Uri's Blog Notes from 44.483N, -92.261W, planet Earth

A star-studded night with Owls

Eastern Screech Owls! What I heard from around midnight until dawn this morning was not screeching. Rather it was an eery conversation between three owls, each of whom was perched very near the house. The first calls can only be described as a kind of plaintive "baaa-ing" answered immediately by a musical, two-note trilling that sounded very soothing and reassuring....sort of like "ooooooooh kaaaaaaaaaay." In our four years here I have never heard this sound. The Eastern Screech Owl audio samples on the internet are not really what I heard, but the tone and tenor of the sounds matches, so I can only guess that these were indeed Eastern Screech Owls of a very musical nature. Their calls, which are described by ornithologists as "whinnies and bounces" vary greatly. I don't care that I didn't get much sleep last night, it was thrilling to stand by the window watching Leo's shooting stars accompanied by the songs of owls.

Cedar Waxwing Collective

As I walked into the woods and beneath the crown of a huge hackberry tree, I was pelted with berries and droppings from what I quickly realized was a huge flock of Cedar Waxwings gorging on berries above me. Their unmistakeable high-pitched whistling gave them away. I was happy to be pelted and to be so close to one of the most exquisite and fascinating birds around here.

Waxwings are so-called because of the red spots on their wing feathers that look like drops of red wax.

The thing I find most fascinating about them is their social cooperation and sharing which is so different from other flock birds who may band together for their common interest in finding food or protection but will compete vigorously for the food they find. In contrast, waxwings will move about in flocks, and locate food sources where there is plenty of supply for the whole flock.

They will settle into the upper branches of a tall tree near the food source, sort of as a staging area for their feeding operations. Then the flock will rotate in and out of the food source sequentially and orderly instead of the chaotic competition so common to other bird species. A similar pattern of taking turns in groups is used for bathing when water sources are limited, such as to a bird bath or small puddle.

Here are two waxwings sharing as part of a mating ritual.

Goodbye sweet summertime.

At 4:18 p.m. Central Standard Time on September 22nd, we celebrate the first day of fall, or the Autumnal Equinox. At that moment  the sun is directly overhead at the equator and the sun sets due west.

Also known as the Sabbat, or Mabon, when some people pay their respects to the impending dark, give thanks to the waning sunlight, honor the  God of the Forest by offering libations to trees (ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer), celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and consort the God as he prepares for death and re-birth. (You could also just attend Art+Fire in Stockholm next weekend, that's a pretty good Pagan ritual.)

If your sky is clear, you might observe the waxing crescent moon to the west (or right) of the star Antares just after sunset. The moon hangs low in your southwest sky, and sets about one hour after nightfall. Likewise, Antares, a summer star,  sets on the heels of the sun, signaling summer’s end. Sigh.

Signs of Fall.

In the wee small hours of the morning this is what I see looking southeast from the bathroom window.  Winter can't be far away when Orion starts showing up again.  He's one of winter's compensations. Also... the Chickadees. They've been coming around again, looking for their stash, so I finally shoved the bird feeder pole back into the ground and got a bag of black oil sunflower seed. Now the Chickadees can commence hiding seeds in every declivity they can find on roof and tree and all around the place.

Sandhill Cranes boogie in the backwater

They've been here since spring, dancing and calling and carrying on.  Have you heard them? They're not exactly musical, but they are unmistakable: Sandhill_Crane_Unison_Call.wav

An excerpt from the International Crane Foundation website:

All cranes engage in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, as well as wing flapping. Though it is commonly associated with courtship, dancing can occur at any age and season. Dancing is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for cranes and thwarts aggression, relieves tension, and strengthens the pair bond. [the same could be said of humans!]

I would love to see them tossing sticks or grass.

September Fog

A poignant reminder of summer's end. The Earth holds on to her warmth as a cool layer of air settles in low overnight, and foggy mornings result.

Amazing satellite image from this month, shows early morning fog in the Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Kickapoo River basins, in addition to numerous other valleys and river basins feeding into the Mississippi River.

Sweet songs of summer

Song Sparrows sing each morning in the meadow and occasionally throughout the day, all summer long. It is the music I love the most...the music of birds.

Song Sparrow on YouTube

Slow and steady wins the race

I rest my case:

Empty Nest Syndrome

Sigh. This post is late, as the very next day I checked the nest and it was empty. No bits of egg shell, nothing.  Many predators around, it's nature's way.

Step ladder nest

This perfectly round Robin's nest sits atop a metal step ladder that leans against the old stone house in the yard.  It is vulnerable to sun and wind and rain (not to mention convenient step access for four-legged creatures), but so far, so good. Stay tuned. There are three well-protected Robin's nests on the house, each with baby Robins in residence.