One of the most common visitors to back yard bird feeders in the northern half of the United States (and much of Canada) is the Black-Capped Chickadee. They do not migrate south for the winter, and for a very small bird they can withstand some extremely frigid temperatures.
Everyone has seen a mouse at one time or another, right? Mice are very common rodents, but did you see a deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) or a house mouse (Mus musculus)? A deer mouse has a brown back and a white belly, with white legs and feet.
The Wilson’s Snipe is a strange-looking bird that is about the size of an American robin. It is a chubby, medium-sized shorebird with feathers that are a mottled mixture of brown, tan, cream and white. It’s got a round head and a very short tail, but the weirdest thing about it is its beak.
When people see a water snake, they frequently exclaim “Water Moccasin!” This often happens even in northern states like Wisconsin and Michigan that are way out of the snake’s native range. Water Moccasins (or Cottonmouths) are venomous, and although they do venture as far north as Indiana and Illinois, they are typically only found in the extreme southern parts of those states.
Visitors to Florida, especially south Florida, are likely to see a very unusual bird walking along the shoreline of local lakes and marshes: the Limpkin. This tall, heron-like wading bird is a mottled brown color overall with white flecks, and it has a long neck with lighter brown-and-white streaking.
The channel catfish is the most common catfish species in the United States. It inhabits lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. It is easy to identify because it has a fairly large head and has a total of eight whiskers (or barbels) located around its mouth.
Most people have trouble identifying sparrows. After all, there are many different species and some of them look very similar to each other. They are called “little brown birds” by lots of people, simply because that’s a pretty good description and it’s easier than figuring out the identity of each individual sparrow.
At one time, black bears were fairly common throughout most of North America – at least in areas covered with forests. This included every Canadian province and every state (except Hawaii), and even included much of northern Mexico.
Palm warblers are cute little birds which are slightly smaller than most sparrows. They are seen for a relatively short time each year throughout the eastern United States during their spring and fall migrations. This is because most palm warblers breed up in the boreal forests of Canada and spend their winters in the warmer climates of Florida and the coastlines of the southeastern US.
When it comes to energetic and highly animated birds in the back yard, one of the first species that comes to mind is the white-breasted nuthatch. This small, sparrow-sized bird is bluish-gray on its back with a black cap on top of its head, and a bright white breast, face and underparts.
Muskrats are relatively small, nocturnal mammals that prefer to live in marshes and wetlands. They are usually 16 to 26 inches long, but almost half of their length is from their long tail.
