The day is still and mild, and many trees are now bare; excellent conditions for observing the birds and squirrels who make their homes at the Arb.
Most of central Minnesota’s summer-only avian residents have flown south for the winter, but there are plenty of hardy birds who make it through our coldest season just fine. The black-capped chickadee is one of our most familiar year-round birds. These little cuties are commonly seen at birdfeeders and seem very comfortable around people.
The white-breasted nuthatch is readily recognizable by its harsh “yank” call and its habit of hopping headfirst down tree trunks in search of food. The northern cardinal is another year-round favorite and is an especially welcome sight in the winter when its red feathers stand out against snow or evergreen branches. The blue jay is one of our noisier birds, sending out loud “jeer” calls or mimicking the calls of hawks to scare other birds away from feeders.
Three of Minnesota’s nine woodpecker species make an appearance today. A downy woodpecker pecks for insects on plant stems while a red-bellied explores crevices in tree bark. A pileated (our largest woodpecker) disappears into a hole in a tree trunk, then emerges to make her way up the tree before flying away.
Two winter-only residents in our area are the American tree sparrow and the dark-eyed junco. The former is sometimes called the “winter chippy” because its rusty crown resembles that of the chipping sparrow, a summer resident. Dark-eyed juncos always seem to show up just before the first snowfall and are usually seen hopping about on the ground in search of seeds or taking off for short low flights, outer white tail feathers flashing.
A rustling in the dry leaves of the forest floor turns out to be a fox sparrow hopping and scratching with both feet at once in search of insects and seeds. This bird is just migrating through and will soon depart for points south.
Eastern gray squirrels chase each other across the forest floor and up and around tree trunks. A red squirrel dives manically into the leaf litter, emerges with dirt sprinkled across his front, then plunges back under the leaves. Another scampers up a trunk, disappears into a hole, and emerges with an acorn.
In a damp boggy area near the boardwalk, pitcher plants are growing. The leaves of this interesting plant form into tubes that collect rainwater. Downward-pointing hairs at the top of the tubes allow insects to crawl down but not up, and they drown. The plant secretes enzymes into the water that help it digest the insects, which provide the plant with nutrients otherwise hard to attain in the bog’s acidic environment.
Fall colors are hanging on in some of the Arb’s trees; soon the landscape will quiet into the cloak of winter. But the Arb’s birds and mammals will carry on with their daily lives, providing watchful visitors with a chance to observe their non-human kin at work and at play.
Holly Einess is a Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer. More information about the program is available at www.minnesotamasternaturalist.org.