Another Cold Day

This Saturday was almost just as cold as yesterday, just without the strong winds. I think it was about 22 degrees which doesn't sound too bad, but I'm still trying to adjust after having temps hit 60 only a few days before. I hardly took any photos compared to other days, there was just not much to see and the sky was a thick grey that only let through a faint circle of light where the sun should've been. It was kind of just a depressing, dreary day -the kind you might have much later in the season; around late January or February. I guess the weather had really gotten to me because or the first time in a long time I felt kind of half-crazy for deciding to go outside in the cold and walk around in a circle for over an hour. But I guess that is the point as you just never know what you're going to see. And in order to see (and learn) about nature you have to do get out there often, even on crummy days. The one -and almost the only- interesting thing I spotted was one lone, male Wood Duck on the "Duck Pond" on the southwest side. I'd seen him here in the same spot exactly one week ago last Saturday, only he was with a group Mallards then. Today he was completely alone without another duck to be seen anywhere. It seems as though we were the only two living things in the park, and maybe that is why he let me get so close to him today. They sure are beautiful when you get to see them close up. Only a little bit of sun would have helped. As I made my way around, I spotted only a handful of other birds; Blue Jays, Juncos, Tree Sparrows, Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers and once again a Northern Shrike. Nothing blog-worthy about any of them though. From the foot bridge over Shingle Creek on the north side I noticed how the sun was reflecting off the new ice that had probably formed so quickly in the last day or so. I thought it was interesting and sometimes I like the "abstract" forms you can find in nature sometimes.

Drastic Change in Weather on Thanksgiving

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!

A Rare Sighting? See comments for proper ID!

This Sunday morning I arrived at the park just after 7:30am. The still rising sun created a nice sky with rays peeking out from behind puffy white clouds in the east. As I walked around the park it was still a bit dark in places but the sun gradually crept in and created a warm glow on everything. It was ideal light to see and photograph birds but the problem is that I was just not really seeing any. At the south parking lot, I did see a mature Bald Eagle perched just above the water out in Palmer Lake but my camera was not able to focus through all the cattails. Other birds I spotted included Juncos, Cardinals, Starlings and large groups of Goldfinches that were making a lot of noise. I had walked nearly all the way around the park and could even see my vehicle again and I'd barely taken any interesting photos. As a last-ditch-effort, I decided to try sitting on the edge of the small pond on the east side where yesterday I spotted a few things such as Sparrows, House Finches and a Grackle. I noisily made my way in, found a good fallen log and sat down facing the water. I'd only been sitting there just a few minutes when a bird flew directly towards me and landed on the very log I was sitting on, only about 3 feet away. Now my philosophy is that ANY bird that's closer than 10 feet away is always worth photographing so I quickly drew up my camera to focus. When it did, I realized this was no ordinary or familiar looking bird to me. The first feature that struck me as odd was that it's long bill was "crossed" at the tips, then secondly it's coloring was unlike anything I'd ever seen before -a beautiful mottled pattern of pale red and yellow. Within seconds I realized there is only one species this could be -a Red Crossbill! I'm not at all familiar with them but without my guide book in my back pocket, I seemed to remember that they are one of those "northern" birds found mainly in the far upper portion of Minnesota. Not quite being sure if that were the case or not, I was thinking this was a fairly rare sighting as I wildly snapped as many pics as I could. Surprisingly the bird was not at all skittish despite being only feet from the end of my camera lens. It hopped about the log to move downwards and closer to the water and I found myself actually backing up my lens further and further to try and keep him in focus. Finally he hopped right down onto a small branch that was just beneath the surface of the water and began to dip in his crossed bill for a drink of water! I couldn't believe I was getting to see this at such at close distance -it was amazing to see such a unique bird to this area so intimately! After taking 3 or 4 quick drinks, it finally flew up and perched somewhere behind me in the thick shrubs surrounding the water. I'm not sure but it looked like there may have been a second one near it but it was hard to tell with the sun now in my eyes. Again I'm not familiar with this species at all but I'm guessing the one I saw was likely a male with non breeding plumage? From what my field guides say, the females don't have any traces of red coloring. Indeed my guide also shows this species wintering only as far south as Duluth, but that they are also known to be "irruptive" meaning that they may move to different and new areas in search of food. Quite a sighting for me though - I love when I get to see a particular species for the first time ever at Palmer Lake Park!

A Sunny Day in Mid-November

Finally the sun was back this Saturday and though it's already mid-November it felt almost like a late Summer day. Today marks my 2nd sighting so far this season of the Northern Shrike, though I only managed a few very long distance photos of him. Beside the Shrike, there was a fair amount of interesting birds to be seen today including; American Goldfinch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker and Blue Jay.

But maybe the most beautiful bird I saw today was this male Wood Duck in the southwestern most body of water I like to call "The Duck Pond." I was surprised to see a Wood Duck still in the park and thinking that he'd better get a move on back south pretty soon!