Fall is on its way!

Summer was exceptionally cool this year, so I thought that the Monarch migration would be earlier than usual. But, the migration is either later than usual or much smaller than usual, because the Monarchs are just not here in large numbers yet. We have tagged a few Monarchs as they migrate to Mexico, but not many. Hopefully there are still plenty up in Minnesota and we will see many more come through in the coming weeks.

For more about the Monarch migration and Monarch tagging, visit the Monarch Watch web site at www.monarchwatch.org. And, feel free to post your Monarch observations, as well!

Summer has Arrived!

Well, summer is in full swing here! I had to temporarily take down our park's birdfeeders because they were getting raided by raccoons every night. I can keep squirrels off of them, but not the raccoons! I will put them back up again soon.

In June, we sponsored a bus trip to St. Paul, MN, to visit the St. Paul Farmers' Market and the Como Zoo and Conservatory. It went very well! The weather was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a very nice time. Now, we are planning another bus trip, this time to the Mississippi River in October, just in time to see the fantastic fall colors! We will visit the National Mississippi River Museum and take a river excursion to get a close-up look at the wildlife along the river. If you'd like more info on this trip, visit our web site: www.winnebagoccb.com.

This late summer time is a perfect time to observe the native prairie wildflowers, which are now in full bloom. Our road ditches are ablaze with the colors of Coneflowers, Black-Eyed Susans, Wild Bergamot, Blazing Stars, Compass Plants, and Milkweed. This last flower is very important because the Monarch butterflies are all over now, and they are busy laying eggs on the Milkweed plants. These eggs will eventually produce the butterflies that will begin migrating in a few weeks to their wintering grounds in central Mexico! It's hard to believe, but migration time is almost here, not only for the Monarchs, but also for many species of birds.

Keep your eyes to the skies!

An Exciting Discovery!

Things have really gotten busy here at the park! Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and bright yellow Goldfinches dominate the feeders! Baltimore Orioles have also arrived, as have Brown Thrashers, Eastern Kingbirds, and a wide variety of warblers. The coolest birds that we've seen so far this year, though, have been a pair of Sandhill Cranes that nested just down the hill from our office. A couple weeks after we discovered their nest, we also discovered two tiny chicks! Sandhill Cranes have only recently begun nesting again in Iowa after a century of extirpation. So, this new nest was pretty exciting!

First Spring Babies

Well, right on schedule, at least three broods of Canada Geese have been observed here at Thorpe Park over the last couple days. Most of the chicks are very small, so they just hatched out this week! I also observed an Indigo Bunting at one of the park's feeders about a week ago, although I haven't seen it since. I'm still awaiting the Grosbeaks, Orioles, and Hummingbirds; they can't be far behind! Surprisingly, we still have Red-Breasted Nuthatches visiting our feeders. These "winter" birds did nest here at the park a couple years ago, instead of returning to their northern breeding range. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll do the same this year!

Spring has Sprung!

Spring has definitely sprung! Last week, the Chorus Frogs began singing and, this week, the Paited Turtles have re-emerged and have been sunning themselves on the warm logs. With today's 70-degree weather, it's hard to believe that we were under a blizzard warning earlier this month. Such is life here in north Iowa!