Bird song wonders

Yesterday was a weather day in the midwest.  We woke up to snow....all day it snowed.  And cold.  That is not unusual. It is often snowy and cold in this region.  However the snow was impressive...almost 11 inches in one day.  And the cold has been oppressive overnight..real temp below zero.
But before it all got so bad, I took a walk in this winter "wonderland".  I could barely see where I was going, but I trudged through the snow drifts along the familiar path.  This is how it looked:

I marveled at the activity of the birds.  They flocked to our feeders in great numbers: chickadees, titmice, cardinals, juncos, woodpeckers, and more.

I wanted to get some exercise before hunkering down in the house, so I followed the familiar trail  through the woods.

Since the blowing snow made opening the eyes difficult, I found myself focusing on the sounds.  Many birds were chirping in the woods.  At the edge of the woods, near a ravine where my husband's CWD project is decaying slowly--AKA rotting deer heads---I heard a sound that should have been familiar.  I had seen and heard several red tailed hawks in this area since the dumping of the heads.  But this was a little off.  It sounded like a red tail, but then again it didn't.  As I approached I saw what had been making the noise---a blue jay.  How remarkable.  This bird has the ability to sound like other birds of the forest, a common trait of corvids (family: Corvidae).  This includes crows, magpies, and ravens, and they are considered by some to be the most intelligent birds.
Although I had read about this ability to mimic sounds, I had never had such a direct experience.  I wonder what caused this jay to call in this way today?  I wonder what the red tail thinks when it hears that sound?  I wonder what other species it can imitate?
As I left the area, the jay returned to the "normal" jay call.  I wonder if I will have this experience again?  I hope so!

Tribute to a Nature Lover

It's that time of year to look back.  When I do, I look back at my mom who recently passed away at the age of 90.  I would like to dedicate my blog to her and her memory.  I may not write as often as I would like--life, work, the commute-- all get in the way sometimes, but I am hopeful to do more in the coming year.  If nothing else, as a tribute to my mom, a life long nature lover.

My mom was my nature guru....no, it isn't that she knew so much about nature, it is that she LOVED so much.  Growing up, our family enjoyed many nature experiences together.  We would go on early morning breakfast picnics in the city park and evening walks too.  In the summer we would camp in state and national parks, being the cheap way for a family of five to travel.  I vividly remember the trip to the Tetons where bears ransacked the neighboring campsite.  Or the evening star gazing in the Black Hills.  Those stars were the biggest I had ever seen.  Or sitting on the dock at Lake Okoboji watching my glasses fall to the lake bottom!

Although I grew up in a big city, these outings in the parks led me to college studies in nature...ornithology, limnology, mammalogy, etc. and eventually to my career.  As I got older and had a family of my own, I began sharing nature with my children just as mom had shared with me and my siblings.  We stopped to watch an eagle on our way to school, sat by the river to see sandhill cranes, or traveled to the ocean to observe the strange life in the coastal waters.

With my mom's passing, it was my daughter who pointed out that she still lives.  She lives in the memories of those nature experiences, big and small.  She lives when I look at the clouds at sunset.  She would say, "That's gorgeous!".  She lives when the trees sway in the wind..."dance" as she would say.  And she lives when I take my grandchild on a walk through the woods... smelling the skunk, feeling the moss, or watching the birds.

Sharing nature with children is a passion of mine, a passion ignited by a wonderful woman who not only loved nature, but loved sharing it with others.  So, I dedicate this blog...this sharing ...to her.  In this new year, won't you share nature with someone you love?

If a leaf falls, does it make a sound?

We have all heard the saying about trees, and even watched the cute commercial showing a tree talking as it fell.  That is what I was thinking about today as I walked one of our paths through the woods.  The path was covered in leaves making it impossible to hear anything but the sound of leaves crunching underfoot as I walked.

When I stopped I heard the familiar sounds of the woods, the crow "cawing" in the distance, the woodpecker "pecking" a tree near me, and the chickadee's unforgettable chickadee song.
I continued along the path and wondered how did the early settlers and natives do it...how did they walk in the woods in the fall?  I tried to be quiet, but to no avail.

I love the fall, but the noise was starting to get to me.  I wondered how much longer til all the leaves were on the ground.  Then it might be worthwhile raking the trail.  I looked up and saw some trees with no leaves, but many still had a long way to go.

I think those leaves will be making a sound for a long time to come!

Nature IQ

What is your nature IQ?  I mean, what do you know about nature and how did you learn it?

I was raised in a big city with few real nature experiences while my husband grew up in a rural setting and spent most of his childhood in the woods. I have been trying to catch up with him ever since we met.  I love nature, don't get me wrong, but that is a different question.

Recently I took my 2 year old granddaughter for a walk in the woods.  As we headed down the path she pointed to the edge of the trail and said, "That's moss!"

She was right.  My husband had pointed it out to her weeks earlier.  The reason for her correct identification and familiarity with nature struck me.  I had been in a third grade classroom working with students out of field guides.  One of the guides mentioned moss, and several of the students said they didn't know what that was.

What did this 2 year old have that the third graders did not??  A nature IQ.  And how did she get it.....I would say, direct experiences with nature.  There is no substitute.  But haven't the third graders been outdoors where moss occurred?  Probably.  In this case, the difference was the presence of an adult that fostered the appreciation and knowledge of what was in plain sight.

In the words of Rachel Carson, "“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”

My granddaughter knows moss (and a whole lot more). But what she doesn't yet know is this: she is lucky to have had the companionship of an adult who shared with her the mystery of the natural world.  One day, she will know this.  Right now, all she knows is the fun she has with "pa pa".

Learning About Birds is Child's Play

My granddaughter, now two years old, and I have always enjoyed birdwatching together.  She and I  sit in my swivel rocker in front of my living room window and "watch the birdies" at the feeders.  She could spot them from a very young age.  During her last visit, about two weeks ago, we again shared the same nature activity.

This time, knowing that she was learning her colors, I decided to use the book, Bird Calls by innovative Kids.

It has color coded pull out tabs that correspond to the color coded audio that can be played by a push of a button.  What was amazing to me was the rapidity with which she learned the bird calls.  Colors--we're still working on that.  But by the end of a mere 3 or 4 days, she could recognize 4 of the 8 birds by song and sight!!  She learned the call of the Barred Owl (that ends in Who--all).  When reading another book and seeing an owl, she says, "Who-wah. Owl say that".  She also says "Titmouse..Peter, Peter, Peter." Precious and precocious.

It is a passion of mine to share nature with children, and this grandma can't help but brag.  It is a special experience we have shared, and I will always cherish.  Like it or not, I think we have a budding birdwatcher.  But I think she will rather like it! 

The benefits of winter weather

Normally, I don't appreciate winter in the Midwest AT ALL!  But sunrise today brought a change of heart.  At sunrise, I caught a glimpse of our forest through the living room window that would not be possible in a more southern climate.

The eerie look of the fog in the forest, the bare lifeless tree limbs and the blanket of snow made a spectacular sight to behold.  The view was breathtaking but fleeting.
As I stepped outside in the morning chill, I could hear the birds chirping as if spring were here.  Their cheery calls broke the spell of the foggy forest followed soon after by the sunshine which "burnt" off the fog.

Yes, winter is here...but not for long!  Let's appreciate it while we can.

Environmental Hero

Last night, I was adding my profile to a new site that I had recently joined. One of the questions, "Who is your hero?" got me thinking.  Of course, my first reaction was Rachel Carson for her work in drawing attention to the dangers of DDT.


This got me thinking about my childhood. "Who is MY hero?"  The answer--my mom is my personal hero. No, she didn't stand up against a powerful industry.  No, she didn't write a bestselling book.  But what she did for me, and my siblings, is priceless.  You see, my family has a love of nature.  Two of us even have careers in the field.  How did this happen?

I have read that many of our early naturalists attributed their appreciation of nature to experiences in nature at an early age.  So, a few years ago, I asked my mom, "What did you do?" I really wanted to know why all three of us had this interest in the natural world, especially since we grew up in a big city.

My mom's humble answer: "I just took you outside for walks in the park."  I'm sure it wasn't just a walk in green space in a big city.  I'm sure there was discussion, perhaps like this: "Look at that bird; I wonder what it is doing?" or "Do you see that turtle; I wonder what kind it is?"

It was Rachel Carson who said:  “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.”   This, then, is what my mom did for us!

I remember having many pastimes in my youth like jumping rope, playing the clarinet, or collecting cat figurines.  Those pastimes are long past.  But watching nature...this is something that has stayed with me and that I enjoy each day.  My mom, nearing 90, frequently talks about the jays that come to the peanuts she puts on her railing.  Nature is a joy we continue to share and one I hope to pass on to my grandchild.

Watching nature is a joy instilled in me at a young age.  It is a joy that remains through the worries of the work day, the pressures of parenthood or the time spent with the products of the technology revolution.  Yes, my mom is my environmental hero.  She gave me the gift of nature appreciation.  Isn't that where any real environmental change happens....in the heart of a child!