's remarkable warmth must have led to the sighting of some glorious vernal signals. Unless ... climate change has made everything topsy-turvy!
Winter re-arrives tomorrow, so report your signs of spring before it's too late.
Comments (46)
In the city here, one big sign of the weather change is the huge number of folks out walking their dogs, who you haven't seen out and about all winter. The other sign here in the house is that I put away the YakTraks (sp?) over the weekend!
out on our walks with the Girls and Boys (well, "waddle" is more appropriate with the Girls and "race and tear" more for the Boys) yesterday the snow is almost completely gone and little sprigs of grass coming up between the dry leaves. The chickadees, and downy, hairy, red-bellied, and piliated woodpeckers are all very noisy - as are the ravens - because it's that time of year.
also, yesterday we uncovered the septic tank thingys to get ready for a spring pumping.
the goats love these temps, and we try to enjoy them too but we are worried (being good Minnesotans) that the summer may be too hot for them.
and Dale, it's "tahr fahr" - when we lived in Virginia there was a tire fire that lasted for years. ugh. interesting name for a band....
Spring porch knitting season started here on Sunday, and as in Sherrilee's neighborhood, the dogwalkers and strollers are out in force.
Saw a beautiful clump of crocuses blooming at church last night. Rhubarb and tulips are coming up and I am wondering if I should throw some leaves over them for the weekend (go back! you'll be frozen!)
Our cardinals have been singing away since Valentine's Day.
A Warm Good Morning to All,
We have finally almost completely lost the thick snow cover that we have had all winter. Daffadils are emerging and cardinals are singing. I haven't seen any early returning birds, but I'm sure robins will be back very soon.
I pulled a row cover off some Kale that I covered last fall to extend the fall harvest and the kale is still in fairly good shape. Apprently the thick layer of snow that covered the kale under the row cover kept the kale from freezing out during the very cold winter.
Thanks for the pronunciation help, Barb. "Tahr fahr" makes it sound like an ongoing event, rather than an emergency.
And Sherrilee, as a regular dog walker, I agree - there are more people and canines out now. Unfortunately the time when things are melting is the messiest time to take a dog on a jaunt. Mine comes back with a muddy underbelly and blackened feet.
And let's not even talk about the condition of the backyard after six months where an immediate after-dog pick-up was not an urgent priority. Ugh! At least your septic tank is underground, Barb.
Among our signs of spring
1. at this house is the disappearance of birds from yard and feeders. Not sure why. Busy all winter than in April or May they return.
2. Almost all snow gone, including the 15 foot high banks in a dip in an open road near us.
3. I have my terrible spring headache.
4. More bikers riding past my office window,
5. The church we joined recently is firing their pastor because he does not work full time when they hired him for half time, etc. etc .etc. Not sure why, but spring is pastor-firing time. So off church shopping we go again.
6. Have yet to smell the pig manure.
Dale, what kind of dog do you have?
around here there are quite a few horses and i hear Spring is breeding season for them. i know for most birds spring is the season, and for our alpine goats it is Fall. but is there that seasonality for other animals like dogs, pigs, etc.?
Clyde - not smelling the pigs can be a good thing, huh?
Dale, sounds like your spring cold is hanging on. uffda.
Short Catalog of Spring
The sound of running water (the thaw)
The appearance of your neighbors
Children on skateboards & bikes
Billowing clouds
Geese flying in the "correct" direction
More runners & many more cyclists on the trails
Tornado whistle on 1st Wednesday of the month
Potholes
Good morning, all!
barb--I am a true farm child. I do not mind the smell of manure. Smells like incme to me. And since what we smell in Mankato comes from what is spread on the fields in late fall, it is a good thing, the last trace of farming even slightly organic, the way I grew up. That's another sign of spring: I get self-righteous about such things and nostalgic about my childhood way of life, nostaligc for my mother's washing stick.
Clyde,
My dog is an animal shelter adoptee. As far as anyone knows, she is half golden retriever, half cocker spaniel. We're certain she is part sock hound, able to find hosiery in any pile of laundry so it can be removed and kept in a special stash.
Must be ten thousand songs about spring and I cannot think of a one.
Self-pity is another sign of psring:
When you suffer in spring you are alone.
One of the few things on which all agree
Is that as the bare earth is shown,
All feel young, all feel a warm glee.
All are happy to be rid of the freeze,
That in yards lost things are found.
But their noses do not swell and sneeze.
Their heads do not with pressure pound.
So do you wish for winter to stay?
Do you hope for a very sudden thaw?
Mostly you try to slouch your way to May.
And say nothing about your nerves raw.
Cool, Dale, cool. I love mutts, a point of view both of my kids picked up, although my daughter cannot really have a dog. My son's adoption of a street dog has gone quite well, ezcept he does not know how to deal with other dogs. He is a very peculiar mix, a great conversation starter on their walks around San Jose.
Here is another personal sign of spring. I have finsihed all of my books on CD that I listen to on indoor bike rides--all of Tolkien and two Jane Austen.
My favorite spring sign is the opportunity to throw open all the doors and windows and let in the fresh air....
But this year I need the spring to come slowly but thaw the ground soon...remember that horse that i had to ut down in February? Well, she's still above ground waiting for machinery that can dig a big hole...too much warmth too soon and the spring smells will not be welcome.
haven't seen that red-wing blackbird again...wonder if he knew something and headed south again...
My farmer friends down the road had over 100 tundra swans in their lake (aka the flooded meadow) here in Woodbury.
If spring is here can 4th of July sale merchandise be far behind?
Pussy Willows are almost blooming next door and Cardinals are singing all over the place! There was a lady Cardinal on the feeder yesterday, bulking up for nesting maybe?
Winter isn't really coming back, Dale. I feel I ensured our timely spring when I spent good money on snow tires when they finally went on sale in late February, untested yet . Crocus's don't mind a little slushy snow, so we shouldn't either. Call it the "final rinse" if it makes you feel better, it helps me!
I have the same situation in my back yard, Dale. Have already been out more that once to rectify the situation...and I'm not sure I'm caught up yet. Eew. One of the few things about dog ownership that I don't like. Meeting neighbors, and their muddy pawed canines, while I'm out walking my low-slung muddy bellied pooch makes up for it, though.
Kids are out on bikes, trikes and scooters. We have started to see the "running in packs" behavior returning with the kiddies on the block, too. A sure sign of spring.
Also have seen an eagle in my S. Mpls neighborhood this week. Bob the Hawk, who likes to ride the thermals between my building and the next at work, has been around a lot more now that the weather is warmer. Seems to prefer perching on the security camera these days - must be good hunting in the grass just past the edge of the parking lot.
OMG, Clyde! i haven't thought of Mom's washing stick since i used it about 55 years ago. wow. i immediately knew what you meant - a very, very well worn stick used to dip into the hot water of the machine to bring each item to the wringer and into the first rinse. was that the one with the bluing in it??
reminds me of the time my paternal Grandma (the really fun one) got her arm caught in the ringer and pulled it back (not a good idea) and got all bloody. but before she called us to take her to the doc, she changed into her new, white Enna Getics for the trip. she was embarrassed that we had to tie them for her. :-)
another sign of spring. we hung the first line full of washing out to dry the other day.
barb--BINGO. I am writing a poem about it, don't know why? What am trying to remember or forget that it came into my mind two days ago. You know, barb, there is an old child's rhyme about a woman who get caught in the wringer of the washing machine, not her arm, that my mother in her droll moment washing would recite.
Dale--two songs been niggling at my mind.
Nanci Griffith--Is it Gulf Coast Highway, about birds, blackbirds, souls?
Gordon Lightfoot--about pussywillows and cattails. Is that the name?
Anyway, I thought of two!!
Yes, Barb...hanging clothes outside!
Announcement: the rwbb is back at the feeder...he is confident spring is a sure thing...midst snow and slush, equinox this weekend?
I have always liked the Connie Kaldor song that goes "Spring on the Prairie comes like a surprise. One minute there's snow on the ground, the next there's sun in your eyes." When we lived in Winnipeg, it was always fun to see the populace dress for the first warm day-you would often see people waling down the boulevards wearing shorts and their winter parkas. I can tell spring is almost upon us now since our driveway is clear of all snow and ice. We are inconsistent shovelers, and if we can drive through it we won't remove it. When the driveway is clear, spring is close. Our goldfinches at the feeders are becoming embarassingly yellow, another sign of spring.
"Embarassingly Yellow" nice turn of phrase, Renee.
Also, Renee, re your last post last night, there is an episode of Mash in which Margaret gets attached to a mutt, then tries to figure out why she cries when it gets killed but she does not cry for the soldiers who die.
totally off topic... Steve, if you're still on, there's a gorgeous shot of Sandhills on the Bing.com page. Not local, but still gorgeous!
barb--just reread your post. Thanks for reminding me of the bluing; may go into the poem. Bottle always sat on the windowsill on back back porch (we had two back porches). I will have to work wondowsill into thwe poem. T. S. Eliot said that windowsill is the prettiest word in the English language. I do not know which rinse was bluing. Hmm?
So what is/are Enna Getics?
Sherrilee
Thanks. I'm here.
Oh, my goodness! That's a lovely image. While not "local," that image probably comes from the Platte River. Not so far away.
Thanks!
Thanks for the Connie Kaldor song, Dale. Also, thanks Clyde.
Dale - what a lovely morning of songs twined into a common theme with requests, blog mentions, thoughts. thanks so much. i ask you - where else would that happen except on RH with Dale and Mike????
Clyde - i googled and couldn't find, probably because i don't think i ever read the brand label. but Enna Getics (or however that's spelled) were the brand of shoes my Grandma always wore. she had a black pair and a white pair for "good" and a pair she wore for "everyday." they had short, stocky heels and pin hole decorations near the laces. looked very nice with her thick cotton hosiery and her belted "house dress" along with her hair in a hairnet.
what was the poem your mother recited? never heard it.
thanks for that memory
gotta get going now
over and out
Barb -- couldn't resist a good challenge. I found the shoes... Enna Jetticks. They made lots of types, including the kind Grandma wore. I found a couple of cool websites, including one w/ an ad from 1942 that says "Enna Jetticks Shoes Stand for Freedom"!
barb--I cannot/will not do the rhyme on here.
Old shoe brands is a huge hole in the Web. not often you find a hole. But I can find no way to identify old shoe brands. Do you know that is tne name, see it written? Enna and Getic are references to ancient Med. places.
Clyde I was fascinated to see, in the after-hours posting on yesterday's thread, that you and your son are scholars of cold weather expeditions.
Last week I re-read Endurance. I was looking for Shackleton's description of the "Third Man Phenomenon." A friend and I have been chatting about that.
To my surprise, the author (Lansing) included not one word about the ghostly presence of another being accompanying Shackleton and his partners on that incredible last plunge up and down a mountain range on South Georgia Island. My guess is that Lansing was telling such an incredible tale that he couldn't bear putting in it any element that would truly spark incredulity.
i hate to miss a morning but it sure is fun to check in t see the topic and the comments. spring, remminissance, birds tunes. life in rh is good. my eagles are back and my finches are gold again. red headed woodpeckers are banging away and the owls are hooting. orion is getting ready for the swan song and the summer cross will be making a comeback.
Clyde...I tried "old fashioned shoes" first and found the same black hole that you did. But then I started rooting around in my storage locker of a brain for synonyms and tried "vintage" instead. Bingo!
Kim - I like "final rinse" a lot.
You've all done a lovely job of naming all my favorite signs of spring, and I can only add first glass of wine on Heather and Fred's patio across the street. Off to Iowa for a couple of day, have a great weekend, Heartlanders, warm or cool.
steve--here is the best word on the third man phenomenon as I recall: it's a lie that he made up at the prodding of his publisher to increase sales. There is no written evidence of Shackleton saying so, but some people report that he told them that story. So where is the lie, Shackleton, his associates or the writer who tells it as a lie? (have read it twice, do not remember where) But as a result it is often left out in current retellings. It is sort of a measure of humans that the story of that whole adventure, especially his trip from Elephant Island, needs to be embroidered.
Clyde
You probably know there is a new book out by a Canadian author (John Geiger) that takes the Third Man Syndrome seriously. He has theories about how the human brain can produce a partner when one is needed badly.
Thanks for the comments. I thought Shackleton's comments about this were in the book he wrote.
I want a pair of Enna Jettick oxfords, I really do.
Sherrilee and Clyde, when looking for clothing or furniture, "period" also works.
Barb, thanks for the explanation of a washing stick, I had to know.
I like the idea of a "final rinse" too, and according to the Mrs. Stewart's Bluing website, it is also where the bluing gets used.
It is sort of scary how the whole thing ties together after awhile.
sherrilee--what did you find? I just keep finding modern shoes with the brand name Enna?
Third Man. Seems like "unembroidering" to leave out the third man factor. (Now I have to add Endurance to my reading list!)
But haven't other people reported this phenomena besides E Shackleton? I've read a couple of Hillary books and I think he's mentioned it. So it's not like Shackleton was the only one.. maybe just the first?
http://www.goantiques.com/detail,enna-jetticks-shoes,667234.html
This is the link from the page I found w/ the 1942 ad.
Dale, sorry to be a stickler for accuracy, but you just said that the chickadees were yellow. That's goldfinches, not chickees. Yellow chickadees would indicate ill birds or a new species.
sherrilee
On "Third Man" experiences, many have reported that. You are right.
The closest to home is our own Anne Bancroft.
I have heard the Canadians theory. I read a lot on modern brain study, an exploding and exciting topic. We know the brain has the ability to lie to itself in many ways for many reasons. So I would not be surprised. Lots of people report sensations of another presence; I have felt it at times. My guess is his theory is correct and that is one of the sourcew of ghost stories.
It could be Shackelton did write about it. It has been 15 years or so since I read all of the Endurance stuff. The memory fades at this age.
There is a new book, well 1-2 years old, that tells the story of the other part of the expedition, the group on the other side od Ant. who were to lay depots for him. A badly overlooked story, very tragic story.
Polar regions are very interesting environments, which clearly do lots of things to the brain and perceptions. And polar explorers are ego-maniacs, driven by all sorts of internal demons, yes and the modern ones too, I had a friend who was with Plaistad; lots of stories he can tell. Lots of liars who will lie for various reasons. Consider the fact that almost certainly the first person to reach the North Pole by land did it after WWII. Lots of liars there, the supreme champion of the lot wes Perry. He included nude photos of his Native girlfriend, mother of at least one child by him, all to help sales. Named a place Perry land at the top of Greenland which is not there, claiming he went places he did not and could not. And of course the great lie that he reached the NP. Lots of mirages in the polar, icy regions, sightings of land that were mirages, some were on maps for years. This is the part of that history that I love.the most.
catherine--thanks for the bluing info. Yes, the bottle was Mrs. Stewart's, blue of course. Why are bottles such memory triggers? I thought it was the final rinse, which may not make the cut in the poem. Drifitning another direction.
sherrilee--thanks on the shoes--jetticks, not getics. I was acutally doing work for awhile and then came back to all of these threads. Polar exploration trumps every other topic for me.
Rereading one of my last posts I see I was incorrectly implying that Plaistad was a liar. I was not saying that. Some of the most interesting stories are from people seldom heard of, the men who went native and learned what the native poples know. To hths day actual artifacts and memory artifacts can be found about the lost Franklin Expedition in the native peoples. (I am avoiding naming these native peoples because there is lots of disagrement on that among them and other Canadians.)
Here's a walmart exploration story, then I will quit hijacking the blog to the poles. Polic chased a head-and-run driver this mroning right into Walmart, I mean the pursued drive drove right in. I have never envisdioned walmart as a sanctuary.
- Become a Member
- Member Connect Accounts
- Leadership Circle
- Sustaining Members
- Member Discounts
- Become a Sponsor
- Tax Information
- Planned Giving
- Vehicle Donation
- Donate Stock