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Hi Bird Watcher!
It's spring officially. At
Birdwatching Dot Com, in Iowa, crocuses are
pushing up.
Woodcocks call peent each evening at
dusk. Male red-winged blackbirds are
starting to display their red epaulettes. The
females, who migrate later than the males,
will be back any day now.
| Calculus of Spring |
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Spring begins at a mathematical moment in
March. But we humans have our own,
more personal, means
of calculating the beginning of spring.
For me, spring begins with the
first song of
an American robin. Before he sings, certain
conditions must be met, and those conditions
spell
spring.
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| Dear Diane... |
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The northern mockingbird suddenly became the
king of the yard. I hear him during the
night and early morning. He wakes me up. Is
there anyway I can discourage him from my
backyard?
Faye M.,
Florence, NJ
Male mockingbirds sing at night if they are
bachelors. It's the way they try to attract a
mate. After they find a partner, they stop
the nocturnal serenades.
So the night singing probably won't go on for
long. Think of it as a love song.
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| How Binoculars Work |
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Ever wonder what's going on inside your
binocular?
Essentially, a binocular is simply a pair of
telescopes mounted side by side, one for each
eye.
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if he or she
wishes.
Photos copyright 2007 Michael and Diane Porter.
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Inviting Bluebirds |
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Here's a secret. Bluebirds are crazy about
mealworms. Last spring, our eastern bluebirds
peeked into the birdhouse, but they didn't seem
to be moving in.
The next day, Federal Express delivered 1000
mealworms to my door. The weather was cold
and drizzly. I hadn't
seen any bluebirds all day. I picked a dozen
mealworms out of the box.
I put them on top of the birdhouse and
retreated to my kitchen. An hour later a
female bluebird was standing on the birdhouse
roof.
Read more... |
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