By Al Batt, Natures’s World

My neighbor Crandall stops by.

&8220;How are you doing?&8221; I ask.

&8220;Alas, my noble friend. I have once again embarked as a reluctant participant in the world of employment. I&8217;m thinking of taking up worm farming. My ant farm hasn&8217;t made me a cent yet, but maybe worms are the answer. Say, Reverend Pastor came by to see me yesterday. He&8217;s gotten into the habit of always dropping by at mealtime. When he sat down at the table, he noticed that some of my dishes weren&8217;t the cleanest that he had ever seen.

&8216;Were these dishes ever washed?&8217; he asked me, running his fingers over some dried egg on a plate. I told him that they were as clean as soap and water could get them.

The preacher looked a bit uncomfortable, but blessed the food anyway and we started eating.

It was really delicious. Cousin Clapsaddle had made some of his world famous tater tot hotdish. He once was a chef in a bait shop. He used to get letters from Julia Child, may she rest in peace, begging him for that recipe. When dinner was over, I took the dishes outside and yelled, &8216;Here Soap!

Here Water!&8217; I don&8217;t expect the preacher will be dining with us again.&8221;

Endangered species

The Minnesota DNR is proposing changes to Minnesota&8217;s List of

Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern birds. A species is considered endangered if the species is threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within Minnesota.

A species is considered threatened if the species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range within Minnesota. A species is considered a species of special concern if, although the species is not endangered or threatened, it is extremely uncommon in Minnesota, or has unique or highly specific habitat requirements and deserves careful monitoring of its status. Species on the periphery of their range that are not listed as threatened may be included in this category along with those species that were once threatened or endangered but now have increasing or protected, stable populations.

Currently the list of endangered birds is made up of: Baird&8217;s sparrow, Henslow&8217;s sparrow, Sprague&8217;s pipit, chestnut-collared longspur, piping plover, king rail and burrowing owl.

The list of threatened birds includes: trumpeter swan, peregrine falcon, loggerhead shrike, Wilson&8217;s phalarope, horned grebe and common tern

The list of birds of special concern consists of: sharp-tailed sparrow, short-eared owl, red-shouldered hawk, yellow rail, cerulean warbler, Acadian flycatcher, common moorhen, bald eagle, Franklin&8217;s gull, marbled godwit, American white pelican,

Louisiana waterthrush, Forster&8217;s tern, greater prairie-chicken and hooded warbler.

Proposed changes are:

Add to list of special concern: northern goshawk, lark sparrow, common nighthawk, black-throated blue warbler and Bell&8217;s vireo.

Add to threatened list: boreal owl.

Change from endangered to threatened list: Henslow&8217;s sparrow.

Change from threatened to special concern: trumpeter swan.

Change from threatened to endangered: loggerhead shrike.

Remove from list: peregrine falcon, bald eagle and greater prairie-chicken.

A swan song

Speaking of endangered species, Joyce Rhody wrote me, asking about the proposed swan kill in Wisconsin. A death knell may have been sounded for Wisconsin&8217;s mute swans. A federal appeals court recently upheld a federal law stripping the swans of wildlife protection and allowing state officials to kill them. Wisconsin wildlife officials want to replace the nonnative mute swans with native trumpeter swans. The Department of Natural Resources has a plan to shoot the birds, clearing lakes in southeastern Wisconsin. But mute swans are popular among some lake residents, who feed the birds. The DNR has said mute swans are aggressive toward people and native trumpeter swans and that they destroy habitant.

The Fund for Animals started a lawsuit, which aimed to have the federal government extend protection to nonnative species. The group is deciding whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Armadillos

I was in Kansas and saw a flattened fauna on a highway. It was an armadillo. Armadillos have been recorded as far north as Nebraska. The prehistoric-looking armadillo, which is

Spanish for &8220;little armored thing,&8221; is definitely moving northward. Called a &8220;opossum on the half-shell&8221; by some, the official state mammal of Texas is believed by some researchers to have been

aided in its advance by the region&8217;s lack of predators and the abundance of favorable habitat such as forests and river valleys. Milder winters that provide less long-standing snow and ice &8212; the bane of armadillos who have little body fat, don&8217;t hibernate and rely on their noses to root out beetles, grubs and earthworms &8212; hasn&8217;t hurt, either.

Q and A

&8220;Why do birds tend to congregate on utility wires with most of them facing the same direction?&8221; Birds flock together and that includes the time they spend perched. The wires are convenient. The wires have become a natural part of a bird&8217;s environment &8212; a part that offers an excellent surveillance point. Birds typically sit facing into the wind, because it&8217;s easier for them to keep their balance if their feathers aren&8217;t blowing the wrong way.

&8220;Do you have any tips to help keep me from hitting a deer?&8221; Go everywhere on foot. Seriously, deer behave unpredictably. When you see one, slow down and expect it to cross the road. Deer are social and often move in groups. If you see one cross the road, expect several more to follow. Be especially cautious between dusk and dawn. When there&8217;s no oncoming traffic, use high beams. They will illuminate the eyes of deer on the side of the road. If you see a deer on the road ahead of you, brake firmly, but stay in your lane. If you swerve to avoid a deer, you may hit an oncoming vehicle. Don&8217;t rely on deer whistles; research has shown they have no effect on deer behavior.

Alaska cruise

On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.

Please join me on a cruise to Alaska in July. For more information, please call 373-3455 or 1-800-657-4449.

There will be a Travel Show for this trip sponsored by Community Education at 6:30 P.M. on Jan. 17 at the Board Room at Brookside School in Albert Lea. For more information on the show, please call 379-4834. Spend the best days of your life going places.

Thanks for stopping by

&8220;People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.&8221; &8212; St. Augustine

&8220;Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.&8221; &8212; Alice Mackenzie Swaim

DO GOOD.

Al Batt of Hartland is a member of the Albert Lea Audubon Society. E-mail him at SnoEowl@aol.com.