Season Watch Newsletter: 6/24/2023

Happy (belated) summer solstice, everyone!

FEATURE: June Season Watch Podcast

I'm starting to get this whole podcast thing figured out! I kept this one down to a measly 45 minutes, despite the constant temptation to go off on tangents. Plus I only had to anxiety-sprint-away twice this time! June is a month of growth, etc. etc.

In this month's edition, I get excited about baby skunks, discuss the varioius tactics Brown-headed Cowbirds have developed to trick other birds into raising their babies, and enthuse about the ability of Chimney Swifts to scoop up insects while on the wing. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Listen in!

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STUDENT AND LISTENER CONTRIBUTIONS

This week, our friends the Newstoks watched a scene from a nature documentary unfold in front of their eyes and the Long Lake campers welcomed Dill Prickles the Porcupine, a host of Black-billed Cuckoos, and an Indigo Bunting back to campus.

Hear their voices!

JOHN LATIMER'S WEEKLY REPORT

I hope you're ready for John's report on bladderworts! We also learn about the value of spreading dogbane for pollinators, how buttercups get their glossy color, and how spittlebugs produce their spittle. (Hint: it comes out the other end and involves a lot of wiggling.)

Listen to John's report!

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SARAH'S RECOMMENDATION

Everyone, meet Robert Downy Junior, a young woodpecker who mistook my window for a forest and ended up with a slight concussion. While I enjoyed the chance to rehabilitate the lil' fella, I'd rather save his brain cells for eradicating emerald ash borers! If you have a similar bird-meet-window problem, I'm happy to introduce you to "Zen Wind Curtains". I've seen them in a couple nature centers now, and they are quite pleasant and non-distracting visually. Most important: they reportedly cut down on bird strikes by over 90%. The bonus is, you can make them yourself for relatively cheap. No more unfortunate 'thuds'!

Enjoy!

Chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica). Anishinaabemowin: mitigwaabineshiinh.

Bonus fact: Chimney swifts produce a glue-like saliva from underneath their tongue to affix their nests to a wall or other vertical surface. How's that for a party trick? You'd never need a command hook or post-it note again!

Go tromp in a swamp!

Northern Community Radio

KAXE/KBXE

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Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.