Ripples by Nancy Nabak, communication coordinator
The air was black, chilled to a nice 41 degrees, and silent. So incredibly silent. But my friend and I were grateful to be one with nature while participating in the annual Christmas Bird Count.
We were looking and listening for owls in a semi-rural area.
The evening was still, but more than that. You know that type of still where the silence is almost deafening? It was that still. But we were also gifted the cusp of a full moon – so bright that everything was perfectly visible before us.
We marveled at its power, its ability to freeze us in place, leaving us staring into the night sky and pondering… Our special moon was a Cold Moon. A Cold Moon only happens every 18.6 years – when it reaches the extremes of its orbit around the earth. The moon rises and sets at its most northerly and southerly positions on the horizon. (Thank you, Dr. Hensley, UW-Platteville!)
This majestic orb also had a glowing halo. The halo you sometimes see is an optical illusion caused by the refraction of moonlight through ice crystals in the clouds.
It was a silent night. The wish of an owl was unheard, yet it was a holy night.
The next morning, we walked through the stills of a frosted forest and prairie. We counted American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed juncos, a few types of woodpeckers – the usual birds found here in winter. Two Red-tailed hawks were screeching at each other – one landing near the other in a tree. During courtship, it’s common that these two will call-back with each other, so there’s a good chance that we discovered a “couple.”
What we stumbled upon next was completely unexpected. We found 4 or 5 holes in the ground about the size of a baseball and some a bit bigger. The site was stunning, as it had brilliant crystals surrounding the perimeter of the holes. My buddy said, “Oh, I know what that is. A little critter in there caused this with his breath.”
There was a pond not too far away from these holes, so we did some research to figure out what it could be. The best guess we have is a mink. Mink can have dens up to 12 feet long with multiple exits. They also like to be near ponds and shorelines for fishing. Regardless of what animal caused this frozen phenomenon, it was pure art.
During this season of magic, go out where you haven’t in some time. Mark your calendar for the next full moon and really witness it. Use the birds as an excuse but take in the awe from the heavens to the earth.
photo – Nancy Nabak
By Sue Crowley, executive director
“Deck the hall with boughs of holly… Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! “
American Holly and European or English Holly have such beautiful and rich green colors with the bright red berries to add holiday flair. Hollies are scientifically found in the genus, Ilex, with American Holly named Ilex opaca and English Holly dubbed Ilex aquifolium. These plants are broadleaf evergreens with white flowers that have green centers. As the flowers mature in the growing season they give way to the iconic red berries. The evergreen leaves are replaced roughly every three years. Holly plants are either male or female (dioecious =having two houses) and the male pollen needs to fertilize the female plants where the berries are produced. And guess what, the berries are technically not berries but drupes. A berry is defined as a fleshy, simple fruit without a stone or a core. A drupe is defined as a fleshy simple fruit with a central stone containing the seed. Other examples of drupes are cherries and peaches. I won’t go any further on the drupe and berry explanations because then that leads us into discussions such as… did you know that bananas are berries.
The cultural histories of these two plants are quite interesting. They were used in winter celebrations, and Druids brought branches into their homes to protect against winter maladies. Holly has also been used as a protector against evil. And while it is completely acceptable to prune branches from these trees and shrubs, much like Hawthorne trees, cutting the whole tree down may bring bad luck! It was only much later that Christians morphed the tales of holly and used them in the holiday season.
Of note, however, the American Holly’s range is primarily in southeastern United States, with some areas found on the northeast coasts. The English Holly is now grown commercially in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Wisconsin is the home to Ilex verticillium better known as Winterberry. This plant is not an evergreen broadleaf, as the plants noted above are. So, it does not get the holiday attention that the other hollies do. However, it does produce wonderful red berries-yes technically drupes, that provide lovely winter color, as well as forage for many birds. It also has male and female plants. The plants must be 3 to 5 years old before we can determine the sex of an individual plant. The one- and one-half inch to four-inch-long leaves are deciduous and not thick, leathery or spiney as the favored Holiday Hollies. The fruits are poisonous to humans, but the drupes are eaten by Cedar Waxwings, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers and White Throated Sparrows, to name just a few. The berries tend to soften up as the winter season progresses.
Winterberry shrubs grow from 5 to 15 feet tall. The dense branches grow in a zig-zag pattern. They populate wet or boggy areas and can tolerate a fair bit of shade. They are found in the Woodland Dunes’ swales and ridges complex.
So, as you celebrate the season, be mindful of the beautiful hollies that may be protecting you from some evil and bad vibes or perhaps feeding the hungry birds!
Oh yeah and Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
By Jessica Johnsrud, education coordinator
A few weeks ago, I was walking outside just after dusk when I heard a loud series of hoots. It was the stereotypical owl song heard in the movies – the call of the Great Horned Owl. I stopped to listen, and the next time the owl sang, a second chimed in. I could tell the owls were sitting near each other and were likely a pair.
Great Horned Owls are the earliest nesting birds in Wisconsin, so it isn’t unusual to hear them this time of year. In late fall and early winter, a pair will sit perched together near the top of a tall tree, building, or even an antenna. The male’s song is deeper than the female’s, but she is the larger of the two. This is true for most hawks, owls, and eagles.
The owls I heard were perched near the top of an evergreen tree. I listened to them hoot, one immediately after the other. After a few rounds, I then heard a third Great Horned Owl. This individual was only a few blocks away and hooted a few seconds after the pair. I wonder if this was another potential suitor? The third owl only sang a few times and then stopped, perhaps moving on.
In previous winters, I have also heard and even spotted a Screech Owl in the neighborhood. It was sitting on a low branch singing its whiny trill that reminds me of a horse’s neigh. The Screech Owl is significantly smaller than the Great Horned Owl and eats worms, large insects, mice, and larger prey like squirrels and rabbits. It’s interesting that both owl species co-exist in the same area, given that Great Horned Owls will eat Screech Owls. The neighborhood does have plenty of rabbits, squirrels, and mice, so I imagine that helps keep the peace.
Both of these owl species have similar tactics for attracting a mate. The males may offer the females a gift of food, and courtship rituals also involve dancing like tail bobbing, bowing, and head jerking. The pair may also preen (groom) each other and rub their beaks together.
Listening for owls is one bright spot in the darker days of winter. With the sun setting well before 5:00pm, it’s easy to take a short walk outside after work. Bundle up and keep your ears open.
Photo: Great Horned Owl by Jessica Johnsrud
By Kennedy Zittel, naturalist
It’s that time of year again when the spotlight is on those once “extinct,” gobbling, snood-covered birds. Wait – what?
Wild turkeys. It was only recently that we could even see wild turkeys here. The species went extinct in Wisconsin in the late 1800s due to overhunting and habitat loss. In 1976, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) traded with the state of Missouri. In exchange for ruffed grouse, they gave us 29 wild turkeys that were released into Vernon County. Now, you can find them in all 72 counties. But how would you know if one was around?
(What noise does a turkey’s phone make? Wing wing wing!)
They may not use phones, but turkeys make a variety of calls. We all know the famous gobble gobble, but turkeys can make 28 different sounds including purrs, clucks, cackles, and yelps. They are noisy birds, not only do they make a variety of sounds, but they are also noisy fliers!
(Can a turkey jump higher than the Nature Center? Of course, buildings can’t jump.)
Though turkeys prefer to spend most of their time on the ground, they can fly. Unlike domestic turkeys, wild turkeys can fly for short distances, reaching speeds up to 55 mph! Since they can’t see well at night, they spend the night perched in trees to stay safe from predators.
Other signs that turkeys are around are tracks. They have big tracks, 4-5” long. You can also tell by their scat (poop) who was around. Males leave J-shaped scat while females leave spiral-shaped scat.
Common monikers for turkeys are: males (Toms), females (Hens), juvenile males (Jakes), juvenile females (Jennys), and babies (Poults) – whew! To add to the fun words, they have some uniquely named features too:
Snood: A flap of skin that hangs over a male’s beak
Caruncle: Loose and bumpy skin on a turkey’s head that helps attract a mate
Beard: A tuft of bristly feathers found on the chest of male (and 20% of female) turkey
Wattle: A flap of loose skin that hangs under a turkey’s chin
(What is a turkey’s favorite food? Peach gobbler!)
Though that isn’t what they eat, they probably wouldn’t mind it. They are opportunistic foragers, meaning they will adapt their diet to what food is available. Eating seeds, nuts, berries, grains, grass, roots, invertebrates, small amphibians and reptiles, and even small mammals. This allows them to live in a variety of different environments.
We see turkeys all over the preserve here at Woodland Dunes. We find their tracks, feathers, and scat on our trails. We hear their noisy calls echoing through the woods and prairies, and they are one of the most common animals we see on our trail cameras. Though many people focus on them this week, we enjoy turkeys all year!
photo: turkey caught on Woodland Dunes’ trail camera
By Max Kornetzke, habitat manager
Only recently have I really started to appreciate the beauty our winters have to offer. I used to view it as an uncomfortable nuisance and waited anxiously for greenery that was months away. Getting out of the house to walk somewhere natural and slow down to observe the details around me has transformed my relationship with winter.
I used to see winter as drab and gray but now I see mosses and lichens brightly contrasting the fallen leaves. I see giant white pine poking out the top of the woods and the subtle shift in color of conifer needles. I see last season’s songbird nests through bare branches of the shrub thicket and frosted bunchgrasses glistening in the meadow opening. I see radiating patterns on the icy surfaces of swales and buds of next year’s leaves and flowers already formed on the tips of the branches. And when the snow flies, I see the way it decorates the branches and textured bark of the yellow birch tree.
Photo of Yellow Birch from Woodland Dunes archives