SKUNK CABBAGE

The Skunk Cabbages are now blooming in the mud seep springs of Forestville State Park. The seeps are the only habitat that they will bloom in and Skunk Cabbage is therefore somewhat uncommon.

BLOOD ROOT FLOWERS

The Bloodroots are now blooming.

So named for the red color of the root sap.

False Rue Anemone are just beginning to carpet the lowland forests of the area. They will soon produce a solid white carpet that is very impressive. Note the two small insects that are already pollinating the flowers.

Spring Beauty is a small(3 inch tall) flower that fits its name-they just started their show yesterday.

Mourning Cloak butterflies are one of the few to overwinter here. We have seen several already this spring. We have smashed 9 record highs already in March and are having weather that is normally here in May-every day has highs from 65-75 degrees F.

TREE SWALLOWS HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED TO EAT THE FIRST INSECT HATCH

PAINTED TURTLES ARE ALREADY OUT

Painted turtles vary from red to yellow in pattern.

Hepatica are blooming on south facing woodland slopes and vary in color from blue to white.

SNOWY OWL UPDATE

The Raptor Center called Thur. March 22nd to let us know that the owl had not made it. The owl was young and died of starvation. This is apparently somewhat common of the young owls that come this far south. The normal food source of the owls when on the tundra is lemmings, and according to the Raptor Center they seem to have trouble recognizing the mice of Minnesota as a food source.

Hepatica is usually the first spring wildflower to bloom in the woodlands of Forestville St. Park and indeed we found several dozen on Friday March 16-a very early date.

NO NEWS YET ON THE RESCUED SNOWY OWL .

SNOWY OWL RESCUE

You never know what a day will bring. About 9 A. M. Friday morning our neighbor called to report a light colored owl was just sitting in a road ditch close to her house. We headed over and her husband was there and reported that owl seemed to be injured. It was a Snowy Owl from the tundra of Canada and did indeed seem to be injured. It could hop but could not fly. We didn't really know what to do, so we called an expert owl contact at the Houston Nature Center. We thought she might send help, but instead gave us explicit instructions on how to do a live bird capture. We called some birding friends to fumble through this with us, and proceeded with trepidation. We carefully followed the instructions and it went surprisingly well.

Using the capture methods described by owl experts at the Houston Mn Nature Center we set about capturing the Snowy Owl with blankets. It went very well and once we got the red blanket over the head of the owl it became very calm. I was amazed by the lack of struggle, but also concerned that this may mean the owl was quite weak.

Once we had the blanket around the owl we gently placed it in two laundry baskets and covered it with a blanket to keep it calm. It did remain very calm and actually did not fight us at all. We then headed for the Rochester Quarry Hill Nature Center.

When we arrived at the Rochester Quarry Hill Nature Center, the staff transfered the owl from our laundry baskets to a larger carrier for the trip to the Raptor Center on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. When we arrived at the Raptor Center, the staff rushed the owl off for evaluation. About an hour later, as we were traveling home, they called with an update. They felt the owl was female and that it was suffering from starvation. They stated that this is very difficult to reverse, but they would indeed try. We are to call for an update in about 3 days. We will keep you posted.

MORE SPRING BIRDS ARRIVE EACH DAY

The male and female(red head) Hooded Mergansers have arrived .

Other arrivals include Scaups, Common Golden Eye, Tree Swallows, Woodcock, Bufflhead, Blue Geese, Song Sparows---

We have seen hundred of Mallards in the past week

RED-TAILED HAWKS COMMON NOW

This Red-Tail has a late winter rabbit kill along Fillmore rd cty 2

GREAT HORNED OWL NEST

We took this picture at a range that is beyond the capability of our camera but thought if was worth posting on our site in spite of the poor quality. Even though Great Horned Owls are quite common in the semi-open country of Fillmore county we seldom actually find a nest-so this was a treat. We also have a this species currently hunting our driveway fields on an almost nightly basis. The Bald Eagles and Red-Tailed Hawks are also nesting in Fillmore cty now.

SPRING MIGRANTS ARE HERE-LET THE BIRDING BEGIN

After the warmest winter on record for our area, spring has busted loose already. The Robins, Bluebirds, Redwinged Black Birds, Killdeer, and even 4 Redpolls are here and still headed north.

As of March 7 we had Canada Geese, Shoveler, Pintails, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Gadwalls, and Mallards show up on local ponds.

The old strip iron mines of Fillmore county in SE Minnesota make good ponds for migrating waterfowl. This particular pond is in the strip mine area but is actually a ducks unlimited pond.