A Year of Iowa Nature: Discovering Where We Live

November

November 116 TUNDRA SWANS ST The Mississippi River is unprecedented as a migration corridor for birds of all kinds, but especially for waterfowl. Shallow backwater sloughs, protected coves, and tree-covered islands provide resting and feeding habitat . Tundra swans highlight mid-November on their journey south and east toward the eastern seaboard. Here we see them moving about in midmorning along with Canada geese and thousands of ducks.The distant river bluffs of Wisconsin provide an impressive backdrop. 118 JUVENILE RED-TAILED HAWK ST Birds of prey attract our attention. Eagles are large and majestic, falcons are among the fastest flying birds, and hawks seem to soar effortlessly on thermals as they search for prey.As predators in the food chain,they play an important role in keeping rodent populations in check. This juvenile redtailed hawk lacked the wariness of mature adult birds but had learned some of the skills needed to survive on its own. Its first year will likely be the most difficult. 120 WILD PRAIRIE LIGHT ST A change in the weather that begins either early or late in the day sometimes means a dramatic lighting effect. In this case it is caused by the stark contrast between a sunlit landscape in the foreground and the dark clouds of an incoming storm front, which lack direct light. In his writings about the North Country, Sigurd Olson called this Ross Light. Although others may have their special names for this phenomenon, no matter what you call it, a place we know well can be momentarily transformed. 122 OPOSSUM ST Opossums may be our most misunderstood mammals. They are our only native marsupials—mammals that raise their young in a pouch like the kangaroo. Like raccoons they are omnivores, eating fruits, insects, or small animals; however, one of their main food sources is carrion. As their name implies, they play possum (when threatened) by faking death, but they do not hang from branches with their hairless prehensile tails. Other interesting features of opossums include the opposable thumbs on their rear feet. ...