Juvenile Birds

I had the day off of work today but didn't get to the park until the afternoon. I had one particular goal in mind actually and that was to find and photograph a Green Heron. It took me a while but I did end up locating one in the small pond on the east side just north of the parking lot. I had to bushwack a little while being extremely quiet and not scare the bird away, but I finally got into a good position to watch my subject for quite some time. This bird was likely a young one as evident by the whispy, white feathers on it's head that stood straight up. I've heard that Green Herons will actually catch small prey like a Dragonfly and then dip that in the water to attract a larger fish, but that behavior is something i've still yet to witness in real life. This one did seem to pull something out of the water but I couldn't tell exactly what it was. I think I watch this bird for nearly 40 minutes before he wound up on the other side of the pond in some dark shadows. A fun experience though for sure, and one that yielded some acceptable photos :) I thought I was basically done for the day but later I ended up with very close views of another young bird, this time an American Redstart. Redstarts are Warblers and notoriously difficult to photograph because the move so quickly and so frequently. But this one was so busy preening itself that it let me approach closely. At a young age, the male American Redstart looks an awful lot like an adult female Redstart. So they are often confused. But one thing to look for to differentiate them is any indication of dark patches on the face or head. Generally a female will be all grey and not show any trace of dark or black feathering here. So I think I can safely say that this is a juvenile male American Redstart.

41 Species!

As part of my "Big Month" of May, I wanted to set aside one day and basically bird all day at the park. So I arrived shortly after 8am today, took a lunch break at home and then went back for the afternoon. My other goal for the day was to see at least 40 species of birds, which on a nice day like today should be very do-able. One of my first sightings of the day was a Warbling Vireo, a bird that I've come to learn mostly by it's song, but rarely via sightings. Today that changed however and I got long looks at this fairly drab looking bird with the amazingly complicated song. I watched this bird longer than any other bird today and probably spent over an hour trying to catch an unobstructed view. In the end I would up with some photos I was pretty happy with including this one. Another bird I spent a fair amount of time with today was this beautiful and semi-cooperative American Redstart. This Warbler is known for being a tough one to photograph as they are normally hyperactive and blocked by foliage. This one however sat out in the open on a branch and just sung his heart out for a long time. I had ample photo opportunities and I kept telling myself what a rare occasion this was. He was still a challenge to capture well due to the black eye on top of black plumage, but I did my best and I have a few keepers that are better than most of my older attempts. The next bird pictured here is another Warbler, a male Common Yellowthroat that really stood out against the clear blue sky. He bounced around in a young Willow tree for quite some time but he kept moving ever upward, giving me the best looks from underneath. After lunch break I arrived back on the east side of the park to find a Green Heron posing nicely for me at the little pond just south of the parking lot. I knew it would be a short lived view so I took as many photos as I could before he left his perch. It turned out to be one of the nicer Green Heron photos I've taken! I saw a heck of a lot more birds –which I'll spell out at the end, but I spotted one species that until today I had never recorded in the park. It was quite a ways away but with my binoculars I deduced that it was an Olive-sided Flycatcher! And come to think about it, I remember seeing a similar shaped bird in the past in the same area that I couldn't identify –so maybe, just maybe I had seen one before. But at the time I likely didn't know what it was. But now I knew just enough to ID this bird and quite excited by the find! So here is my final list of species seen today, 41 species total! (listed in the order that I could remember them later)

1. Song Sparrow
2. Red-winged Blackbird
3. Common Grackle
4. White-breasted Nuthatch
5. Pileated Woodpecker (Saw 2 together, possibly juveniles)
6. Hairy Woodpecker
7. Tree Swallow
8. Barn Swallow
9. House Wren
10. Northern Cardinal
11. Blue Jay
12. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
13. Scarlet Tanager (2 adult males!)
14. Baltimore Oriole
15. American Goldfinch
16. Sandhill Crane (heard only)
17. Least Flycatcher
18. Great Crested Flycatcher
19. Mourning Dove
20. Indigo Bunting
21. Yellow Warbler
22. American Redstart
23. Common Yellowthroat
24. Tennessee Warbler
25. Northern Waterthrush
26. Magnolia Warbler
27. Swainson's Thrush
28. Canada Goose
29. Mallard
30. Wood Duck
31. Gray Catbird
32. White-crowned Sparrow
33. American Robin
34. Great Blue Heron
35. Green Heron
36. American Crow
37. Brown-headed Cowbird
38. Warbling Vireo
39. Olive-sided Flycatcher
40. Black-capped Chickadee
41. House Sparrow

Day 11 of My "Big Month" and a 2 New Birds!

I had the day off of work today but it rained most of the morning. I made it to the park in the afternoon and realized this was my 3rd day in a row around Palmer Lake. I don't really have any rain protection for my bigger camera equipment so I was a bit hesitant to go out. But had I known what great photo ops were in store for me I'd have probably gone out sooner! First was a Northern Waterthrush on the southwest corner. This is a bird I almost always see on the ground, so getting one in a tree was extra special. You can really notice the pink/orange legs in this image with the green in the background. Northern Waterthrush also bob their tail nearly continuously, as this one also did so in the tree. The next bird I photographed was a male American Redstart. This tiny little Warbler was likely alarmed by my presence, or maybe it was flirting with a female because it had it's tail fanned out. I've seen Redstarts do this previously but I've rarely been lucky enough to capture a photo of it. The rain was off and on as I hiked around the park but thankfully it had subsided enough by the time I found my next bird of interest. Two Great Crested Flycatchers were seen hopping about together near the duck pond. I've never ever seen this species so close to the ground before. They were pretty much at eye level and were perching right in front of me. I couldn't believe it as this bird is nearly always in the treetops –mostly heard but not seen. Eventually I got into position where one of the posed nicely for me with a perfect green backdrop. This might just be one of the best images I've captured so far this month! Also on the south side I stopped to admire and photograph Marsh Marigold plants that are in full bloom now. They plants were larger than I remember in the past, with a lot more flowers too. I've seen these flowers "picked" before by people which is such a shame as they are so short lived and need specific conditions to grow. So I really hope nobody bothers them this year. I saw a good variety of birds overall today but I spotted one near the end of my hike that I've never seen before at the park. I assumed it was a Swamp Sparrow which is a species I've learned can be found at the park. But after looking more closely I noticed a lot of tan coloring –referred to as "buff" or "buffy" by bird watchers. This is one identifying characteristic not of a Swamp Sparrow, but of a Lincoln's Sparrow! So while it's possible I've seen a Lincoln's before, this is definitely the first time I've positively ID'd one. And that's always an extra plus when it happens to be at my favorite park! Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I spotted a brand new Warbler as well today –a Canada Warbler! It's the first one I've ever seen anywhere but I was unable to get a clear photo of it. A big bummer, but at least I get to count it towards my May list and also my 2015 list. Other birds seen today included; Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat (male & female), Magnolia Warbler, Black-capped Chickadee, White-throated Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Common Grackle and Song Sparrow.

Mid-July Warblers

Today was predicted to be hot and muggy so I wanted to get in a walk early in the morning. I arrived at the park around 6:45am and this was the earliest I've hiked in a long time. In addition, I had intended to make it all the way around today –another thing I've not done very often as of late. I had my new lens with today as well so I was bound and determined to get a few decent bird photos. There are still two species of Warblers that can be found –American Redstarts and Common Yellowthroats, and I figured I would be happy if I could get a good shot of either one. But before I had an opportunity at either of these birds, I was in for an even better surprise. From a distance I'd spotted what looked to be a female American Redstart, but it quickly moved up into the thick part of a Buckthorn tree. When I got closer, I looked up and into the area and saw a little bird with even more color than I expected. I thought "hey, that looks almost like a Chestnut-sided Warbler." As the bird came into an open area through the leaves, I realized it was indeed a Chestnut! The last CSW I've seen at Palmer Lake was in May. This is the time when the vast majority of them are heading even further north to their breeding grounds in northern Minnesota and Canada. But what was this one doing here? Well, for one thing it's color and pattern did not look quite fully formed, meaning that it's likely a juvenile. I didn't notice at the time, but it's tail is extremely short and stubby, another sign that the bird is not fully developed yet. So the big question now is this; is this an early migrant that fledged further north and is making it's way south? OR, is this possibly a bird that was born and fledged right here in Palmer Lake Park? Though I've not seen a single CSW in the Twin Cities area since May, it IS entirely possible that this bird fledged within or near Palmer Lake Park. The reason is that if you look at what's called a "range map" for a Chestnut-sided Warbler, the Twin Cities metro area is near the southern-most edge of their "summer range." Not too long after this exciting sighting, I ended up having my best chance at the bird I was most determined to capture today –a Common Yellowthroat. This was in a more open area where the wood chip trail runs along the cattails on the south side. There was a dead shrub sticking up out of the cattails and as my luck would have it, this beautiful male Yellowthroat decided to perch here for a brief moment. Earlier on my walk I actually saw a female Common Yellowthroat which for me this year has been much harder to find. I got an OK pic but not as good as this one of the male. But before my walk was over, I ended up having a much closer encounter with one more Warbler –the American Redstart. This particular bird (another male) came within very close proximity and actually stayed put! This is something Redstarts –and other Wablers for that matter– rarely do! The bird was in kind of a darker area shaded by the canopy of trees and I ended up not having my camera set very well to compensate. Thus these photos have been lightened up considerably. But despite this oversight, I was pleased to see how much detail came through on some of my shots! Even in person, this little guy appeared pretty mangy and beat up. Some of his tail feathers seemed to be broken off and he was just overall rough looking. But despite his appearance he sat there singing away. There have been times I have seen Redstarts sit still for a while and I would say it always seems to be later in the season, long after they've adjusted to their new surroundings after arriving in early Spring. This guy surely beat the record though for holding still and I shot 57 photos of him alone! Another thing that I liked about my view of this bird was that I could see some detail in his face and eye, which is something that doesn't always come across in a photo because they are just so black on the head. It's shabby appearance and uncommon cooperative behavior makes me wonder if this too was a juvenile bird! Oh and just a few other birds that were spotted today; Gray Catbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female) and Cedar Waxwing.

Colorful June Birds

It's amazing how much more you can do in a single day when there is as much daylight as there is now. After work this evening I decided to go over to Silverwood Park in St. Anthony and was there for about an hour. Then a friend of mine called me to tell me that he had heard a Black-billed Cuckoo bird calling for about half an hour at Palmer Lake Park near the northeast side. So I left Silverwood almost immediately, though I was seeing both the male and female Indigo Buntings there. I got to PLP at around 6:00pm and went to the spot where the Cuckoo had been heard but I never heard or saw it. It was a little buggy already and I was getting bit up by not moving quickly enough. So I headed to the north end of the park where I heard a Yellow Warbler calling. I followed the sound until I found the bird in the same general area where I've been seeing them lately. With full leaves out now it is getting tougher to see the birds at all much less get photos of them. Finally it moved to the top most part which is when I shot this photo. A little while later I could hear another bird that sounded similar but more scratchy. I wondered it if might be an American Redstart and indeed it was. The bird came down out of the treetops just long enough to check me out it seemed. It hopped around on a dead branch just long enough for me to take a few shots. Redstarts are notoriously hard to photograph because of their constant and quick movement, but I've found it is equally hard to take a photograph that captures the detail of their eyes and head. Since the males have a completely black head and black eye, it is somewhat rare to even be able to see their eyes. So this is one shot in my book that makes the cut! On my way along the north side I had been hearing not just one but up to three different Indigo Buntings calling from the treetops. If I would be lucky enough to see one tonight it would be the first IB's I've seen at the park this year. I decided to head back the way I came and on the way I did encounter one –a male. In fact, he gave me more than one decent photo opportunity as he busily sang out the same sweet, buzzy song over and over again. Like last year I witnessed him fly back and forth from one side of the trail to the next. After chasing him back and forth for quite a while I encountered him on a lower than usual perch and took this photo. It is lightened up quite a bit since it was getting darker already, but I really like how it turned out. I would not normally crop a photo so strangely, with all that space to the right but for some reason I think it works. I saw one more interesting thing as I was heading back to my vehicle and that was these two Butterflies back-to-back with wings intertwined. These are a very common Butterfly and I believe they may be called "Cabbage Butterlies" but I'm not 100% certain yet. The odd position I found them in leads me to believe they were possibly mating.

Birds and Bugs

I was off from work this Monday and so I visited the park early at around 7:30am. One of the first things I noticed was a bright red male Cardinal feeding what appeared to be a young one. But upon closer look I realized quickly that the young one was NOT another Cardinal. It was in fact a young Brown-headed Cowbird, a bird that is known for laying it's eggs within the nest of other "host" birds. I've read some about this odd behavior called "Brood Parasitism." Not only is it practiced by a few different species of birds, but also by fish and insects. The idea behind it is to let the unsuspecting host parents do the hard work of incubating, hatching and raising the young of another species. With Cowbirds especially, the infant cowbirds can be twice the size of the other birds, and will thus out-compete the others for food. They will likely survive while the bird's true offspring may not. Another strange wonder of nature. I had lots of good opportunities at American Redstarts today but they are a tough bird to photograph for sure. You need to take LOTS of photos in hopes of getting just one when the bird might have sat still for more than a nanosecond. This one turned out the best and then I cropped it vertically. I've recently discovered that I can sometimes get decent shots of bugs if I get far enough away and then crop the photos down later. So when I noticed this spider I gave it a shot. I actually hate spiders and have an irrational fear of them like many people. And this one was big too. No idea what kind it is and I really don't care to find out! About this time of year is when there are lots of different mushrooms and fungi growing in the park. Palmer Lake is especially good for mushrooms because of the wet habitat and especially because of the wood chip trails. There is one that I notice each year about this time and I always think it looks like and underwater coral of some kind. Reading about it now online it apparently IS referred to as "Coral Fungi" with a scientific name of "Clavarioid fungi." It appears whitish in color here but I've also seen it a deep yellowy-orange color and so I wonder if it may change color over time. Near the end of my walk I noticed one more very interesting insect. I've seen this one before and knew by the length of it's tail that it is the Giant Ichneumon Wasp. This "tail" which can be 4 inches or longer is actually an ovipositor used for laying eggs deep within tunnels bored by another species of wasp called the Pigeon Horntail. For this reason the Giant Ichneumon Wasp it considered to be "parasitic." My photo here doesn't even show the full length of it's ovipositor. As a kid I have a vague recollection of my Grandfather holding one of these wasps in his hand and it drilled it's ovipositor right into his hand! I don't quite now if that was completely true or just what I remembered. Regardless, I would not even think about trying to pick one of these up in my hand!

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!

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!).

Awesome End to August

I think it was about 94º this Saturday afternoon when I arrived at the park. Due to the heat I decided to really take my time going around, not exert too much energy and spend as much time in the shade as possible. As a result my hike lasted nearly 3 hours but it was nice to spend the extra time looking around. I saw quite a variety of birds but one of the first things I spotted and took photos of was this Frog near the parking lot on the south side. I scared it away at first but then I slowed down and got close enough for a good closeup photo. I know nothing about Frogs so I have no idea what kind it is but it was about 3 inches long. It's always nice to have a subject that will hold still for you –unlike birds. I was seeing –and hearing– lots of birds today including Chickadees, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Common Yellowthroats, Wood Ducks and even a Hummingbird! Under the canopy of trees over the woodchip trail on the southwest side was quite active with birds and I stopped here to look and listen a bit more than I normally do. Another bird that caught my eye was a female American Redstart. I'd estimate that I see only 1 female for every 15-20 male Redstarts and I forget how colorful they are in their own right. As I watched this female move quickly from tree to tree, it led my eyes upwards and soon I was noticing another smaller bird with bright orange. But this orange was much more deep than the more yellowish-orange on the Redstart's shoulders. Because it was another very small bird I quickly realized it was another Warbler of some kind. It was VERY high up in the treetops and I struggled to even catch a short glimpse of it through my binoculars. Then a second one showed up and they spun in a circle falling downward for a few feet before flying off to new trees. One came downward a little closer to me and I could now make out black striping on the breast, wing and face. There was only one thing it could be and that was a Blackburnian Warbler! I'd never seen a mature adult before and I was absolutely thrilled to be seeing –and photographing– one at Palmer Lake Park! At one point one of them came down and perched for a brief second nearer the trunk of the tree and I fumbled about to focus quickly and take the shot. Unfortunately it was facing away from me so at the closest proximity I really only caught it's side and underside. When it was not hidden behind leaves I took every shot I could, knowing it would just be a spec in the frame of the entire shot. At one point while I watched through my binoculars I could see that it had a rather large insect in it's bill. In watching them I could tell that they were busily picking insects off of the trees. It was absolutely awesome to end this month by adding a new species to my list –and to know that fall migration is once again bringing some interesting birds through the park.

Swealtering Summer Returns

In late July and early August our temperatures had become quite mild –almost below normal I think for that time of year. They stayed there so long that weather reporters had begun saying that we might not see any more 90º days for the rest of Summer. My wife and I joked that somehow all of a sudden, meteorologists could now predict the weather not just weeks, but even months out! Even we knew that was ridiculous to say at the time, and sure enough we are back into the mid-to-upper 90's again. In fact is is just darn right HOT because the dew points are also again very high. I had to get to the park earlier in the day if I wanted to go at all but didn't make it there until about 9:30 am. I was surprised with the high heat to see as many birds as I did today. My total list included; Red-bellied Woodpecker, Gray Catbird, House Wren, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Blue Jay, American Crow, American Goldfinch, Least Flycatcher, Hummingbird, Great Blue Heron, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Wood Duck, and my favorite bird of the day –a Belted Kingfisher! Some of the first birds I noticed on the south side were both male and female Common Yellowthroat. They were busy picking about in the mucky shoreline of a little swampy area and calling back and forth. It took me a while to get close enough for a photo or two and this male looks like he was working up a sweat trying to catch that little bug. My second photo to post for the day is also a Warbler –the American Redstart. These birds seem to have been quiet for a while but I'm starting to hear and see them again lately. I believe they are early to leave in the fall so it's possible they are becoming active again, gearing up for migration. This one was busy singing loudly above me just outside the paved trail on the north side. The last bird I wanted to share today is a bird I just don't see too often at the park. They're not so uncommon in our area and in fact you could probably see one just about any day up at the Coon Rapids Dam, but it is rare for me to see them at Palmer Lake Park for some reason. I first noticed him while standing on the footbridge over Shingle Creek on the north side. From a perch on the creek bank, he dove right into the water, came up and flopped around a bit before gaining flight again. I'm assuming that whatever fish he was after he may have missed because he came back to another perch and just sat there for a bit. I've always wanted to get a better photo of one of these birds so I hiked along the creek, wading waist deep in sticky and prickly weeds, getting bitten by all sorts of bugs in the process. I sat and waited along the shoreline for a while but never saw him again.

My Big Month - Day 26

The weather for our long Memorial Day weekend has really not been so great. Yes, you can almost always expect a bit of rain here and there, but in addition the temps have been really low for this late into May. When I arrived at the park at 1:30 today it was only 57 degrees and very windy! On the north side the wind even "howled" it was so strong. I've learned that while wind is not necessarily good for taking photos, it does seem to activate the birds and indeed I saw a fair amount of interesting species. One highlight was a Wilson's Warbler that for whatever reason I tend to see more often on cold and windy days. I really want a better photo of this tiny yellow Warbler with a small black cap, but catching him up close and staying still for any more than one second at a time seems nearly impossible. I used to think Kinglets and Restarts were tough until I spotted the Wilson's Warbler! In fact today a Redstart was one of the only birds I could catch a half-decent photo of. I actually wanted to catch a female because I don't have too many photos of them, but this male was poking around on the ground long enough to give me a few good opportunities. Near the end of my walk I noticed once again a couple of very young Gray Squirrels. They were crawling around on the very same two trees I'd seen them in the day before yesterday. Now I started to think that they must have a home very nearby. I watched one spiral around the tree towards the bottom and disappear. I waited for him to come back around but he never did, so I also started walking around the tree. There I noticed a hole in the side of the tree with a split running through it. I wondered if they were in there so I walked in closely and found another tree to lean on while I focused on the hole with my camera. Sure enough a head popped out a short time later, then a second one on top. If I even flinched, they'd disappear again and I'd have to wait all over again. It was quite a funny sight!


Total species seen today: American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, Gray Catbird, Canada Goose, Mallard, Wood Duck, Wild Turkey, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Bald Eagle, American Crow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Great Blue Heron, Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Conditions: 57 degrees, overcast and very windy.

A Truly Great Day of Birding!

This Sunday I arrived at the park around 8:00am and right off the bat I was seeing some fun birds. This first one I caught quite a few good glimpses of and even a decent photo, though I really didn't know what it was at the time. It looked and behaved like a Warbler, sitting high up in the tree tops and moving around quite a bit. One interesting bit that I noticed right away though was that it's bright yellow coloring on the head and neck made quite an abrupt change to white on it's lower breast. This was not a pattern I was familiar with at all but since there are so many different types of Warblers I assumed I would locate soon. It took me a heck of a lot longer to positively ID this bird and the way I did was to stumble upon a photo taken by a fellow birder friend of mine Ron Taube. When I saw his photo of a bird with similar coloring and patterning I realized why I'd not yet identified my bird -I was looking in the wrong section of my field guides! The bird is in fact a Yellow-throated Vireo, not a Warlber at all! About the only thing I know about Vireos is that they are often mistaken for Warblers as they are similar in size and color. One thing I noticed only in my photographs later was that this bird almost seemed to be wearing bright yellow "spectacles" which is a distinguishing characteristic. So my very first photo of the day was of an entirely brand new species for me! After this I spotted some more regular late-summer birds including Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and some Canada Geese, but soon I again spotted something with a bit more color. Deep in side a Buckthorn Tree I could see a bright flash of orange now and again and focused in on this American Redstart. This one I know for a fact to be a Warbler though they have quite a bit more black plumage than your average Warbler. Even if you are lucky enough to spot one and follow it until it sits still for just a millisecond, it's even harder (for me at least) to capture any details of their head, face and eyes. Much like it is with other perfectly black birds including Red-wings and Crows. I got a bit luckier in that respect with this one, though I sure wish that one Buckthorn leaf hadn't been in front of his beak. I could be quite happy trying to photograph only Redstarts all summer long as they are just that challenging. Well, my day had one last surprise for me later as just minutes later I spotted a Magnolia Warbler! This was only the second time I've ever seen one and I was in much closer proximity this time than last. Like the Redstart, it was also deep inside the Buckthorn and I had to take advantage of any and every unobstructed view I got. I watched this one for quite some time and took quite a few photos and I got to see it from just about every angle. The bird even looked inquisitively right at me, cocking it's head to the side as if to wonder what the heck I was. I believe it was foraging for insects as many other Warblers do and I had a great time seeing a photographing this wonderful Warbler. At the end of the day I'd taken only 32 photos total. It's amazing on some days how you can see so many interesting birds in such a short time span -and then on other days take nearly a hundred photos of nothingness. I will have to note and remember this particular week of September as an opportune time to visit Palmer Lake Park!