Have We Met and Do You Know My Name?

Encounters occur in all sorts of situations. Someone appears in passing.

That plant looks familiar, but do I know its name.

Maybe it would be recognizable if that was closer or daytime, or better light or a longer look.

Fortunately, a picture was taken. Enlarging the view should help identification. Was there additional information provided about location, habitat, behavior, time of day, or food it was eating. Share the image and details with others.

Curiosity and accurate identification can be served by field guides, websites and the rich human experience resources within our community.

December arrives this year and with it comes, a full moon and the moon shadows illustrate clear night walks. Open water still flows in some rivers while lakes covered with ice are being tested for crossing and usage. Trail cameras are being selected, situated and activated to review mammal presence occurring during the long dark hours leading up to the winter solstice. Strategies address selection, design and location of bird feeding stations that will suit the winter birds and avoid undesired visitors.

Reports are continuous of bird species that nested here, are no longer seen, but yet may have some individuals that remain. Is everyone comfortable with distinguishing the newly arrived Bohemian waxwings around town from the cedar waxwings that were here in summer and have now left. Is anyone still seeing Canada geese, mallards, hooded mergansers, common goldeneyes, trumpeter swans or any other duck like the ring-necked duck that was still recently taking shelter under a dock.

Blue jays are still in rather large numbers and contesting for space at feeders. The others vying for food include Canada jays, pine grosbeaks, evening grosbeaks, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, red-breasted nuthatches, hairy woodpeckers, and downy woodpeckers Has anyone still noticed purple finches, American goldfinches, dark-eyed juncos, white-throated or other sparrows, or American crows. There has been a sighting of a red-bellied woodpecker, a belted kingfisher, wild turkeys, bald eagles, and a northern shrike.

Common ravens, rock doves, European starlings, and house sparrows are locally abundant is specific locations – food and shelter support them. Certainly, there are ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, and boreal chickadees residing in the forests. So many possibilities exist. Mourning dove, brown creepers and others may be at feeders that attract them.

When you find anything, you can’t identify report it on any occasion and certainly during the Ely Christmas Bird Count period December 24-30. A picture’s valuable even when the quality isn’t great.