Shhhh, turtle egg nest just ahead

I’ve always said everyday at Marsh Haven brings a new surprise. Today was no different. While going through my morning opening chores, I headed outside with a bucket of birdseed for the feeders, but was stopped in my tracks by the sight of a very large Common Snapping Turtle digging next to the drive. She was digging a hole to lay her eggs and I quickly backed away to leave her to business. 

Since we were about to open the nature center to visitors, I brought out a few chairs to use as barricades so that no one ran over her, or stumbled across her as I almost did. It was about 9:30 am when I first discovered the turtle and she was hard at work scooping out dirt, using her hind legs as a backhoe. One leg would go into the hole and come up with dirt clutched around the claws, and then the other hind leg would disappear into the hole and return with more dirt. This digging process went on for quite awhile and during that time some visitors arrived, watched, and took pictures. She did not seem to be distracted by the coming and going of people. 

Finally, the digging seemed to be done and the snapping turtle lay over the hole for another length of time, where I assume she was depositing her eggs. Common Snapping Turtles can lay 20 to 40 eggs in a clutch and they are the size of a ping-pong ball. When the young emerge 80-90 days later, they will be about the size of a quarter. The sex of the hatchlings are determined by temperature – cooler temperatures produce all females, while warmer temperatures produce all males – just right temperatures (70 to 72 degrees)  produces males and females.

She then covered the hole using those hind legs again and at about 11:15 am, started across the parking lot heading to Lake LaPresto, the pond on Marsh Haven’s property. By now there were several spectators watching, taking pictures and video. She kept marching on through the parking lot, under the fence, into the grass, and headed down the hiking trail, ever closer to the pond. 

Now that I know the location, we will try to keep it safe from traffic and will do our best against predators, but I read that up to 90 percent of Common Snapping Turtle eggs are destroyed by predators each year.

What a great experience to be part of, I do like turtles a lot and have a great respect for the snapping turtle. We have the two non-releasable Common Snapping Turtles here at Marsh Haven – Chompy and George – and I’ve learned a lot about this species just by observing and interacting with them. 

Another interesting day at Marsh Haven Nature Center, I wonder what surprises tomorrow will bring?

What is that bird?

A common question every spring has been, “What is that yellow headed black bird at the feeder?” We are always happy to answer, “A Yellow-headed Blackbird.” They are large beautiful birds with a striking yellow head that contrasts with a black body. We are fortunate that they are frequent visitors to the feeders at Marsh Haven Nature Center. 

The Yellow-headed Blackbird is very distinct and not easily confused with other birds. The mature males have the yellow head and chest and white wing patches that are easier to see while in flight. The immature males and females are more brown than black with a dull yellow head, and the females do not have the white wing bars. 

As beautiful as these birds are, their call or song is quite harsh, sounding similar to the opening of a rusty gate. Just this week, one of our dedicated volunteers was out cleaning and filling the bird feeders. We were chatting and two Yellow-headed Blackbirds were up in the tree creaking away as if demanding that we get a move on filling those feeders. That call is very distinct and can be easily picked out among the many other bird songs.

I read that the female Yellow-headed Blackbird will build her nest directly over water, weaving wet strands of aquatic vegetation around reeds and grasses. The nest measures about five to six inches across and the inside is about three inches wide. That wet material dries, which then makes the nest tight and strong. Because the nest is over the water, sometimes the young will fall in and they need to swim to shore. This makes sense, because I’ve observed that the Yellow-headed Blackbirds are one of the few bird species to still be at the feeders during an all-day or even heavy rain. They certainly do not seem to mind getting wet. I’ve seen raindrops rolling off their heads as they feed.

It is said that the males are very territorial, protecting their area and attracting up to eight females during the breeding season. During their visits to the feeders at Marsh Haven, they seem to have nothing but eating on their minds, because I have witnessed up to ten males at one feeder all at the same time. Very little squabbling goes on, occasionally they will chase a Red-winged Blackbird out of the way. They are ravenous eaters and enjoy the donated Kaytee Wild Bird Blend. They eat out of our hanging feeders, the large bunk feeder, off the ground, and I’ve even seen a few attempt to perch on a small hanging window feeder.

The excellent online resource, Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds, states that Yellow-headed Blackbirds breed in freshwater wetlands with dense vegetation such as cattails, in prairies, mountain meadows, quaking aspen parklands, and shallow areas of marshes, ponds, and rivers. They often forage in fields, but during the breeding season, they eat insects and aquatic invertebrates. 

The female Yellow-headed Blackbird will lay three to five eggs and it will take about 11-13 days to hatch. They generally have one brood per season. While the male may breed with numerous females, he may only help feed the first nest established in his territory. The other females have to feed their young all by themselves.

In the winter the Yellow-headed Blackbirds form large flocks, some numbering in the thousands. These large groupings may also include other members of the blackbird family. They will forage in farm fields and farmyards throughout the southwest and most of Mexico. The females tend to travel further south, while the males can be found in the northernmost part of their winter territory. 

While the experts say that the population of the Yellow-headed Blackbird is stable and quite plentiful, I have witnessed many visitors seeing this beautiful bird for the very first time in their life. I so enjoy being part of their surprise and excitement as they discover this beautiful yellow headed black bird at Marsh Haven Nature Center.

Reprinted from Summer 2015 Marsh Haven Monarch
Photos by Bree Tillema

The Night the Animals Talked

I first heard about the legend of the talking animals about 20 years ago and as an animal lover, thought it was a great story.  Over the years I’ve always tried to be in the right place at the right time -  at midnight on Christmas Eve - so that I could hear the animals talk. Something always happened that would keep me away and I’d miss the opportunity for that year. Maybe I didn’t want to be disappointed, maybe it wasn’t meant to be, but now as I think about the story, I know that our critters do talk to us every day! Merry Christmas and may your animals all have good things to say to you!

“The Night The Animals Talked”

In the frosty mountains and on the snowy fields of Norway, there was a legend that drew children to all kinds of stables and stalls throughout the country on each Christmas Eve at midnight. Why would they go to these places on Christmas Eve of all nights? They were hoping to “hear” a miracle. They had hope, or faith, that each one would be blessed to hear the animals talk. Now, whether the animals were miraculously endowed with the speech of humans or whether the humans miraculously understood the speech of animals was not clear. But, they believed they could definitely communicate with one another.

But why? Well, over 2,000 years ago, Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. It was a working stable, filled with animals of all kinds. Into these humble surroundings, Jesus was placed in a manger. Encircled by the innocent creatures of God, the Savior of man came into the world.

Now, according to the legend at least, Christ’s birth occurred at exactly midnight. Inside the stable, the animals watched in wonder as the new-born babe was lovingly wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in that manger. Then suddenly, God gave voice to the animals and they immediately began to praise God for the miracle they had just witnessed. The miracle that God’s only son was born in human form.

Shepherds, who had been keeping watch over their flock at night, were told by an angel of the miracle birth and hurried to the stable. But just before they entered to worship the baby, the animals were silenced and the voices of humans in praise took their place.

So, the stories were told and the legend of the talking animals grew.  To this day, the story continues to be told in many places in Scandinavia, and when midnight on Christmas Eve comes around, there are wide-eyed children who creep into stables in hope of hearing the animals once again praise God for the wondrous birth of His Son.

Legend retrieved from:  https://tarapollard.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/the-legend-of-the-talking-animals-2/

Other great Christmas animal stories:
Native people of the Americas tell of deer who kneel on Christmas night, looking to the sky as if praising the Great Spirit. Cribs handcrafted by tribes of the United States and Canada include the fox, buffalo, and the bear in their mangers.

On Christmas Eve in Britain, bees gather to hum hymns and oxen and cattle rise in their stalls or kneel in adoration of the new-born king.

Spiders provided the original version of tinsel by decorating trees with cobwebs. Legends credit Santa or angels or Jesus for turning the gray webs into gold and silver. To this day, it is said that every tree should have a spider ornament to acknowledge the happy spirit of the Christmas spider.

Santa provides for the animals as well as children according to European legend. He places grain all about for them on Christmas Eve. Polar bear cubs know that Santa only comes after they go to sleep. In his off time, Santa is known to play with the animals around his North Pole home as well as feed and care for them.

Tabby cats received the letter “M” for Madonna on their forehead as a reward for a tabby kitten comforting baby Jesus in the manger. 

Retrieved from: http://minnakrebs.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-legend-of-animals.html

Rainbows, butterflies and Rocky Mountain High

I have the best job in the world! After an amazing day with amazing people, I want to express my gratitude to all who helped make our second annual John Denver Celebration weekend possible and for those who made yesterday and today so memorable. We have one more day of the event – tomorrow is a Day of Education and Inspiration, but the inspiration definitely started today. I always knew Marsh Haven is a very special place – a “kindness magnet” as Larry Vine calls it, but today the magnet attracted even more kindness.

Marsh Haven is like a family, we care about each other. I know my many hours are appreciated by our volunteers and I appreciate all their hard work knowing that I could never do all this without them! It was so rewarding to look around the Respect Our Earth theater tonight to see so many people that I care about enjoying themselves, listening to the music, singing along, reliving old memories and hopefully creating new ones. There were also friends from far and wide and people that I had just met. We were all connected through the power of song and I am very grateful to the talented and kind Brad Fitch (that’s cowboybrad.com) for creating that opportunity and for sharing his time and talents with us.

What a rich and rewarding experience I get to have every day at Marsh Haven Nature Center and I am so very grateful for the people I have met and worked with that has made this experience even more enjoyable. Thank you for your time, your energy and what you bring to our world.

Not only did we have one of our last two monarchs eclose from their chrysalis today, but there was a rainbow without the rain just as the sun was setting.