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I have expressed disappointment at times that Pettibone Park on the Mississippi River near La Crosse hasn’t been utilized more as a wildlife observation area as it was originally intended. I should note, however, that I have noticed lately that a few areas on the western side have indeed been left uncut and more natural plant growth has been allowed to grow.

I am also pleased that a few islands of space have been created here and there with logs where wildlife can rest and feed. That is where the red fox attempted to make her den last year until she was harassed once too often by people and dogs. Most people apparently still don’t know that dogs are not allowed in most city parks, including Pettibone.

Anyway, I noticed recently that a family of woodchucks was living in one of those log islands. They seemed to be doing quite well, which I’m sure would not surprise many gardeners. They are hardy animals, and though skittish about passing vehicles, some of the young woodchucks eventually came out long enough to give me a few glimpses and even get a few photographs.

One even ventured out into the grass to nibble on some fresh greens. The young were already bigger than a fox squirrel when I saw them, and by the time they are full grown, they will be several times larger yet.

While watching the woodchucks, a warbler of some type also came to the protected area to forage. Even with my field guide, I was unable to absolutely identify the species. Warblers are often tough for expert birders to identify due to the large numbers of them and the similarity of a lot of the females and juveniles. Add to that their changing plumage throughout the year and you have a real challenge, especially to a birding rookie.

For now it was just an LBB (little brown bird) to me, but it was still a pleasure to see in the midst of all the happy people enjoying the park.

Shy killdeer

A couple weeks ago we saw that wood duck babies were pretty much ready to go shortly after hatching. They leave the nest within a day or so and are prepared to follow their mother around in the water seeking their own food. The baby wood ducks I saw near Trempealeau also proved that they were excellent divers.

Another very different sort of bird also hatches out well prepared to meet the world. Killdeers are long-legged shorebirds that frequently spend a lot of time well away from the water. In fact, they prefer to lay their eggs on the ground with no nest and even on commercial rooftops.

When a killdeer began to run around and give its alarm cry as I drove by her in a local park, I suspected her young might be near. Sure enough, a nearly full-grown young killdeer was instinctively crouching motionless in the grass, making it hard to see.

Eventually though, after nearly 20 minutes, the juvenile started to move around, searching for food in the grass, while its mom scolded desperately from a few yards away. If I had been a hungry predator, the young bird might have given itself away by moving. Since there are usually two chicks, the other one might already have made just that mistake.

Water snakes return

Another creature I saw in Pettibone that is always especially heartening to me was the northern-banded water snake. A couple came near a fallen tree where I was fishing. As I mentioned once before, I used to catch water snakes in Pettibone when I was a kid, but they seemed to have grown very scarce for a few years.

I now see them again all along the Mississippi, including Pettibone, Lake Onalaska, Goose Island and near Trempealeau — all just this year already. Sadly, many people are upset when they see a water snake, but I can assure you that even though they might be feisty and assertive when disturbed, they are harmless snakes. We have no poisonous water snakes in Wisconsin.

I have been bitten while handling them a few times and aside from a little bleeding, they have not hurt me in the least. A fairly large one I caught near the La Crosse Municipal Airport in May, for instance, struck vigorously several times and nailed me once before I could get it to where it calmed down enough to pose for some pictures. I let it go where I caught it and hope that no one else will bother him for a while.

They do eat fish but mostly fish that are slowed down for some reason due to illness, injury or a plain lack of good reflexes. They are, therefore, not a big competitor with anglers, especially when compared with the real experts, the herons and egrets. The big one I caught near the airport was feeding on some minnows that a fisherman had carelessly discarded along the shore.

I read recently of someone being charged with shooting at a snake on his dock near Winona, Minn. That person was behaving in a far more dangerous way than the snake, even if it had been a poisonous species. In fact, he almost hit a passing boater. If there is a problem with snakes, the problem is generally with us, not the snake.

Water snakes are a natural part of our environment, and if we have the right attitude, they can be just as enjoyable to watch as any of our birds, butterflies and wildflowers.

Whaditiz

Like many kinds of birds, it was carrying a baby’s waste, which is conveniently deposited with a special wrapping so that it can be removed easily to keep the nest clean!

Contact Jim Solberg at (608) 782-2560 or

nitefrogger@charter.net.