Category: Birds | Page 2 | Accent on Natural Landscaping

Minnesota Homeowners will Bee-Friendly Yards

March 19, 2020

Introduction

On 11/28/2019 I had a stroke. I have had a significant recovery, but I have a little more to do regarding to impairment of the Aphasia and Apraxia. I can understand everything, but it is difficult to talk, because I cannot put the right words together to be understood. (American Stroke Association)

Aphasia – Aphasia is impairment in the ability to use or comprehend words. It may cause difficulty:
• Understanding words.
• Finding the word to express a thought.
• Understanding grammatical sentences.
• Reading or writing words or sentences.

Apraxia – Apraxia of speech (verbal apraxia) is difficulty initiating and executing voluntary movement patterns necessary to produce speech when there is no paralysis or weakness of speech muscles. It may cause difficulty:
• Producing the desired speech sound.
• Using the correct rhythm and rate of speaking.

It is hard work to come back from this. But, I want to speak and start blogging. With my friends to rely on, I will begin to blog again at least once in awhile. I have a first blog complete and I will share it with you. When I have another one done, I will share it with you also. With friends, I can do it.

The Blog

Minnesota Homeowners will Bee-Friendly Yards

This will happen the bee habitat if fertilizers and pesticides allowed to be present. Slide from Wild Ones Wild for Monarchs PPT. Photo courtesy of Monika Maekle’s “Texas Butterfly Ranch” blog.

Reference my story in “Minnesota Homeowners will get paid to save Pollinators.” The State’s Board of Water and Soil Resources had 6,000 applicants for the first round of people who wanted to participate in the bee-friendly habitat program. They will pay up to $350 to plant pollinator gardens or to convert homeowners’ more traditional short-cut grass to promote a bee-friendly environment. Things are off to a very good start. (StarTribune)

Not mentioned in the StarTribune article is an anticipated concern of harming a bee-friendly habitat, through the use of fertilizers and pesticides starting in spring time and continuing through the fall. There would be a disastrous effect on the habitat for the pollinators, if there is continued use of fertilizer and pesticides. It is important to reinforce to homeowners to not use fertilizer or pesticides in their yards.

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ Visitors

November 1, 2019

Reference my earlier post about An Experiment with Non-Native Rudgeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ in which I stated that have only once seen birds picking at the seed offered by this non-native. Well, earlier this week I had a second sighting. A small flock of about 10-12 House Sparrows were frantically picking at the seedheads of the Goldsturm following our first big snowstorm of the season. I understand from my Wild Ones friend Janet Wissink, who is President of the Winnebago Audubon Society, that “snow will make the birds look a little higher for seed instead of just feeding on the ground.”

House Sparrows

House Sparrows are originally from the Middle East and and parts of North Africa, but along with the growth of agriculture, they have spread to Eurasia and North America. They are considered pests by many people, because they present some problems from being noisy to being messy. They also compete with our native birds for food, shelter and nesting sites. See What to do about house sparrows.

We can control some of the problems they present by controlling the habitat we provide, which in this case, appears to be non-native Rudbeckia.

So forgive me for misspeaking earlier. I’ll continue to keep watch to see if there any more visitors.

Hummingbird nectaring on Jewelweed

October 18, 2019

To lighten the doldrums from the cool, rainy days we’ve been experiencing, I thought I’d share this short video with you just to cheer your day. September 19, 2019 was (we thought) the last day we saw the hummingbird. He visited with us as we ate lunch. I took this video through the kitchen window as he was busily nectaring on the last of the Spotted Jewelweed. Another good reason to like this prolific plant — late summer blossoms.

But it wasn’t the last day! Every three or four days, we see a hummingbird again at our nectar feeder. The orioles are long gone, but we left the nectar feeder up for the bees and for hummingbirds, apparently, traveling south from Canada.

Nice Surprises from the Storms

September 16, 2019

During the week of September 6, 2019, we had some terrible storms again. Thankfully only 35 mph winds, so we didn’t lose any more trees. Instead we had some nice surprises. See below.

First we saw this delightful sight.

Following the storms which hit the Fox Valley, I was filming Northland Creek overflowing its storm sewer edges when a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) flew east along the creek and stopped behind our house. It seems the rushing water was carrying along fish from adjacent ponds. So the herons and the egrets would fly east along Northland Creek, where they stopped to wander back toward the west and catch unsuspecting fish.

Then next we saw this delightful sight.

Here a Great Egret (Ardea alba) walks along Northland Creek behind our house heading back to the best fishing spot, just east of the culvert under Conkey Street.

And, then finally we saw this extra delightful sight. (I was really testing my zoom lens to get this shot, so please forgive the grainy appearance.)

Here we see a Great Egret (Ardea alba) successfully fishing along Northland Creek, just east of the culvert crossing under Conkey Street.