Late February and First Red-winged Blackbirds!

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to the park today or not. I had the day off of work but I have also been summoned for Jury Duty this week. After making my mid-day call, I learned I didn't need to report so I went for a long hike instead. Except for a few slightly cool (and average) days, today was another warmer-than-usual day for February. I believe we hit 48º or so and the sun was shining to boot. I wanted to check Shingle Creek on the north end of the park to see if any early waterfowl had returned yet, but all I found there was a lot of Mallards and a small group of Canada Geese. Shingle Creek has not been iced over for probably the entire month of February if not more, which is pretty unusual. There was also no sign of the Belted Kingfisher I spotted in the first week of this month. As I hiked around the south end of the park, I heard a familiar sound that I could not immediately place. It was a faint "chek" sound coming from my right. Then it hit me –a Red-winged Blackbird! The arrival of this bird (especially to the Palmer Lake area) each year has become an important observation as a sign of the coming Spring season. I swung around to my right, peering into the cattails and there he was! My first-of-year Red-winged Blackbird. I hiked in closer to the area in hopes of catching a better photo but it was not to be. In all of my previous years watching birds, my first RWBB's have always been spotted in March so to have seen them in February is a new record for me! As I continued on the south side I paused more than once to take in the golden light being cast over the cattails and tall grasses looking northward. This area is truly unique to find within such an urban area. In certain spots (like this one) you can forget that you are surrounded by urban sprawl on all sides. Today I was also carrying a new camera lens with me for the first time in over two years. I decided to give it a whirl on some of the Mallards in the "duck pond" on the southwest corner of the park. Both the light and the ducks were fairly cooperative so I got a few keepers. Surprisingly though I did not witness any mating behavior among them today. I guess they were too busy preening and soaking up the sun.

Confused Plants and Canada Goose

I wasn't seeing many birds today during my hike around the park. It's that time of year when variety of species really decreases and you are happy just to see a Mallard or Chickadee. I also saw the usual suspects including Northern Cardinal and Dark-eyed Junco. But when I came to the southwest corner I spotted a bright yellow color near the ground that made me look twice. What I saw made my jaw drop open. A rather large patch of Marsh Marigold was in bloom! This native MN wildflower typically blooms in March or April and are rather short lived in my opinion. As I busily took photos I couldn't help but notice the snow on the ground surrounding the plant. This is now officially the latest in the season I've seen this plant flower and I'm just not sure what to make of it. Could our warm and wet Fall have created just the right conditions for the plant to flower again? Or is there a larger plot to the story? I am truly amazed at nature's ability to adapt and change. I plan on sharing my find with others to get their thoughts. A short time later I found myself at the "duck pond" watching a large group of Mallards that have started to congregate here this winter. Among the many ducks was one lone Canada Goose who seemed to have something wrong with his left wing. It was noticeably low hanging, even dragging on the ground as the Goose walked. At one point he waddled down the embankment and waded into the water but did not get in and swim. I think this bum wing might have even prevented it. At this point I became more concerned and wondered how we was going to forage in the water and eat when needed. I watched him for another 30 to 45 minutes during which time it stayed mostly up on the bank, never attempting to fly or get back to the water. I wondered if I could do anything and then called a friend of mine who has experience in rescuing injured wildlife. He came with a crate while myself and another park goer named Orville (?) helped me to gradually coral the Goose away from the water and up near the paved trail. After about 40 minutes my friend was actually able to catch the goose by tossing a blanket over it and gently picking it up. We hopped in his vehicle and delivered the Goose to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville, one of the largest rehab clinics of it's kind in the entire United States. After a week they said I could contact them back for an update on the Goose's condition. I sure hope there is something they can do for it, but my friend made me aware that many times there is nothing they can do but euthanize the animal. Now I wasn't so sure that we did the right thing or not. But time will tell I guess.

Nearing Thanksgiving

My visit to the park this Sunday morning included a stop at the "duck pond" on the southwest corner of the park. Mallards have already started to congregate and it makes me think of the hundreds of ducks that may be huddled here in the winter. It's always fun to stop and look through the Mallards in hopes of finding anything other than a Mallard. Kind of like "Where's Waldo." I couldn't find anything of interest but took a few photos of the green heads that I like so much. Later on the north side when I came to the bridge, I noticed the faint amber sun reflecting on the open water of Shingle Creek. It was a very pretty sight, and later when I bumped into a friend, he lamented about it as well. Interestingly I took this photo at 10:30 in the morning. Looking at it later it looks like it could near sunset. The sun is so low this time of year in Minnesota, that it never really gets overhead. My friend and I then hiked together for a while, looking around to see what we could find. To our surprise we stumbled upon a pair of Great Horned Owls, perched somewhat near other and likely a mated pair. One of the Owls flew from it's perch in no time at all. Conditions were quite dark by this time but I took some photos anyway of the other Owl. It was fun to see Great Horned's again and I'm hoping they will find a place to nest somewhere in the park this winter.

Birds and Caterpillars and Mink, Oh My!

Well there are slowly but surely signs that the season is changing. There are only a few days left of February (including a leap year day) and then technically winter is over. When I say technically I mean "meteorologically" that Spring spans the months of March, April and May. I had a FOY (first of year) bird right off the bat today when I spotted a Brown Creeper making his way up a tree. I actually heard him first, which is only one of a handful of times that I've ever heard them make any noise. It was a high-pitched sound and I first thought it was a Cedar Waxwing which made me look up and find him. I didn't get a great photo but it was a good find regardless. On the duck pond was one lone Canada Goose who appeared to be soaking up the sun along the shoreline. I've seen a few small flocks moving around as of late which is another good sign. Since it was such nice light and relatively mild in temperature I decided to just stand for a while near where the water flows under the wood chip trail. In nearly no time at all, I heard a loud creature making it's way towards me. I though it was a Deer at first but I could see nothing. Then I saw a flash of white near the ground which made me thing it was a Rabbit or something. It continued toward me in a hurry and all of a sudden there appeared a Mink carrying his prey! I could hardly believe it. He stopped right in front of me on the edge of the water, likely sensing my presence but not actually seeing me. He was carrying quite a large chuck of dead animal and I'm still trying to figure out what exactly it was. It had almost white fur and reminded me of an Opossum but that seems kind of unlikely for the area. Whatever it was, it clearly lost a battle to the Mink which isn't surprising as Mink are apparently quite viscous little critters. It was one of the more interesting Mink sightings I've had at the park! Later I made my way around the remainder of the park stopping here and there for Chickadees, a male Red-bellied Woodpecker, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks and even a FOY Wooly Bear Caterpillar crossing the trail. Actually there were two caterpillars as well, just a few yards apart. Spring will be here soon!

First Snow of the Season

Today was Monday and again I was off of work –trying my hardest to use up my many vacation days still remaining for the year. It was pretty well predicted that today we were going to see our first snow of the season. I had been preparing next year's butterfly garden in my yard the day before but planting oodles of milkweed seeds before the snow fell and I was just in time. By morning it was snowing pretty good and quite windy so I decided to visit the park just because I could. The wind was blowing so hard that I was getting stung in the face by the wet, icy snow and thus I decided not to go around the entire park. I started on the east side, going to the bridge over Shingle Creek on the north side and then back again. The birds were certainly aware of the weather too and I honestly can't say I really saw anything of interest other than a large flock of Canada Geese grounded by the winter storm. They sat together in the baseball field on the east side, most of them with their heads tucked under their wings. We could be in for a long winter it seems.

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!

Day 3 of Spring and Back to the Cold

The official first day of Spring was this past Thursday. And since my last post on the blog here we have had some very nice days with temps in the upper 40's. But last night another cold front moved in and temperatures were in the single digits when I woke up this morning! By the time I arrived at PLP it had warmed up to somewhere around 12 to 15 degrees. And with a very strong wind, I had to wear all my warmest clothes –some of which I have put away and had to take back out multiple times already. In fact the duck pond was even frozen over today! It seems that all the Mallards that usually hang out here must have moved on to other open water. Here there were two Canada Geese walking on top of the ice and the ice was so thin that you could hear it squeezing and cracking under their weight. For my visit to the park today I was joined by 2 friends of mine who are very experienced birders. Despite the frigid temps we enjoyed spotting various sights at the park. One sight I really wanted to see today was a second Great Horned Owl nest that yet another birder had recently shared with me. When we found it I was overjoyed to learn that this was the very same nest I had played a part in restoring! You can read the full story here but in July of 2012 a Cooper's Hawk was using the same portion of this tree to nest in. I was walking underneath it that July and spotted two Hawk chicks whom had fallen out of the nest. On a friends suggestion we reached out the Raptor Center at the University of MN and a experienced tree climber came out and rebuilt the nest. He essentially cleared away what was left of the tattered nest and installed a wire mesh which he fashioned into a bowl shape before adding twigs and grasses back. Now nearly 2 years later the work that was done that day is helping provide a completely different species of bird with a suitable place to nest and rear young! How cool is that? I made me think about how our interactions with nature –be it positive or negative– can have effects that last for many years later. Not too much later, Ron from our group thought he saw a Great Blue Heron up ahead behind some thick bushes. I honestly didn't believe him and thought it was another Goose. But as we got closer, we all saw that indeed there were a pair of Great Blue Herons! Apparently it is common for them to arrive back in March but until now I can't say that I've spotted them this early in the year. I usually use Red-winged Blackbirds as my "natural calendar" for the start of Spring but a GBH is even better! Here and there I was also noticing Pussy Willow catkins poking out which is also another good sign of Spring. Later in our walk we stopped to check out the other Great Horned Owl nest –the one I had found on my own on the first day of this March. The mother was quite obvious in the nest this time and just below and to the right, we thought we could see a little white fluff that could be an Owlet. This particular nest has us a little worried because there are no good branches jutting out horizontally from the nest. If the Owlets survive to leave the nest it could a bit perilous for them to not have any branches available to perch on and learn to use their wings. I'm hoping for the best but time will tell.

Nature Blogging for 4 Years!

In early June of 2009 I made my very first post on this Blog. At that time I had no idea where the blog would lead me. About all I knew at the time was that I really enjoyed walking around the park and seeing deer without leaving the city! But what I found out by routinely visiting Palmer Lake Park is that there is an endless amount of things to learn about nature; from birds to mammals, insects, plants –and phenology which is the study of all of these things and how they are influenced by seasons and climate. Had I signed up for class or course in naturalism, I probably would have been overwhelmed by how much there was to learn. Instead I found that because I knew little to nothing about the subject, I wasn't afraid to make mistakes. And through what I call "slow and curious observation," I was realizing that I was learning something new every single time I visited the park! Sometimes these were very small things –something I might now take for granted– but was completely new to me at the time. And each of those small things continued to lead me to newer things still. My tools early on were a fairly inexpensive point-and-shoot camera, one field guide to Birds of Minnesota by Stan Tekela, and a cheap pair of binoculars. Though I've added to and upgraded my tools since then, the one most important tool I have is simply my own curiosity –and I doubt it will ever need to be upgraded or replaced. Even now after a solid 4 years of observing nature, I still feel an endless sense of exploration towards nature. What started out as simple walks around a city park has evolved into a full fledged passion for bird watching. And this year I completed my own "Big Month" in which I went out bird watching for a record 26 days in the month of May alone. Even in my travels now to other parts of the state –or other states, my first thought is "what kind of birds might I see there?" During a trip to Colorado this June I set my sights on finding an American Dipper –a truly unique song bird. I was lucky enough to observe and photograph one on the last day of our trip and it was probably the highlight of my entire year as far as my new hobby goes. Whether I'm observing nature in Minnesota or any other part of the world, I've found a passionate appreciation for wildlife and the natural world. I have Palmer Lake Park –a marsh in the middle of the city– to thank for showing me that. It will always be my favorite park. Finally here are a few photos to share from today; young goslings making their way through the new cattails watched over by their parents, A Hairy Woodpecker feeding preparing to feeds it's young inside a Boxelder tree, and a Great-crested Flycatcher spotted on the north end of the park.

A Short Walk, Some Hard Work and a New Species

This Sunday the Friends of Palmer Lake Park were doing a small-scale Buckthorn removal project at the park. The only problem was that the weather was downright terrible. After a string of relatively nice warm weather for November, it took a turn for the worse. I arrived a bit early, just enough to walk from the west parking lot to Shingle Creek and back again. There wasn't a whole lot to see in this short distance; some Juncos, Tree Sparrows, Chickadees, Canada Geese and Mallards in the creek. But I did see one interesting bird along the way that I don't see too often but am becoming more familiar with now. This Fox Sparrow was moving around in the lower parts of the dried up cattails. If you ever see what looks to be a common looking Sparrow but seems too large then it is probably a Fox Sparrow. The other clue is large patches of solid grey coloring around the head and neck with other common sparrows like Tree Sparrows and Song Sparrows wont have. I just read that Fox Sparrows nest in Canada and are only ever migrating through Minnesota -which would probably make this the last still-migrating bird I will have seen this season! After my very short walk I returned to the west side to get working on some Buckthorn removal as planned. The weather turned out to keep everyone else away save for just 3 of us, brave enough (or dumb) enough to want to work for a couple hours in this crummy weather. We made fantastic progress on a small area which you can see here on the FPLP facebook page. One of our "friends" for the day had said that he'd seen what he thought was a Snow Goose on the other side of the park before we started working. Afterwards we decided just for the heck of it to drive over to the other side and sure enough he was still there! This one, lone Snow Goose had tagged along with a small group of 10-15 Canada Geese who were moving slowly across the baseball field. As we watched we could tell that the Geese weren't exactly keen on this new, and different looking member of the group. When he would get too close, different Geese would nip at him and chase him away. It made me wonder why -or how- he got separated from his own group and ended up here. I'm pretty sure I've seen Snow Geese flying over the park before but this marks the first time I've positively identified one actually in the park. So another new species documented today!

Warm and Wiiiindy

This Sunday was another nice sunny and warm day, only it was super windy. Because of the wind I didn't expect to see many birds but I was able to get closer to this Cardinal than I normally get to them. In fact I walked up right underneath him. From this angle he didn't fit that familiar "regal" and trim looking shape but rather more like a fat Robin. In the first little pond near the parking lot I also spotted a few Wood Ducks -with just one being a Male. They are so much more skittish than Mallards and took off at the first sight of me. It doesn't seem like there's been as many Wood Ducks this year compared to last, and I definitely have not gotten as close to them this year. It's getting so late now that this may be the last I see of them this season. Later I spotted another Easter Phoebe catching insects over the water. I took some photos but they turned out all washed out from the bright sun reflecting on the water. Despite the strong wind, Canada Geese were moving around in large flocks today. No two groups ever seem to be headed the same direction. This larger than normal group circled above me for a bit and broke into more of a circular pattern versus a typical "v."

Thursday Sunrise Walk

Lately I've felt like I've been in such a slump. My routine has become monotonous and the days are going by way too fast -despite the longer daylight hours. I'd been considering shifting my walks to the morning hours before work versus after but I am soooo not a morning person. Today I gave it a shot though by waking early and arriving at the park by 5:30am. It was kind of weird being there that early but I did have the park mostly to myself -which is near impossible this time of year. Even this early I started seeing birds. First some Tree Swallows, then Goldfinch, then another Flicker again on the north side. There were also a fair amount of Deer visible this morning and as I approached the foot bridge I noticed 2 Deer standing on the bridge! They hurried across as I came closer. I then stopped on the bridge to watch a family of Canada Geese with young ones. The two goslings lowered their heads to drink water from the Creek and it was a great photo opportunity that my camera let me down on. It was just too dark in the area with all the trees overhead. Further down the trail, a couple of Mourning Doves were eagerly awaiting the sunrise. I think I'm noticing these Doves more recently as I'm always on the lookout for another Kestral and the two have a similar shape and size. When I got back to the south side I paused for a while at my favorite place where the Shingle Creek flows back out of the lake. It had been overcast and cloudy all morning and then it suddenly passed. Everything green lit up with brilliant color against a darker sky in the west. It was about this time I realized I needed to get home and get ready for work. What a drag.