Sunday Blues: Gone Crazy

Nathan Michaud is now also on Amazon Music

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Common Yellowthroats

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
1

Common Yellowthroat warblers are common and even though their numbers have declined, it seems not to be a cause for concern. I would call it concerning, though. They eat insects. They don't really hunt, but seem to wait for a bug to fly by and then catch it. But they will fly after one now and then. They must go through a lot of bugs to feed their babies!

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
2

I have no particular reason for highlighting this bird, except that I ran across one of the photos yesterday and decided to collect them all into one spot. I'm very proud of some of the shots, chuckle at others, and have wonderful memories of them all. I used to get up with the sun and go out with the cats for a bird walk. The cats upset the birds so that they showed themselves and were easy to photograph with a long lens and big camera. The cats never got a bird; they returned to the house with me. But they sure had great walks.

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
3

I'm not a birder, so I can't say with certainty, but the birds with white caps I assume are male. The "duller" birds I think are female. There may be juveniles here. There are 17 races of yellowthroats in North America, I read. That is a lot of variation. You may think identifying insects is tough. I think identifying birds is near impossible. I am in total awe of you who know what you are looking at!

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
4.1

All photos are confirmed identifications at iNaturalist.

I would never entrust myself with a bird ID unless it is a robin.

4.2

4.3

Juvenile?
5.1

Same juvenile (?)
5.2

And the same juvenile (?)
5.3

I also read that the adults do not fly directly to the nest to feed the babies. They drop the bugs and walk to the nest so that predators do not find it.

I feel better now with posting this. It snowed all day yesterday and will snow all day today. I have about a foot of snow now. Power is on and off intermittently because the snow is very wet and heavy. Only plows are driving by, so it is feeling lonely right about now. Seeing all of the colors of summer with these birds is very therapeutic.

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Saturday's Critters at
Viewing Nature with Eileen

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Review: Never Home Alone

Never Home Alone: by Rob Dunn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an awesome book! It is about the life that is either invisible or nearly invisible in our homes. Most of the unseen creatures in our homes and on our bodies are benign. Some are dangerous, but not many.

Breadmakers have the most unusual microbiomes on their hands than other humans on earth (I would like to think of myself as one of those people). I don't bake with sourdough because it requires too much care and fuss (so I'm probably not one of those people). But I may try again because of this book. Even with the same recipe and the same ingredients for a starter, each baker's starter will flavor their bread differently because of yeasts, bacteria, and other items on the baker and in their environment. That is just amazing.

Cats and dogs increase, in a positive way, the biodiversity in our homes. Spiders are so important to controlling flies that may carry diseases that many areas on earth have spider homes that are transported from place to place to control the flies. Spiders only eat arthropods, not people. Dunn talked about the MRSA / spider bite problem that doctors have, that I have blogged about before.

The book clarified a lot of science for me. It can be quite technical but Dunn helps the reader through tough sections with repetition (which helps retention). I will be looking into more of Dunn's fascinating books soon.

In the meantime, he reacquainted me with Sue Hubbell, author of Broadsides from the Other Orders. I own the audiobook but had forgotten it. Now, it's next in my queue. I want to find drain flies in my house (he speaks of them frequently and we all have them). I want to raise cave crickets as an Internet friend on Martha's Vineyard has done; as Sue Hubbell has done. And I want to overcome farsighted ecologist syndrome, which means that we often don't see what is right in front of us (like drain flies). This book has inspired me in so many ways.

"The species in our homes is a measure of our lives."

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Skywatch Friday: An Accidental Capture

Bohemian waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus)

 

We have a large flock of Bohemian waxwings at school (conservation rating: uncommon). We enjoy watching them; they are bright, lively, and raucous. This week we had one day of perfect blue skies, so I sat in the car under them, freezing, and zoomed in close for shots. The shots actually were not any better than on the awful overcast days I shot them … except for one serendipitous capture.

Of all the shots, this one was clear.

From Audubon:

During summer in Alaska and western Canada, scattered Bohemian Waxwings may be seen perching on spruce tops and flying out to catch insects in mid-air. In winter these same birds become sociable nomads, with large flocks wandering the northwest in search of berries. Sometimes they stray as far east as New England, but in most areas their numbers are quite variable from year to year (the name 'Bohemian' reflects their unconventional and seemingly carefree lifestyle). However, in some cities in the prairie provinces of Canada, Bohemians can be found by the thousands every winter, no doubt lured by the plantings of mountain-ash and other fruiting trees.

I'm in northern New England.

By the way: it's a snow day today! Huge snow here!

Skywatch Friday

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Review: Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies

Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies by Rossi Anastopoulo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Despite the casualness of the writing, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was hard-hitting, especially in the chapters about sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and bean pie. It was often funny, as in the Jell-O pie chapter. Apple pie provided the overarching theme for this book that tells each pie's history based on the time in society in which it was created. As a white Anglo-Saxon protestant born and raised in New England and raised with families descended from the Mayflower, I revere apple pie; not only for it's culinary artistry but because of the depth of its hold on our lives and traditions.

My pumpkin and apple pies (apple way in the back)
My own crust

That reverence is now less than it was, but I doubt I will ever shake it completely. Even though I basically knew all there was about apple pie and probably knew that it did not deserve such reverence, I ignored the knowledge until it bludgeoned me over the head in this book. And pumpkin pie? My personal favorite? I will never be able to appreciate it as much as I have in the past. I will bake the original sweet potato pie recipe of the enslaved people. I may even bake a bean pie. I have made chiffon pies and sugar pies already but probably will not ever do so again.

My blueberry pie with berries we picked.
Frozen store crust.

Each year in school we make no-bake pies (Jell-O pies) for Pi Day. I thank the white patriarchy for creating these pies (but not for much else). They make Pi Day more fun and much easier and give the kids a chance to "bake" when they have never cooked before. So yes, I am contributing to mass consumerism in this country, just like the patriarchs from the fifties wanted me to do.

I had two disappointments when reading: Anastopoulo never mentioned Pi Day or gave us the low-down on Johnny Appleseed. 

Strawberry Chiffon Pie
KAF recipe
Every inch of it from scratch

This is an important look at the social history of pie in our culture in the US. If you bake, read it.

Chocolate Cream Pie
KAF recipe
Every inch from scratch on a snow day

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ABA Bird of the Year

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
female

I learned on Twitter that the American Birding Association designates a species of bird each year as the bird of the year. And that is why I enjoyed so many cuteness overloads of burrowing owl photographs—the 2022 Bird of the Year. (Off topic: burrowing owls were the main character in Hoot by Carl Hiaasen; not such a great book but a great movie to show in class and demonstrate in a derivative sort of way the power of kids working for right and not for wrong.)

The Bird of the Year for 2023 will be the Belted Kingfisher. This is very familiar to me. I live right on a state-mapped wetlands so I often watch them fishing and hear their calls. But photographs? Well, those are hard, even with my big camera and big lens. I did get a photo in the Victory Bog Wildlife Management Area in Vermont (the top photo). It was the same place and same hike that I captured the myrtle warbler posted yesterday.  

This bird demonstrates sexual dimorphism but in reverse. We usually think that the flashy colored birds are male. But not this time! I learned only today that the female kingfisher is more brightly colored than the male. The male has a white breast. 

There have not been as many kingfishers here the past couple of years. Why? Not enough water because not enough beaver. The circle always comes back to those beaver.

But I remember their aggressive behaviors, their calls that sounded like rattlesnakes to me (who has never heard a rattlesnake in person), and their poor etiquette: they catch fish and beat the fish's head on trees until it is dead! It's a horror show broadcast live in your window.

Kingfishers are all over North America, so we all can see them if we try. Just go to rivers and lakes that have fish. Don't forget your camera! The  map says they should be where I live year-round and are breeding here. For more information, see All About Birds at Cornell. 

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December Almanac

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Winter

Marcescense

I so regret things I have overlooked in the woods. One huge regret is overlooking my beech trees. There are so many out there and I love how they don't drop their golden leaves in the winter. A perfect winter day is being in the woods during a snowfall and hearing the beech leaves rustle in the cold wind. 

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Summer

Beech trees are an important part of December's field guide from VTEcostudies. The trees are more easily identified in the winter than the summer because of the leaves. And I found there is a name for not dropping leaves: marcescense, which means not dropping their leaves in the winter. Besides beech trees, red oak trees do this, also.

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Summer

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Seeds

VTEcostudies did not explore the beech trees' problems. In New England, they seldom become tall any longer because of beech bark disease (BBD). It came from Europe to Nova Scotia and into New England in the 1920s. I always search for any large beech trees every winter. I have not found any. 

This photo of mine may be BBD on one of my trees. It has not been confirmed.

Perhaps beech scale

But there are two wonderful things that are associated with beech trees: beech drops and beech rooter. Beech drops are really special. I have them here but cannot find my photos! They are very small parasitic plants that grow on beech roots. They do not harm it. It's a joy to find.

Beech drops by Katja Schulz
Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC
© CC by 4.0

The other is beech rooter. How it came by that name is not known to me, except that it grows near hardwoods. If you're into fungi, more information is here. The name itself simply reminds me of beech trees, so it is another happy sight.

Beech Rooter (Oudemansiella furfuracea)

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Mourning Cloak Butterflies

These gorgeous butterflies are the first and last butterflies of each season. They tolerate cold well and overwinter as adults hiding in outbuildings and crevasses. They can survive temperatures of -20°F (-29°C) because of diapause (they become dormant and produce more sugars in their body, which acts like antifreeze). 

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

But they are very flighty, making photographing them difficult and perhaps requiring following them about. The photo above with open wings was when one was warming itself in the sun. But you can imagine the happy feelings one gets when one sees these after a long dreadful winter here.

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

The caterpillars are just as beautiful and are a hoot. They are extremely gregarious (they hang out with each other) and can skeletonize brush overnight. But that's fine. It's what happens out there. Above, they ate up a nightshade plant. Then one day they all completely disappeared. I never saw a pupa at all. I never found them until they became butterflies.

Pure Green Sweat Bee (Augochlora pura)

Pure Green Sweat Bees

I've always known these solitary bees nest in wood. But I thought it was in trees or bee houses. Wrong. They also overwinter in firewood! I think of all the wood we burned over the years. How many bees did we destroy? The only pure green sweat bees that are alive in winter are the fertilized females. Aarrgghh. They "both nest and overwinter within cracks, beetle holes, and other openings of stumps, snags, and fallen logs." (VTEcostudies Field Guide to December)  Below is a photo of two in Jody's chestnut tree stump.

Pure Green Sweat Bees (Augochlora pura)

Yellow-rumped Warblers

These pretty warblers are migratory but I guess some hang around. I found mine in late summer in Victory, Vermont and here at home. Mine are Myrtle warblers, a subspecies of the yellow-rumped warblers. 

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
Victory Bog

They don't have to eat  insects, which allows them to stay for the winter and are counted often in the Christmas survey. (Why would they want to stay?) I knew nothing about them until today when I had to do a lot of reading for this post. Sometimes I just shoot photos and let the knowledge lie still. More information on these birds can be found with our state biologist Bryan Pfeiffer's blog or at All About Birds.

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
at home in Barton

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
at home in Barton

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
at home in Barton

I skipped an entire section on mosses for this almanac. I have neglected mosses for too long. After reading Gathering Moss, I feel a need to observe the details that I read. 

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Bon Appétit

iPhone dropped this yesterday. It's over three years of shots. Some were failures, but I gotta say I have impressed myself.  😮

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And Now the Beavers

My best shot after he left my house.

I closed my now working garage doors this morning, pulled about to head out down the drive, and saw the beaver hauling a tree across the driveway. By the time I pulled out the phone and got the shot, he was across the road on his way home to the bog. A car stopped for him, thankfully, and we waved good morning to each other when the beaver was safe. 

See the forest behind the bog?
Is that too far for a beaver to walk??

I love beaver really. But they clearcut areas of my trees. One year an entire hillside was cut. I worried about erosion until I realized that all the roots were still in the ground holding the soil in place. And now I have to worry about their well-being as they cross the road. 

They had left the bog for a few years. John and I couldn't decide if they left because their population was too large for the bog or if they had cut all available and appropriate brush. Come to find out, they never truly left. There were just so few (possibly only one) that their activity was nearly invisible. There are two lodges over there at the moment. You just can't tell if they are active. The only swimmers I see have been otter, also. Not beaver.

He's taking willow.

It will be lots of fun if there are enough beaver to follow next season (or even follow this winter with this mild weather). There will be more water for the red-winged blackbirds and moose. The otters will be abundant and the geese will be safer while nesting. There will be squabbles between beaver and otter, otter and geese, and the blackbirds will argue with everybody. The herons will stay away until the blackbirds leave in early August. I'll be able to see fish jumping out of the water as they snatch bugs out of the air. The osprey and peregrine falcons will be hunting, as will fox and coyote. Bears will be in the bog enjoying the water and the drowning trees. The plant life in the bog will host more wonderful and diverse insects and the snapping turtles will return to dig nests on my land. 

None of that is possible without the beaver.

Here are my past posts about our beaver here and in New Hampshire.

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Wordless Wednesday: Betsy Faces

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Wordless Wednesday at
Comedy Plus

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