Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Steve’s Bird Of The Day #53.
Hi everyone! Today’s bird is the “common loon”. There are 5 species of loons in N. America but this is the one that is most common and that most people are likely to see or hear. They breed from Alaska right through most of Canada in into the northernmost US states. They are even found on some of our Arctic islands. Both sexes look identical. They have four calls, one that sounds like it’s laughing, a long haunting cry, a yodel and a single noted hoo. Only the males do the yodel and each is totally unique so that each bird can be identified by it’s yodel. They can dive to depths of 250 feet (80 meters). They mostly eat fish of various kinds, plus crustaceans, salamanders and a few other things. They nest right beside water because their feet are place well back on their body making it difficult for them to walk much on land, but it aids them greatly in swimming and diving. Only 1 or 2 eggs is laid and usually only one chick survives to adulthood. Chicks ride on their parents back quite a bit for the first few days, to keep warm and safe from predators. Loons spend their winters on the east and west coasts of N. America. Adult loons are the first to leave in fall, followed by the young 2 to 3 weeks later. Common loon sightings and wonderful calls are a true wilderness joy.
Have a great day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Art In Nature #14.
Hi everyone on this snowy day! Well, it’s definitely a good day to look at some summer type pics anyway. This week we will look at some seeds produced by trees and plants, something that is important for the plants but they also produce some interesting art in nature as well. I was going to continue our look at berries this week, but I decided to wait and show them along with the flowers in my new wildflower of the day series coming up soon. I just thought it would be good to show the flower and the berry together so that people know what each looks like. I will let you all know exactly when that will be starting so you don’t miss any, for those of you who are interested. Now for today’s art…
In the first pic above we have the seeds from the mountain maple which is an abundant, small maple tree in our area. They only grow to about 15 feet high, so they are more like a shrub than a tree. When the seeds first come out they look like this before drying out later in the summer and fall and turning a light brown color. I think they look quite nice at this stage and add some beautiful summer art.
Then we have the beaked hazelnut in the photo above. These are delicious and nutritious nuts loved by squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays, hairy woodpeckers and others. They do make an interesting natural art picture as well. They are also good for people to eat if you can get to them first, which isn’t easy. The fuzzy hairs can sometimes irritate skin however.
Now, the photo above I can’t remember if I ever used it before, however, we have it again if I did. It is the seeds of a water loving grassy plant, common down by our river’s edge. They really do produce a lot of fuzzy seeds on top which I think look very beautiful. A wonderful addition to our art in nature. Considering all the seeds they produce, it’s not an overly common plant. I don’t know the name of this one unfortunately. Have a wonderful day everyone and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 