Elk Rapids Almanac
March 11
At 8:30 this morning, high above my backyard near Maple Bay Preserve, I spotted two eagles flying together with locked talons. Some quick research below revealed this amazing feat is actually a normal eagle courtship ritual. _ Toni Holtz
“Two eagles locking talons high above the ground might look like they’re risking injury, but it’s a normal courtship behavior called the “cartwheel display.” Fully entangled, the two birds begin spinning to the earth, disengaging just before they smack the ground. Their clasp could last for hours. At last, the eagles unlock talons and fly off. Rival adults sometimes perform the same flight.” Bird Note, Alex McInnis, July 30, 2021
“Two eagles locking talons high above the ground might look like they’re risking injury, but it’s a normal courtship behavior called the “cartwheel display.” Fully entangled, the two birds begin spinning to the earth, disengaging just before they smack the ground. Their clasp could last for hours. At last, the eagles unlock talons and fly off. Rival adults sometimes perform the same flight.” Bird Note, Alex McInnis, July 30, 2021
Photo: Alex McInnis, Bird Note
March 17
Checking in at Pine Hill Nursery, with planting season just around the corner, and gardeners chopping at the bit, here is the report: “This is a fun and exciting time of year, when It's still cold outside, but warm and sunny in the greenhouse. Staff is starting seeds, transplanting, unpacking new products, and setting up displays, making sure everything looks beautiful for spring. Every day the greenhouse is more alive.” Official opening date??? April 1_Sandy Naples, Pine Hill Nursery.
March 20
|
European Starlings are not native but are now one of the most numerous songbirds in North America. In Michigan starlings can be found year-round in cities and rural areas. Stocky black birds with iridescent purple, green, and blue tones, they are considered a pest by many due to their aggressive behavior, especially their habit of invading other songbird nests. Starlings fly in large noisy flocks and can be seen perched in groups on the top of trees or flying over fields in flocks. European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico. They are a relative of the Myna family, are skilled mimics and can pick up human speech when raised as a young bird among humans. A large mass of starlings moving across the sky, splitting up then coming together again is called a “murmuration”. Check out various websites for amazing videos. Note: Mozart’s Starling, a combination of cheerful memoir, natural history, and biography, is a delightful account of the author’s own pet starling and a pet starling kept by the composer Mozart in his family home for several years. Legend has it that he purchased the bird in a local pet shop after hearing it singing a portion of his newest composition. He mourned its death and held a grand memorial service upon its demise. Mozart’s Starling, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, 2017.
|
Common Starling
|
Attention Elk Rapids Schools students and parents
The Elk Rapids High School Eco Club will be hosting a special competition for Arbor Days! Keep a lookout for more information coming soon to your inbox!