Mockingbird

Have you ever heard of a Mocking Bird? I have. And no they do not mock people! But the calls from a Mocking Bird sound like the calls from other birds! Mocking Birds are a light grayish with a white chest. They have a  white stripe on each wing. The females look the  same  as males. The males display their wings to females. These birds are amazing to listen to!!!!! Sometimes they may fool you by their sound!! 


Here is a website that has the songs of a Mocking Bird. http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=4

Red Tailed Hawk

Do you like hawks? I do! ( I love every animal!) My favorite type of hawk is a Red Tailed Hawk with their orange tail and strong look! Did you know the females are slightly larger then the  males!? They eat mice,birds,small animals, and small reptiles like snakes.  They look amazing in flight! They can be brown to white! But in my opinion they are always beautiful!!  Some times they fly around my chicken coop. One of my chickens was found in a corner almost completely eaten! ( Except for the bones and feathers of course!) I think it was a Red Tailed Hawk I saw earlier  in the day circling the coop! But to find out my dad put the deer cam in that corner. But he has not checked it yet. ( It happened 2 days ago!) But he said we will look at the pictures tomorrow!                 

Raccoon

Have you ever seen a raccoon eating cat food? I have!  My family found out that a raccoon had been visiting our barn to eat cat food every morning at 2:00.  I have pictures from a deer cam! My dad went in the barn one night and there staring at him was a raccoon! But my dad somehow scared it away up to the loft just by standing there! What a shy raccoon!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it never came back! But it had been visiting for weeks before getting scared away!   These are two pictures from the deer cam!:)  In the first picture the raccoon is standing up. In the second picture the raccoon is in a little tub of water for sheep.


Raccoons usually eat fruit, small animals, small fish, nuts,seeds,insects, baby birds,and bird eggs.

            

Cedar Waxwing

Don't you  just love the songs of birds in the morning and evening?! Have you ever seen or heard a Cedar Waxwing? Cedar Waxwings are small birds. They  are gray to brown with pointed crest, light yellow belly  and bandit like black mask. Tip of tail is bright yellow. The tip of its wings look like they have been dipped in red wax. Females are same as male. Juveniles are grayish with a heavily streaked chest, lacks red wing tips, black mask and sleek look. Food; cedar cones, fruit,insects. Scientific name is Bombycilla cedrorum.
Here is a website that you can listen to
 http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=10      I got this information from Birds of Michigan field guide by Stan Tekiela 

Gray Tree Frogs

 Have you ever wanted to know the difference  between  a Gray Tree frog  and a  Copes Gray Tree frog?  I have answers here!   Copes Gray Tree frogs  are in the Tree frog (Hylidae)    family. They  are green with a white belly. But they change color to gray with large dark spots.  Some have a small white patch just below the eyes.  Inside thighs of behind hind legs  are yellow. Males have  a gray throat (vocal) sac. They live up to 5-7 years.  Habitats, moist forests, woodland edges, ponds,and wet meadows. Over winter; under leaf litter, logs and rocks; Partially freezes.  Food,  Beetles and other insects, caterpillars.  Compare, The Gray Tree frog is nearly identical. The best way to  tell the difference is by their calls.   Here is a website that you listen to their sounds on. /http://www.real.msu.edu/explore/mifrogtoad/   I got this information from a field guide called  Reptiles and Amphibians of Michigan Field Guide.

Introduction

Hi! I am Cornelia! I love Nature and I love to  share the wonders  about it to others! Here you can learn about  lots  of   animals and plants!   Some animals are big  others are small. Some plants are soft   others  are  hard. Have fun reading about the wonders of  nature!