×

What’s Flying: In life, comfort can be a two-edged sword

A cedar waxwing is shown. (Scot Stewart photo)

“When you become uncomfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life.”— Eckhart Tolle

Being comfortable in life can be a two-edged sword. Critics report it prevents one from exploring new realms and reaching new potentials. But in nature, a level of comfort can be just the ticket to great observations. There is something about patience and a slow, deliberate approach to getting close to birds and mammals and seeing them in a more complete natural flow, interacting more completely in their behavior engaged in survival behaviors like foraging and hunting, social interactions with others of their own species and resting behaviors like grooming.

This fall there have been a number of birds in the Marquette area that have afforded great opportunities to experience very close encounters with birds not seen regularly in the area. Much has been said recently about pine grosbeaks and bohemian waxwings feeding in crab apple trees in Marquette. They have continued this past week, especially on the north side of town near the PEIF Building parking lot. Because they spend their year north of Lake Superior or out west in the Rocky Mountains, many, especially the grosbeaks, probably have had little contact with humans, vehicles or other trappings of civilization, until they arrive here and show little alarm to most activities around them. For those with a pair of binoculars, there is a chance to watch them feed, gnashing through larger crab apples and getting the fruit all over their faces, and warble softly to each other. The grosbeaks have been joined from time to time by the waxwings and an occasional robin. Pine grosbeaks provide extra excitement just with their varieties of plumage. Females are mostly olive-gray with yellowish orange heads and rumps. Young males are similar with heads nearly orange. Males are a whole different matter, with a pinkish red bodies and heads, and grayish black wings and white wing bars. They are much more laid back than the waxwings.

The waxwings usually travel alone when in larger flocks but will mix with other species if in pairs and other small groups. One cedar waxwing was also found this week in the middle of town. Cedar waxwings do spend the summer in the area, but most migrate southward out of the area. When bohemian waxwings are in the area during the wintertime there are usually a few cedar waxwings around too.

Several ducks have all been prime attractions in the area too. The female harlequin duck on the Carp River was still being seen last weekend. Many birders had gone multiple time to see the rare visitor from the western states. The going through the wet bottomlands on the north side of the river made hiking into the river. Still, many had gone more than one just to see it diving in the rapids as it foraged for fish, snails, aquatic insects and other small animals. For birders familiar with the ducks, they may also hope to hear the weak squeaks they make that have given them their nickname – sea mouse. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Harlequin_Duck/lifehistory, also has two more interesting item in their section on harlequins called Cool Facts — they receive more broken bones than any other bird, yet still can live up to 20 years. The second duck found in the area was a male American wigeon, was found in mitigation pond out near the mouth of the Dead River, feeding in the cattails with a large number of mallards. Several birders found by moving slowly around the pond and spending long, quiet stretches just watching the ducks allowed the more nervous in the group, including the wigeon, to eventually become more comfortable and move back out of the cover of the cattails to feed. It is a great feeling to gain the confidence of wild birds like this. They seem to sense the birders are not a danger to them and return to more relaxed, normal behaviors of feeding, preening and resting.

The wigeon is a bit smaller than the mallards, striking with a slate-gray head with a faint green stripe over each eye, a brown body, primary wing feathers black with white borders, and a black tail. The main markings are similar to those of male pintail ducks. Like the mallards, wigeons are dabblers — they don’t usually dive . This wigeon seems quite shy, but with slow quiet movements and patience, some good looks are possible. It just takes some time. When parts of the flock have flushed, they have simply jumped a weedy stretch to land in the rerouted creek that empties from the swampy portions of north Marquette. This creek once paralleled the last block of Hawley Street and emptied into Lake Superior. It is now diverted to the north and empties into the Dead River wetlands.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Scot Stewart is a teacher at Bothwell Middle School in Marquette and a freelance photographer.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today