Articles

Blane Klemek column: Turkey vultures possess adaptive characteristics

Edward Abbey once wrote of the turkey vulture; “Let us praise the noble turkey vulture: no one envies him; he harms nobody; and he contemplates our little world from a most serene and noble height.”

Blane Klemek column: Winter dens of bears vary

The American black bear makes Minnesota its home. Yet seeing a bear in the northern forests is a rare event. Even rarer than observing a black bear going about its business, is seeing one in the wintertime.

Spring bird watching is fun

April has been a good month for avian adventures. I returned from a late March trip to Illinois where I helped put leg bands on hundreds of lesser scaup on the mighty Mississippi River – where spring was well under way. I was more than ready for Minnesota to catch up. For it was there, where the Mississippi runs wide and deep along the border of Iowa and Illinois, that I got my first taste of springtime.

Otters enthusiastically embrace fun

If ever there was a creature that seems to enjoy life more, relishes playtime and roughhousing as much, or takes more pleasure in spending time with family just lying around or goofing off, then I’ve never met the critter. Without a shred of doubt, river otters fit this bill wonderfully.

Mountain vacation leads to discoveries

Much of the enjoyment in traveling to other parts of the country is observing resident flora and fauna and trying to identify the newly encountered species.

Bald eagles are inspiring sights

Author and ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent, whose words I have quoted in the past, wrote an interesting passage in his book, “Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey,” about the bald eagle. He wrote: “On June 20, 1782, our forefathers adopted as our national emblem the bald eagle, or the ‘American eagle’ as it was called, a fine looking bird, but one hardly worthy of the distinction.” It’s telling of his disdain for the emblematic bird, as he continues to write, why he italicized the word “looking.”

Wren species occupy various habitats

I miss the song of the house wren. The chirping, bubbly and incessant song – nearly as persistent a singer as the red-eyed vireo – is a birdsong that I came to enjoy when I lived just a few miles north of where I do now. What’s interesting is that the surrounding habitat is not all that different between my former and current homes. Yet, for whatever reason, and despite putting up wren houses, no house wrens have moved in, much less even stopped by for a look-see.

Columns

Porcupines are quiet forest dwellers

Not long ago, while enjoying a stroll in the woods, I noticed a dark blob in the canopy of a small birch tree. At first I thought it was a gray squirrel nest, but something wasn’t quite right about it, so I approached it for a closer look.

Blane Klemek column: First encounter with mountain resident

One of the simple pleasures of hunting in the mountains is choosing the perfect place in which to eat and rest. The satisfaction I gain from breathtaking mountain vistas is always worth the extra effort or time it might take to find or reach such places.

Piebald deer is exciting sight

My grandfather Clifford Greenwood once had a small room in his house that he and Grandmother called “the den.”

You can tell a lot about a bird by its feet

The feet of birds can tell you a lot about how a particular species of bird lives its life. Some feet are for swimming, some feet are for clutching, some feet are for running, some feet . . . well, you get the picture.

Blane Klemek column: Fascinating bird, deceptively talented hunter

Many years ago on a late summer day, I watched a curious-looking bird hovering above the dead grass alongside a woodland that I had departed.

Blane Klemek column: Bluebirds flock in fall migration

October’s here, leaves are changing colors and many of the birds we’ve enjoyed watching and listening to all summer long have either left Northern Minnesota or are about to. Although bitter-sweet, we all know that they’ll be back next spring.

Blane Klemek column: Moose scarcity is a recent phenomenon

It was May 2000. I was the new manager and director of the Wetlands, Pines and Prairie Audubon Sanctuary, an 800-acre wildlife refuge and environ-mental education center in northwestern Minnesota near the City of Warren. Fresh out of graduate school and ready to roll up my sleeves and get dirty, I was eager and grateful to be working in the wildlife profession.

Blane Klemek column: Wasps, yellowjackets are fascinating insects

There’s definitely something ominous about the appearance of yellowjackets and hornets. While the potential of being stung probably crosses all of our minds whenever we encounter the insects, these relatives of bumblebees and honeybees really are fascinating creatures.

Blane Klemek column: Bike basket contents surprise neighbors

I can still see the look on the man’s face. He was raking his lawn while I was peddling my bicycle down the street of my Coon Rapids neighborhood. I was just 8 years old.

Blane Klemek column: House sparrows are here to stay

While dining recently inside a fast-food restaurant, I happened to glance out the window I was sitting beside. My old truck, which was parked nearby, was suddenly the center of attention for a small flock of house sparrows. Their behavior was interesting enough for me to quit reading yet another newspaper article about Bret Favre.