Last Hike of 2012

Today was New Years Eve and for the first time in many years I had to work today. I was able to leave a bit early though and so I was able to hike around the park one last time in 2012. I didn't arrive until after 4pm so I didn't have much daylight. The first thing I spotted on the north side was a Northern Shrike who seemed to be having a hard time perching on a branch. When I looked closer with my binoculars I realized he had a mouse! This was the first time I've ever spotted one with a catch and it was exciting but he was so far away. I wanted a photo so badly that I hiked out into the snow and quickly scared him off. He took his catch to another tree out in the middle of the park to eat. I later found myself hiking out along the banks of Shingle Creek near the north side. Despite how loud the snow is to walk on, I could periodically hear little noises beneath me that sounded like chewing. I've been noticing runways in the snow everywhere lately -made by either Mice or Voles. On the banks of the creek there is tall grass most of the year and it must be heaven for the little ground critters here -especially in the winter. It probably keeps most of the snow just far enough off the ground to give them places to live. Here and there were little holes where grasses poked out and if I watched closely I could see what looked like a Vole pop his head out quickly. Again I thought I'd try and get a photo but they were just too quick for me. At one point I could hear rustling underneath me and as I watched the runways I could see a rodent running through it, appearing only briefly when the runway would break through the upper crust of the snow. It was pretty funny. Just before sunset I did spot another Great Horned Owl but he was facing away from me. From this angle the really look lumpy and awkward perched in a tree. I attempted to make a GHO call by muffling a series of 5 "whoo whoos" into my gloves. Apparently I must suck at it though as the Owl abruptly flew off when he heard my terrible impression. Well, the world did not end either as the Mayans had predicted so I look forward to many more hikes at the park next year. Happy New Year!

Off-road Owl Encounter

It was another cold day this morning at the park with temps around 13 degrees when I arrived. At least the sun was out though today, and as long as the sun is out I'm willing to put up with the cold. Not too far into my walk I ran into a friend and we shared recent bird sighting stories -mostly on his behalf as my own outings have just been so uneventful as of late. I've been hearing reports of Long-eared Owls, Screech Owls and even a Northern Saw-whet Owl this winter (not all at Palmer Lake Park), but I've not been lucky enough to see any of those species yet with my own eyes. After our conversation I just went on with my walk feeling rather skunked. Other than the occasional Shrike sighting, I've not seen a whole lot of interest -especially for all the time I've been putting in. If you go by my blog posts alone you wouldn't think I've been out that much when in fact I've been out to the park probably twice as often. I have a backlog of posts from September thru December of this year that to be honest are hardly worth sharing. It was always my intention with this blog to make a post out of each and every single visit to the park -so I do still intend to go back and add them but I am way behind now. Today I decided to walk out onto the ice a ways just on the off chance that I might scare up a Coyote or something but even that proved unsuccessful. On the north side I somehow found myself off the path yet again hiking out near the edge of the woods. It was there that I spooked an Owl who flew out right in front of me and landed in the next tree ahead. I'd not even seen it there in the thick Buckthorn tree until it moved but then I finally had a great opportunity to see him in the daylight. It was a Barred Owl and they are always kind of fun to see. The snow was kind of hard and crunchy so I tried to be as quiet as possible as I rounded the patch of Buckthorn where he was originally perched. When I got around them he was still there and I was able to watch him for a while. It is funny when other birds flew overhead to see him look up and pan his head across the sky. I felt a little bit like a real wildlife photographer in that short moment as only I was getting to witness this sight, kneeling in the snow to steady my camera. It was just enough to rejuvenate me and make me anxious to visit the park again soon.

Duck Soup

My walk this Saturday was a quick one and there wasn't much to see with all the snow on the ground. The most interesting sight of the day was when I went around the Duck Pond on the southwest corner. There were hundreds of Mallards huddled together up against the banks on all sides of the pond. I've seen Ducks congregate here once or twice before, and usually before a snowstorm. Indeed we were expecting more snow today so I guess they somehow knew the forecast. For so many ducks in such a small space they didn't make a whole lot of noise. Only just quiet noises probably to keep from bumping into each other. I couldn't even get all of them in this first photo as there were many more near the left bank as well. I looked for quite a while for the Wood Duck, assuming he was in there somewhere but I was never able to locate him. With the pending winter weather coming I was hoping he would be smart enough to take refuge with the other mallards. Later on in my walk it did indeed start snowing like crazy. The only other bird I was able to photograph today was a European Starling.

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.

Deer and First GHO Sighting

I had this Monday off of work and after a day of running errands I decided to try and squeeze in a walk around the park before it got dark. I didn't get there until about 3:15pm and I knew it was gonna get dark in a hurry. The first things I spotted were a Red-tailed Hawk and then on the southwest side was still the one, lone Wood Duck with all the Mallards. I'm not sure why he's hanging out with all these noisy ducks but he was huddled up on a branch of his own that was poking out of the water. On the north side I spotted a young looking deer, then another and another and then two older ones. I never saw much for Fawns in the park this year so I wasn't really sure how many yearlings are around. A bit further down the trail I spotted yet another young one but this time a little closer to the trail. Another park-goer was walking by as I was taking pictures and we talked about how you usually see one deer, then another and realize they're part of a group of 4-5 or even more. I didn't hear an "official" count of the number of deer taken during this year's archery hunt, but other park goers told me it was only between 8 and 10 I think. That actually seems kind of low to me, but if you consider that the hunt only takes place on the Brooklyn Park side of the park -and the hunters can't cross the line into Brooklyn Center- then I guess it might be more difficult than you'd think. The Deer can easily run out into the center of the park which is just past the dividing line. As I was coming around the north side, it was starting to get dark already and I was looking at the smaller Oak Trees that still have a lot of leaves on yet. I was thinking to myself that if I were an Owl, this is where I would hang out -and then only minutes later I heard one "whoo!" I figured I would try and follow the sound for a bit just in case. I believe there were two of them and by the sound I guessed they were Great-Horned Owls. I'm pretty sure that December and January are their mating season and like other years it's fairly common to hear them during these months. Before coming to the drainage ditch that runs under the path, I caught a glimpse of one, lower than expected and near a group of houses. I took one photo before it flew out and actually flew towards me, across the trail! It landed in a taller tree directly over the drainage ditch where I had a better view. Only thing was that it was really dark out by now. I tried setting my camera to a night-time setting which is why this photo looks so blue in color. At the time I couldn't even see his face or tell which way he was facing. This is the first GHO I've seen this season.

An Overcast Sunday

This Sunday morning was a typical dreary December day with temps somewhere in the 20's. It's funny how quickly the lack of sunshine can really get to a person -at least me anyway. I mean it's kind of neat to have a day like this once in a while but in December it can seem like everyday is like that. Upon arrival at the park I quickly noticed a Bald Eagle flying overhead. He was quite a ways up but I took a photo anyway just to say I saw him. Not too much later I ran into a friend who started telling me that he had just been watching a Northern Shrike who was rather low in some larger Buckthorn trees. When he got closer and the Shrike moved on, he noticed a Deer Mouse hanging in between the branches. Since it looked so fresh, he reached out to touch it and it still felt relatively warm, meaning the Shrike likely just placed it there only moments ago! That was kind of an interesting find and he pointed it out to me. After talking quite a while longer, I moved on and it didn't take much longer before I too spotted the Northern Shrike. In usual fashion he was perched at the top-most portion of this shrubby tree. This year I've been seeing them so often and have had better opportunities to get closer than I have previously. Something I've noticed from this is how they have an interesting sort of tiny "barred" patterning on what I previously thought was just a plain white breast. It's barely visible in this photo but it kind of reminds me of the patterning you see on Cooper's Hawks -just smaller. Oh, I almost forgot but I actually spotted a 2nd Shrike just to my left while viewing this one -making it my first confirmed sighting of two Shrikes at once. I've spoken with other more experienced birders and they think that only two Shrikes call all of Palmer Lake Park their territory. I can't say I disagree -but it would be neat to be able to confirm that for sure. There sure is something they like about PLP as they have been prominent residents for at least the last few winter seasons. Later as I was cutting through the wood chip trail on the west side I spotted one Rooster Pheasant just walking along on the snow. He was maybe 25 feet off into the woods and I had just a split second to pull up my camera and get a shot before he flew off. I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I'd scared up a group of 5 or 6 Pheasants on the north side. They too seem like a more common sighting in the winter but boy are they tough to get photos of!

Rainy Day and First Owl of the Season

This Saturday it began raining very early in the morning and continued most of the day. It quickly ate away at our 8-10" snow cover and turned what remained into a thick, wet, sloppy mess. I didn't even want to go the park until later in the day when the rain started to fizzle out. So I arrived at about 3:30 in the afternoon which didn't give me much daylight seeing as how sunset is at 4:32pm! As I crossed the bridge over Shingle Creek on the south side, I spotted two Muskrats sitting on the ice. I don't typically see more than one at a time but they were quite far away at this point. I walked up the woodchip trail to get closer and took this photo right before he decided to slip into the icy cold water. The temp today was warm -about 36º but areas of the park with lots of snow were becoming noticeably foggy as I continued on. Near the southwest side a fellow park goer tipped me off to a "real live owl" in the area after noticing the camera around my neck. He gave me a quick general idea of where to look and I excitedly hurried on. I was fully expecting to see a Great Horned, but instead was treated to a close view of a Barred Owl! This is the first owl I've seen this season and it was a clear and unobstructed view save for how dark it was getting already. I was surprised that I was able to walk almost right underneath the owl without bumping it. As I was looking for a better angle I noticed what looked to be a fresh kill sight on the ground. In the snow were blood stains and some entrails of a critter that seemed to be much too large for a mouse or a vole. I inspected this for a moment only to look back up and find no owl there anymore! I couldn't believe how quiet they are even when they decide to fly to another tree. Then I noticed him again just a few trees down and this time was able to walk directly underneath him. I could hear a squirrel loudly "barking" over and over so I started looking around for it. I found him to be on the very same tree that the owl had re-perched in and then I really started to think that the Barred Owl had possibly just attacked and ate another squirrel very recently. I had so many good photo opportunities of this owl but with the darkness and humidity fogging up my lens, I had to move on. This was my best photo and it is lightened up considerably from the original. It was easy walking today with the rain having cleared and cleaned the path right down to the pavement. Nothing was slippery at all as it was just way too warm. Everywhere the fog started to encroach along the ditches where there was more snow pack. It was so thick and "soupy" that it gave the park a sort of "haunted" feel.

A Real Actual Snowstorm!

Us Minnesotan's know that we got off easily last year with one of the most mild winters on record. I like to refer to 2011 as the "non-existent" winter. Today winter was finally back in full force with a massive midwest snowstorm with a wet heavy snow that was accumulating swiftly. When I awoke this morning everything was coated in a thick "frosting" of sticky snow and it was so beautiful I just had to go out for a walk. I arrived about 8:30am to a healthy 4-5" already on the ground. What I hadn't really prepared for was how to keep my new camera dry as I made my way around. At first I had no choice but to place it in a big zip lock bag but then I couldn't get it out quick enough for a photo. With not many options, I decided to pull an extra glove over the lens portion and then just draped the plastic bag over the top as best I could It seemed to work OK but was a pain in the butt. It was quite a nice and quiet walk and you could hear the big snowflakes hitting the ground sometimes. There was also so much snow caked up in the trees that it would be falling all the time in big chunks and I had to keep aware and avoid getting hit. There was barely any birds out to see save for a few Chickadees and a Red-tailed Hawk that I bumped before I got a photo. The only thing that seemed to be out "enjoying" this weather was this Muskrat sitting on the fresh new ice on Shingle Creek.

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.

First Sunday in December and Nothing to See

I arrived at the park this Sunday; the first one in December, just before 10am. It was kind of a humid day and everything was wet, though there's currently NO trace of snow on the ground. Today was one of those completely uneventful walks with just nothing of interest to see. I found myself taking photos of wet Oak leaves and other scenery just because there was nothing else. Finally I did spot a few birds -common ones such as Nuthatches and this Tree Sparrow. Later as I was coming back to my vehicle on the east side I was noticing how badly the Deer have scraped up this newly planted tree along the boulevard. I think this was put in last year after the new curbing was installed along Penn Avenue. You can see the tree behind it had some rabbit wire wrapped around for protection but I'm not sure if this one ever got that, or if maybe the Deer just ripped it right off. Even the one with the wire has some damage to it from Bucks scraping their antlers, but this one is scraped all the way around! As I was looking at it, two women walked up and asked if it was from Deer to which I replied "yes" but that it looks as though a person had also grabbed a piece of loose bark and yanked it upwards as far as it would go before breaking off. Sadly I don't think this tree will make it when spring time comes around next year.