I'm not even supposed to be in town today but due to a major change in holiday plans, I was at the park again today –the day
after Christmas. It was just a tad warmer than it's been lately, and with my back brace still helping, I was eager for another walk around the entire park today. For whatever reason I was on a mission today to note
and remember every bird species I saw and my total list ended up a bit longer than usual by at least 2 species anyway. One of these was a White-throated Sparrow that I spotted on the south side of the park.
He (or she) was busy feeding on a dried plant along with a bunch of Junco's. I've not seen a White-throated in quite some and I typically don't see them at the park in the winter time at all. According to the range map in my "
Birds of Minnesota" field guide by Stan Tekiela, it looks like the Twin Cities Metro area might be just on the very edge of their winter range. I wasn't able to get a decent photo but good enough to confirm the sighting anyway. This particular area was a great spot to watch birds all Summer and Fall. There were many different varieties of plants and even now the dried and withered vegetation continues to attract birds. It is testament to just how important it is to leave vegetation to nature's own course versus cutting it all down in the fall. I've only recently learned to do this in my own back yard –leaving dried seed pods as natural sources of food for wintering birds.
The area provided me more than one good shot of a Junco today! I've come to really enjoy these hearty little winter birds and the variation of color in their plumage. This one in particular reminds me of fur on a dog. Another common but not-seen-lately bird for me today were Goldfinches. I could hear them plainly near the north end of the park, and after calling back to them with some pre-recorded calls, a group of 6 to 8 appeared in the trees above me. They never really came down to eye level but it was fun to see the hints of bright yellow around their face. I think this one is probably a female as there were slightly more yellow-colored birds off to the side. I've made up my own
mnemonic to remember their call. They make one in particular that I imagine them to be saying "
Look-at-Meee!"
I'll try to remember now my entire bird list for today: White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, White-breasted Nuthatch and Mourning Dove. I was surprised to not have seen any Robins. Near the end of my walk I ran into some good friends of mine and one reported to me that he'd seen both a Red-tailed Hawk as well as a Red-shouldered Hawk!
He (or she) was busy feeding on a dried plant along with a bunch of Junco's. I've not seen a White-throated in quite some and I typically don't see them at the park in the winter time at all. According to the range map in my "Birds of Minnesota" field guide by Stan Tekiela, it looks like the Twin Cities Metro area might be just on the very edge of their winter range. I wasn't able to get a decent photo but good enough to confirm the sighting anyway. This particular area was a great spot to watch birds all Summer and Fall. There were many different varieties of plants and even now the dried and withered vegetation continues to attract birds. It is testament to just how important it is to leave vegetation to nature's own course versus cutting it all down in the fall. I've only recently learned to do this in my own back yard –leaving dried seed pods as natural sources of food for wintering birds. 
The area provided me more than one good shot of a Junco today! I've come to really enjoy these hearty little winter birds and the variation of color in their plumage. This one in particular reminds me of fur on a dog. Another common but not-seen-lately bird for me today were Goldfinches. I could hear them plainly near the north end of the park, and after calling back to them with some pre-recorded calls, a group of 6 to 8 appeared in the trees above me. They never really came down to eye level but it was fun to see the hints of bright yellow around their face. I think this one is probably a female as there were slightly more yellow-colored birds off to the side. I've made up my own mnemonic to remember their call. They make one in particular that I imagine them to be saying "Look-at-Meee!" 
I'll try to remember now my entire bird list for today: White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, White-breasted Nuthatch and Mourning Dove. I was surprised to not have seen any Robins. Near the end of my walk I ran into some good friends of mine and one reported to me that he'd seen both a Red-tailed Hawk as well as a Red-shouldered Hawk!
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