It’s an old familiar phrase that can apply to a lot of things.  This week, it applied to backyard birding. Following a complete snow melt and solid string of spring-like temperatures, backyard bird activity had declined.  Feeders that had enjoyed popularity through the cold weather winter months had become predictably quiet.  Only a half dozen or
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It was early March, and Iowa’s spring thaw was gathering a full head of steam.  Even in the north, snow cover was going fast.  Another day, maybe two, and it would all be gone.  Camouflaged beneath the tawny canopy of last year’s vegetation, the cottontail held its nerve, sitting tight until we nearly stepped on it. 
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Nearly everyone has a favorite sign that says spring is on the way.  It might be melting snow drifts, a noisy echelon of northbound geese, or the sighting of the season’s first robin.  This year, I’m adding chipmunks to the list.  That’s right, I said chipmunks. I know, of course, that chipmunks are still supposed to
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Pushing hard on the heels of a retreating winter, migrating trumpeter swans are moving northward.  For area wildlife enthusiasts, the sight and sound of wild swans is a heart stirring event. With peak weights exceeding thirty pounds, the trumpeter swan is North America’s largest waterfowl.  Although swans were an abundant nesting species at the time of
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There are some things in life that I’ve learned not to take for granted.  Winter weather is one of those things.  Hard to believe that, just one week ago, Northern Iowa was receiving eight inches of beautiful new powder.  Stale rural landscapes were once again transformed into spectacular winter wonderlands.  Responding to the conditions, late
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For those who abhor cold weather, backyard bird feeding is the perfect winter pastime.  You get to enjoy the daily activities wild birdlife but, instead of braving the elements, you do it from the warmth of your living room -- and without the cumbersome hassle of coats, boots, mittens and handwarmers. Winter bird feeding is as simple, or as complicated,
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Pursuing the red fox is a challenging pastime.  My latest attempt at catching one was a classic example.  Following a week of cat and mouse, the sighting of fresh tracks, but no fox, was all I had to show.  I finally caught the big male on January 31 -- the very last day of this year’s season.  Since I’m
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The barred owl’s signature greeting -- “Who cooks for you?  Who cooks for you all?” – would be hard to mistake for any other sound.   That distinctive call is currently echoing through winter woodlands statewide.  Although once a rare sound across much of Iowa, the baritone hooting is becoming increasingly familiar to both rural and urban residents.   Look Into
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The Stage Was Set   If There Was Ever A Time to Be In The Duck Blind, This Was It Iowa’s waterfowl seasons have officially concluded.  Gone but not forgotten, the 2020 duck season will be remembered by many hunters as the best in recent years.  I whole heartedly agree with that assessment.  For me, it was the best season since 1979. Like
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I love homemade stuffing.  You know, turkey and dressing, pheasant and dressing; stuff like that.  Although exceedingly popular during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, stuffing quickly becomes a never-to-be-seen food item during the rest of the year.  It doesn’t have to be that way, of course.  There is really no reason that dressing cannot be used as a main
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The final segment of Iowa’s deer and turkey seasons is one of my favorite times to enjoy the Iowa outdoors.  OK, I know the obvious down sides.  By now, groups of already suspicious turkeys have assembled into large wintering flocks.  And following the conclusion of five separate firearms seasons, it’s no wonder that local white-tail populations are more than a
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For thousands of Iowa wildlife enthusiasts, winter bird feeding is an increasingly popular winter pastime.  The more birds we attract to our feeders, the more fun the activity becomes.  Properly identifying those backyard visitors – chickadees, cardinals, jays and others -- is generally an easy task.   There are exceptions, of course.  Take, for example, those colorful red finches that
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