Leave no child inside

Staff

Published Sunday, April 29, 2007

Al Batt, Nature's World

My neighbor Crandall stops by.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

“I’ve started an exercise program. I do 20 sit-ups each morning.

That may not sound like a lot, but I can only hit that snooze button so many times. Oh, the preacher has taken up yard work. He needed a lawnmower and he saw the sign that Id put up saying I had one for sale. He stopped at the hovel to ask about the lawnmower. I took him out to the machine shed to look at it. It’s a beauty. I just painted it purple, brown and black with some leftover house paint. The minister decided he wanted to start the mower, so he began to yank on the starter rope. He pulled it again and again. He looked at me while he tried to catch his breath. I told him that it was a dependable starter, but there was a secret to it.”

“Did he believe you?” I ask.

“Well, he asked me for secret. So I told him that the mower wouldn’t start unless it was cussed at.”

“How’d he take that?” I say.

“He told me that he was a man of the cloth and that if he had ever uttered a swear word, it had been so many years ago that he had forgotten how to do it.”

“And you said?”

“Preacher, if you keep on pulling that rope, it’ll all come back to you.”

The yellow hammer

A flicker, a self-appointed alarm clock, begins each day by drumming on the unused TV antenna that sits on the roof of our house. I wish the bird no harm, but I do wish it came with a snooze button.

From out of the past

From New England Prospect, written by William Wood in 1634. “The hummingbird is one of the wonders of the countrey. Being no bigger than a Hornet, yet hath all the dimensions of a bird ... For colour she is as glorious as the Rainebow, as she flies, she makes a little humming noise like a Humblebee: Wherefore she is called the Humbird.”

Last child in the woods

I shared the podium at Winona State University with Richard Louv, the author of the best-selling book, “Last Child in the Woods.” This book concerns the problem of nature-deficit disorder. Children are not spending as much time outside as did their predecessors. Louv talked about our changing times. He said that some playgrounds in Broward County, Fla., have put up signs reading, “No running.”

He mentioned that he knew his son was going to be a fisherman when he caught his heir, as a 3-year-old, fishing in the humidifier.

We have “Leave No Child Behind.” Louv advocates “Leave No Child Inside.” He advocates more field trips and recesses to get kids engaged in nature. Many of us have those special places in the natural world that maintain a place in our hearts. We need to make sure that our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are given the gift of wonder.

BBRP conference

It was my great pleasure to speak at the Bluebird Recovery Program’s Annual Conference in Elk River. I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with Jan Ahlgren. Jan’s late husband, Dave, built over 85,000 bluebird nest boxes. It is estimated that between one and two million bluebirds have been raised in the nest boxes that Dave built. Dave’s good work lives on.

Oology

Oology is the study of eggs. I listened to a friend named Carroll Henderson, a supervisor with the DNR Nongame Program, as he gave a presentation on the subject. Egg collecting was a hobby. People collected, bought, sold and traded eggs. This was done under the assumption that the birds would renest and their would be no impact upon avian populations. This was evidenced by the Elliot Coues book, Key to North America Birds that was published in 1884.

Coues wrote, “Become familiar with all the birds in your area by shooting every bird you can.”

Birds were regularly shot on sight by collectors. Chamberlin produced a .410 shotgun that was advertised as “the Naturalist’s Shotgun.” Egg collecting put the greatest pressure on the rarest birds as their eggs had more value. Condor eggs were worth $350 in 1904. Great Blue Heron eggs ran only 40 cents. Eggs of the Great Auk, that went extinct in 1844,

were likely the most expensive, running $1200 to 1600. One oologist picked Peregrine Falcon eggs from the same location for 29 years. When the birds abandoned the site, the collector blamed it on civilization.

There was little thought given to bird preservation. There weren’t many bird books in those days and no binoculars (only field glasses.)

Arm & Hammer put out bird cards. The cards advised people not to harm birds.

In Europe, Fulvous Cigarettes and Player’s Cigarettes, as well as Nestle’s Chocolates produced bird cards. The Singer Sewing Machine Company did, too. Egg collecting did document the decline of bird populations in certain areas. The 1918 Federal Migratory Bird Act put an end to rampant egg collecting.

Bluebirds

Bluebird expert and my bird buddy Keith Radel, who fledged 257 birds from 56 nest boxes last year, advises that the best results are when nest boxes are paired 10 feet apart. This combination is attractive for both bluebirds and Tree Swallows. There should be at least 500 feet between the pairs and each box right at 300 feet from trees. The key to success is to check the boxes regularly. Use weatherproof boxes that are easy to open. Put them where House Sparrows aren’t — don’t place them near livestock. Keith uses steel wools and applies car wax to rebar that he uses to mount his nest boxes. This keeps the raccoons away. Put the boxes high enough that a cat can’t jump on them.

A friend named Mary Suttinger says, “If you don’t mount your bluebird nest boxes properly, you’re just providing hot lunch for raccoons.” Keith, who lives in Faribault, sees the first bluebird eggs April 18-20. The first year (1986) that Keith put up boxes, he fledged no bluebirds. The holes were too small for the bluebirds to get in.

Alaska cruise

On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.

Please join me on a cruise to Alaska in July. For more information, please call 373-3455 or 1-800-657-4449. There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Thanks for stopping by

“Those who wish to sing always find a song.” — Swedish proverb

“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.” — Billy Graham

DO GOOD.

Allen Batt of Hartland is a member of the Albert Lea Audubon Society. E-mail him at SnoEowl@aol.com.

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