FEATHERED FOOTNOTES FROM LITTLE ROCK LAKE

By Jim Hovda, Little Rock Lake Bird Watcher

Many of us enjoy watching birds and wildlife. This is my little quip on bird watching at the North shore of Little Rock Lake.

Here I was, sitting by the large picture window on a Sunday morning. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. It was cold. Below zero. The wind swirled snow making it look even colder. It was -3 degrees below zero. The birds were starting to wake up and their first order of business was to put some food in their cold tummies.

Mornings are busy times at our bird feeders. As such, I make sure that the nights snow, if there is any, is brushed off the tray feeders and locations that I place bird seeds on the ground. That in its self is a chore that requires a little dedication. This Sunday, it had snowed and I had to bundle up to accomplish this mission. Watching the different species congregate at the assorted feeders was enjoyable. I think of how cold they must be, roosting all night in whatever cover they can find. Food and water are survival. Pure and simple. And, I have the opportunity to make life a little easier for them. Life is tough enough for all the wildlife in the winter.

I observed the feeders for at least four hours over the course of the day. Bird watching is something Jan and I really enjoy. It is relaxing. Part of the time, I must admit, was done keeping an eye on our poor Viking Football Team that was in the process of losing their last game to the Detroit Lions.

Jan and I have placed our several feeders no further than thirty feet from our large picture window. We get close front row seats to the events that take place only a few feet away.

While observing the birds, I was tuned into naturalist Jim Gilbert who hosts a wonderful program dedicated to nature (Nature Notes, WCCO A.M. 830 on the dial at 7:15 A.M.) mostly bird observations. And, on occasion, other animals that listeners may call to report or have a question about. One of Jim’s comments made me think. I should list all the species of birds that I see in one day. Minnesota, especially here in Central Minnesota, has a wide variety of birds. Many parts of the country have a very limited variety of birds. Anyway, as the day progressed I counted no less than seventeen different kinds of birds. I’ve observed more species, but I would confine this to just one day. Many of these birds come in significant numbers. I need to comment about some that I don’t see often or are unusual.

C CARDINAL, Northern (Red) 6-8

C CHICKADEE, Black-capped - Lots

C CROW, American -3

C DOVE, Mourning - 3. I’ve had as many as ten some years.

C GOLDFINCH, American - Lots

C JAY, Blue - Lots, They think they are in charge of everything.

C JUNCO, Slate colored - Lots

C NUTHATCH, Red-breasted - 20 or so.

C NUTHATCH, White-breasted - 10 or so.

C REDPOLL, Common - Only a few. Some years or different times there are lots.

C SISKIN, Pine - About a dozen.

C SPARROW, House - Only a couple.

C THRASHER, Brown -1. This bird is confused. It should be in Georgia instead of braving the cold and snow. It feeds mostly on cracked corn, but will eat assorted seeds. On my Sunday’s observation, suet would be his food of choice. This bird was aggressive. Perched on top of a large chunk of suet, it refused any and all blue jays from feasting on any of the suet. Chickadees and small woodpeckers were OK. They could eat. The minute a blue jay tried to land on or near the suet, the thrasher was on the attack. This lasted for over an hour. With the blustery wind, the brown thrasher sure looked cold with its feathers ruffling.

C WOODPECKERS - Several from each of the species. Downy, Hairy, Pileated and Red-bellied were all there to be counted.

Not bad for a day filled with entertainment provided by nature. The viewing is there. One just has to take the time to observe it. How did this all happen? I’ll save it for another article.