January Thaw

After a long and brutal cold snap, we are finally above freezing again and even the sun came out this morning! It was a great day to be at the park hiking around and seeing what could be seen. It was so nice I inadvertently did the southwest side of the park twice. On the first round I noticed a few little birds hopping about in front of me in the shade. Upon closer inspection they were Goldfinch in their winter plumage. I think there were only 2 or 3 at the most but I like to see them in the winter time. Shortly afterward I stopped at the duck pond and noticed a group of a dozen or so Cedar Waxwings bathing in the open water along the bank. This was on the other side from me so I walked around to get closer and scared them off. But after a bit they started to come back one by one and were putting on quite a show. I wished I could have got even closer but it was so thick here. While watching the Waxwings I heard all the Mallards in the duck pond making noise all at once and move quickly in a large group. When I looked up I noticed a Hawk had just swooped over the group of ducks and perched on the opposite side of the pond. It looked to be a Cooper's Hawk but was in the dark shade. I wanted to get a closer look and immediately headed around to the other side, trying not to bump the raptor. To my surprise it stayed put, perched nearly at eye level with me. As I snuck around the back side I finally got into better light and could see bright yellow eyes –indicating a juvenile bird. A mature adult would have bright red eyes. I took quite a few photos from this angle assuming it was a Cooper's Hawk but upon processing the photo I am starting to think it might actually be a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Sharp-shinned Hawks are nearly identical in plumage but tend to have a smaller head, more square-ish looking tail, and be somewhat smaller in size. Though the larger female Sharp-shinned can be nearly the same size as the smaller male Cooper's Hawk, adding yet another layer of complexity to identification. Only last year I learned how to differentiate a Cooper's from a Sharp-shinned in flight, but perched is another story. I generally err on the side of Cooper's since they are apparently far more common to find perched among the woods. But this one really made me look more than once. I am posting to the Minnesota Birding facebook page for some help and should have a positive ID soon. If indeed it turns out to be a Sharp-shinned, it would be my first ever photo ID of one! Upon walking the woodchip trail away from the duck pond, I scared up a Great Horned Owl almost right above me! I stopped in my tracks and said a few choice words to myself as I would have likely gotten a great look at it in the full morning sunlight. The bird flew a fair distance but basically traveled in a straight line away from me. I could kind of make out where it perched and followed behind, trying not to look up toward it too often. I've noticed from experience that they tend to bump again quickly if you stare them down as opposed to just looking at the ground. In fact I've come much closer to Owls when I wasn't looking for them and just happened to look up to find one right above me. As I headed closer it moved yet again and was followed by a second Owl close behind. The pair chose a familiar roost I've seen them at before. The pair is likely scoping out a possible nest as Great Horned Owls will begin nesting somewhere between late January through February.

A Dreary Day in April but Good Birding!

After losing only about 2" of our recent snowfall, the sun went away today thus making Spring seem all the more unattainable. I wasn't quite as motivated to get out to the park today but I dragged myself anyway, knowing that despite looking and feeling like February, the birds know that it's actually late April! In the end I was very glad I went as I saw nearly 30 different species including: Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Canada Goose, Ring-billed Gull, American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, American Coot, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Cooper's Hawk, Wild Turkey, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Red-winged Blackbird, Dark-eyed Junco, American Crow, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Wood Duck, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ring-necked Pheasant, Mourning Dove AND I distinctly heard Sandhill Cranes for the first time ever at the park! I never saw them but I heard them long enough to assume they had at least stopped somewhere in the park for a bit versus flying over. I took quite a few photos today so here goes. First was the Ring-necked Duck which was a great way to start off. I was very surprised to see one in the "Duck pond" which is the western most body of water in the park. In fact it was both a male and female which is exciting because I can't positively say that I'd seen a female Ring-necked before. I tried getting closer but of course as I did the pair swam further away from me. I decided to sit for a while but by the time I finally found a dry fallen tree, they decided to fly up over me and head into the middle of the park. That led me to the other side of the waterway where I quickly noticed both a Blue-winged Teal along with some Coots very near each other. Coots aren't much to look at but they are quite fascinating if you ever get to see them out of the water. Walking on land they appear much more like a chicken than a duck. These were the first ones I'd seen at the park this year but seeing the Teal there was of much more interest to me. I don't know very much about them but they are quite beautiful even though on the water you cannot even see the "blue wing" for which they are named. That portion is tucked away on the upper inside portion of their wing. As the Teal quickly swam back towards the middle of the park I again found a dry place to sit for a while, hoping he and other ducks might come back around the corner if I waited long enough. As I sat there I noticed my friend from yesterday, the Hermit Thrush bouncing around along the ground to my right. Of course I couldn't help but follow him too as he flew back and forth between the bare ground and some low trees. Once he perched on the side of a tree trunk kind of like a Nuthatch does which was something I didn't expect him to do. Finally as I moved around quietly he came to perch in a tree just slightly above my head and I had a nice clear view of him versus when he was on the ground and blending in. They are quite a beautiful bird and I hear they have a wonderful song though I've yet to hear one make the slightest peep so far. After this I continued up the wood chip trail where ahead of me I could see a commotion of two large birds. They were clearly raptors of some kind but I mostly could only see their light colored under sides. One of the two then swooped out straight towards me and then upward to land in a fair sized nest high up in the trees. This was the same nest I'd seen Cooper's Hawks in two years earlier. I could only see the tip of the tail over the edge of the nest so I decided to keep going and see if I could get close to the other one. The other had pretty much stayed in the same place but was kind of flapping about precariously trying to find a bigger branch to hold it's weight. Even from a distance I could see it's bright rusty breast and distinct red eyes, confirming they were indeed Cooper's Hawks. Quite an exiting sight -especially since they appeared to be preparing a nest! On the north side I was hurrying along in hopes that I might get to see some Sandhill Cranes that I could hear faintly but distinctly. I didn't know where to look but as I scanned back and forth I caught a glimpse of one lone Wild Turkey to my right. It was in the vicinity of where I think one had nested last year which made me wonder if it was scouting out a sight. Shortly later I ran into another park goer who said she just saw a pair of Turkey hens so I assume this was one of the two she saw. She mostly had her back to me but eventually turned and headed to the right away from me. The last thing I photographed today was a male Red-winged Blackbird who along with a group of others was making quite a racket. I've still not seen any female Red-wings yet but I assume they are here in small numbers or maybe they're just not as visible yet. The females do tend to blend in way better and it seems like they stay near the ground or near the bottoms of the cattails more. This male tolerated me being quite close to him and I waited until he belted out a loud raspy call for this photo. Every time they call it looks like they put every ounce of energy they have into it as they throw their shoulders and head back, thus showing off their bright shoulder patches. Palmer Lake Park would not be the same without Red-winged Blackbirds.

Three Friends and Three Raptors

This Saturday morning was a real gloomy February day. There almost seemed to be a haze of wet, cold winter air just hanging over the park. Shortly after I set out though I ran into a Red-tailed Hawk perched just inside the paved path. I was able to get a half-way decent shot of him without even spooking him off. I didn't know at the time but this would be my best photo of the day. On the north side I spotted a Barred Owl at about the same height the Hawk was. This raptor however was not quite as visible behind a thick line of trees. It was kind of a bummer because it was actually quite close but there was just no unobstructed view. I knew another birder friend of mine was at the park today and when I found the Barred Owl I called him up. It turned out he was only just minutes away and also hiking with another friend. Then when they arrived, another acquaintance of ours came up from the opposite direction. We all stood there for quite a while, talking and watching the Owl. Some other park-goers came by and were wondering what we were all staring at. We tried to point out the Owl to them but they were unable to spot it behind the brush. Now that three of us had connected we decided to hike the rest of the way together. When we were back on the south end of the park we scanned the middle for any signs of life and I noticed dead tree that looked kind of odd. It was so far away that we all looked with our binoculars but still could not tell if it was a perched bird or not. At this distance the coloring was so similar to the wood that I actually decided I must have been imagining a bird. Our friend with the most powerful zoom lens took a few shots and indeed it DID look like a large raptor perched on top. All of a sudden the top of the log spread it's wings and took flight, confirming our suspicion! I had no idea what such a light colored raptor might be but I was lucky to be in such good company. The most experienced of us three was able to quickly identify it as a Red-shouldered Hawk. I can't say I've ever seen one until today! Again we were quite a distance away but at least I got some kind of photo evidence and I definitely trust the ID by our friend -as his birding skills are quite well known and respected. I hope I get to see this NEW species for me again sometime -and hopefully much closer!

Not Quite Warmed Up Yet

This Saturday morning I was expecting our temps to be a little better than they've been lately. Unfortunately it was still -4º in the early morning and had only warmed up to 6º above by the time I arrived at the park. When I parked on the west side I immediately spotted a Red-tailed Hawk before I even got out of my vehicle. I took a few pics of him after rolling down my window but of course I tried to get closer afterwards. Red-tails to me are much easier to bump than other Hawks. It seems that once they realize you are looking at them they immediately fly off which is why I have so many photos just like this! Shortly after this I spotted another Red-tailed just down the path but it too flew off the minute I looked at him through my binoculars. On the south west side a bird suddenly flew into view atop a tree inside the patch and began flicking it's tail. I seemed rather large and at first I couldn't figure out what it was. When it turned it's back to me is when I realized it was a Northern Shrike who was carrying a mouse! When it first landed it looked like the mouse was part of the bird's head thus making it's head look unusually large. This is now the 4th time I've seen a Shrike with a catch -all 4 times a rodent of some kind but I'm guessing a mouse. They must be easy picking this time of year for the Shrikes. Later I spotted a Shrike again and I'm not sure if it was the same one but it was singing like crazy. They make some pretty beautiful sounds for such a carnivorous bird. I ended up taking a video and capturing the sound and have posted it to my flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59831440@N04/ Later I saw quite a few bright red male Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers and lots of Chickadees. Oh and for the first time this season, I couldn't locate "Waldo" the Wood Duck over on the southwest side with the Mallards.

Gonna be a Cooold Christmas!

Today is Monday, December 24th and my workplace is closed for the Christmas holiday. With all the days off this late December I am trying to squeeze in as many visits to the park as I can before the new year. The only downside is that it's been quite cold -even for this time of year. It feels a bit more like January or February instead of December. This Christmas we are predicted to hit a low of 0 degrees for the first time this year -and it will supposedly be the coldest Christmas day in 12 years! The first thing I spotted today on the southeast side was this Red-tailed Hawk who didn't enjoy my company very much and immediately took off as soon as I raised my camera. Typically I wouldn't get the shot but I must have been just a split second ahead of him and caught him right as he was about to dive. With the cold temps I am finally starting to see a lot more Woodpeckers -Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied, though I'm still struggling to catch a good photo. Juncos have been fairly scarce lately though I'm not sure but there are still lots of Blue Jays, the occasional Cardinal and of course tons of Chickadees. Sometimes Chickadees seem to be the only birds that are out and about on many of my winter walks. Today I caught one in the act of grabbing a Buckthorn berry. I've seen plenty of other birds eating them but never a Chickadee so I thought that was kind of interesting. A new friend of mine (and an expert in trees and plants) recently told me that the species name of Common Buckthron is "Rhamnus cathartica" which refers to the laxative properties of it's berries. Birds eat them but then quickly poop them out, ensuring the spread of more trees. At Palmer Lake Park there are enough Buckthorn berries to last the entire winter and then some. Later back on the east side I noticed this Crow with a snack of his own that definitely didn't come from a tree. It looked as if he had either one of those snack crackers or possibly a piece of cheese. I didn't see where he got it from but he looked quite proud to have found it and held it in his beak for quite a while without any attempt to eat it. I thought it was kind of funny so I snapped this photo after watching him for a while. Oddly about 15 minutes after I'd walked away, he showed up again in another tree just above me still holding the orange treat. This time he was by himself and he finally set it down on the branch and began picking at it. Crows will eat just about anything and it makes me wonder what they think when they taste something brand new for the first time.

Sunny but Cold

It's hard to believe sometimes that I typically visit the park more often in the month of December than other months. I never used to particularly like winter in Minnesota but now having discovered birding, it gives me a great reason to get outside and enjoy nature. Plus you can always wear more clothes –LOL! It has been colder than normal even for this time of year, even though it didn't look that cold today with the sun being out. I took only 20 some photos again today as there just wasn't a whole lot to see. I did spot a Northern Shrike again today and is the 6th time I've seen one already this season which I'm pretty sure is a lot more often than last year by this time. I also spotted the male Wood Duck still in the Duck pond! At this late in the season I really can't figure out why he is still here. I plan to keep an eye out for him each time I visit the park and see how he fares the winter. Besides Tree Sparrows and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, my best bird photo of the day was of this Red-tailed Hawk trying to soak up some warmth from the sun. I never seem to get too close to Hawks without bumping them. Even this photo is quite cropped in.

Warmer Saturday

This Saturday morning I didn't get to the park until almost 11:30 and walked with a friend. I did bring my camera but knew I wouldn't be paying as much attention to birds or other "sights" as I typically do when I'm by myself. I think it was quite a slow day anyway and there just wasn't much to be seen. It was relatively warmer today, in the upper 30's and sunny enough that I almost wore my baseball cap. On the north side we did spot a Red-tailed Hawk that we bumped as soon as I rasied my camera. It flew to another tree further back so I didn't get quite as good a shot. After talking with a fellow birder who has much more experience, it sounds like this one might be an immature Red-tailed.

Sunday Stroll

This Sunday morning I arrived at the park just after 8am and was once again seeing lots of American Redstarts. They were high up in the trees today and making me realize how tough it is to see them near the ground as I did yesterday. I wanted to check on the "re-built" Cooper's Hawk nest today and was happy to see at least one chick peering over the edge of the nest. With all the activity surrounding this nest lately I really hope at least one of them makes it into adulthood but only time will tell. I don't remember exactly where I saw this Common Yellowthroat. They are very very common at the park, but yet another common Warbler that can be hard to catch a good photo of. Like the American Redstart, the Common Yellowthroat doesn't seem to want to come out into the open very much, preferring to hide in thickets near cattails or among the cattails themselves. You'll most always hear a Yellowthroat before seeing it as they are quite loud for such a small little bird. They have a great and easy to remember call and I've had a fair amount of success attracting them closer by using recordings from my iphone -and even my own poorly imitated whistles. I've really come to associate their sound with the warm summertime. You can hear their sound and a lot of other birds on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site Common_Yellowthroat/sounds. They say that birds often have different "dialects" in different areas and I would have to agree because the recording at this link sounds different than the Yellowthroats I hear every day at the park. The pitch or tone is the same but the emphasis and tempo are different. Later on towards the end of my walk I could see a Northern Flicker up ahead on the ground along the edge of the paved trail. Flickers apparently love to eat ants right off the pavement and they spend a fair amount of time on the ground. After I tried to sneak up behind him he flew just a little ways up into a tree and I was able to catch him before he went up even higher. This one is a male as he has a black "mustache" marking behind the bill whereas the female has no markings here at all.

Colorful Saturday Evening

This Saturday I didn't make it to the park until after 5:30 pm but that ended up to be a good thing. I saw a lot of good sights and took nearly 70 photos during my walk around the park! The first thing I spotted on the south end was an American Redstart who instead of being way up in the trees above me, was actually near the ground. When I first saw him he was sitting on a small log and seemed to have something in his beak. I approached very slowly so as not to spook him away too soon for this was quite a neat vantage point to see one so low. I got a few pics before he did fly off but thankfully he didn't go to far -just across the trail and still at eye level. That is when I grabbed this shot and saw that he had a bright green insect -possibly a Mayfly or Damselfly. This was quite a neat thing and he was even perpendicular to me so I could see much of his bright orange coloring. I wish it would have turned out just a bit more sharp but oh well. I don't normally shoot a lot of flowers and plants -especially with my new camera because it doesn't do closeups well. But the lighting was so beautiful on these tiny purple flowers that I couldn't resist. These are quite prolific in the park and they are often mixed in among the Cattails and Jewelweed. I've never really tried to figure out what they were until just now. Interestingly enough upon a search for "tiny purple flowers in Minnesota," I found their proper name explained by a fellow nature blogger. They are called "Blue Vervain" and are a member of the Verbena family. Thanks to Ecobirder from St. Paul, Minnesota! After seeing more birds including Barn Swallows, Flickers and Cardinals, I spotted a much larger bird up ahead at the end of a dead branch among some Willows. I could tell it was a Hawk of some kind as I slowly made my way around to his front for a better view. It was a mature Red-tailed Hawk and I had a great view of him as the sun made his rusty color even more vibrant. While I started taking pics, he decided to stretch and spread out his left wing which was kind of cool. After appearing to be so comfortable with me standing below him taking photos, I thought he might stick around longer but he did end up taking off shortly afterwards.

Cooper's Hawk Chick Rescue!

I had no idea of the adventure that awaited me today when I arrived at the park. I'd arrived quite early in the morning just before 8am to beat the heat as much as possible. In only the first few minutes I'd seen or photographed Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Baltimore Orioles, Cardinals and lots of Goldfinches. But my mood was soon struck down when I noticed something white and fuzzy laying right on the paved trail. It was a young Hawk Chick and was unfortunately dead though it seemed to not have happened all that long ago. I wondered how it came to be laying on the trail and then I realized to look upwards. Straight up above me was a large nest in tatters with an adult Cooper's Hawk perched nearby. I thought what a bummer that this chick had apparently fallen right out of the nest and likely hit the pavement below. I started taking some photos of the adult Hawk who flew off moments later. As I looked at the nest -or what was left of it, I noticed one more fuzzy white body moving around in there somewhere. At least one was left but man, that nest was precarious as could be. I went to take another look at the dead chick on the trail and felt how sharp it's talons were -nearly like the tip of a needle. As I was looking I just barely noticed another white clump of downy feathers only a few feet away and further into the weeds. Oh no I thought -another one had fallen out! Then I noticed it breathing. I quickly used my phone to dial another member of Friends of Palmer Lake Park who happens to have quite a bit of experience with bird rehabilitation. While I waited for him to arrive with gloves and towels, I called the Raptor Center of Minnesota and was surprised to have a real person answer the phone! We exchanged information and called back after a while once we had the chick safely in the box with towels. Over the phone they helped us assess the situation, the bird's condition and even the condition of the nest it apparently fell from. For a number of reasons, the Raptor Center decided the best course of action was to track down a tree climber who could come out to the park, restore the nest and then return the chicks to it. With my inexperience in this area, that really seemed like a long shot to me. The nest was a good 60 if not 70 feet up in a Boxelder Tree that wasn't all that big around. On top of that it was Sunday morning and the likelihood of finding a climber within a short time seemed slim. Nevertheless, I went along with the plan to take the chick home to my house and wait until being contacted by a climber. It was a bit nerve-wracking, driving it all the way home trying not to jar it around too much in my truck that rides like a brick on wheels. Our resident bird rehab specialist who'd come out to help explained that sometimes it takes 4-5 hours or even a whole day to track down a climber who is available and in the area. So I had no idea how long I was going to have this bird in a box but worried that the longer we waited the less chance it had. Then in a stroke of luck less than an hour later, I received a call from a tree climber named Jim who was not only close but available to tackle the project in just one more hour. I gave him directions to the nearest place to park and headed back over the park with the boxed up chick to meet him. I pointed out the nest and to my amazement he said it was do-able and started gearing up to climb the tree! At this point I was pretty excited that I was gonna get to see this done first hand -not to mention even help out however I could. He leaned a tall extendable ladder up against the base of the tree, got out a whole lot of rope and started making his way up. I went for my camera to take some pictures and was heartbroken when I didn't hear the familiar click. I looked and sure enough, I'd forgotten my camera card at home when I earlier emailed in some photos of the chick to the Raptor Center. Dang!!! I realized I would just have to watch. On his belt, Jim carried up a 2'x2' piece of bendable wire fencing that would be used to provide a completely new base for the nest. With great care and calming words to the one chick still left up there, he scooped it up and put it into his bag which he then lowered down as he proceeded to rebuild the nest. After creating a sturdy and snug base in between the crook of 3 branches, he broke off other twigs from the tree to quickly reinforce it. At the bottom he asked me to collect anything I could find that was soft -like grasses and weeds. I shoved those into the bag and then got the opportunity to transfer the other chick from the box into the bag. Luckily I'd brought along my own heavy gloves just in case. Within mere minutes Jim had quite a new nest lined with the softer material and then transferred both chicks back into it. The whole process took maybe 25 to 30 minutes tops and I could hardly believe it went so smooth. The nest looked better than ever and hopefully will contain the little guys for just another week or so. Jim estimated that they might be flying within one to two weeks so they just have to make it a little longer. What an all around great experience it was to have worked with the Raptor Center and Jim who was able to perform such and amazing feat with speed and finesse. My feet would have never made it past the top rung of the ladder! Make sure to check out their website at www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu After the chicks were safely back in the nest I didn't hang around so as not to draw any more attention to it. We could hear the mother calling from nearby trees but when I left the park she'd not returned yet to the nest. Jim was extremely knowledgeable about raptors and explained that he could have been up there for 2 hours and a Cooper's Hawk will still return afterwards. A few hours later after telling my wife of the whole story, we returned to the park and saw that the mother had indeed returned and even looked to be feeding the chicks as we walked up within viewing distance. This last photo is of the new nest and mom's tail feathers sticking out. A happy ending I think -as long as the chicks don't get to rambunctious and take another dive. A HUGE THANK YOU TO JIM AND THE RAPTOR CENTER OF MN -YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!!

Raptors Galore

Today was slightly warmer than yesterday but still just below freezing. There was a constant wind making it feel colder than it looked with the bright blue, cloudless sky. I was walking with a friend today and to my surprise, he pointed out an odd looking bird on the north side that turned out to be a Northern Shrike. It was kind of facing away from us for most of the time but turned it's head for this photo. We would later spot him again -or possibly a second one on the other side of the park. Today's walk was dominated by Hawk sightings. We seemed to notice at least one every so often, usually with Crows or other birds nearby so it was possible the Crows were keeping them moving past us. On the southwest side we glanced up to see a pair of large Hawks circling high overhead. They didn't seem to be Red-tails as they were strikingly white colored in many areas including the tail from both above and below. The eventually came almost right above us and showed us all their wing details. I'm definitely not a Hawk expert but I would guess that they were Rough-legged Hawks due to the very obvious difference in color near their "wrist" and to the black bands near the tip of the tail. The pair glided near each other once or twice but never managed to get a good shot of both of them at once. And if we hadn't had our share of Raptors for the day, we were in for one more treat shortly later on the south side. We'd spotted a bright white patch way out in the middle of the park that turned out to be a mature Bald Eagle upon closer inspection with binoculars. Then we saw a second one, perched about the same height but in another tree further away. This one would nearly disappear when it turned it's head a certain way and we realized the second one was immature. Crows eventually flushed this one out, but he circled back and came to roost on the very same branch as the other one. Even from this distance their size was impressive. A good day for Raptors for sure.

Fresh Snow and Critters

Last Tuesday a fairly significant snowstorm moved through the state. It hit areas north of us with nearly a foot but the Twin Cities got about 3 to 4 inches max. Then last night we had about another inch added on top making it actually feel like winter for a change. The park was very much alive today with some great sights. First I caught this Muskrat sitting on the thin ice over the waterway connecting the duck pond to the next lake. Before this photo he was eating what looked to be a greenish colored weed or cattail and I couldn't figure out where he would have gotten that. On the northeast side I wandered up the next trail for a bit when I started to hear a loud shrieking bird call. At first I thought it was a Blue Jay imitating a Hawk. It took me a while to finally get to where the sound was coming from to see that it was a Hawk. He only sat still for a couple of photos before taking off but I think it was probably a Red-tailed. The next bird I saw really stood out against today's overcast and grey skies. This Cardinal was picking Buckthorn berries with his back to the wind -as evident by his crown feathers periodically bending all the way over the front of his head. But the best sighting of the day was yet to come on the south side. As I crossed the bridge over the creek I looked upstream which and spotted another Muskrat on the ice underneath a bush. I quietly made my way up the woodchip trail when I saw what I thought was yet another one on an island of ice in the creek. As it moved I realized it wasn't a Musksrat but a Mink! I had my camera on him right away but there were so many trees and brush in the way. Though I didn't get a decent picture of it, he was eating a little fish about 6 inches long. After he finished that he walked back my way along the ice island and even looked directly at me as I was searching for a better clearing through the brush. He hung out along the edge of the water for a bit, burying his snout into the snow in search of something. Then he turned around and slinked along towards the other end of the ice. There were a pair of Mallards swimming by and when the Mink got to the end of the ice, he jumped high in the air landing in the water right by them, sending the ducks off quacking angrily. It was hilarious and seemed to have no point other than amusement for the Mink.

Good Sights on a Colder Day

After that little bit of normal winter weather went through yesterday, it turned colder today and I think it was around 18 degrees this morning. I got a later start today not arriving at the park until near 10:30 so it had warmed up slightly by then. I had decided to stay on the outer paved trails today -for more mileage- but on the south side I was persuaded to cut into the wood chip trail when I spotted a nice Red-tailed Hawk perched right over the trail. He stayed right above me and though I got some better pictures of his face, I decided to post this one which really explains why they are called "Red-tailed." Also from this photo I would say that they have nearly the same ability as an Owl does to turn their head completely around! I hadn't seen much else by the time I crossed Shingle Creek on the north side and decided to walk upstream just for some more exercise. Then I backtracked to the north end of the loop where spotted a Northern Shrike perched at the top of an old dead tree. This tree -being dead and rotted- had only thick stubby branches left and was not the typical type of tree I normally look for a Shrike to pick. But in true form, he was indeed sitting on one of the top-most parts of the tree, confirming that it's all about the view for a Shrike. He didn't stay put for long and quickly selected another tall post with a good view. He was in better light now and I was able to catch some halfway decent photos. After all my Shrike sightings this year I still get excited every time I see one. I've even come to recognize them in flight, flying very straight and deliberate with their extra long tail trailing behind.

A Fall that Just Wont Quit

It's not that I mind at all, but it's just shocking at how long our Fall season is lasting. It's near mid-November now and I'm still only wearing my baseball cap when I go for a walk. It has also been over a month already since I had been up north to Ely, Minnesota and witnessed some spectacular Fall foliage. Today on the west side I spotted a large Hawk being harassed by a couple of Crows. As I went for a second photo he flew off and perched again facing away from me. From this angle I could clearly see his rusty-red tail. I moved on and basically forgot about him until just a short time longer when I nearly ran right into him again. I just happened to glance up while on the paved trail and spotted him only 10 feet above me. I couldn't believe it. This was by far the closest I'd ever been to a Hawk and I wasted no time in going for a photo. This was the only one I got before he took off again. My sights after this included some Mallards near the creek and a small group of Cedar Waxwings. Then as I was coming up to a small pond on the east side I spotted a Muskrat swimming quickly through the water. At first he was real close to the trail affording me some good views. I could see clearly just how "water-proof" his fur was as the water just beaded up on it like it was coated in oil. He swam out further but then turned around and came straight toward me, eventually going back under near some Cattails at the edge of the pond. Getting back to that Fall foliage I mentioned earlier, I had certainly not expected to see any today -at least not in Palmer Lake Park. But when I turned the corner a short time later to head back west, this Maple tree stood out like you wouldn't believe. While many of the trees in the park had already lost their leaves, this one just now was peaking in an extraordinary luminous yellow. It was definitely picture-worthy on this mostly overcast day.

Major flooding

Our weather this July has been unbelievably hot and humid. It seems that almost every day is 90+ with 70% or more humidity. We had one day last week where they said it was even more humid than it typically gets in the Everglades of Florida! So for that reason and some other travels, I've not made too many posts this month. I was away last weekend but I'd heard that the Twin Cities received some pretty intense rain. I think the city of Roseville measured 4 or 5 inches and there was even a part of a railroad track that washed out and derailed a train in Fridley, MN. I had no idea that the park was so severely flooded when I arrived on Wednesday evening. Long stretches of both the wood chip trails and even the paved path were completely underwater and impassable. I had to take a major detour around the ball fields on the west side. On one of the wood chip trails that wasn't flooded I found the Cooper's Hawk nest again. I couldn't see any chicks in the nest this time but as I was looking I scared up the parents who were both roosting further down below the nest. One flew along the trail and perched again just a little ways further down. I walked slowly right underneath it and paused just once to snap a quick pic. As I continued around I came across more and more flooding. For some odd reason I'd started on the north side and went counter-clockwise today which proved to put me in a predicament. Coming around the south east side, I found the paved trail completely flooded. There was literally no other way to get back to my vehicle -that is unless I wanted to walk along 69th Avenue. I decided to just go through the water versus backtracking. I couldn't tell how deep it was but I soon realized it was pretty close to the tops of my shoes and my feet were quickly soaked. After I'd gotten through, I came to yet another flooded portion of trail. Since I was already wet, I kept going and found this portion to be even deeper, way above my shoes. Yuck! In just minutes time I reeked of stale swamp water. Just before getting back to my vehicle, I noticed 5 or 6 Great Egrets hunting in the water which used to be the baseball fields. This is officially the highest water I've ever seen at the park.

One Extra Day

Today was Monday and the 4th of July so I had an extra day to visit the park. Today also marked a special occasion because my hike was with a fellow nature lover -someone whom I'd actually met at the park itself. Paul is amazingly knowledgeable in all kinds of aspects when it comes to nature and wildlife. I thought birding was quite a challenge until Paul was showing me how to identify Dragonflies and Damselflies. We tried catching a few with a net and I snapped a quick photo of this one as he was holding it. This is the same bright blue one I've been so fascinated with and previously referred to as a "Dragonfly." I now know it is in fact a "Damselfly" because it holds its wings parallel with it's body when at rest. I believe it's name is a Common Blue Damselfly. I also learned to spot a male and female "12-spot" Dragonfly. Later while near the south west side of the park a Hawk swooped overhead and perched close by. It moved a short time later to another tree but stayed in close proximity. We had a few good glimpses and could tell pretty quickly that it was a Coopers Hawk. I always think their back side had almost a blue-ish color and this was definitely the case. As we stood there watching it we were thinking it's behavior was rather territorial. Then we looked almost straight up to realize we were directly underneath a large nest. Furthermore there was a Chick visible in the nest! Paul said he saw some movement indicating another one but it must have been further down inside the nest. This was quite a sight as I've never really seen a young raptor before. Their eyes and beak look almost way too big for their head. Paul and I also had lots of fun watching the Osprey who where back again today. In fact, we spotted three of them together! In addition I think we may have found their favorite place to perch and eat the fish they are pulling out of the lake.