Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 11, 2024. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
There’s no question that little Al Batt was for the birds.
But later in life, he’ll tell you that he’s not easily bugged and that he probably isn’t an owl.
“I love flowers, nature, and birds. I love box elder bugs!” declared obvious nature enthusiast Batt, quipping that most people find box elder bugs annoying and adding, “The neat thing about box elder bugs is that when they die on their backs, they cross their legs like they’re in a casket.”
Batt addressed the gathering at Good Earth Village’s (GEV) March Lunch and Learn event, sharing his tales of life, birdwatching and even bug-watching as he told about the time when he, as just a boy, was able to stand still enough to become a human birdfeeder and perch, and about the disconnect between the bird sounds used in the old westerns that he watched on television and the actual birds’ true calls, citing, “Turkey vultures have a rough and rocky flight, but eagles have a nice and smooth flight. I didn’t see an eagle until I was older. You know, you watch all those westerns on TV, and you hear what you think is an eagle — Matt Dillon got shot 21 times in the same shoulder during that series — but the bald eagles all started to sound like redtail hawks. Recently, there’s been a campaign to get the right birdsong dubbed into golf tournaments.”
His chat with the GEV Lunch and Learn attendees included perusals of the habits of various birds, such as a quick inventory of the birds returning to Minnesota after an extremely mild winter. “There’s pelicans here now. I do a Christmas bird count, and they can stay here on the open water and can get fish. They’re like Lutherans at a lutefisk feed. Then there’s the great horned owls on their eggs. They do not build their own nests. They are horrible renters – they take a nest someone else built and wreck it. They move almost as much as Pa Ingalls.”
Furthermore, he shared with the audience about the time that he, a youngster, got sprayed by a skunk and was immediately thrown into the bathtub, after which calls were put out on the party line for anyone who had tomato juice to bring it to de-stench a very small boy who hadn’t quite learned the difference between a skunk and a kitty or other critter. And raccoons…he told how “they have a mask like you wear the grease under your eyes when you’re playing football to stop the glare.” “Raccoons like to put their paws over their eyes…science studied us, and you know how when we’re little and we cover our eyes and think ‘You can’t see me?’ Little kids and raccoons are the same.”
Tales of how his grandparents immigrated to the United States and lost everything upon arrival also filtered in through the tree-filled stories with which he captivated his listeners, and at the end, he extended his thanks to them, saying, “If we’re lucky in life, we’re given a great gift. It has been an honor to be in your company. Enjoy the birds – no matter what the bird is, a beautiful bird gets us out of our heads. And I hope, as you slide down the banister of life, the slivers are all going the same direction.”
Upcoming GEV Lunch and Learn events feature Tuesday luncheon hour speakers who have messages of hope and interest – the April 16 event welcomes Mark Swanson, regional director and interim chief executive officer of Growing Hope Globally, which “provides an opportunity for Christians to make a lasting impact on global hunger, linking the grassroots energy and commitment of rural communities in the U.S. with the capability and desire of smallholder farmers in developing countries,” and the May 16 event is an opportunity to hear Teresa Waldof share about her book, “Wilhelm’s Way: The Inspiring Story of the Iowa Chemist Who Saved the Manhattan Project,” recounting “the contributions to the war effort of Dr. Harley Wilhelm and the Ames Project division of the Manhattan Project during World War II.”
GEV’s Lunch and Learns begin at 11:00 a.m. at Log Lodge as attendees check in, followed by lunch being served at 11:30 a.m. The day’s presentation starts at 12:15 p.m. and lasts until approximately 1:30 p.m., with time for questions and answers included. Registration before each event is appreciated to assist GEV staff in planning lunch. For more information, log onto the GEV website at www.goodearthvillage.org.
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325
