|
Happening
at the Crossroads
February 9,
2009
by Coggin
Heeringa
Every
sunny day now, male, Black-capped Chickadees are singing their two-note
courtship song and pairs of Great Horned Owls are filling the frosty
nights with courtship duets. Valentine’s Day is coming to Crossroads at
Big Creek.
When birds form a pair bond, they do many of the same
things humans do when they fall in love. Some humans bring boxes of
chocolate, flowers or gifts to their sweethearts (especially on
Valentines Day).
Some male birds bring edible gifts to their
mates. Of course, a female bird wouldn't be particularly interested in
a heart-shaped box of chocolate. So, the male bird brings foods his
mate would like.
For example, as we get closer to spring,
female Northern Cardinals suddenly start acting like baby birds.
Certainly they know how to feed themselves, but instead they crouch
down and quiver their wings. When a female opens her mouth like a
nestling, her mate crams it full of sunflower seeds.
Waxwings seem to be very romantic. A male waxwing will pick a berry and tenderly place it in the beak of his intended mate.
A
male gull brings a more personal Valentine. The male approaches the
female and throws up at her feet. If she likes him, she gobbles up this
"gift."
Northern Harriers have a spectacular gift-giving
ceremony. The male hawk flies about fifteen or twenty feet above the
nest and drops dead mice on his lady love. She is very good at catching
mice with her talons. A dead mouse wouldn't appeal to me as a
Valentine, but apparently, the female Harrier appreciates the gesture.
Fortunately,
we have not had mice dropped on Crossroads from above, but clouds have
dumped significant snow this winter. And when that happens, we get
special gifts of help from some of our Valentines.
The good
folks from Little Hoppers have been clearing the snow from our parking
lot for the past several winters. If you can drive into Crossroads,
join us in thanking Little Hoppers for their generous gift to us and to
the the community.
The Door County
Memorial Hospital Ministry Health Care gave Crossroads a gift in the
form of a grant to underwrite the expenses involved in maintaining and
grooming our ski and hiking trails. Thanks!
Finally, Jim Maki has been a real sweetheart to keep the walks shoveled, the hiking trails rollled, and the ski trails groomed.
We
encourage people to use our trails this Valentine’s week. Exercise is
good for the heart. Crossroads trails are free and open to the public.
Weather permitting, on Sunday afternoons, from 1:00-3:00, Friends of
Crossroads (also sweethearts) loan skis and snowshoes to adults and
children who want to get in touch with nature.
On Tuesday,
February 17, 7:00 Master Gardener Lectures bring Natural
Resource Educator at Whitefish Dunes State Park , Carolyn Rock
back to Crossroads to answer the question: "What Makes It Invasive?"
Carolyn
will help with identification of invasive plants and suggest which
plant(s) should you focus on. This lecture will provide the
the knowledge and techniques to help in the battle of
invasive plants. Free and open to the public. Collins Learning
Center.
On Valentine's Day, the Collins Learning Center will
be closed--for, what else?, a wedding! But the rest of the week,
the Center and Wisconsin Wildlife Exhibit are open between 2:00-5:00.
Crossroads
is located at the intersection of Highway 42/57 and Michigan in
Sturgeon Bay. For more information call 746-5895 or go to
www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org.
February 17, 7:00 Master Gardener Lecture:
What makes it Invasive?
How
well do you know your invasive plants? Do you feel comfortable
with your plant ID to control them? Which plant(s) should you
focus on? Guest speaker Carolyn Rock will share the
knowledge andtechniques to help battle these invasives. Learn
tips, tricks and easy to use control techniques that everyone can do.
Free and open to the public. Collins Learning Center.
Many of
the Past News articles may be retrieved from this directory,
indexed and named in the following manner: 080101-news.htm
where
the first two numbers are the year, the second two the month and the
last two the date.
|
