Duration of mates varies among waterfowl

Since the ponds have become ice free, pairs of mallards, Canada geese and other waterfowl have been swimming and preparing to nest. A pair of mallards and a pair of Canada geese have been swimming in a little pond I walk by daily. Are they the same pairs as last year? 

Both mallards and Canada geese usually arrive at their breeding grounds paired

The duration of relationships is not the same for all waterfowl or even all bird species. There are two main types of mating in waterfowl: monogamy and polygamy. 

Skunk cabbage true to its name

Whether the winter is short or long, the first flower is a joyful sight--even if its name is skunk cabbage. The bright yellow flowers emerge before the leaves, so spotting them is easy if you look in the right places.

Swamps, bog edges, sloughs, moist forests, along streams and other wet areas are apt places to look for skunk cabbage. The plant grows in both sun and shade but it grows larger when in shady locations.

Skunk cabbage flowers emerge before the leaves

Whiskers a sixth sense for mammals

How do seals hunt in murky water? How do cats prowl on moonless nights without bumping into everything? They can’t extend their legs like we do our arms to keep from bumping into objects in the dark. They need their legs to swim or walk so instead they have whiskers.

Each vibrissa on a dog's face can be linked to a specific location in his brain

While typically noticed on cats and dogs, all mammals have whiskers except for humans and monotremes (duck-billed platypus and echidnas). A man’s whiskers aren’t the same as a cat’s whiskers.

Can you imagine having more than two eyes?

Most familiar to us are animals with two eyes. But some animals have more than two eyes--a spider has eight eyes, a lizard three eyes and sea stars have one eye on each arm.

A grasshopper has two compound eyes on the sides of its head, an eye behind each antenna and one eye in the middle of its forehead. What do grasshoppers see?

Can you find the grasshopper's five eyes? The obvious eyes are the two large compound eyes. The three other eyes are simple eyes--the small circles between each compound eye and antenna, and between the antennae and mouth.

Even more unusual is the horseshoe crab which has five small eyes on the top of its shell, two compound eyes on the sides of the shell, two eyes in the middle of its body and one eye spot under its tail. What does it see? 

When camouflage doesn't work

While out hiking last week, we spotted this snowshoe hare. With a lack of snow at lower elevations, the snowshoe hare's white pelage didn't provide any camouflage.

Do animals see what we see?

We often assume the world looks the same to everybody, including animals, but it doesn’t. A red tulip isn’t red for everyone. The details on a flower petal cannot be seen by every animal either.

Despite the showiness of flowers, bees find nectar by seeing ultraviolet light patterns on the petals

There are many types of eyes and ways in which eyes “see”. The standard to base other animal’s eyesight against is the human eye because that is what we know and can see. 

Feathers don't last forever

American goldfinches dart to and from the bird feeder in their drab yellow plumage this time of year. Their vivid yellow plumage won’t come until they are ready to start breeding. 

Basic plumage of an American goldfinch in North American winter

The change from drab to bright plumage is a yearly occurrence for many birds, especially males. The colors and markings on a male bird often determine its attractiveness to females and ultimately its mating success. But males don’t need to stay in their colorful plumage year-round, so they molt. 

Many types of feathers make a bird

A single feather lying in the grass. The straight shaft surrounded by colorful vanes, some askew with dampness. Singly a feather doesn’t accomplish much but collectively feathers enable birds to fly--and much more. 

Contour feathers are arranged much like shingles on a roof in order to shed rain and keep the body dry.

Feathers help birds stay warm or cool, camouflage them from predators, help attract a mate, keep eggs and chicks warm, and help the bird defend themselves. Not every feather supports all these roles, instead there are several different types of feathers.