Twelve Days in Wisconsin

As the Christmas season is fast approaching, I thought it would be fitting to post my Wisconsin version of the popular Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

On the 1st day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 2nd day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 3rd day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 4th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 5th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 6th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me six jumping juncos, five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 7th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me seven sparrows singing, six jumping juncos, five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 8th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me eight chipmunks chipping, seven sparrows singing, six jumping juncos, five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 9th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me nine squirrels-a-scurrying, eight chipmunks chirping, seven sparrows singing, six juncos jumping, five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 10th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me ten tufted titmice, nine squirrels-a-scurrying, eight chipmunks chirping, seven sparrows singing, six juncos jumping, five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 11th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me eleven skunks-a-stinking, ten tufted titmice, nine squirrels-a-scurrying, eight chipmunks chirping, seven sparrows singing, six juncos jumping, five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

On the 12th day in Wisconsin, my true love sent to me twelve deer-a-leaping, eleven skunks-a-stinking, ten tufted titmice, nine squirrels-a-scurrying, eight chipmunks chirping , seven sparrows singing, six juncos jumping, five chickadees, four cardinals, three hummingbirds, two mourning doves, and a woodpecker in a spruce tree.

I challenge you to make up your own Twelve Days in Wisconsin song (or substitute another favorite Christmas tune) using names of native animals or birds. I look forward to reading your carols.

Pipsquack?!

When I lived in Menasha, Wisconsin, my house was located on a channel of the Fox River, so wildlife was plentiful in my backyard, especially ducks! I often bought 50 pounds of corn (which I kept in my dining room, next to patio door) for my feathered friends. The ducks were such frequent visitors that they soon became tame enough to hand-feed, and eventually acquired names. One particularly bold duck, who earned the moniker "Lou Anne", would waddle right up on my deck and quack at the patio door for more corn, to which I obliged.

While gardening in my back yard one day, I thought one of the ducks had waddled up onto the wharf for more food, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't a duck at all. It was the strangest creature that I had ever seen! It looked like some huge prehistoric bird--it was about three feet tall, slate gray, with long spindly legs, and a long pointy beak. I kept thinking that I had witnessed some rare, once-thought-to-be-extinct-bird---and it was in MY BACK YARD! I had an immediate flashback to the "Hold That Pose" cartoon in which Tom and Jerry, armed only with cameras, are "in search of the rare, never-before-photographed, fuzzy-feathered pipsquacker bird." The statuesque creature perched quietly on the wharf, unfazed as I stared in awe, a mere 10 feet away. My curious visitor's stay lasted only five or ten minutes, but it was incredible, nonetheless!

Later, I found out that I had not spotted the "rare and elusive pipsquacker bird" or any other "rare" bird, for that matter--it was, in fact, a cormorant. Some great bird watcher I am! In all of my years living in Wisconsin, I had never seen such a creature! What's even funnier, a month or so later, a friend told  me that he had seen" the weirdest looking bird he'd ever seen" while boating on Lake Winnebago. Go figure!

What's the strangest creature you have ever seen?