Smarter Than We Think

Watching backyard wildlife yields amazing sights and education. We recently noticed two things at Winding Pathways that reminded us about how many animals are downright smart.

Both involved a manufactured trap that supposedly catches House Sparrows. We have more of this pesky bird than we’d like so we set the trap under a feeder and baited it with cracked corn.  A few minutes later an intrepid chipmunk entered the trap’s funnel-like door, feasted on seeds, and couldn’t find his way out. We gently released him and set the trap back on the corn.

A few minutes later we were amazed to see the chipmunk back and watch it tunnel under the trap to reach the bait! He’d learned that entering the trap brought trouble and figured out how to safely reach lunch.

Our sparrows are even smarter than the chipmunk. Not a single one entered the trap. Instead they feasted on corn and millet on the ground around the feeder. After a few hours they had eaten all the safe seed but they still wouldn’t enter the trap.

We now have new respect for the intelligence of both chipmunks and House Sparrows.

 

 

When the Power Goes Out!

Lighting a lamp

Battery operated lamps (left) are the safest to use indoors in the aftermath of storms. Be cautious if using propane lamps danger of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.

On the evening of December 28, 2015 national news reported that thousands of people in the South are without power due to tornadoes that ripped through the region. The situation wasn’t much better in the Midwest where a howling blizzard also cut off electricity.

Many people are unprepared to ride out a week or ten days without electricity. Gathering a few emergency supplies and equipment can make enduring a storm much more comfortable. Every home should have them. While a preparedness kit  may not make it in a home destroyed by tornadoes, neighbors sharing their kits could be the difference between danger and safety.

Click on the PREPAREDNESS tab on this website to learn how to manage a power outage in relative comfort.

Christmas Bird Tree!

Christmas Tree

De-light the tree if you must and adorn it with seed for greater natural delights!

After the holiday cheer fades and ornaments are stored away the Christmas tree can enjoy a second life alive with birds.

Nothing makes a better bird feeder than an upright fir. We take our old tree outside and set it upright. We either use the stand to hold it, dig a hole in the ground deep enough to hold the tree upright, or pound a tall stake into the ground and tie the tree to it. A few strings going out to stakes in the ground will keep it standing in high wind.

Then the fun starts. We pour a couple of cups of birdseed on the very top of the tree and let it settle down into the needles. Larger seeds, like peanuts and gray striped sunflower, work best.

So many birds flock to our tree to find seeds within its branches that it quivers with life and color.

Good sources of seeds include your local feed and wild bird stores,  Amazon, Kaytee Products, and Pine Tree Farms, Inc, and of course, many others.

Christmas For the Birds

Christmas trees bring  Holiday spirit to a home but come at a cost. We love balsam firs for their  beauty and wonderful fragrance, but we don’t fancy sweeping up needles as the drying tree sheds.

This year we found the  solution. We set the fir up on the deck just outside our living room. A large window gives great viewing  and several strings  keep it upright on windy days. Instead of  normal  decorations we bought several bell shaped pressed seeds, a thistle sock, and some small feeders and decorated the tree for the birds. Each morning we pour peanuts and sunflower seed at the tree’s top and many  seeds settle on branches.

Our tree is alive with birds and squirrels all day. They are our living ornaments. And, after the Christmas season is over all we need to do is untie the strings, remove the tree from the stand, and sweep the deck off.

Marion and Rich at Winding Pathways wish you a pleasant winter holiday and a happy and healthy 2016.

 PUTTING THE OLD TREE TO USE

 Winding Pathways is near Cedar Rapids, Iowa where Indian Creek Nature Center  accepts donated Christmas trees in January. They  are chipped  and volunteers spread the aromatic chips on trails. A walk on a freshly chipped trail smells like the north woods stroll.

Many other nature centers and towns recycle trees, but they can also be used around the home. Clip off the branches, let them dry and  needles fall, and  make kindling from the branches for summer cookouts. The stem makes a great garden pole. Set it upright and plant a few pole bean seeds in May.  By July the tree will support delicious green beans.

 

 

 

 

Wondrous Trail Encounter

A couple of times each week I walk the nearly two mile circumference trail around Cedar Rapids’ Cedar Lake. It’s a great way to get exercise and watch a diversity of wildlife in the downtown area.

On Sunday, December 13, 2015 a near magical encounter occurred. Heavy rain was predicted for the afternoon so I planned my walk for late morning. Light drizzle was falling as I approached a parking lot surprisingly full on such a gloomy day. A woman was putting snacks and beverages on a picnic table. When I asked her if she was planning a winter picnic she replied, “Nope, you’ll see a bunch of runners on the trail. We’re raising money for a friend who has leukemia. He has limited health insurance and is having trouble paying medical bills. He’s not able to work and has two young children.”

Although she didn’t ask for a contribution, I handed her ten bucks and began a counter clockwise walk around the lake, just as a knot of runners was just finishing their first clockwise circuit and were enjoying snacks. They again set off running and soon I began meeting them on the trail.

The word was out. All had heard that a stranger in a blue raincoat had given $10. Every runner I passed smiled and said, “Thanks.” One woman stopped me and said, “Thanks for helping my brother.”  Then, an older man stopped and said, “I want to shake your hand. You helped my son!”

Later in the day I thought how fortunate I was to have been able to give a tiny gift to help a man I didn’t know and be thanked by so many dedicated people. What a wonderful Christmas gift they were giving a dear friend of theirs and me, a stranger. Rich