One Thousand Days in Nature: A Favorite Windfall

Wintery Mix of Birds 24 December 2012

Windfall. Which definition do you prefer? And do the two meanings come from the same place?

Where I grew up, the perfect use for a wind-fallen tree was to warm us twice. In August, if I remember correctly, the chainsaw threw chips one direction, and my family carried the firewood the other direction. We split the big logs, and we loaded the firewood behind the house and into the basement. A wind-fallen tree was the source of our warmth in the winter.

Windfall. To some, it means unexpected wealth. To us, such a tree was just this. With a little hard work, Mother Nature’s windfall became our own. Knowing the woods well enough to understand which trees were ready was an important pre-requisite education. An oak should fall by natural causes, age for a while, and then head home to the wood stove. But only some parts should make the journey. If the stump is standing tall, it should be left as a home to others. The little branches, cast aside into brush piles, could provide shelter for any number of small animals. A windfall must be shared!

Of course, many wind-fallen trees should be left in their entirety to slowly give back to the land. Trees store nutrients for decades, and a rotting tree slowly recharges the forest ecosystem. When left to nature, such a windfall gives back many-fold to the human in the forest. In the case of elm and cottonwood, morel fungi pop up to greet my basket in rainy days of May. For the hunter, a sprawling wind-fallen tree is cover for bedded deer, rabbits and grouse. Should the broken tree sprawl across a deep gully, it becomes a reliable place for squirrels. Creating an obstacle in the forest, it will funnel traveling animals to predictable locations.

Birds love wind-fallen trees. They thrive in an abundance of shelter and happenstance food. Migratory flocks of birds seek brush piles and windfalls. To the birder and nature photographer, it is a true windfall of diverse colors, forms and personalities.

On this Christmas Eve, I was treated to a rich variety of birds. Mother Nature provided an amazing show in the woods. Generous bird feeders added accent to what already amounted to a great place for birds. Along the mighty Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wisconsin, the sprawling branches of this fallen tree sheltered Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, and American Goldfinch. A pair of lingering Swamp Sparrows and a Red-winged Blackbird, all too far north for this time of year, offered an odd mystery to the wintery landscape as well. I was a visitor, a recipient of this wonderful, thoughtful, generous gift. Windfall!