More Daylight!

Today is the first day of Daylight Savings Time which is something I often forget about over the long dreary winter. This day used to not mean much to me other than trying to remember to readjust every clock in the house. But now the first thing that comes to mind regarding DST is that very soon I will be able to sneak in a hike around the park after work! Though yesterday was the first day in a long time above freezing, much of the duck pond on the southwest corner of the park is still frozen over. It was fully sunny today with barely a cloud in the sky and so having a look at the Mallards is always fun. There were slightly more of them today in the water and on top of the ice but there was one drake that really stood out. No matter which direction he was facing, his head looked blue instead of the normal green! I thought for sure it had to be the angle but as I watched him, he really looked different from the others. Had there not been others around it might not have been so obvious but when he was side by side with the other drakes it was pretty apparent. I've never seen such a pretty Mallard before. And the hens seemed to know it too. I like that this photo kind of implies that he was being favored over the other "green heads" in the background. I'll have to keep an eye out for this guy in the future and see if he sticks around. I took quite a few photos later on but it wasn't until I was until the northwest side that I saw something of real interest. I heard a fairly loud chattering above me in the trees and when I looked up, a little face was peering out of a hole in the tree. It was a Flying Squirrel! I've only seen these at night before up in northern Minnesota, and never before in Palmer Lake Park! Right in front of me in broad daylight, the little Flying Squirrel came out of the hole and was immediately followed by a second one!I could hardly believe it. The first one proceeded to launch himself to the next tree over, about 6 or 7 feet away. I was surprised that he barely seemed to lose any altitude and almost appeared to be on a string. Their gliding abilities are truly amazing. He continued to leap from tree to tree, followed by the other one behind him. I hadn't really anticipated that behavior and I wasn't that fast on the draw with my camera. I did get a couple of bad photos of one crawling up one of the other trees but by now they were further away. I kind of chuckled to myself that maybe Daylight Savings Time had confused the Flying Squirrels as to what time it was seeing as how they're mostly nocturnal mammals. I'm assuming they're both living in the hole in the tree and it might be neat to see them nest here and have babies in the future. Not long after this I had two Red-tailed Hawks come soaring over the fields near 73rd Avenue. I positioned myself as steady as I could and snapped a bunch of shots because I have such a hard time getting birds in flight. Luckily they weren't moving all that fast but rather just kind of hovering and at least one photo turned out. It's rare when I can get a good look at Red-tailed Hawks so I was quite happy with this shot. Other birds spotted today included; Dark-eyed Junco, Great Horned Owl, Red-bellied Woopecker, Downy Woodpecker and House Finch.

A Brief Winter Warm-up

Yesterday's temp hit 40 degrees! And today was another extremely nice day to be outside. At the time of writing this the high temp for the day has likely not been recorded yet but I'm guessing it was just a few degrees above 40 today! When I arrived at the park this morning around 10am there was still just a little bit of hoarfrost left on lower lying and shaded vegetation. There wasn't much left and by the time I was done with my walk there was none. Near the foot bridge over Shingle Creek on the north end, I ran into a fellow birder friend of mine and we decided to go in search of Owls. I picked an area where I'd last seen one and we started in. In not too much time we did locate a Great Horned Owl but he was up in some thick trees right in front of the sun. I took a few pics before he flew off and this was the best photo I got. I sure enjoy seeing them but it's been a long time since I've had a decent photo opportunity. Today was again not one of those! Oh well, it is nice to know they are still around the park. I'm guessing they will be getting ready to mate in about a week or two. Besides the Owl today, I saw the following birds: Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Robin, Mallard and I heard but didn't see American Goldfinch. In addition, another birder friend of mine later pointed out a Northern Shrike to me! I only got one very crummy photo not even worth posting here. But I'll count it on my "Northern Shrike Sightings" list on the right hand column of my blog. There was one last bird for me to see today and that was another Raptor –a Red-tailed Hawk. He was perched high above the Duck Pond on the southwest corner of the park. This is a fairly common place for me to see them. I don't know if they are watching the Mallards or what. Although I'm sure a Red-tailed is capable of taking a Mallard, I think it take a bit more energy than they are willing to expend on any given day. I snapped only 1 photo of the Hawk perched before it looked directly at me and moved on.

Near Freezing Temps but More Returning Species

Today was Easter Sunday and after stuffing myself full of ham and other good stuff, the day was still long enough to get to the park again. But this time I decided that rather than walk all the way around, I would simply just sit along the banks of Shingle Creek. I did this once last year as well -probably around the same time I think- because all the early spring waterfowl are coming through now. It is really fun as you never quite know what you might see -proof positive by yesterday's Ring-billed Duck sighting! I parked on the northeast corner of the park and hiked immediately towards the foot bridge over the Shingle Creek. But before I got there I cut across the field making my way towards the water but staying behind the tall banks as much as possible. As I approached I could see many Ducks huddled along the shore -lots of them Wood Ducks. Unfortunately I didn't take 3 steps closer when some of them began to scare off, which in turn scared the others off. In just a few more steps there were NO ducks anywhere near me. But I found my favorite place to sit in the sun, leaning up against the big, tall Cottonwood and facing downstream. I realized I might have to wait quite a while for something to make it's way back upstream. But after just a few minutes, two Ducks flew in from above and landed quite close to me. I'd forgotten all about this possibility but was even more excited to see that the pair were Blue-winged Teals -the first ones I've spotted this season! The male and female made their way to the shoreline and cleaned and preened for about 10 minutes before leaving again. Much further downstream I counted approximately 15 Hooded Mergansers, male and female. They were all so far away but after patiently waiting quite a while, one pair did swim upstream again. It was fun to watch them dip under the water. Sometimes 6 or 7 would all go under within seconds of each other and it made me wonder if they ever bump into each other underwater. One male that was closer to me came up with a little fish that it dropped at first but then quickly grabbed again. These ducks are quick! As I watched them I couldn't help but notice a couple of small birds off to my right that would periodically seem to fly right down to the surface of the water and then back up again. As cold as it was today (I noticed I could see my breath), I would have thought it much too early for this bird, but indeed they were Easter Phoebes -another returning species. They would perch on little twigs over the water, swoop down to the surface and then right back to the exact same perch over and over. I know they eat insects near the water but I would think it was still much too cold for any insects to be out either -though you never know. As the waterfowl activity seemed to be slowing down for the evening, I made my way out the same way I came in through the field to my left. From a long distance I could see two Red-tailed Hawks flying to the south and watched them through my binoculars. Soon one landed and then surprisingly the other landed on top of the other. They were quite a ways away but I realized quickly that they were mating. Being the type of fierce hunters that they are with such sharp claws I am quite curious how they don't tear each other to shreds! It would have been awesome to see this sight closer but I thought it was worth mentioning on my blog here today.

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.

A Great Winter Hike!

Our temps in the Twin Cities area have been quite cold for a couple of weeks now -in the twenties or below in the daytime and sometimes near the single digits at night. But this Saturday we had a blast of warm air come in, pushing up the temps into the mid thirties. In comparison it nearly felt like Spring! I was excited to get to the park but didn't arrive until just after 2 in the afternoon. As I parked in the south lot I decided to make a quick phone call and while I was talking, here comes a Coyote walking right out onto the frozen lake in plain sight! I abruptly ended my phone call, grabbed my camera and jumped out, leaving my vehicle door open and running down the hill to get closer. I got a couple of far away shots and watched the Coyote walk right up the frozen creek, then cut into the cattails and disappear. I walked back to my vehicle and got more prepared and decided to walk out onto the ice again just in case I was able to spot him again. There were at least 3 other people out hiking on the lake and I figured the odds were good that someone might scare him out again. Sure enough as I hiked up the frozen creek I caught him running quite quickly through the cattails to the west. Interestingly, as he ran, he would leap high up into the air and simultaneously turn his head toward me to keep an eye on me. This was quite interesting to see and I couldn't believe how smart they are. I followed him with my binoculars all the way to the west end of the park where it looked like he ducked into the woods. Without getting a better photo I decided to head back down the creek when only just minutes later another Coyote appeared coming towards me from the west side. Could it have been the same one I wondered? Immediately upon spotting this one, I dropped down to my knees among the bent-over cattails. I assumed he probably saw this movement but as I knelt there, camera pointing right at him, it was clear he didn't see me and started trotting straight towards me! I couldn't believe my luck as he continued coming closer and closer. As he neared maybe 35 feet, a thought popped into my head "what was my plan when he gets right up to me?" Then I thought I'll never ever get this close to one again, who cares! I would stand my ground and let him come right up if he was brave enough. Well that wasn't necessary as only a few feet further he stopped to look inquisitively at me. He turned his head to the side and as my shutter clicked, he abruptly did a 360 and headed the opposite way. At the closest distance he was to me, I was so nervous that my last photo turned out totally crummy, but at least I managed to get these and I was more than happy! This was by far he closest I've ever came to one but I'm now even more convinced than ever that they are completely harmless and not to be feared in any way. Once he realized what I was he, wanted no part of me. Oh I almost forgot to mention that I got a little sidetracked before walking up the creek the first time as I spotted a Northern Shrike with a mouse in his beak! I tried to get a photo but of course he turned the opposite way so that I couldn't see the mouse. Later on the north side of the park I heard an Owl "whoo" and I decided to walk into the woods for a closer look. It took me a while to spot him and when I did he immediately flew out to another tree. It was then that I realized there were a pair of Great Horned Owls! I then decided to stalk the one still closer to me but every time I got near, it would swoop down and up to another tree further away. The frozen snow was quite loud and with all the twigs and grasses underneath I was making quite a bit of noise, making it hard not to spook them. I was getting a bit frustrated being so close and then having them move on me every time. The trees here were also fairly thick and it was even harder to get an unobstructed view of them. Finally I neared one of them again and realized they were both perched in the same tree! Then another few steps closer, I thought I saw a third one! But this was another Raptor all together - a Red-tailed Hawk who seemed to be telling the pair of Owls "I was here first!" I've never seen an Owl and a Hawk this close to one another before and I just had to take a photo, though they'll look like just dots I'm sure. Click on the photo for a larger view and you can see that both Owls are staring up at the Hawk. Quite funny I thought.

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.

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.

More Memory for Memorial Day

As I set out to go 'round the park tonight I was using for the first time, a brand new SD card for my new camera. It holds 8GB and that I paid just $8 for so I was a bit apprehensive that it would perform well. For the price, I half expected it to give me problems -partial or corrupt photos. I took a bunch of photos of nothingness at first just to see if it worked and it seemed to be doing fine. Only five minutes into my walk I was able to spot a male Common Yellow throat fairly close up, though in a darker area. I really like seeing (and hearing) this bird and have developed a fondness for what I would call the "swamp bird" of the Warbler family. Almost anywhere you go in Minnesota near a marshy lake, you can hear the Common Yellowthroat. As common as they are though, you'll be hard pressed to get a long look at one as they are extremely quick and prefer thick areas such as the low areas of Cattails. Later on I was able to see an Osprey fishing over the lake, some Yellow Warblers, Cowbirds and an Nuthatch. Then on the north side I spotted an odd looking tangle of large birds trailed by a couple of Crows. The pair finally landed one one of the tall electrical poles running across the park. First one then the other, I could see from the sunlight the rusty red tail of a Red-tailed Hawk. Although I don't like taking bird photos with man-made structures in them, it's rare that I see two Red-tails this close together -especially perched in the same place. Only seconds after landing, the Red-tails were off again followed closely behind by the two Crows. I sometimes wonder which is worse in the bird world -to be the prey or to be the hunter. While watching this take place overhead I couldn't help but notice some other movement on the ground right out in front of me. There was something fairly large moving through the tall grass inside the trail. I was surprised to see this lone Turkey poking it's head up periodically while wading through the tall grass. I waited for quite a while until it finally made it's way out into some shorter grass where I could catch a better photo. There were no others around and I wondered if possibly it might have a nest out there somewhere in the grass. As I walked the rest of my route, I could hear a Memorial Day Service taking place at Mound Cemetery on the south side of 69th Avenue.

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.

Great Backyard Bird Count Day 2

Again I have very few actual bird pictures for this post though I spent the day counting them. I guess I was more focused on writing them down than trying to get photos. If you never participated before in the Great Backyard Bird Count, I highly recommend checking it out. You don't need to be an expert birder, or tag along with experts -although that always helps, and you can do it in your own backyard or local park or wherever! The first thing of interest I spotted today at the park weren't birds but a large group of Deer walking out on the ice near the northern side of the lake. After a bit, they filed one-by-one into a seemingly invisible path through the cattails and disappeared. On the north end of the park I ran into yet another birding enthusiast friend of mine who had set up a scope on his homemade "eggshell bird feeders." We watched the Chickadees land repeatedly and eagerly pull out a seed. It was a bit of a trick, but I was able to catch this photo with my normal camera held up the lens of the scope. As we stood there enjoying the show and the sunny weather, a surprising amount of other birds showed up above including a Cooper's Hawk and 3 Red-tailed. The 3 Red-tails were all visible at the same time which would make for the most interesting sighting of the day. At the end of today, I had only 11 species compared to yesterday's 14, but the number of individuals was generally larger than yesterday.

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.

Great Day of Birding

It was another warm day this Sunday but I got a slightly earlier start than yesterday. Even so I was eager to head into the cover of trees on the southwestern wood chip trail. About half way up the trail I spotted a large Hawk perched and facing directly towards me. From this vantage point I couldn't see it's tail or backside and it was also hard to tell the coloring as I was looking into the sun. Interestingly it was sitting on one leg with the other tucked in towards it's breast. Based on it's size and what little I could see, I would guess that it's a Red-tailed Hawk. It's head and beak looked too large for a Cooper's Hawk. He quickly flew off before I could definitively ID him although I still struggle with Hawks in general. As I made my way around I was able to positively ID a fairly long list of other birds including a Cedar Waxwing, Downy Woodpecker, Brown-headed Cowbird, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, Crow, Common Grackle, Northern Flicker, Cardinal, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Osprey and even a Blue Jay. The best bird sighting of the day however was the first Hummingbird of the season. On top of that it was smack dab in the place where I've been expecting one to be. I've been scanning the tops of these 4 or 5 dead trees on the northeast side for weeks hoping to see one and finally got lucky today. I got off one shot and as I was taking the 2nd, I could see him take off already. Luckily the camera went off not a moment too soon. Hopefully I will start to see them more often now. Another slightly interesting sighting was at the end of my walk right before I was about to head to my vehicle. This bird had a slightly larger and fuzzier head than most which is what caught my eye. It perched on a small branch and then would dart out for just a second before returning. I'm assuming it was catching insects and this behavior matches up with the description for an Eastern Phoebe.

Calm Sunday Morning

It was cool and calm out this Sunday morning. The park was not busy in the least with a lot of people headed out of town for Memorial Day weekend. With the soggy condition of the wood chip trails, I stayed on the outer paved trails entirely. Around the southwest corner I spotted a large Red-tailed Hawk in a dead tree above me. I only got a few crummy shots before another smaller bird flew in and chased him off. When I got to the foot bridge over Shingle Creek on the north side, I decided to walk up the other trail a bit, following the creek. On the opposite side I spotted a Deer who'd obviously seen me first and stopped in it's tracks. It was another young Buck with new antlers. I scanned around and within a few seconds spotted what I thought was a Doe, but upon closer inspection with my binoculars, was another Buck with just 2 small nubs. The two caught up to each other and went bouncing off through the tall grass. The whole walk I could hear lots of Yellow Warblers and Orioles but never caught a glimpse of either one. Near the end of my route I heard a bird call I've not heard in a while and looked up to see a Blue Jay. I feel like there was still snow on the ground last time I saw one at the park.

Large Hawk and Eleven Deer

I used my day off from work this Tuesday to get in an extra park visit this week. There was a fresh new 8" of snow on the ground from Sunday & Monday and the temps had also dropped again. There was also evidence of some strong winds as a large dead tree had snapped off and crushed part of the chain link fence surrounding the baseball fields. The first thing I noticed though was a large Hawk perched high above the open water on the south west corner. He seemed to be watching the Mallards below him but I'm not sure if it was out of hunger or what. He was certainly large enough to take one out if he wanted. He had to be near 2 feet tall which is one the main reasons I think it's a Red-tailed Hawk. I'm a bit unsure so if you disagree please let me know. After crossing the bridge on the north side I spotted four Deer way off in the distance near some townhomes. They were busy searching for food and were mostly spread out until three of them came closer together. This would be the first group of many more that I'd spot as I made my way around. On the north side I spotted two more, a Doe and a Buck -STILL holding on to a nice set of eight points. He stayed real still back behind some thick brush as the Doe went about her business. Upon glancing over my shoulder, there were five more on the other side of the trail! I turned by interest to this group who upon seeing me gathered momentum and quickly darted across the trail away from me. I tried to get some pics of them in mid-air jumping over the high snowbanks but they were already too far away.