Who has been Lapping the Sap?!

I swear this isn't a blog on birds. Birds just keep coming up this spring!

While sitting in my living room  staring out the front window, I noticed what I thought was a Hairy Woodpecker working on the maple tree out front. Why was he spending so much time checking out that trunk? Why was I spending so much time watching him?

I picked up the binoculars to get a better look. That's not a run of the mill woodpecker, it's a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker! First time I've seen one of those here. April is the month they migrate through Iowa on their way to the upper Great Lakes area and Canada to spend the summer breeding and doing what they do.

The bird was working on drilling holes into the Maple tree to release the sap. Notice the picture I took of our tree. The sapsucker drills holes in a neat line about halfway up the tree. The tree truck is wet with sap. Many other birds were taking advantage of the sap flow. There were lots of sparrows, a nuthatch or two, starlings and a couple cardinals visiting that tree today. 

Later in the afternoon I noticed TWO yellow-bellied sapsuckers. A male and a female. Another story with a romantic ending!

Have a Great Day!

Prairie Clover

Sandhill Cranes on the Platte

Who needs white sand beaches, sunshine, margaritas and waiters tending to your every need.

Spring Break to me means a trip to Nebraska for the Sandhill Crane migration. It's also a great excuse to visit my parents in Grand Island.

I know what you're thinking...Cancun vs. Nebraska. Hmmm. That Prairie Clover must be daft!

The Sandhill Crane is a most amazing bird and the annual migration event is something every bird enthusiast should witness at least once. In fact, if there was a list of the 7 wonders of the (bird) world, this would be listed on it.

The Sandhill Crane, Grus Canadensis is a fairly large wading bird. Its height, 3-4 feet with a wingspan of 6 feet. Color is gray with some rusty colored areas and has a bright red patch on its forehead. This bird typically lays 2 eggs per year though only one chick usually survives. They mate for life and love to dance. Isn't that romantic?

Can you see them dance? Look closely. You may need to get a magnifying glass...

Migration time occurs during the month of March in Nebraska. These birds spend the winter months in the southern United States and northern Mexico probably enjoying the sunshine, beaches and the margaritas I previously mentioned in my post. When  the season changes and it's time to migrate, they make their yearly trek to Canada, Alaska and even as far as Siberia. The migration pathway resembles an hourglass shape with the skinniest area being that stop-over spot on the Platte River in central Nebraska. As many as 650,000 birds pass through an area of 20-30 miles wide from Grand Island, NE to Kearney, NE.

Imagine watching thousands of Sandhill Cranes gather on the Platte River . It truly is amazing.

For more info  http://www.nebraskaflyway.com

Oh, I almost forgot...When out and about scouting for birds, my Mom and I happened upon this skunk. Get out your magnifying glass again! Look in center of the picture.

Have a great day!

Prairie Clover 

Who Cooks for You...Who cooks for You All...

Oh my! What was that racket the other morning at the crack of dawn??? It was the owls! It was the owls!

The Barred Owl is one of the most common species of owls in our area. They are medium sized, gray-brown streaked with white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. They are round-headed with a whitish/brown facial disk with dark brown trim. An unusual trait but quite endearing are their dark brown eyes. I am always a sucker for brown eyes. Hehe. The females are larger than the males.

http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Strix-varia-1.mp3

This is the time of year when the Barred Owls nest! They are among the first nesting birds of the year. Yes! Spring is on the way.  

Owls have so many cool adaptations that make them a totally unique bird.

• Owls can rotate their heads three-quarters of the way around!  They are unable to move their eyes from side to side but are fixed in the sockets. Those eyes are huge and capable of gathering a lot of light from the most dimmest sources. Most beneficial for their nocturnal habits.
• Owls are capable of "silent flight". The wings are large and have fringed edges so air passes through silently during flight. This makes the owls job much easier when hunting prey.  Sneaky birds.
• Owls are predators. They catch, kill and eat other animals in order to survive. If their prey is small enough they are able to swallow it whole otherwise they rip and tear it up with their powerful talons and beak and swallow it in chunks. The bird then digests the good stuff and expells the rest in the form of a pellet. A pellet is a kind of hairball. Most often there is a complete skeleton  inside. What a fun thing it is to dissect an owl pellet and try to ID the bones!
• Owls have the best hearing of all birds. Their ears are located on the sides of their heads and hidden by feathers. The shape of the face and location of ears enable the bird to pick up sound waves at incredible levels. They can detect a mouse or vole as it moves under the snow or in the leaves as it perches way up in a nearby tree. 

"And if anyone knows anything about anything, it's Owl who knows something about something..."