North Iowa Nature Notes

Fall is on its way!

2009-09-15T15:39:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-08-04T15:54:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-05-15T14:57:00.007-05:00

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

2009-05-01T11:49:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-04-16T15:44:00.006-05:00

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!

More Signs of Spring

2009-04-03T15:53:00.006-05:00

Well, there are a few new birds to report here at the park, including an Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebirds, a Belted Kingfisher, numerous Red-winged Blackbirds, and a Brown Creeper. We have also been hearing Sandhill Cranes around the marsh, but have yet to see them. The lake and marsh have been completely free of ice now for a couple of weeks, and the open water has really facilitated the movement of birds around here!

Another sure sign of spring is that we have begun our prescribed prairie burns. These burns are conducted each spring to kill off any tree seedlings sprouting in the prairies, set back non-native vegetation, and promote better growth of the native vegetation by releasing natural nutrients back into the soil. Early spring is the perfect time to do this, and the burning has now begun!

We are expecting up to a foot of snow over the weekend so it may look like winter again around here for a few days. But, there is no denying that spring is here...So, I invite everyone to come check out Thorpe Park, or any other park or wildlife area that may be nearby, to see the what's happening!

The Spring Migration is Here!

2009-03-10T10:47:00.008-05:00

Boy, things are changing fast around here now! I haven't written in a while, but the weather over the last couple of weeks has really warmed up. As a result, there is more and more open water every day and that is attracting many geese, ducks, and eagles back to our area. It sure looks nice to see them return! Of course, we're expecting freezing rain, sleet, and snow later today, so winter is not giving up just yet! But, seeing the birds returning in such large numbers is a very welcome reminder that spring is on its way.

I would encourage everyone, no matter where you live, to get out and enjoy the arrival of spring. You might want to just take a short drive in the country to see which birds have found their way back. Or you could spend a few minutes outside in your yard listening for any birds that may be singing their spring songs. Believe me, after our long winter, it feels good to get outdoors!

Finally...A Redpoll

2009-02-20T14:15:00.005-06:00

Boy, what a beautiful sunrise it was this morning! But, it seems as if the "Red sky in the morning..." adage might hold true, since we are expecting several inches of snow and a lot of wind later. It will once again look like winter around here, at least for a while. But, we expect that around here...Last year, we still had ice on our lakes well into April!

Not much new to report on the bird front, except that I finally did see a Redpoll at one of our park bird feeders earlier this week! So, the irruption of winter finches from the north continues. I also have been seeing some Tree Sparrows and a lot of Juncos, so the winter birds are still hanging around. But, every now and then, I do hear a Cardinal singing, so Spring can't be too far away!

Spring Teaser

2009-02-12T15:25:00.006-06:00

After temps around 50 earlier this week, we have returned to more seasonal temps in the 30's. Nonetheless, the warmer weather did melt much of our snow, so it is at least looking a little more spring-like around here!

But, some water has been opening up and, with it, the number of eagle observations is increasing. Bald Eagles tend to head north as the lakes and rivers open up so they can find fish to eat. But, the melting snow also exposes animal carcasses that have been buried all winter, and the eagles feast on those, as well! Mmmm! Waterfowl are also moving north now that things are opening up, and the eagles follow those flocks, as well, ready to pick off any sick or injured birds that they may spot! So, take a short drive and find some open water; look around carefully and you may just see a Bald Eagle or two!

Another Sign of Spring

2009-02-05T11:56:00.005-06:00

I just went out to chip the ice off our "heated" bird bath, and I heard the unmistakable Spring "what cheer" song of one of our local Cardinals! When I hear that, at least to me, Spring is unofficially here! To learn more about Cardinals and hear their Spring song, visit eNature.com.

Winter Birds

2009-02-04T15:35:00.003-06:00

Our bird feeders here at Thorpe Park have been very busy this winter. Unfortunately, we haven't had any unusual birds, like we did several winters ago when we were surprised by a pair of Red Crossbills! But, much of Iowa has enjoyed a wonderfully large number of Redpolls this year and, although we haven't seen any yet here at the park, we did see some at our house.

As I said, our park feeders have been quite busy. We have seen many Blue Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, Goldfinches, White and Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Tree Sparrows, and Juncos, along with an occasional Hairy Woodpecker, Purple Finch, and Red-Bellied Woodpecker. We've also seen a few Cedar Waxwings feeding on frozen crabapples in the tree in front of our office. And, I heard the first sound of Spring the other day--a Chickadee singing its mating song! It's amazing that they know Spring is on its way when the temps are barely above zero!

Welcome!

2009-01-29T13:59:00.007-06:00

Welcome to my blog! I decided to create this blog so I can share with everyone the wonderful outdoors here in north Iowa. Many people don't think of Iowa as being very scenic, or having much more to offer than corn and hogs; but I hope to dispel that myth! For instance, just this morning, there was a deer lying under a tree at the entrance to our park and, a short ways up the road, just across from our office, there were two turkeys hanging out under some evergreens. And it wasn't even 8:00 AM yet!

So, I hope to keep you posted on what I'm seeing here at our office at Thorpe Park, as well as throughout north Iowa. One nice thing about Iowa is that we have a wonderful variety of seasons, so I also hope to chronicle those changing seasons throughout the year. And, please feel free to comment on what outdoor observations you're making where you are, as well!