Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
December included a fair amount of bird feeder watching with Project FeederWatch in full swing and birds spending more time at the feeders because of the cold weather and snow. Although the feeders didn’t produce any new birds for the year, it’s always fun to see the winter “usuals.” I stayed at a Big Year count of 180 species all the way from September until December 31st when we squeezed in a quick trip to the Sax-Zim Bog right at the end of the year. And boy, did that trip pay off! Not only had I been wanting to visit the Bog since before my Big Year, but I added birds to my Big Year list and Life List! It was well worth the drive even for the short amount of time we were there, and I can’t wait to go back and see what else we can find! I ended up finishing my Big Year at the same place it started and with the same people at the cabin in north central Minnesota. As the clock stuck midnight on December 31, 2021 my Big Year was complete and I had logged 187 species for the year! Although my Big Year may be over, birding is not. Here are some excerpts from my Birding Nature Journal this month: Monday, December 6, 2021 FeederWatch day at Oxbow, no new birds today. Thursday, December 9, 2021 I watched the Red Wing feeders while I ate breakfast and drank my tea, 10 species today. Friday, December 31, 2021 Today is the last day of my Big Year and we went to the Sax-Zim Bog to end on a high note! The Bog has been on my bucket list of places to visit, so nothing like waiting until the last day of the Big Year to go! We started off by checking out the feeders at the Visitor Center where we saw Pine Grosbeaks and a Boreal Chickadee. Then we drove around and stopped at a few feeders. By the end of the day we saw Gray Jays, a Black-billed Magpie, tons of Evening Grosbeaks at “The Zabin,” a Northern Shrike, and Snow Buntings as we were heading back to the cabin. Car birding isn’t something I’m very used to but with only about 4 hours of birding, I added 7 species to my list and 6 of those were lifers! Definitely want to head back to the Bog when we have more time to explore!! December Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) December 31 – Sax-Zim Bog, Meadowlands, MN 181. (1) Pine Grosbeak* 182. (2) Boreal Chickadee* 183. (3) Gray Jay* 184. (4) Black-billed Magpie 185. (5) Evening Grosbeak* 186. (6) Northern Shrike* 187. (7) Snow Bunting* Birds Species this Year: 187! Species for December: 7 Days Birded this Year: 103 Days Birded in December: 9 Lifers in December: 6 (Birds with an (*) are Lifer Birds) An added bonus for my Big Year - earlier this year I was interviewed for an article about the Great Backyard Bird Count for the Birds & Blooms magazine! It was printed in the January Extra edition of the magazine, but arrived in December, just in time for my Big Year! Stay tuned for a Big Year wrap up blog post!
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When you think of Christmas the familiar story of St. Nicholas probably comes to mind. That isn’t the only story though of how Santa came to be. I was listening to a podcast about mushrooms (Mycology (MUSHROOMS) with Tom Volk on Ologies with Alie Ward) and heard about how the story of Santa may have come about because of something a little different – magic mushrooms. I had never heard of this story before so had to do a little research and found all sorts of parallels between the Santa story we all know with St. Nick and the psychedelic mushroom story.
The main character, besides Santa, is the Amanita muscaria mushroom also known as the “most sacred” and “holy mushroom.” This mushroom is a psychedelic mushroom, or magic mushroom, and can be poisonous. It is the iconic looking mushroom with a red cap that has white spots. This story of Santa is from many years ago. Shaman (medicine men, magicians, or sorcerers) in Siberian and Artic regions who wore red robes with white ropes around the waist would give out gifts of dried mushrooms, usually psychedelic mushrooms. They would deliver these gifts around the time of the Winter Solstice. This time of year, there would often be snow blocking the door, so the Shaman would go through openings in the roof to deliver their gifts. Are parts of this story starting to sound familiar? A man from the Artic dressed in red and white clothing, bringing gifts near Christmas time, and dropping in through the roof... These aren’t the only parallels of the Santa story. The Amanita mushroom is found growing under pine trees, which is symbolized as the presents we put under the Christmas tree. The Shaman would dry the mushrooms by hanging them on tree branches, like how we hang ornaments on a tree. Now let’s talk about the reindeer, they’re a big part of the Santa story. Reindeer in the wild have a liking to the Amanita mushroom and seek it out. When people eat the Amanita they get a sensation of flying. So, the question is, do the reindeer also get this sensation, or is it that people see the reindeer when they’re tripping and think the reindeer are flying? And Rudolph, the most well-known reindeer has a red nose, which some say looks like the Amanita mushroom on his nose. Now this last point is a bit far-fetched, but some say that elves are the spirits that a Shaman encountered during a trip. Some think this connection between magic mushrooms and Santa is a bunch of hoopla, while others see a lot of merit to the story. While I was doing my research, I found a lot of information from professors and historians about Shaman and their traditions. There is even a professor at Harvard who gathers his students each year for the Winter Solstice and discusses the magic mushroom Santa story. So now that you’ve heard the story, you’ll have to decide for yourself – is it St. Nick or Santa of the psychedelics? Either way, this is an entertaining story to tell at the Christmas dinner table. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! The holiday season is upon us meaning it is time for decorations, gifts, food, and more! Although these things bring us great cheer, they can also bring much unnecessary waste. Fear not, there are things we can do to “green up” our holiday and be a little more sustainable and environmentally friendly while not missing out on the festivities. Here are some tips and tricks to get your started on a greener holiday. Not only will these tips help you be more green, but often times that results in saving a little green (money), too.
1. Lights We love to decorate with lights this time of year, maybe it’s because they brighten up the long dark evenings and add a little cheer. When purchasing and decorating with lights there are a few things you can do to save some energy and also a little money with your energy bill.
2. Tree There’s a debate of whether real or fake trees are better. Whichever way you decide to go, there are some easy things to do to ensure your tree is as “green” as it can be. Real
3. Gifts The holiday season is a time of gift giving. Unfortunately, many gifts are short lived and end up being thrown away creating lots of unnecessary waste. Not to worry, there are plenty of great gift options out there that are better for the environment.
4. Shopping If you aren’t making your own gifts or regifting, there are a few things you can do while shopping to lower your environmental impact.
5. Wrapping Gifts Once you’ve made or bought your gifts it’s time to wrap them. This is a category that has a lot of variations on ways to be green, so you can get creative!
6. Christmas Cards Christmas cards and letters are a fun way to keep up with friends and family and what they’ve been up to for the year. They’re fun to send and receive but can end up being a lot of waste at the end of the season.
7. Cookies & Treats It is a fun time of year to get together and make cookies and memories. You can take it a step further and gift these cookies and treats you make. Cookies and festive treats are a popular gift to give, but if store bought, they often involve lots of unnecessary plastic packaging and wrapping.
8. Food The holidays mean food! But unfortunately, that can also mean a lot of waste.
Hopefully these eight tips and tricks will help you to “green up” your holiday and may even get you thinking of other ways you can be more environmentally friendly. Not only can these tips help for the holiday season, but they can be modified and used year-round. What may seem like a small thing can really add up, especially when multiple people are doing it. I hope you have a happy, healthy, and green holiday season! |
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