Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
A Family Affair
Bon Bon Pond had company this
past Wednesday. Over 100 Canada Geese
stopped in for the day. What a
sight! And the sounds!
On Monday, as earlier
reported, two of my three nesting
families took flight. No doubt their
destination/mission was to visit the relatives and meet their new babies.
Two days later, every goose
in the greater Pine Point/May Township wetlands area was back at Bon Bon
Pond. I am constantly amazed and awed by
the social structure of the species Branta canadensis. Males and females mate for life and remain as
devoted to their offspring as they are to each other. But beyond that, the importance of extended
family is also evident. These birds are
all related and stay in close contact even though they live on different
waterways.
This summer’s family reunion
was a joy to observe. The goose gestures
and communications told me the flock was sharing its adventures over the past
few months. I swear, every goose had something
to declare!
The flock en masse was also
anxious to check out all the home improvement projects around the Pond and spent
a good share of their day leisurely strolling from the bank to the gazebo area,
across the driveway and into the front yard.
Geese! Geese! Everywhere!
The birds and turkeys
appeared flabbergasted at the sight of so many geese, as did the human
neighbors! Down by the water, traffic
slowed to a crawl.
After a full day of corn and
conversation, the individual families started to leave around 6:30 p.m. I
happened to be in my office glancing out the window when one flock took off
from the water. Somehow, a young gosling,
busy exploring around the gazebo, had gotten separated from his family. When he saw them in the air he panicked. The little fellow began running and flapping his
wings. He ran across the driveway and
thru the front yard. I held by breath as
he approached the retaining wall. It was
now or never! Trundling from side to
side he began liftoff just as he went over the embankment. Takeoff was more than a bit awkward—yikes he
nearly clipped the pasture fence and the backyard evergreens--but the youngster
finally found his rhythm and up, up, up he sailed. Yet another adventure to share at the next
family reunion.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Prayerful Friday
This summer has seen
horrendous heat and drought conditions across much of the continental US. We feel so blessed here in Minnesota to have received some
rain this month. In particular, the St. Croix River Valley has
received more precipitation than our neighbors to the north or west.
Unfortunately, other parts of the Midwest, plus the Plains States, known as the “breadbasket
of the nation,” have not been as fortunate. In fact, the mid-section areas have been hit the hardest as illustrated in the map above. Cattle are being auctioned off, crops have
burned, wells are drying up and drinking water is a concern. The misery of middle America, however, will soon be shared as food
prices soar.
It’s a terrible situation and this does not
even include the personal toll taken on
those in the hardest hit areas as they watch their beloved lawns, trees, shrubs,
flowers and plants all wither away in light of watering bans.
And what about the wildlife? I fear for their health and safety!
Please take a moment to
pray for blessed relief for our neighbors and friends, as well as the region’s
flora and fauna, who are suffering. Let’s
make this one of the largest prayer circles ever. Here, take my hand, and say with me . . .
Dear Heavenly Father,
You said whatsoever any two or more come together and agree and ask in Your Son's name, it shall be given. We come to You, humbly, and ask that You bring down the rain to our parched lands. Our farmers and ranchers need it desperately, as well as our firefighters.
And please, God, watch over the animals!
We ask this all in Jesus' name.
Amen
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
A Wing and a Prayer
Hmmmm. Two of my three resident geese families took
off on Monday morning, July 22nd.
I was outside and witnessed the always awe-inspiring moment when they gracefully lift from the water. It was a rare and
wonderful privilege to watch this season’s goslings test their new feathers and
fly for the first time. We earthbound
humans can only wonder what it must feel like to defy the laws of
gravity and soar upwards into the heavens.
Such freedom!
The information above comes
from a website called wildgoosechasers. The
folks that write here consider Canada Geese "pests" yet also claim to be
knowledgeable about the birds’ behaviors.
Self-proclaimed “animal experts” always make me smile--particularly the heartless ones who view wildlife as something
to be controlled and punished. The more
time I spend observing the animal kingdom the more respect and reverence I gain
for God’s creatures. They are wonderful
and wise and mysterious in their ways.
The attempt by humans to simplistically interpret, categorize and explain away their
behaviors invariably falls short.
I applaud my geese for taking
wing on their OWN schedule. Godspeed my
feathered friends. Come home soon.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Livin' the good life!
Thanks to the summer’s heat and drought, I’ve let the grass grow
long around Bon Bon Pond, much to the delight of the resident geese and turkeys,
as well as Buddy the woodchuck.
Both flocks have left the corn to graze on the sweet and nutritious trefoil which seems oblivious to the harsh conditions. I’ve been amazed to observe my Canada Geese traveling relatively far from the water—and during molting season—to enjoy this hardy fodder plant.
This tells me my geese feel very safe here. Any way you look at it, my wildlife are “in the clover!”
Maestro, cue the music!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Get Well Prayers
For the past few days, I’ve
been tracking an ill goldfinch. I am so
worried about this beautiful boy. It’s
puzzling what’s wrong as he’s not “puffing up” as most birds do when they are
sick. He can fly but seems quite weak as
his flights are jerky and low to the ground.
I wish I knew what to do for him?
He flies to his food but just perches and does not eat. He’s been living in the potentilla thicket
which is wise as it provides cover and is close to food and fresh water.
Please join me in sending out
prayers for this little guy’s full and speedy recovery.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Morning Dance
On account of marauding raccoons,
I bring all the bird feeders in at night.
Normally, I don’t get back outside till around 9:00 a.m. Before heading out the door, I glance out the
window, and, sure as shootin’, there are my birdies parked on the feeder poles,
watching the garage door. Food is dispensed by size, starting with the hummingbirds and ending with the geese. Most of the wildlife is accepting of the system, with the exception of my darling yet demanding Downy Woodpeckers. While it’s not unusual for the dainty Downies to chase me on my rounds, chastising “Hurry Up!” in birdese, they took their antics to a new and hilarious level this a.m.
I have two garages—one of
which is unattached from the house. I store the feeders here at night. When I walked out of the attached garage this
morning I was met by a flock of Downies who proceeded to “escort” me to the
second garage. When I opened the door,
three flew in, found their favorite feeders and took care of business. Two others decided that I might move faster
if they hitched a ride in my head.
Another little female perched on my hand. Ouch!
If you’ve ever had bird claws sink into your skin you know it’s not
pleasant. Yet I smiled thru the pain, my
heart deeply touched. It’s rewarding to
realize I have earned my avians’ trust.
I couldn’t imagine a morning without the Downy dance! Maestro, cue the music . . .
I couldn’t imagine a morning without the Downy dance! Maestro, cue the music . . .
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Landscaping Updates
A statuesque green spruce
surrounded by a lovely little raised rock garden and ringed with hostas. The area should look quite nice next year
when the plants come up green and bushy.
This summer’s oppressive heat and accompanying drought have been hard on
these transplanted perennials.
Monday, July 16, 2012
LaBonBon's Surefire Tip to Beat the Heat
There’s a heat advisory out
today for most of Minnesota as temps soar to 100 degrees. It’s too hot to work outside. It’s too darn hot to do much of
anything. In fact, just looking outside
makes me hot. Think it’s time to chill out
with my lifelong fave, Mr. Boz Scaggs, still the coolest dude on planet Earth.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Fun with Power Tools
Just like Elaine Bennes, Bart
Simpson, Conan O'Brien and about a billion others, I've always wanted to say
that!
Actually, the Dingo—sort of a
miniature bobcat with a plethora of cool and useful attachments-- has been a
regular visitor to Bon Bon Pond of late.
We used him last week to dig around 200 hosta holes and today he
delivered some beautiful landscape boulders as well as removed a section of
fencing. When it comes to hard work, you
just can’t beat this bad boy! A heavy
hauler with a heart, the dandy Dingo gave
“my buybee” a thrill-filled ride around the rocks then delivered her safely
back home.
Special thanks to Bon Bon
Pond’s best friend, Jeff, and his trusty Suburban for their invaluable help
with the 2012 Improvement Project, and to the wonderful Steve Wagner from A-1 Minnetonka Rental for the use of their Dingo, trailers and other fun power tools. Friday, July 13, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Bon Bon Pond Mystery
Yesterday afternoon I was sitting
on my bench, enjoying the fountain and the front yard bird activity when I was
startled by a most unexpected sight.
Peanut, my beloved Red-breasted Nuthatch, had returned to Bon Bon
Pond! I blinked, and blinked again, and
sure as shootin’ there was my unmistakable ball of energy perched on the rim of
the bird bath! While Peanut’s homecoming is always a time of
great joy, I am left puzzled and a bit
concerned by his way early and off-schedule return.
This “Bird of the Boundary
Waters” traditionally spends his summers
in the soft conifer trees of northern Minnesota raising its young and moves
southward in the state during cold weather months.
Since beginning my Adventures in Birding, I have carefully
tracked Red-breasted Nuthatch migrations and have usually found them to be off
by only a matter of a couple weeks. For
instance, in 2010 he left Bon Bon Pond on June 2nd and returned the
first week of September. In 2011 he also
left the first week of June and returned the third week of August. This year his last sighting was May 17th
with a reappearance on July 11th which means his summer migration
lasted exactly eight weeks! Eggs of the
Red-breasted Nuthatch have an 11-12 day incubation period, followed by a 14-20
day fledging, so the numbers tell me the birds had time to nest and raise their
young but they sure didn’t stay a moment longer than necessary.
On its own, Red-breasted
Nuthatch migration might seem anecdotal, but last week I was stunned to find a
Pine Siskin at the hearts feeder. This
is another bird of northern Minnesota which moves southward in cold weather.
What in the world are my winter residents
doing in south central Minnesota the second week of July?
This is all strange. Very strange.
Donning my deerstalker cap, I have channeled my inner Sherlock Homes and
attempted to explain this mystery. Here are
my theories:
- The jet streams are changing and with them the weather patterns for the Midwest. Minnesota is becoming hotter and dryer in the summer with much milder winters. These meteorological changes are affecting the migration schedules of area birds.
- Migrating birds have become accustomed to the easy and plentiful supply of their favorite foods at Bon Bon Pond and are thus in a hurry to return with their young.
- My birds just love me! :-)
I will continue to keep a
close eye on the feeders and monitor comings and goings. Stay tuned for further updates . . .
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