On Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving this year, we hit a near record high temperature of 61 degrees! Of course that didn't do me a bit of good as I was working all day but I was hopeful that the warmth would hang around just one more day to enjoy on Thanksgiving day. It didn't last though and on Thursday the temps started plummeting around noon and by 2 or 3pm it was blowing snow sideways on a strong wind. So on my first visit to the park this Friday, I was greeted to about half an inch of fresh snow, temps around only 20º and an unrelenting wind that made it feel more like in the teens! I had to dig out my heavy winter clothing for the first time this year and it was quite a shock to experience such a drastic change.
For the first 1/3 of my walk I was actually cold and having a hard time warming up. The water was completely frozen over almost everywhere and out in the middle of Palmer Lake I spotted this group of Ring-billed Gulls hunkered down -strangely facing
into the wind. Gulls are getting to be fairly common at the park always more noticeable in the early spring and late fall when the weather can be kind of nasty. I don't tend to take a lot of pictures of them because I guess I consider them kind of a nuisance bird more than anything. I often have wondered if they are eating fish out of the lake, or scavenging the surrounding areas, or both. I'm not exactly sure what attracts them to the area.
On the north side I spotted a Northern Shrike again right off the paved trail. He flew in from out of nowhere and perched somewhat near me but behind a lot of thick brush. I tried walking back and forth for a better view but could find none. Then he moved to a different tree and I followed hoping for a better shot. I ended up walking out into the marsh a ways and was surprised to find I was able to walk more quietly than normal due to the fresh snow on top of all the normally crunchy weeds. The Shrike moved on more time and this was the closest I got to him when he picked a large Buckthorn Tree now behind me again. I have a strong feeling I'm going to see them LOTS this season so I think I may even keep a record of how many times I spot one!
They are fascinating birds who kill other smaller birds and rodents, then store them somewhere (called a cache) for later eating. When the store this food, they often "impale" it upon a twig or hang it between the crook of two twigs. Earlier this year on November 11th, I got to find my very first Northern Shrike "cache" but not at Palmer Lake Park. This was along Shingle Creek on the south side of I-694 near Centerbrook Golf Course. I noticed what looked to be a dead bird in the middle of a pine tree about eye level. Upon closer inspection, it was a Chickadee who had obviously been attacked by a Shrike and stored here for later. I had been on the lookout for this for years ever since learning of Shrikes in our area but this was my first find!
For the first 1/3 of my walk I was actually cold and having a hard time warming up. The water was completely frozen over almost everywhere and out in the middle of Palmer Lake I spotted this group of Ring-billed Gulls hunkered down -strangely facing into the wind. Gulls are getting to be fairly common at the park always more noticeable in the early spring and late fall when the weather can be kind of nasty. I don't tend to take a lot of pictures of them because I guess I consider them kind of a nuisance bird more than anything. I often have wondered if they are eating fish out of the lake, or scavenging the surrounding areas, or both. I'm not exactly sure what attracts them to the area. 
On the north side I spotted a Northern Shrike again right off the paved trail. He flew in from out of nowhere and perched somewhat near me but behind a lot of thick brush. I tried walking back and forth for a better view but could find none. Then he moved to a different tree and I followed hoping for a better shot. I ended up walking out into the marsh a ways and was surprised to find I was able to walk more quietly than normal due to the fresh snow on top of all the normally crunchy weeds. The Shrike moved on more time and this was the closest I got to him when he picked a large Buckthorn Tree now behind me again. I have a strong feeling I'm going to see them LOTS this season so I think I may even keep a record of how many times I spot one! 
They are fascinating birds who kill other smaller birds and rodents, then store them somewhere (called a cache) for later eating. When the store this food, they often "impale" it upon a twig or hang it between the crook of two twigs. Earlier this year on November 11th, I got to find my very first Northern Shrike "cache" but not at Palmer Lake Park. This was along Shingle Creek on the south side of I-694 near Centerbrook Golf Course. I noticed what looked to be a dead bird in the middle of a pine tree about eye level. Upon closer inspection, it was a Chickadee who had obviously been attacked by a Shrike and stored here for later. I had been on the lookout for this for years ever since learning of Shrikes in our area but this was my first find!
