Finally a Nice Day!

After missing our short lived sunshine yesterday, I was more eager to get to the park earlier today and be assured I would have some sunshine. Not only was the sky clear but the temps warmed up dramatically as well. While the "official" high temperature measured for the day was only in the 30's, my digital thermometer at home -and in the shade mind you- was reading 43 degrees! It was almost like a Spring day and not having to wear my face mask/neck warmer for once was quite awesome in itself. I saw (or heard) a fair amount of birds today including quite a few different Woodpeckers. I've been seeing Downy Woodpeckers in groups of 2, 3 and 4 lately, chasing each other and flapping about wildly as they drop from a perch. I noticed this for the first time last year and I believe this must be their mating time. I've yet to get a good photo as they are usually quite high up when behaving this way. The best Woodpecker I saw today however was a male Pileated. I spotted him only 10 minutes into my walk on the east side of the park. Actually I heard him first, then saw a flash of red through some small willow trees near the small ponds. He was quite busy pounding away on a dead tree and I figured I might have a shot at getting closer as long as he was occupied. I crunched though the loud snow trying to get closer while not scaring him off. Gradually he moved up the dead tree into better view but the area was still so thick that I could not get a clear shot through the Willow shrubs. Eventually I found a half-fallen tree that was just the right height for me to step up onto and get me above the ground cover. From here I had an absolutely fantastic view of him while he continued to jackhammer the tree in a frenzy of flying wood chips. You wouldn't believe the amount of wood chips flying through the air! Some were quite large even. It was quite a sight and I wanted to try and capture this so I took quite a few shots. In this one you can see some of that wood in front of his dark colored body. If you notice how far away his head is from the tree at this split second while all the wood chips are still in the air, you get an idea of just how quickly he was moving. I know that he was in search of insects but I still don't exactly understand what type of insects they can find in such cold conditions in February. I suppose there are some that burrow into the layers of wood itself. I've always wanted to see one actually pull out an insect but I think the action would be so fast that you would miss it. In fact they don't use their beaks at all to grab the insects, but rather uses it's long, barbed tongue to grab them. In the second photo inset, you can see it's tongue coming out –or going back in. I'm not sure which, but this is likely the closest I've come so far to seeing a Pileated actually eat an insect! It is always a thrill to get to see a Pileated so closely as their red caps are just so brilliantly vivid especially on a winter day when pretty much everything else is either white or brown. At this close proximity I could also see his bright yellow eyes and a hint of yellow on his upper bill just in front of his eyes. I was pretty happy with such a sighting so early into my walk but it would prove to be the best of the day. Later on the north end I spotted a group of five Deer together. Most looked like younger ones who were curious of me. One in particular was lagging behind and was standing right in the middle of these big trees which made a nice photo I thought. I watched them for just a while longer before they all moved on. A hundred feet down on the opposite side of the trail was yet another group of 5 Deer, making their way down and across the drainage ditch. It was the first time I've spotted 10 Deer in one walk in quite some time!

The Color of Winter

There can be such a lack of color outside in January and February that it can feel like you're living in a black and white movie from the past. Anything that has the faintest hint of color really stands out –from a red Cardinal, to the bright orange feet of a Mallard. As I was walking around the Duck Pond today on the south west corner of the park I paused to watch the Mallards. They must have assumed I had some food for them and immediately the whole group started clumsily up the snowy banks. Some found it easier to fly up the short distance and I snapped a couple of photos as they did. I just let them walk right up underneath me, almost stepping on my feet while I stayed very still and I felt like part of their group for a minute. Gradually they realized I had no food for them and they returned to the water which was likely warmer than the snowbank. Some other birds I spotted today were a Red-tailed Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, and a few cluster of 3-4 American Tree Sparrows. This bright red Cardinal made for the best photo –though I really had to lighten up the image to show some detail. It was after 4:30 in the afternoon by now and the dreary landscape was slowly losing even more light. At about 5:10pm I wandered out into the field near 70th Avenue North to catch a glimpse of the sun setting underneath the blanket of winter clouds.

Great Backyard Bird Count - Day 2

On my second day of the Great Backyard Bird Count, I saw almost exactly half the total number of the birds I saw yesterday. Yesterdays total was 57 and today was only 28. As I said before it's a bit frustrating to be counting and reporting birds on such a slow time for them here in Minnesota. I guess the flip side is that it is much more manageable and easy to remember. I photographed only 3 species total; another Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Red-tailed Hawk from a long ways away, and finally this Crow who was right above me.

I've gotta say that I don't always pay that much attention to Crows as they are so common, and not much to look at. They're also very hard to photograph because their lack of color often hides their features. So I like how in this photo you can see some of his feathers and even his eye.

Total bird count for Sunday February 17th, 2013
Black-capped Chickadee – 6
Mallard – 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 2
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Northern Cardinal – 3
American Robin – 1
American Crow – 3

Great Backyard Bird Count - Day 1

I think last year was the first time I'd participated in the "Great Backyard Bird Count" or "GBBC." This is an annual bird count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca New York. The Cornell Lab is kind of like the "central hub" of all things bird related and they have one of the best online resources for bird identification called All About Birds. Anyway, I really like the GBBC because it's one you can do completely on your own, anywhere you wish. Of course I chose Palmer Lake Park last year and again this year. All you do is keep your own record of how many of each species you see and report it online. Routine bird counts give scientists tremendous amounts of important data in the study of birds, migration and even climate change and it's neat to know that you can participate right in your own backyard if you wish. The only downside of this count is that it's at the peak of winter and can be some of the quietest times for birds in Minnesota. So generally I end up reporting lots of Woodpeckers, Chicakdees, Finches and Nuthatches, none of which are rare by any means. But like on any other walk, you never know what you might see and I was hoping very much that I could add a Northern Shrike to my count this year. I'll share a few photos I took today during my count and this first is just one of four Red-bellied Woodpeckers I spotted. This is actually a female which I don't see all that often. You can tell by the fact that the red crest on her head doesn't go all the way across from the front to the back, but rather has a gap of light grey between. Any bird that has red feathers at all really stands out this time of year when everything else is washed out in white or grey. So though another common bird, it's actually pretty neat to see a bright red male Cardinal on such a sunny winter day. They almost look like they are glowing against the pale landscape of February. After seeing a small group of 5 Deer, I finally spotted my Northern Shrike high atop a tree on the far north side of the park! Though I've seen them a fair amount this season it was nice to be able to "officially" add him to my count. Oh, I also saw a Red-shouldered Hawk which is another not as common bird –for me anyway. But I didn't get a photo of him.

Total bird count for Saturday February 16th, 2013
Black-capped Chickadee – 20
American Crow – 7
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Northern Cardinal – 3
Blue Jay – 1
House Finch – 4
Northern Shrike – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1
European Starlings – 2
American Robin – 1

February Snowstorm & An Unexpected Visitor

Well today was the "big day" for the predicted snow storm. They were saying we were in for anywhere from 4 to 10 inches of snow and I wasn't even sure if I would go out today. The snowfall hadn't really picked up as much steam as predicted overnight and by morning there was maybe only an inch on the ground. As afternoon came though it finally did pick up and started snowing quite hard. I thought it might be fun to actually get out and snowshoe -as it could be one of my last chances! The snow that was coming down was the wet heavy kind and I knew it would be tough to keep my camera dry. Don't laugh, but I fashioned a clear oven-bag around my camera, cut a hole for the lens and taped it up! When I around at the park after noon it was really coming down but I was up for some serious snowshoeing and even wore my new ski goggles for a bit to keep the snow off of my glasses. I was completely decked out and felt like I could just about walk anywhere -which I did! I went right over the cattails and snow on the southwest side, sticking along the edges of the woods in case I might see anything interesting. I hiked almost all the way up to the north corner, then turned inward towards the center of the park, crossing the creek. It was quite a winter-wonder-land with everything coated in thick white, making the woods and trees seem more dense and mysterious. About the only thing I ever did see along the way was a lone wintering Robin standing at the edge of some open water for a drink. It was so peaceful and quite and "wintery" but the Robin reminded me of Spring and all the fantastic birds that it brings back each year. Since first seeing the Long-eared Owls last weekend I've been just fascinated with them. They are just so secretive and stealthy that I longed to see one again. With my big snowshoes crunching away loudly on the wet snow however, I was skeptical that I would see anything. As I neared the area where I thought I might catch a glimpse of one of the elusive LEO's, something else caught my eye rummaging on top of the fresh snow on a little hillside of Buckthorn trees. It had it's back to me but I could tell it was furry and some kind of large rodent. Though the blinding snow and dim light, I could just barely tell that it's fur looked very "hairy" with a lighter color at the tips and my first thought was a Porcupine! Then as it scurried ahead I tried looking through my wet binoculars and I could make out a long rat-like tail. "What the heck is a Muskrat doing out here on top of the snow?" I thought to myself! But then as it finally turned around to face me I was stunned to learn that it was neither of these, but in fact was an Opossum!!! I could not believe it. I've never seen (a live) one in the wild before and I CERTAINLY never expected to see one at PLP, and especially not in the middle of a snowstorm! I have a trustworthy friend who's told me he's seen Opossum tracks at the park before but it being more of a nocturnal mammal, I never expected to get a chance to see one at the park. To my amazement, once it turned around it actually started to slowly walk directly towards me. I was dumbfounded and frozen in my tracks but taking pictures furiously. It walked and moved incredibly slowly -almost like a sloth, not scurrying about quickly like a lot of other small mammals. It's slow movement could have been partly due to the deepening snow but it didn't seem to mind all the white stuff. As I stood there it just kept walking closer and closer and I started to wonder if maybe it couldn't see me that well. As I've never encountered one before I had no idea if they could become aggressive or not, but my instinct told me I better not find out the hard way. When he was only just 6 feet away from me, I decided I'd better do something and made myself look larger and raised my arms. Finally, the furry white faced mammal gave just some indication that it sensed something ahead. It kind of cocked it's head, sniffed the air and slowly came to a stop. I wondered if maybe they have poor eyesight in the daytime because honestly I think he would have walked right up to my feet if I hadn't raised my arms! He decided to slowly head a different way towards some cover of tall weeds and fallen branches and I circled around to find a vantage point for some more photos while he stayed still. His pink nose and naked floppy ears kind of reminded me of a little pig more than anything. Later as I read more about this mammal in my field guide from Stan Tekiela, I learned that it's official name is a Virginia Opossum and is also the ONLY Marsupial found north of Mexico! It's young are only the size of a navy-bean when born and crawl into the mother's fur-lined pouch where the suckle for as long as 2 months. Pretty fascinating creature to see in the wild I thought! The most interesting note however from my field guide stated that though they are nocturnal, they can often be seen in the daytime during the coldest parts of winter. And this may just have something to do with the fact that they breed during January and February. I had a hard time tearing myself away but I'd already taken so many photos of this guy that I figured I'd move on. After searching near and far for the elusive Long-eared Owls I was getting discouraged and decided to just sit on a fallen log for a while. After losing track of how long I was sitting there, I saw something out of the corner of my eye and raise up my camera quickly. The Owl had perched on a fallen limb off to my right but was looking in the opposite direction instead of at me. As I snapped my shutter I think (I know) it heard the sound and immediately took off. Though later I did see one huddled up in the cover of a Buckthorn tree, this moment was the only time I've seen one out in the wide open and in fantastic light too. Still a very neat sighting even though I never saw his face from my vantage point. As expected, it made absolutely no sound whatsoever from landing and then taking off again. It was as if it were a silent movie where you are aware of the movement but there is just no sound to go with it! They are one of the most fascinating birds I've had the good fortune to see in the wild. Definitely click on all of these photos for a better view. Oh, I almost forgot I also saw a Northern Shrike on my way back to the parking lot. He was singing loudly from atop one of his favorite trees.

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!

An Epic Winter Hike!

This Saturday I had planned to go out hiking around the park with a friend and fellow birder who enjoys Palmer Lake just as much as I do. We got started at 9am when the temperature was still just 1 degree above zero! Little did we know what good luck we would have and how much interesting wildlife we would see on such a cold day. The sun was out and although it didn't do much for the temperature at least we had great light for taking photos. The very first thing we spotted right off the bat was this Coyote who was right out in the open! He definitely knew we were there but we were still far enough away not to be a threat. And besides that he was more interested in hunting rodents and we both got to see him pouncing on something in the snow. Later when we had hiked back around to where we started we actually found the spot where the action had taken place. After the Coyote we first heard, then spotted a Northern Shrike. Like they have been lately, it was making quite a bit of noise from the tree tops and was hard not to notice. Shortly after the Shrike we came across a pretty amazing sight. I say "amazing" because this particular species of Owl –though fairly common it it's range– is rarely seen; and now I know exactly why. The "Long-eared Owl is also a brand new species for me that I'd never before seen so it was quite exciting. Not only did we get to see one, but five of them together at the same time! They were truly a beautiful and fascinating Raptor on many levels. For starters, we must have been looking right at them without realizing it until one of them swooped down out from it's perch. Only then did we grasp just how well they blended into the trees they picked for the day. Even then it was hard to pick them out as they truly looked like a piece of bark until they moved or turned their head. In this photo are 4 of the 5 -see if you can spot them! Whenever one of them would decide to move perches, they would drop down and swoop through the air just above the ground without making ANY noise whatsoever. They seemed almost mystical in their ability to move so quickly and so quietly at the same time. Their flight was also pretty neat as they would tend to rock back and forth even in the quick little jaunts we witnessed. Eventually I got in just close enough to one in order to get a decent photo without all those branches in the way. Something I noticed about their unusual face is that they sort of have this white "puff"of feathers in the middle of their face which can kind of look like a mustache just above their beak. They were rather funny looking at times especially when they would alternate between having their eyes sleepily closed and then open them widely to stare at us. Once we were both happy, we retreated fairly quickly as we didn't want to intrude on them for too long and possibly prevent them from returning. Later as we hiked along Shingle Creek, another large Raptor came flying straight towards us and we looked up to see a mature Bald Eagle right above us! I've rarely had the chance to catch a good photo of an Eagle in flight but the timing was just right this time. I didn't even get my zoom lens out all the way before he was right above me, but again he wasn't all that high up! As if that weren't enough for the day, we then went in search of a Great-horned Owl in an area I have been seeing them lately. All my previous sightings in that area however were always at dusk and I honestly didn't expect to see one today. But our luck just get going as there, in almost the same spot was a Great-horned Owl. We made a couple attempts to get closer but this Owl just kept flying back and forth and perching further and further up in the trees. I managed one shot just to say what we saw him.