Birds

Even when I was little I liked watching the birds. I have often appreciated the beauty in their feathers. I now live around Oak trees and that brings in lots of birds. I often see Cardinals, Blue Jays, Nuthatch, Chicken Hawks, Downy woodpeckers, Hairy woodpecker, Piliated wood peckers, Crows, Sparrows and an occasional finch. I do love chickens so I like to make them too.

Pileated woodpecker: They build spacious new nesting cavities every year. Abandoned holes provide crucial homes for other animals like wood ducks, owls, bats, and swifts.

Blue Jays: Have a smart memory. They use landmarks to find hidden food and can even trick other birds by pretending to hide a seed in one spot while secretly moving it.

Nuthatch: Unlike woodpeckers, which use their tails for support, nuthatches use strong back toes to grip bark and walk straight down trees.

(after these came out of the kiln I immediately said they are upside down! Darn it. Fixing that in the next round.)

A gathering of birds: Doves, crows, cardinal, yellow finches and a simple sparrow.

Northern Oriole: Probably most known for their sweet tooth! They are easily attracted to backyard feeders filled with orange halves and grape jelly.

Red winged black bird: Spend up to a quarter of their daylight hours aggressively defending their territory and will boldly dive bomb much larger animals, including horses and humans.

(I’ve always said their such a swoopy bird, lol)

American Robins: Female robins are muddy builders! They build sturdy cup-shaped nests using grass and twigs, using wet mud as a strong glue-like binder.

Barred Owl: They are known to have a call that sounds like “who cooks for you?”

Duck, Duck, Gray Duck!

Cultural researchers theorize the game came to Minnesota via Scandinavian immigrants. In Sweden, a traditional children's game is called Anka Anka Grå Anka, which translates directly to "duck, duck, gray duck" (alongside a variant called Anka Anka Gås for goose).

Chickadee: I have always though these were the cutest birds. I also love their little; chick-a-dee-dee-dee chirps.

Chickens: A White Leghorn is the most common and iconic white chicken hen, famous for laying up to 300 white eggs a year.

Loons: The common loon has been the official state bird of Minnesota since 1961, and the state hosts more common loons than any other lower 48 state.

Recently loons have become a symbol that stands for collective action, local resilience, accountability, and hope here in Minnesota.