NATURE Notes
Every month there will be a new note about what to look for in the natural world during that month.
April - Spring critters
Julie holding a juvenile Barred Owl that fell out of its nest.
Orphaned Baby Animals
With spring comes baby critters. An orphan is defined when the critter’s parents are no longer present to feed and protect it. Before rescuing an animal make sure, it really needs help. Please remember that a young animal’s best chance for survival is to be raised by its natural mother. It is very important to make sure that every effort is made to try to return the young to its mother. If you have witnessed the death of its mother, it is obviously an orphan. However, a dead squirrel or rabbit in the street does not necessarily mean the squirrel or rabbit nest in your yard belongs to the dead critter. Many species have hiding techniques to protect their young. A good example are cottontail rabbits. They only visit their nest at dawn and dusk to feed their offspring so you usually do not see the parent during the day. They stay away from the nest during the day because they do not want to attract the attention of predators. If you find a nest of baby rabbits and believe the mother is missing lay sticks in a specific pattern around the nest or spread flour. Come back the next day and see if the flour or sticks have been disturbed. If the sticks have been moved or you see tracks in the flour and the infants appear to be fine, the mother has made a visit to the nest and the animals are not really orphans. The mother will accept humans have touched her offspring even after returning the critter to the nest. It is a myth that a wild animal mother of any species will reject her baby if a human touched it. Please do not remove the babies from the nest for an extended period of time. Just think how the mother would feel if her baby were gone for overnight. She may think a predator has taken her young and abandon the nest site. Returning an orphan to their nest or making a temporary nest as soon as possible is the best answer for baby critters. If you find a baby bird on the ground and are not sure what tree or where the nest is, get a small to medium wicker or weaved basket that allows water to flow through and put nesting materials (finely shredded paper or crushed leaves) in with the baby bird and hang it securely up in a tree. The baby bird’s vocal cries will bring the mother back. Just because the baby bird is out of the nest does not mean it is an orphan. Even if the baby critters are on the ground or out of the nest, the parents will continue to feed and protect them. Older juvenile birds are “fledglings or branchers” and are trying out their new flight wings. They cannot completely fly yet and end up being cared for on the ground by their parents. The concern is that predators such as cats, dogs, fox and raccoons will prey upon exposed youngsters. Getting them back up on to a tree limb helps these critters survive. Fawns are often left alone by their mother for periods of time. The mother does not want to attract predators to their young. Rest assured they are close to them. Please leave the fawns where you found them. The mother will soon return unless you have witnessed her death.
An important note is that it is illegal to keep wild animals without a wildlife rehabilitation license. Only a person with proper skills, facilities, equipment and knowledge can raise a healthy baby critter and release it with a good chance of survival. Taking care of wild animals means devoting a great deal of time and energy in meeting their needs. For example, mother songbirds feed their young about 4 to 12 times an hour 24 hours a day during their first days of life.
The staff at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center take in ONLY birds of prey, like a hawk, owl or an eagle. The JCHNC staff provides primary/triage care and will make the best decision regarding treatment and transport the injured raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. We do not have the facilities, extra staff or expertise to provide care for mammals, waterfowl, reptiles or songbirds.
If you find an injured mammal, reptile, waterfowl or songbird other than a raptor the closest free rehabilitation center is in Roseville, Minnesota. You can transport the injured animal to 2530 Dale Street North, Roseville. The phone number is 651-486-9453. The Roseville Wildife Rehabilitation Center is an emergency hospital and clinic that provides free medical care for over 200 different species of injured or orphaned wild animals. The Nature Center does not transport animals to this facility.
Wild critters are meant to be in the wild. If animals grow up unafraid of humans they will have no chance to survive in the wild once released. Sometimes it is necessary to intervene and help the animal that is orphaned or injured. Working together we can offer many young critters a second chance at life in the wild. Please remember if you find an injured hawk, owl or eagle in Mower County call the Nature Center at 507-437-7519 and we will do our best to rescue the raptor, assess its status and transport the raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for treatment.
Author: Julie Champlin - Office Manager
With spring comes baby critters. An orphan is defined when the critter’s parents are no longer present to feed and protect it. Before rescuing an animal make sure, it really needs help. Please remember that a young animal’s best chance for survival is to be raised by its natural mother. It is very important to make sure that every effort is made to try to return the young to its mother. If you have witnessed the death of its mother, it is obviously an orphan. However, a dead squirrel or rabbit in the street does not necessarily mean the squirrel or rabbit nest in your yard belongs to the dead critter. Many species have hiding techniques to protect their young. A good example are cottontail rabbits. They only visit their nest at dawn and dusk to feed their offspring so you usually do not see the parent during the day. They stay away from the nest during the day because they do not want to attract the attention of predators. If you find a nest of baby rabbits and believe the mother is missing lay sticks in a specific pattern around the nest or spread flour. Come back the next day and see if the flour or sticks have been disturbed. If the sticks have been moved or you see tracks in the flour and the infants appear to be fine, the mother has made a visit to the nest and the animals are not really orphans. The mother will accept humans have touched her offspring even after returning the critter to the nest. It is a myth that a wild animal mother of any species will reject her baby if a human touched it. Please do not remove the babies from the nest for an extended period of time. Just think how the mother would feel if her baby were gone for overnight. She may think a predator has taken her young and abandon the nest site. Returning an orphan to their nest or making a temporary nest as soon as possible is the best answer for baby critters. If you find a baby bird on the ground and are not sure what tree or where the nest is, get a small to medium wicker or weaved basket that allows water to flow through and put nesting materials (finely shredded paper or crushed leaves) in with the baby bird and hang it securely up in a tree. The baby bird’s vocal cries will bring the mother back. Just because the baby bird is out of the nest does not mean it is an orphan. Even if the baby critters are on the ground or out of the nest, the parents will continue to feed and protect them. Older juvenile birds are “fledglings or branchers” and are trying out their new flight wings. They cannot completely fly yet and end up being cared for on the ground by their parents. The concern is that predators such as cats, dogs, fox and raccoons will prey upon exposed youngsters. Getting them back up on to a tree limb helps these critters survive. Fawns are often left alone by their mother for periods of time. The mother does not want to attract predators to their young. Rest assured they are close to them. Please leave the fawns where you found them. The mother will soon return unless you have witnessed her death.
An important note is that it is illegal to keep wild animals without a wildlife rehabilitation license. Only a person with proper skills, facilities, equipment and knowledge can raise a healthy baby critter and release it with a good chance of survival. Taking care of wild animals means devoting a great deal of time and energy in meeting their needs. For example, mother songbirds feed their young about 4 to 12 times an hour 24 hours a day during their first days of life.
The staff at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center take in ONLY birds of prey, like a hawk, owl or an eagle. The JCHNC staff provides primary/triage care and will make the best decision regarding treatment and transport the injured raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. We do not have the facilities, extra staff or expertise to provide care for mammals, waterfowl, reptiles or songbirds.
If you find an injured mammal, reptile, waterfowl or songbird other than a raptor the closest free rehabilitation center is in Roseville, Minnesota. You can transport the injured animal to 2530 Dale Street North, Roseville. The phone number is 651-486-9453. The Roseville Wildife Rehabilitation Center is an emergency hospital and clinic that provides free medical care for over 200 different species of injured or orphaned wild animals. The Nature Center does not transport animals to this facility.
Wild critters are meant to be in the wild. If animals grow up unafraid of humans they will have no chance to survive in the wild once released. Sometimes it is necessary to intervene and help the animal that is orphaned or injured. Working together we can offer many young critters a second chance at life in the wild. Please remember if you find an injured hawk, owl or eagle in Mower County call the Nature Center at 507-437-7519 and we will do our best to rescue the raptor, assess its status and transport the raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for treatment.
Author: Julie Champlin - Office Manager
Previous nature notes
MARCH - GREAT HORNED OWLETS
Pictured: Great Horned Owlets
Owlets in March?
You may be familiar with the famous call “whoo, whoo-hoo, whoo, whoo” belonging to the majestic Great Horned Owl. However, did you know that these owls are the earliest birds in the state to hatch their young? March is prime time for Great Horned Owls to hatch, although nesting can occur as early as December and January. In the dead of winter, Great Horned Owls will start their courtship ritual and begin to establish a territory. These birds are generally very aggressive and will often take over the nest of other birds instead of building their own. In late January and February, they will lay their eggs and incubate them for a period of 28-35 days. Females usually lay a small clutch of 2-3 eggs. Incubating eggs during February and March is a challenge due to fluctuating temperatures. Eggs must always be kept warm and if the eggs become too cold, they will not hatch.
So why do Great Horned Owls nest so early, if it carries a risk? As the largest North American owl species, the young develop slower than other birds. By nesting in the winter, Great Horned Owls ensure that their young will be ready to leave the nest at the peak of Spring. Hatching early allows more time to develop not only in size, but also for the young owlets to become master hunters. These owls have been nicknamed “Tigers of the sky”, due to their aggressive nature and ability to capture a wide variety of prey. They have an appetite for a wide range of small game like rabbits, squirrels, skunks, and other birds. On numerous occasions they have been known to grab prey 3 to 4 times their own body weight! To aid in the hunt, Great Horned Owls have an incredible sense of hearing. They can hear a small animal rustling in leaves at around 900 ft below them and even under a foot of snow! Contrary to popular belief, the tufts on the top of their head are not ears. These tufts are called plumicorns and their function is to help the owl camouflage in trees as well as express behavior. The real ears of the owl are located underneath feathers on the side of their head. In addition to incredible hearing, Great Horned Owls also have excellent eyesight that is triggered by movement. A Great Horned Owl is capable of spotting a mouse about a football field away, in both light and dark conditions. Its eyes are so large that they occupy 50% of the skull. If humans had the same eye to skull ratio as an owl, our eyes would be about the size of a grapefruit! The earlier Great Horned Owls hatch, the more practice time they get to hone their senses and become proficient hunters.
Next time you are out on a walk near the woods, look up into the trees and see if you can spot the fluffy silhouette of a Great Horned Owlet. They may look cute and fluffy now, but they will soon grow up to become true Tigers of the Sky.
Author: Alison Jennings - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
You may be familiar with the famous call “whoo, whoo-hoo, whoo, whoo” belonging to the majestic Great Horned Owl. However, did you know that these owls are the earliest birds in the state to hatch their young? March is prime time for Great Horned Owls to hatch, although nesting can occur as early as December and January. In the dead of winter, Great Horned Owls will start their courtship ritual and begin to establish a territory. These birds are generally very aggressive and will often take over the nest of other birds instead of building their own. In late January and February, they will lay their eggs and incubate them for a period of 28-35 days. Females usually lay a small clutch of 2-3 eggs. Incubating eggs during February and March is a challenge due to fluctuating temperatures. Eggs must always be kept warm and if the eggs become too cold, they will not hatch.
So why do Great Horned Owls nest so early, if it carries a risk? As the largest North American owl species, the young develop slower than other birds. By nesting in the winter, Great Horned Owls ensure that their young will be ready to leave the nest at the peak of Spring. Hatching early allows more time to develop not only in size, but also for the young owlets to become master hunters. These owls have been nicknamed “Tigers of the sky”, due to their aggressive nature and ability to capture a wide variety of prey. They have an appetite for a wide range of small game like rabbits, squirrels, skunks, and other birds. On numerous occasions they have been known to grab prey 3 to 4 times their own body weight! To aid in the hunt, Great Horned Owls have an incredible sense of hearing. They can hear a small animal rustling in leaves at around 900 ft below them and even under a foot of snow! Contrary to popular belief, the tufts on the top of their head are not ears. These tufts are called plumicorns and their function is to help the owl camouflage in trees as well as express behavior. The real ears of the owl are located underneath feathers on the side of their head. In addition to incredible hearing, Great Horned Owls also have excellent eyesight that is triggered by movement. A Great Horned Owl is capable of spotting a mouse about a football field away, in both light and dark conditions. Its eyes are so large that they occupy 50% of the skull. If humans had the same eye to skull ratio as an owl, our eyes would be about the size of a grapefruit! The earlier Great Horned Owls hatch, the more practice time they get to hone their senses and become proficient hunters.
Next time you are out on a walk near the woods, look up into the trees and see if you can spot the fluffy silhouette of a Great Horned Owlet. They may look cute and fluffy now, but they will soon grow up to become true Tigers of the Sky.
Author: Alison Jennings - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
February - Frogs
Pictured: Nature Center's resident gray tree frog
Frogs in February?
Wintertime is the time that we think about hibernation, and usually we think of things like bears, chipmunks, bats, even groundhogs! But, what about some of our more cold-blooded animal friends? Different animals have different ways to help them get through the winter. Take frogs for example. In the midst of February it is extremely unlikely that you will come across a frog active anytime this month but they do not disappear, they are hunkered down for the cold. Some aquatic frogs like leopard frogs hang out under water all winter (below the ice, but not buried in mud) where they will slowly swim around. If we take a trek from the water onto land, we find other types of amphibians hibernating. The American toad has specially designed backed legs to dig and burrow down into the soil to wait out the cold winter months under the frost line. Some other smaller frogs that you can usually find on land here in Minnesota are ones like wood frogs, chorus frogs, spring peepers, and gray tree frogs. They do not have the adaptations to help burrow under soils so they have to settle for burying themselves underneath leaf litter as well as in cracks in the ground and in felled trees or logs. As you can imagine, the frost and frozen temperatures are not stopped by a mere 2 inches of leaves, nor does an old dead log provide protection from the freezing temperatures we are all accustomed to in the wintertime. How are the small, cold-blooded frogs supposed to survive the cold all winter long?
Believe it or not, the answer is antifreeze! The small terrestrial frogs that cannot escape the cold by burrowing under the frost line rely on a high concentration of glucose in vital organs to make sure that they do not freeze solid. The non-vital organs along with the rest of the body cavity will freeze completely through, ice crystals and all! The partially frozen frogs will not only stop breathing, but their heart will stop beating until the frog thaws back out. When a living creature stops breathing, its heart stops beating, and is frozen solid you would think it would be dead! Not these frogs! They just wait for the spring thaw when their heart and lungs defrost and can function again as if nothing ever happened.
Spring is about rebirth and for frogs, it sometimes means coming back from the dead! If you happen to come across a frog outside in your winter activities remember to leave it be. It is highly adapted for our Minnesota winters!
Author: Kelly Bahl - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Wintertime is the time that we think about hibernation, and usually we think of things like bears, chipmunks, bats, even groundhogs! But, what about some of our more cold-blooded animal friends? Different animals have different ways to help them get through the winter. Take frogs for example. In the midst of February it is extremely unlikely that you will come across a frog active anytime this month but they do not disappear, they are hunkered down for the cold. Some aquatic frogs like leopard frogs hang out under water all winter (below the ice, but not buried in mud) where they will slowly swim around. If we take a trek from the water onto land, we find other types of amphibians hibernating. The American toad has specially designed backed legs to dig and burrow down into the soil to wait out the cold winter months under the frost line. Some other smaller frogs that you can usually find on land here in Minnesota are ones like wood frogs, chorus frogs, spring peepers, and gray tree frogs. They do not have the adaptations to help burrow under soils so they have to settle for burying themselves underneath leaf litter as well as in cracks in the ground and in felled trees or logs. As you can imagine, the frost and frozen temperatures are not stopped by a mere 2 inches of leaves, nor does an old dead log provide protection from the freezing temperatures we are all accustomed to in the wintertime. How are the small, cold-blooded frogs supposed to survive the cold all winter long?
Believe it or not, the answer is antifreeze! The small terrestrial frogs that cannot escape the cold by burrowing under the frost line rely on a high concentration of glucose in vital organs to make sure that they do not freeze solid. The non-vital organs along with the rest of the body cavity will freeze completely through, ice crystals and all! The partially frozen frogs will not only stop breathing, but their heart will stop beating until the frog thaws back out. When a living creature stops breathing, its heart stops beating, and is frozen solid you would think it would be dead! Not these frogs! They just wait for the spring thaw when their heart and lungs defrost and can function again as if nothing ever happened.
Spring is about rebirth and for frogs, it sometimes means coming back from the dead! If you happen to come across a frog outside in your winter activities remember to leave it be. It is highly adapted for our Minnesota winters!
Author: Kelly Bahl - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
January - chickadees
Naturalist Sydney with a chickadee on her head.
How Do One of the Smallest Birds Survive Minnesota Winters?
Black-capped chickadees may be one of the most easily recognizable birds both by their look and by their call: “chicka-dee-dee-dee”. However, did you know that chickadees are one of the smallest and hardiest birds that stays and faces Minnesota winters head on? Most people think about birds migrating south, moving to warmer locations, and living through the winter season in these areas. Have you ever considered how such a tiny bird like the chickadee manages to survive our harsh Minnesota winters?
One of my favorite classes to teach was about birds in the winter. Specifically chickadees because they have some great adaptations to survive the cold winter months. One of the chickadees adaptations is their memory. To demonstrate this to the students, we would take a handful of sunflower seeds and hide them outside before going on a birding hike, then we would have to come back 2 hours later and try to find all the seeds we hid. This activity opened the student’s eyes to how amazing chickadees memories are, because most of the students could not remember where they hid their seeds. Chickadees start to stash food in autumn to go back to on really cold and short days. Having extra stashes of food around is necessary for these birds since they are burning so much energy every day in order to keep their body temperature around 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, their half-inch coat of insulating feathers helps keep them warm. They fluff those feathers up at night to fill every inch of their roost cavities to keep out as much wind as possible. The most amazing adaptation is the fact that they have the ability to go into regulated hypothermia, which enables them to lower their body temperature about 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows them to conserve their fat storage and survive some of the coldest nights. Another great way to stay warm is to share a roost cavity and body heat with a fellow chickadee!
They flock together and hang out in the same place forming a social group of 6-10 birds during the daytime in the winter. One could see these social groups that chickadees form around feeders; sometimes nuthatches and downy woodpeckers will join these social groups which are called flocks. These flocks defend a territory of up to 20 acres and you can usually hear territory skirmishes surrounding the feeders. Listen for a “dee-dee” alarm sound when chickadees are defending their territory. There are many different communication sounds going on at your feeders, so get out there and listen!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
Black-capped chickadees may be one of the most easily recognizable birds both by their look and by their call: “chicka-dee-dee-dee”. However, did you know that chickadees are one of the smallest and hardiest birds that stays and faces Minnesota winters head on? Most people think about birds migrating south, moving to warmer locations, and living through the winter season in these areas. Have you ever considered how such a tiny bird like the chickadee manages to survive our harsh Minnesota winters?
One of my favorite classes to teach was about birds in the winter. Specifically chickadees because they have some great adaptations to survive the cold winter months. One of the chickadees adaptations is their memory. To demonstrate this to the students, we would take a handful of sunflower seeds and hide them outside before going on a birding hike, then we would have to come back 2 hours later and try to find all the seeds we hid. This activity opened the student’s eyes to how amazing chickadees memories are, because most of the students could not remember where they hid their seeds. Chickadees start to stash food in autumn to go back to on really cold and short days. Having extra stashes of food around is necessary for these birds since they are burning so much energy every day in order to keep their body temperature around 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, their half-inch coat of insulating feathers helps keep them warm. They fluff those feathers up at night to fill every inch of their roost cavities to keep out as much wind as possible. The most amazing adaptation is the fact that they have the ability to go into regulated hypothermia, which enables them to lower their body temperature about 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows them to conserve their fat storage and survive some of the coldest nights. Another great way to stay warm is to share a roost cavity and body heat with a fellow chickadee!
They flock together and hang out in the same place forming a social group of 6-10 birds during the daytime in the winter. One could see these social groups that chickadees form around feeders; sometimes nuthatches and downy woodpeckers will join these social groups which are called flocks. These flocks defend a territory of up to 20 acres and you can usually hear territory skirmishes surrounding the feeders. Listen for a “dee-dee” alarm sound when chickadees are defending their territory. There are many different communication sounds going on at your feeders, so get out there and listen!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist