Memorial Day 2014

Memorial Day is always seen as the "official" kick off to the Summer season and today it surely did feel like summer. It was warm and humid and felt more like a July day than late May. I didn't get to the park today until just after 4:30pm. But once I got there it was so beautiful I spent a long time making my way around the entire loop. I have more pictures than I can possibly post here today so I've picked a handful that represent some of my more fun sightings. The first was an unexpectedly close encounter with a beautiful Cooper's Hawk. It bumped out of a tree merely feet above me over the paved trail on the south side. It didn't go far and perched again in another shorter tree allowing me a very good look. I assumed it was a Cooper's Hawk right off the bat due to the very long, banded tail. But later upon looking at the photo more closely I realized it's breast was not the orangy-banded pattern I am used to seeing. I shared this photo on the Minnesota Birding Facebook page and someone pointed out that it is likely a first-year bird and has not grown it's full adult plumage yet. My second sighting of note was a fun one and I took a LOT of photos. Along the woodchip trail on the southwest corner, I noticed a Red-bellied Woodpecker land at the same spot on the same tree more than once. Upon looking closer I noticed a little hole in the side of the tree and then the Woodpecker disappeared into it! Sure enough it had a nest here and was busy feeding it's young. First the male landed with a mouthful of food and slipped inside the hole. When he came back out, I could plainly hear the loud squealing of little ones inside the tree. Then the female came in only seconds later with another mouthful of bugs and caterpillars. I watched this repeat once more before finally moving on. I ended up seeing a lot of good birds today but I had quite a good photo opportunity on the north side along the straight, paved trail. There hopping around in the small Willow shrubs was a female American Redstart. She was staying mostly near the ground and seemed to be searching for insects. I tried to predict where she might land next and it paid off as she hopped up on this small branch right in front of me! It is probably the single best photo of any Redstart I've ever gotten –not to mention a female too. I read somewhere later that the female American Redstart is somewhat unique among the Warbler family in that she does not vocalize (sing or call). And furthermore if you see what you think is a female Redstart and it it singing, then it is most likely a first-year male –who's plumage can look similar to the female when still young. I never knew that! One more photo I took not too much further down the trail was yet another female bird, this time a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. She was busy gathering nesting material and in my first few shots she actually had a bill full of fine twigs. But as I watched, she must have decided against them for some reason, or inadvertently dropped them. You've gotta appreciate birds sometimes simply for the fact that they can construct intricate nests without the use of any limbs. I did not see the male anywhere around but I'm glad to know that this species may possibly be nesting in the park! Other notable sights spotted this evening included; American Goldfinch, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Question-mark Butterfly chasing a Red Admiral Butterly, Black-capped Chickadee, Yellow Warbler, Tree Swallow, a few Deer, Cedar Waxwing, Baltimore Oriole and Brown Thrasher. Oh, and a couple Morel Mushrooms!

A Beautiful Morning and a New Species!

I arrived at the park around 9:30am today and had decided on taking my portable stool with me in the hopes I might find another hotspot for bird watching. Looking back at my blog, it has been almost a year to the day since I had seen the Scarlet Tanager on the ground along the wood chip trail on the southwest side. So I headed to this area just in case he decided to show up again. But before I got there I did a lap around both of the baseball fields on the west side in hopes of maybe seeing a Savannah Sparrow that another birder had spotted yesterday. No such luck there but I did run into a very brave little Tree Swallow who stayed put despite me coming up to within just feet of him. Tree Swallows have been around for some time now but this is my first good photo of one this season. Also perched on the chain link fencing were a pair of Eastern Bluebirds. I can almost count on seeing Bluebirds near these baseball fields for the past few years at least. I tried to get close to the male but he quickly scared off and flew to cover in the edge of the woods just beyond the outfield. Here he didn't mind me as much. It was the exact same tree where I'd photographed the male last year –and for all I know it might even be the very same bird! Later while scouring the wood chip trail for any possible signs of a Tanager, I could hear two different Great Crested Flycatchers calling to each other. They sounded very close so I was hoping I might get a photo but when I finally found one, I was directly underneath it and facing into the sun. This is a particularly interesting and colorful bird so I'm hoping I get more opportunities to see them this season. I finally parked on my stool here, far enough back into the woods where nobody on the trail might see me. I thought about how it wont be long before mosquitoes make it much harder to just sit in one place for a while. I really wasn't seeing anything here so I ended up moving further down the trail and sitting along the water way that connects the two western most bodies of water. Here I saw a Great Blue Heron but it scared off quickly before I got a photo. But in the Buckthorn ahead to my left I caught a glimpse of a small bird moving around quickly like a Warbler. I couldn't tell quite what it was but suspected that maybe it was a Tennessee Warbler. It had somewhat drab coloring the way Tennessee's do but when it finally presented itself in a clearing, I appeared more like a Vireo. But again it didn't quite look like a Vireo that I am familiar with. I wondered if it was maybe a female or juvenile until I got home and looked in my Stokes field guide. The bird that looked most similar was a Warbling Vireo –something I've not positively identified before. I went one extra step in confirming my suspicion, by posting my photo on the Minnesota Birding facebook page, where a couple of other birders agreed. This was kind of exciting as it's been some time now since I've come across a new species at the park! Indeed with bird watching, there is always more to learn. Later I went to the very end of the wood chip trail specifically to photograph the Marsh Marigold that I noticed flowering yesterday. I don't know a whole lot about this plant, other than the habitat and time of year to find it. I did learn though today from the Minnesota Wildflowers website, that the plant is also known as "cowslip."

Friends of Palmer Lake Park Spring Bird Hike

This Saturday I saw another dream come true for the Friends of Palmer Lake Park group. In a partnership with Tiny Footprint Coffee located just across the street from PLP, we held our first ever "Spring Bird Hike!" We have done a couple of nature hikes in the past but those had happened in August when there are far fewer birds to be seen. We started off first with a tour of the Tiny Footprint Coffee plant which was fun and interesting. I can't believe all the different countries that produce and ship their coffee beans right to Brooklyn Center! Afterward the group of about 25 people walked across 69th Avenue and broke into groups to hike around the park. I had my camera with myself but spent a lot more time talking to people and thus did not take a lot of shots myself. As we entered the woods on the north side I pointed out to the group that we were getting into "Rose-breasted Grosbeak territory." And when one appeared just ahead of us only moments later I felt like I really knew this park. Back at the coffee factory, the owner had just told us that he had seen this same species of bird while on trips to the Mindo Cloud Forest region of Ecuador! We saw at least a few Warblers on our hike today and two that I remember are a Chestnut-sided and this American Redstart who looked a little different than most I see. At first I assumed this was a female but someone later pointed out to me that it's only the males who sing and not the females. Thus it is likely a young male who has not yet developed his full plumage. One more bird I stopped to photograph myself today was this Gray Catbird who was posing nicely against a green background. He's a bit in the shadows but I like how it feels. Thankfully others in the group were keeping better records of the species we saw and one even submitted a checklist to ebird.org. That person counted 41 species total and you can view the checklist here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18536367

Warbler Heaven

After an unusually cold spell that has lasted nearly a week, this afternoon was the type of weather we've all been waiting. It was near 70º with sunny skies and being mid-May, I desperately wanted to visit the park to watch birds. Unfortunately my back is aching again and so a full 3 mile walk seemed out of the question. As a compromise, I slung my new little stool over my shoulder and hiked back into the woods from 73rd Ave. On the way in I spotted an Ovenbird but he flew off too quickly and I didn't get a photo. Then I found a place to sit where there was actually still some standing water from recent rains. I spotted a few birds nearby including American Redstarts, a Golden-winged Warbler, and a Flycatcher of some kind –likely a Least Flycatcher. After a while of seeing more birds further away from me, I moved my stool out closer to the edge of the woods. Then, even further away, in an "island" of Buckthorn trees I noticed even more activity, all little birds on the ground picking through the muddy bottom. Here is where I moved to next and it proved to be a "Warbler heaven!" I sat here for well over 2 hours and encountered various Warblers at tremendously close proximity. It seemed nearly every other bird that I peeked at through my binoculars was a Magnolia Warbler. I'd never seen so many of them in my life, and for a short while I actually saw 4 of them together on the ground! After sitting in place for such a long time I think they just got used to me. Some of the Magnolias came within about 5 - 6 feet of me which gave me some amazing photo opportunities. This is a bird I could watch all day, they are just so beautifully colored. I had a hard time picking out my favorite shots when I got home because I had so many –a problem I rarely have! These two are my favorite of the whole bunch –especially this one who landed within feet of me and stared directly back at me. It is also fun to photograph birds now since things are greening up so quickly. It makes for much more colorful settings and backgrounds. In this same spot, among the Magnolias, was a Blackpoll Warbler! This was exciting as I've never personally documented a Blackpoll at PLP before, AND it turned out to be the 17th species of Warbler I've seen this year! Even the Blackpoll eventually came close enough for a decent photo and by now I was having quite a memorable day of birding. But my luck continued as other Warblers got brave and also came in closer. A few Common Yellowthroats actually came in even closer than the others, probably only 3 or 4 feet away from my feet. Despite the distance, they were still a challenge to photograph because they move so quick and so often. I took probably 50 shots just of the Yellowthroats to get 1 or 2 good ones. After finally deciding to move on, I decided instead of hiking back on the trail I came in on, that I would meander my way through the woods, staying alongside the edge just to see what else I might see. This also proved to be a good idea as I encountered American Redstarts in closer proximity than normal. There was a fallen tree with no bark that they seemed to like to perch on and so I went and sat right on the log for a while. Eventually one showed up right behind me and I twisted around, barely being able to see through my viewfinder to see if I even had him in the frame. The Redstarts weren't the only thing active in this area as I also spotted –of all things– a Mink running on top of another fallen log! This was surprising to me since it's kind of a ways from the creek, but it was also close to the area where I spotted them this winter too. He was moving so fast over the log that I didn't get a very good shot. I continued my meandering and eventually came across not just one but two Wilson's Warblers! This was not the first time I've seen them this year, and also not the first time I've documented them at the park. BUT, it was the first time I've ever seen two of them together. The Wilson's Warbler is a particularly speedy little bird, even among Warblers, and is notably tougher to catch a good photo of simply because they never sit still. By the time I would track him and focus, he would fly off and repeat. But eventually I caught up here and there, just a split second long enough for my shutter to release. I also got to see one from behind and above today, versus from down below which is my all-too-often vantage point of this bright yellow bird. From my new angle I noticed just how greenish-yellow they are on the backside –something I've not been able to see before. In all, I saw 7 Warblers today and covered only less than a mile of ground! The list included; Ovenbird, Golden-winged, Magnolia, Blackpoll, Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and Wilson's Warblers. Other birds spotted included; Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Swamp Sparrow, Song Sprrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Least Flycatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch and Ring-necked Pheasant (actually saw him this time!).

A Cool and Breezy Evening

As is usual for this time of year, I have a back-log of posts for the blog. Since May is the most wonderful month to be a birder in Minnesota, I am wisely spending my time outside and will try to catch up on blogging later. But since I had an article published in the local Brooklyn Center paper today, I wanted to update the blog for any potential new viewers out there. It was a little colder than I realized when I arrived at the park this evening after work. I tied my sweatshirt jacket around my waist in case I needed it later but quickly realized I would need it even sooner. I saw a decent variety of birds this evening, and I counted 37 total species! This is not bad at all, though I wanted to break my record of 40 –a feat I first achieved only this past Sunday the 11th. The first bird of interest this evening was a Thrush of some kind on the wood chip trail. I was pretty sure it was not a Hermit Thrush. They have an obviously rusty red tail but this bird did not. Through various sources I later learned that it is a Swainson's Thrush. This is a bird I've only photographed one other time this past fall. Probably the main reason that most birders spend so much time out birding in May is for Warblers. Many people ask me "what exactly is a Warbler?" Well here is my attempt at an answer; Warblers are colorful little birds ranging from about 4 to 5 and a half inches long –about the size of a Chickadee. They fit into a certain family of birds known for having 9 outer wing feathers, 9 inner wing feathers, and 12 tail feathers. They all also have similar characteristics of complex patterning as well as eat insects or caterpillars –which is why they don't come back to Minnesota until early May. The following excerpt is from my Stokes Field Guide to Warblers –"Warblers are amongst the most beautiful birds in North America because they are so brightly colored. They are like little jewels in the treetops, tantalizing you with brief glimpses. Once you see one, you inevitably will want to see more. For some people, watching warblers during spring and fall migration is almost an obsession –a wonderful obsession." This evening I was able to spot one of the most sought after warblers –a Magnolia Warbler! This is a strikingly beautiful bird with bold patterns on top of a vivid yellow breast, and to see one in it's natural environment is a real joy. Unfortunately this is probably the best photo I got tonight though it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying! But at least I can say that I saw him and am able to log one for the park this year! There were other Warblers visible tonight including Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Yellow, and American Redstarts. But by far, another Warbler –the Common Yellowthroat– was seen everywhere. I have come to associate these pretty little birds with cattails and water more than any other environment. In the summer months that is definitely where you will find them but tonight they seemed to be everywhere; along the water, in the woods and even out in the fields. From all of our recent rains, there is no shortage of standing water at the park which is likely the reason they were so plentiful and active today. When I was nearly back to my vehicle, I could hear a Baltimore Oriole somewhere close by. I had seen several along the way but this one happened to be up in a tree almost right above my car. I'm not sure if he was searching for insects or if he was actually dining on part of the newly budding leaves. They are also known to eat both fruit and nectar so it could have been either. By now the sun was going down and the light made him look even a brighter orange than normal. I watched him work away at the buds for a while and found it interesting that he would shout out his loud whistling call even while busy foraging.

Forty, Count 'em 40!

This Sunday, moving into the 2nd week of May, the birds are really starting to move in now. After birding now for close to 5 years I can now tell you that the very best two weeks of the entire year are the first two weeks in April. So I set out today with one goal in mind –to see if I could spot 40 different species of birds. For a newbie like myself I think this is a decently high number. I know people who have been bird watching for many many years could probably tip 60 or even 70 this time of year, but again I figured 40 was a challenging but possibly attainable number for me at this point. After my first bird being a Brown-headed Cowbird, I was a little hesitant but some very nice birds came quickly thereafter including a Blue-headed Vireo which is a bird I only see maybe once or twice a year if I'm lucky. Warblers could be found plentiful today and I counted 8 species of Warbler alone which is a pretty good number. Some of the better photos I managed to get of the Warblers today were this Yellow Warbler and then later a Palm Warbler. Last year I had a day when I tallied 9 Warblers which is my best record for a single day. And can you guess what day that was? Well it just happened to also be May 11th of 2013! There were a few birds that I counted today that I never saw, but had an unmistakeable call such as a Ring-necked Pheasant and a Sora. Other than those two, I physically saw the others and tried to get at least one photo of each so as to help me remember them when I got home. Another of the nicer photos I got today was of a fairly common bird, a Gray Catbird. I guess I like it because you can see some of the feather details and also part of the "chestnut" colored patch under his tail. There was just a LOT of movement going on today so instead of spending a long while chasing one bird for a good photo, I was more concerned about keeping moving and catching even a short glimpse of as many birds as possible. But one bird I did stop and chase for a bit was this Common Grackle. And that would probably seem odd to most bird watchers as they are a very common (as their name suggests) and easy bird to find. But I'm so fascinated by the blue-ish purple iridescent coloring on their head that I keep trying to convey that in a photo. This one kind of worked that way but there were some twigs that created a blur in the foreground. Some of the more fun birds to see today included a Northern Flicker, Baltimore Oriole and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. There was even a Bald Eagle who flew over carrying a long trailing clump of nesting material! All in all I took about 126 photos and spent a total of 4 hours and 10 minutes making my way around the park. The last image I want to share from the day is this one of 3 drake Mallards in the pond near the east parking lot. I thought it was just such an interesting sight with the water reflecting a nice tan color that felt like Springtime to me. When I got home I used my photo to double-check my own memory and had tallied exactly 40 different birds! Since having put so much effort into it, I decided to report my findings "officially" on ebird which is an online data collection system put together by the Audubon Society and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I've only used it a few times now and like many tools it offers endless ways to report and track birds around the country. Without having to log in or anything, you can see my total checklist for today here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18345635

A Memorable Walk and a NEW Species!

It's been just over a week now into my leave of absence from work for some minor back surgery. The doctors all suggested to walk as much as I felt I could so of course I've been spending some long days at the park. Today before my walk even began I met with a writer for the SunPost who wanted to interview me! This was because myself and the Friends of Palmer Lake Park were planning a "Spring Bird Hike" near the end of this month. To my surprise the writer asked if we could meet at the park so I said sure! We sat at the picnic tables underneath the shelter on the east side and he recorded some of our conversation. Afterward he wanted to walk a bit with me and see if he couldn't get any bird photos himself. We had barely started around the path when we spotted a Black-and-white Warbler so at least it DID appear to him that there were indeed some interesting birds to be seen here. The article was published later and you can read it here. After parting ways I quickly spotted more birds –as early May is likely THE best time of year anywhere in Minnesota to be out bird watching! A Chestnut-sided Warbler, Goldfinch, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Wood Ducks, some type of Shorebird and an American Coot were all seen before I got to the wood chip trail just to the south! But upon setting out onto the wood chip trail, I met another birder –a young woman who instantly showed me a photo of a bird she'd taken just minutes earlier. It was of a Golden-winged Warbler, a bird I've NEVER seen before! She had managed a fantastic shot of the bird while it was close to the ground and I was shocked. Together we tried to relocate the bird and in not too much time we managed to do so. This time we found a couple of them atop some tall Aspen trees, picking at the freshly budding leaves. This bird was beautiful and I was ecstatic to be watching a brand new species for me at the park! I had a hard time catching the bird sitting still and also because of the height, I wasn't able to get many great photos. But here is my favorite shot, quite cropped but it shows the trademark black mask and throat as well as the bright yellow "cap." The only thing it doesn't show is the bright yellow "stripe" on the outer wing for which the bird is named. After spending a LOT of time here taking many many photos, I finally moved on to find a very curious young Buck who walked out on the trail very close to me. He was just getting "nubbins" and they must have been itchy because he was trying to bring his back leg all the way up to his head. He was followed shortly after by a Doe and they both passed into the woods. Scanning the trees and brush even more closely now, I spotted yet another Golden-winged Warbler more near eye level. But it was such seriously thick brush that I couldn't manage even one decent photo. But not too much further along, my probing eye caught another interesting species –a White-crowned Sparrow. This is a bird I just don't see a lot of in general, especially at PLP. But as I said, this being early May, you never know what you might find!

A Memorable Day in the Woods

Today's visit to the park will be one that I will remember for a long time. I had minor back surgery about a week ago but I was determined to be at the park as much as possible during what could very well be the best week of the entire year for bird watching. But I came prepared to sit today with my new lightweight hunting stool strapped over my shoulder. I hiked into the woods on the north side just after 7:00am and was not disappointed when I spotted a pair of Wild Turkey's almost immediately. One of them would display periodically but I was having a hard time getting a photo through the thick brush. This was the best photo I got before the pair found a fallen tree to perch on and preen for a while. It was neat because they never really saw me the entire time. Trees and other foliage were only just barely sprouting green and it felt like a magical time when you can just sense that the best days of spring and summer are getting closer every day. After spotted a Northern Waterthrush, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Hermit Thrush from my stool, I decided to move around a little to get out into a more clear area. As I moved closer to the field at the edge of the woods I spotted two large dark patches that seemed out of place. They were at eye level making it even more odd. With my binoculars I realized it was a pair of Owls. But not just any Owls. These were a pair of juvenile Great Horned Owls! I was shocked at first to see such a sight and as soon as I pulled up my camera, one of them took off for another perch. I could hardly believe that I was getting to see a young Owl again at the park in Spring. The pair were most likely the same Owls to fledge from the nest that I first located back on the 1st day of March! I approached closer and closer but as I did, I was in for another surprise. There on the exact opposite side of the young Owl were another pair of bird watchers! This was even more shocking as I just hadn't noticed them while paying so much attention to the remaining Owl. One of them decided to circle around wide towards me and I decided to do the same. Turns out this bird watcher was someone I'd recently met this winter during a photography program at the UofM Raptor Center. Moreover this particular bird watcher is a bona-fide Owl nut –so much so that I doubt he would mind me saying so. AND he also introduced me to a special facebook page he created called "Owl About Minnesota." He and a friend had been chasing the same pair of Owls, only from the opposite direction! So inadvertently we had squeezed the Owls into a corner between us. I decided to hike out their direction as they actually had a much better view and the 3 of us watched the remaining Owl in better light. This is when I snapped the photo above which I think is one of my very favorite photos ever from PLP. After hanging out for a bit I decided to part ways and head back to my car for a lunch break. After a quick bite I ended up back in the woods right back in the same place again hoping to get some better photo opportunities of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Indeed I finally got one or two after chasing them back and forth from tree to tree. I really love this species. They are so beautiful but can be hard to catch out in the open. The next few weeks would be my best opportunity to catch one so I spent a fair amount of time today after this one. Other birds I saw in the process included Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, American Robin, Cooper's Hawk, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a pair of Black-capped Chickadees taking turns excavating a hole in a dead tree. Eventually I ended up back where we had watched the young Owls. I took the time to look around slowly and surprisingly I was able to locate one of them again. This one appeared to look a bit different and I wondered if maybe it was the other one who flew off earlier. Then again it was a completely different angle and vantage point. P.S. I took a whopping 172 photos today!

More FOY Birds and Lots of Species!

My visit to the park this morning resulted in a LOT of birds so this post will have more than the usual 3 photos! Though I saw some awesome things I always like to post them in the same order I spotted them. The first is actually a bird that caught my eye as looking rather unique but I quickly wrote it off as an American Tree Sparrow. However, after studying my two photos now I firmly believe this is a Swamp Sparrow –which is a new species for me! Only recently I had a conversation come up with an experienced birder about Swamp Sparrows. I told him that whenever I heard people say "Swamp Sparrow" I thought they were using a nickname to refer to Song Sparrows. Well that turns out to be wrong, and there are indeed two separate species. But as it turns out, a Swamp Sparrow looks hardly anything like a Song Sparrow, and is actually way closer in appearance to an American Tree Sparrow. And since I've become so familiar with Tree Sparrows in the last couple of years, I can already see some notable differences here. For one, this new bird shows a distinctly whiter throat than most American Tree Sparrows. It is also missing the white wing bars on it's side. It's cap seems to start as 2 very dark streaks near the beak before turning reddish brown at the top which is also different from the American Tree Sparrow who's reddish brown is solid and the same color even at the front. There would also be a way more obvious distinction which is not very apparent here in either photo. While the American Tree Sparrow has different colors for it's upper and lower beak, the Swamp Sparrow has the same color on both upper and lower beak. Sorry to go on and on about the differences but I do this as much for myself as anyone –so that I can learn from it and also refer back to it! My next bird is one that I've seen before, but is the first time I've seen one this year. And it is one of my very favorite Warblers –an Oven Bird! This is probably one of the more elusive Warblers we have here in Minnesota as it is a ground nesting bird. In fact it is named as such for the "dome" shaped nest that it builds on the ground. I've come to spot Ovenbirds more frequently in areas that have both larger trees as well as a lot of "leaf litter" or left-over dead leaves from the previous fall. They are somewhat common at PLP if you look in the right areas and have enough patience to keep looking. The next bird I came upon is a Black-capped Chickadee who was busily excavating a hole in a stump. The first time I saw it go in the hole I thought I was seeing things. But it would pop out with a beak full of woodchips, fly off and then come back again to do the same. I'm assuming he or she was doing so in preparation for a nest, but the particular stump was only about 2 to 3 feet high off the ground. I would think being so close to the ground might not be safe from predators but who knows. Maybe if the hole is small enough no large mammal could get their head in there anyways. It was a funny sight. Later I spotted yet another Sparrow but this time it posed nicely for a photo. This is a White-throated Sparrow and you can probably see why they are named so just by looking at this photo. Besides the white throat patch, the have a bright yellow patch above and in front of their eye, thus making them one of the more beautiful of the Sparrows. But probably the reason people love this species of Sparrow is that they have a fantastically beautiful call that sounds like the first few notes of the Canadian National Anthem "Oh – Ca – na – da!" Next on the list is another FOY (First of Year) Warbler, the Black-and-white Warbler. This is a particularly distinct looking Warbler, as nearly all other Warblers are brightly colored in Yellow, Orange or Blue. The Black-and-white is striped in strictly black and white like a Zebra, hence it's highly technical name - LOL! They are also one of the only Warblers that can be found walking head first down the sides of trees. Therefore you are more likely to see this Warbler on or near larger, mature trees. And last but not least, I was able to spot one more Warbler today –a Northern Waterthrush. The Northern Waterthrush is also a somewhat secretive bird, staying mostly on the ground but almost always near standing water. They hold their butt and straight tail at a nearly a 45º angle and constantly bob their hind end up and down. So just by this posture and behavior alone, it is easier to discern this bird from others. They can be found bobbing up and down wherever water meets land in the spring. And in summer when the water recedes, look for them wherever muddy land meets the water.

List of species (that I can remember) from today:
1. Swamp Sparrow
2. Song Sparrow
3. White-throated Sparrow
4. Ovenbird
5. Northern Cardinal
6. Blue Jay
7. Black-capped Chickadee
8. Red-winged Blackbird
9. Northern Shoveler
10. Mallard
11. American Coot
12. Black-and-white Warbler
13. Yellow-rumped Warbler
14. American Goldfinch
15. Wood Duck
16. Canada Goose
17. Downy Woodpecker
18. Hairy Woodpecker
19. Red-bellied Woodpecker
20. Hermit Thrush
21. American Robin
22. Brown Thrasher
23. Least Flycatcher
24. American Crow
25. Northern Waterthrush
26. Blue-winged Teal
27. Lesser Yellowlegs
28. Greater Yellowlegs
29. Common Grackle
30. Brown-headed Cowbird
31. Cedar Waxwing
32. House Wren
33. Gray Catbird

Snipe Hunting

If you've ever heard the term "Snipe Hunt" or "Snipe Hunting" or have unwittingly taken part in said practice, you might know that it is a common practical joke. The idea is to send an inexperienced person –maybe on a camping trip– into the woods with a bag or pillowcase and tell them that if they make particular strange noises or bang rocks together, that Snipe will come running towards them. The practical jokers know that such an idea is preposterous but I've even seen television shows that "let on" that there is no such thing as a Snipe. But there is indeed such a bird and the origin of the joke is likely based on the fact that real Snipe are terribly secretive birds –and would never be found near anyone making loud noises. My first sighting of this elusive bird was yesterday and I really wanted to go back today in hopes of a better photo. Considering just how skittish they are, I think I did fairly well by periodically moving my stool closer and closer to the edge of the flooded field. But even so, I was difficult to get close before they would spook and fly back into the bordering woods. For a while I actually could see one hiding right up against the chain link fence in a clump of grass. I attempted to move closer and closer to this one as well but it too let me get only so close before taking off. But now that I was in a good position, I stayed long enough for a small group of Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs to return. I really liked how this particular photo came out as you can see both Lesser and Greater next to each other, and especially you get an idea of how they delicately walk through the water. Shorebirds can be an especially tough family of birds to know and identify. Many many of them tend to look quite similar in size, shape and color –distinguishable only by very subtle differences. After a fair amount of sitting, I felt like hiking again and decided to walk out along the edge of the woods on the north side. I quickly spotted a Hermit Thrush by eyeing the bright, rusty reddish brown coloring on the back and tail. For such a mostly brown bird, these are quite a beautiful bird and they are fun to see! This one appeared to be grooming and let me get in closer than usual. While hiking through the tall grass I could periodically hear something rustling down below me and one of the times I looked down I caught a glimpse of this Common Garter Snake. He had his head held up as he knew I was there. I got down low to his level to take a few pics and was waiting for his tongue to come out but it never did. Never the less, I like how the photo came out –showing both old dried up grass as well as new, bright green grass as part of the backdrop. There was one more bird I really wanted to "hunt down" today and that was a Rusty Blackbird. Though I'd recently gotten some great photos of one down at North Mississippi Regional Park, I wanted to document them at PLP as well. I'd definitely heard and spotted glimpses of them but had not gotten a photo here yet. So on my way back I checked the flooded fields at 73rd Ave. N. and sure enough there were one or two poking around the water. I've almost always found Rusty's in or near snow melt or some type of standing water. On quick tip on telling them apart from a more common Red-winged Blackbird is that they will have bright yellow eyes versus black eyes. The Common Grackle also has bright yellow eyes but is much larger than both the Rusty and RW Blackbirds.

Flooded Fields Bring New Species!

This morning's visit to the park is one I will never forget. Having undergone some minor back surgery just days ago, I am up and walking short distances but need to sit for longer periods. I recently purchased a little fold-out hunting stool and decided I would put it to use today. I arrived at the east parking lot off of Oliver to find the baseball fields flooded worse than I've ever seen them before. The water is nearly all the way up to the parking lot! Standing in the shallow water I quickly noticed a lot of "Shorebirds" which is something I don't see a lot of at the park. But these did not appear to be the Sandpipers I've seen before. My first hunch turned out to be correct –both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs! I've never seen either of these 2 species at the park before, and getting to see them right next to each other made for an easy comparison in size and build. This first photo here shows the Greater in the lower left, with the Lesser behind, and finally a Canada Goose behind that just for size comparison. Both birds blend in incredibly well with their surroundings but the Lesser is just a little tougher to pick out due to their smaller size. If you are not keeping an eye on them, it is really easy to lose sight of them against the water. Later I caught these 2 Lesser Yellowlegs walking right underneath the Goose which shows just how small they are. I just couldn't get enough of these birds and every so often I would stand up and slowly carry my stool about 5 feet closer to see them better. I shot hundreds of photos and even captured some in flight. When a few of them flew in the same direction and landed again to my left, I realized there were at least a dozen or more birds! Watching them walk through the water on their long legs was fun and it was so neat to observe new birds at the park. But then a couple of other birds caught my eye. These were even smaller than the Lesser Yellowlegs, but had a noticeably long bill. The first thing that popped into my head was Woodcock and I started taking shots quickly before they moved on. Then out of nowhere, a huge helicopter came thundering by quite closely. It hardly passed me by before turning around again and coming back nearly right above me! At first I thought the DNR was surveying the flooding but I realized after a 3rd pass that they were spraying for mosquitoes! I took some photos of the copter but he was so close I could read the words "mosquito control" on it's side with my naked eye. On one particular pass, the pilot actually skimmed the tops of the trees with the landing gear and I saw twigs break and fly! After scaring away most of the birds I was watching, I hiked around a little to the south but found the trail was impassible due to flooding. But at the edge I clearly heard both Rusty Blackbirds and well as a Brown Thrasher calling. On my way back I ran into a friend of mine who is an expert birder. I described the smaller birds with a long bill to him and he immediately asked if they were striped "parallel" or "perpendicular" to their body. I remembered this trick from a previous bird outing and then realized that what I saw were probably not Woodcock but Snipe! As we cursed the helicopter overhead for making so much noise, we scanned the fields for birds with our binoculars. Later another mutual birder friend joined us and we spotted a few Snipe again. I just read that it's extremely difficult to determine in the field, the difference between a Wilson's Snipe and a Common Snipe. But since it appears the Wilson's is by far more common to our area, I am labeling them Wilson's Snipe for now. But I can't end this post without mentioning the multitude of other birds –especially waterfowl that were also present today. Not only were there dozens of Blue-winged Teals, but to my surprise, there were also Green-winged again! I thought for sure I had seen the only one to ever visit the park a few weeks back on April 12th. But today there was not just one but 3 of them! Well, at least 3 males to be sure. They are just such beautiful birds and I could easily spend all day stalking them for a better photo. More than once I got to see the Green-winged paired up with groups of Blue-winged which was really a neat sight –but always too far away. A few other birds spotted today: Bald Eagle, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Blue Jay, Northern Harrier, Cedar Waxwing, and a possible Broad-winged Hawk sighting!