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What do grouse like to eat?
Ruffed grouse eat leaves, buds, and flowers of trees such as quaking aspen, birch, and black cherry trees.

What kinds of animals do grouse have to watch out for?
It is not an easy life being a ruffed grouse. They have to be on guard at all times because there are lots of hungry animals that would enjoy catching a plump grouse. Wolves, pine martens, and foxes are all predators of grouse. Grouse also have to be careful of human hunters in the fall.

Sources
Farrand, J. Jr. 1988. An Audobon Handbook: Eastern Birds. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Stensaas, M. 1993. Canoe country wildlife: a field guide to the North Woods and Boundary Waters. Pfeifer- Hamilton, Duluth, MN.
Udvardy, M.D.F. 1977. The Audobon Society field guide to North American birds: Western region. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ]]> tag:wildernessclassroom.com,2006:/superior//19.727 2006-11-01T20:00:19Z 2006-11-01T20:03:19Z

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)
Almost everybody who comes to the Border Country will encounter the Gray jay. That is because they are not shy and will swoop down to visit campsights to find food.

What do gray jays look like?
A gray jay has a white belly, forehead, breast, and neck. The rest of its body is gray. Young jays are slate colored gray all over. Gray jays look fluffy because they have long insulating feathers to keep them warm in the cold winter months. Gray jays are about 10-13 inches long.

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What do gray jays sound like?
They have a variety of different calls some are harsh and high pitched. They are generally quiet and quite tame. If you hold food out for a gray jay then very often it will come take it from your hand!

Where do gray jays live?
These jays live in northern coniferous forests. They are found all over the Border Country. They live in small groups and are rarely seen alone. ]]> What is so interesting about gray jays?
These birds spend most of their time during the warmer months collecting food. They hide excess food in places called caches. Before they hide the food they mix it with their sticky saliva and then make small pellets out of it. These pellets are packed full of energy which they can use at a later date in the winter when food supplies are running low. The jays store the pellets in trees and under pine needles. This hidden food comes in handy in February when they begin building their nests.

When do gray jays nest?
Gray jays begin making their nests in February and start laying eggs in the middle of March. It is still cold in the northern forests at that time of year so the jays must eat lots of food to have enough energy for building and taking care of young. They rely on their caches of pellets for a lot of their energy.

What do they build their nests out of?
Gray jays use a collection of twigs, bark and sometimes pieces of wasp nests. The inside is lined with soft warm materials like deer, moose, snowshoe hare fur, and fine grasses. These soft materials are comfortable as well as insulative.

Where do the gray jays find the fur to make their nests?
Gray jays will feed on leftover carrion and will often pick up clumps of hair to take back to their nests.

What are some other names for gray jays?
Gray jays are known also as "Camp Robbers" and "Whiskey Jacks."
The next time you are in the Northern Woods do not be surprised if a friendly gray jays comes by to see if you will share your food!

Sources
Farrand, J. Jr. 1988. An Audobon Handbook: Eastern Birds. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Stensaas, M. 1993. Canoe country wildlife: a field guide to the North Woods and Boundary Waters. Pfeifer- Hamilton, Duluth, MN.
Udvardy, M.D.F. 1977. The Audobon Society field guide to North American birds: Western region. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ]]> tag:wildernessclassroom.com,2006:/superior//19.576 2006-10-31T10:33:52Z 2006-10-31T10:34:13Z

White-tailed deer are one of the most commonly seen wild animals in the US. They have been able to survive even though humans have taken over much of their land. Deer are part of the Cervidae family which also includes moose and elk.

Where do white-tailed deer live?

White-tails are found all over the U.S. except for the far Southwest. They live in wooded areas as well as farmlands.

Click on photo to enlarge

What do white-tailed deer look like?

Deer vary in size and females can weigh between 90-211 pounds, while males are between 150-310 pounds. Their average height is about 3 feet tall. In the summer, their fur is reddish brown or tan. They shed their summer coat and grow a winter coat which is grayish brown. Each individual hair is hollow. This is important because the hair acts as an insulator trapping the body heat that the deer generates. The hollow hair also makes it easier for deer to float. As their name suggests, white-tailed deer have a tail that is white on the under side and brown on top. Deer have large eyes and long ears.

Young deer are known as fawns and they will often have spots on their fur that help them blend in with their surroundings. The male fawns, in their first year, only grow single spike antlers. By the time they are three they usually have about 8 points on their antlers.

Why do deer stick their tails straight up when they are running?

If a deer becomes startled it will run away and stick its white tail straight up. They do this to signal a warning of possible danger to other deer that may be near by. The white tail makes it easier for fawns to follow their mothers out of danger.

Did you know that only male deer have antlers?

Male deer or bucks have antlers which they shed each year. The antlers have one branched beam in front with several unbranched tines behind. At the beginning of every summer the new antlers grow and are covered in a thin layer of skin with fur or velvet attached. The velvet contains thin blood vessels which nourish the developing bony antlers. By late summer, when the antlers are fully grown, the velvet peels away and leaves the exposed bony antlers. The antlers are important for males because they help to attract mates and allow males to defend their territory from other males. Once the mating season is over, in late fall, the antlers shed off. The antlers that fall to the ground are quickly eaten by small animals craving calcium.

Did you know that deer can run as fast as 36 miles per hour?

Deer rely on their speed to get them out of difficult or dangerous situations. They must be able to run quickly to flee from hungry predators like wolves, coyotes and humans. Deer are also incredible jumpers. They can jump as high as 8 1/2 feet and as far as 30 feet!

What do deer eat?

Deer like to eat a variety of different vegetation. In the summer they eat acorns, green plants, nuts, fruits, and aquatic plants. In the fall they switch to eating grasses and evergreen plants. During the winter they eat woody plants because that is all that is available. A varied diet is important for deer because it allows them to get the right nutrients at different times of the year. If winter lasts a long time than often starvation will kill the deer because of a lack of nutrient rich trees.

Did you know that white-tailed deer eat 5-9 pounds of food per day?

These deer have stomachs specially designed to digest plant matter. Plants contain a rough substance called celluose that most animals cannot digest. Their stomachs are divided into four sections and contain bacteria which break down the celluose found in plants. Deer eat quickly to avoid being found by predators. After they feed they go rest in a safe area where they digest their food. They actually regurgitate the food back into their mouths and then they chew it again to break it down even more!

What are some signs of deer activity?

Look out for torn vegetation that deer have been munching on. Deer do not have incisors (front teeth) therefore the vegetation looks ripped when they bite into it. Other signs of deer include trees with rub marks on them. The rub marks are formed when the bucks rub their antlers on the tree to mark their territory and rub the tree bark off. Deer droppings are quite a common sight along trails. The droppings are cylindrical shaped pellets that are about 3/4 inch long. Deer tracks are also easy to identify. The prints are about 2-3 inches long and they are shaped like broken hearts with small dew claw prints at the back of the print.

Take a quiet walk along a trail in the woods and look out for white-tailed deer browsing on their favorite bushes.

Sources

Patent, D.H. 1994. Deer and Elk. Clarion Books, New York.

Saintsing, D. 1988. The world of deer. Gareth Stevens Children's Books, Milwaukee.

Stensaas, M. 1993. Canoe country wildlife: a field guide to the North Woods and Boundary Waters. Pfeifer- Hamilton, Duluth, MN.

Whitaker, J.O. 1996. National Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Perigrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus

The Peregrine Falcon is a medium-sized falcon about the size of a large crow: 38-53 cm (15 to 21 inches) long. The English and scientific species names mean "wandering falcon", and refer to the fact that some populations are migratory. It has a wingspan of about 1 meter (40 inches). Males weigh 570-710 grams; the noticeably larger females weigh 910-1190 grams.

The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest creature on the planet in its hunting dive, in which it soars to a great height, then free falls at speeds in excess of 420 km/h (260mph) into either wing of its prey, so as not to harm itself on impact. Although not self-propelled speeds, due to the fact that the falcon gathers the momentum and controls its dive, capture and landing, technically there is no faster animal.

Peregrines in mild-winter regions are usually permanent residents, and some birds, especially adult males, will remain on the breeding territory. However, the Arctic subspecies migrate; tundrius birds from Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland migrate to Central and South America, and all calidus birds from northern Eurasia move further south or to coasts in winter.

Peregrine Falcons feed almost exclusively on birds, such as doves, waterfowl and songbirds, but occasionally they hunt small mammals, including bats, rats, voles and rabbits. Insects and reptiles make up a relatively small proportion of their diet. On the other hand, a growing number of city-dwelling Falcons find that feral pigeons and Common Starlings provide plenty of food.

Peregrine Falcons breed when they are about 2 to 3 years old. They mate for life and return to the same nesting spot every year. Their courtship flight includes a mix of aerial acrobatics, precise spirals, and steep dives. Females lay 3 to 4 eggs, normally on cliff edges or, increasingly, on tall buildings or bridges. They occasionally nest in tree hollows or in the disused nest of other large birds. The females incubate the eggs for 29 to 32 days at which point the eggs hatch.

53 to 42 days after hatching, the chicks will begin to fly, but they tend to remain dependent on their parents for about two more months. The male provides most of the food for himself, the female, and the chicks while the female stays and watches the young.

Because of their high metabolic rates, Peregrine Falcons must consume more food in proportion to their size than most animals. To be efficient flyers, the digestive system of birds has to be both as light as possible and as efficient as possible. The need to keep weight as low as possible also means that, except perhaps prior to migration, there is a limit to the amount of fat the Peregrine Falcon can store.

The respiratory system is also unique; the Peregrine Falcon maintains a one-way flow of air so that it can breathe while flying. This system is much more efficient than the more common two-way flow of air. Birds have two relatively small lungs, where gas exchange occurs, but the lungs are augmented by bellows-like air sacs, where no gas exchange occurs. These air sacs keep the lungs perpetually inflated, even when the bird is exhaling.

The Peregrine Falcon also has cones in its nostrils to help regulate breathing at high speeds. Its circulatory system also needs to be exceptionally strong, because flying takes lots of oxygen. A bird's heart beats much faster than the human heart does, approximately 600-900 beats per minute.

The average life span of a Peregrine Falcon is approximately eight to ten years, although some have been recorded to live until slightly more than twenty years of age.

The Peregrine Falcon became endangered because of the overuse of pesticides, during the 1950s and 1960s. Pesticide build-up interfered with reproduction, thinning eggshells and severely restricting the ability of birds to reproduce. The DDT buildup in the falcon's fat tissues would result in less calcium in the eggshells, leading to more fragile eggs. In several parts of the world, this bird died out due to pesticides.

What special adaptations make allow this bird to have a 260 miles per hour hunting dive?

There will be a slideshow/pizza party at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN on Thursday, November 2nd.

Come on down to North House on Thursday evening to eat some delicious pizza and learn more about their two months of travel on the Big Lake. We’ll provide the dough and sauce, and stories—you bring your favorite toppings, cheese, and spirit of adventure. If you have any questions give us a call at 312-505-9973.

Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus

The Muskrat is a large aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe. Adult body length is usually between 25-40 cm long, with a strong, laterally compressed tail 20-25 cm long. The body is covered in thick, brown waterproof fur. They have partially webbed hind feet and small able hand-like front feet. The weight is up to 1700 g.

Muskrats live in wetlands: ponds, lakes, marshes and river banks. They are very good swimmers, using their tail for propulsion in the water. They are found in Alaska, Canada, the United States and northern Mexico. Extensive burrow systems are dug in the ground adjacent to the water with an underwater entrance. In marshes, lodges are constructed from cattails and mud. They also build feeding platforms in wetlands. It is common to find Muskrats living in beaver lodges, too. Muskrats help maintain open areas in marshes, which helps to provide habitat for aquatic birds.

The male muskrat marks his territory with a strong musky secretion which gives this animal its name. Females have 2 to 3 litters of 6 to 8 young. Muskrat populations appear to go through a regular pattern of rise and dramatic decline spread over a 6 to 10 year period.

While much wetland habitat has been eliminated due to human activity, new muskrat habitat has been created by the construction of canals or irrigation channels and the muskrat remains common and wide-spread.

How is the Muskrat similar to other rodents that you may be more familiar with?