Cold and Windy Winter

Even for us hearty Minnesotan's, this winter has been rough. Temps continue to be below average and when you add wind and periodic snow, it seems like there is no end in sight. Today the winds were terrible and as I hiked up the eastern side of the park, there were "walls" of snow zipping across the baseball fields. Here and there it made more sense to turn backward to avoid getting blasted in the face. I thought of all the birds and animals and how they can deal with such a harsh winter. I had only stepped out of a warm vehicle less than an hour ago but they have to endure the weather 24/7. So I wasn't expecting to see much. And though the total number of birds and species definitely diminish this time of year, there were still interesting things to see! On my way across the southern edge I'd seen a Bald Eagle soaring overhead, a Hairy Woodpecker and then finally a modest flock of about 15 Cedar Waxwings. I found it interesting to note that whereas I had been seeing flocks of Juncos in November and December, they seem now to have vanished and been replaced with Cedar Waxwings. Also interesting is that both species –so adapted to colder climates– seem to have similar sounding calls as well. Both Dark-eyed Junco and Cedar Waxwings make an extremely high-pitched sound. Some describe the Junco's sound as "electrical" sounding. As of late I thought I'd heard this sound and then realized it was not Junco's but Cedar Waxwings instead. Each time I've noticed them lately they have been eating berries from Buckthorn trees, which I hear is NOT good for any birds as they cause diarrhea, but is maybe the only food readily available. Later on the north side I stopped near the place I'd spotted the Great Horned Owl last week. After some intense looking around I finally did spot something. Barely visible between the trunks of two large trees I could make out a dark patch that seemed to be staring back at me. I am constantly amazed at how well Owls can blend into their background. You could be looking right at one sometimes and not even realize it. I like how in this photo both eyes somehow make it through the dried up Oak leaves.

Tough Snowshoeing with a Reward Near the End

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I had the day off of work and was able to get in one more hike. I've not been out snowshoeing in probably 2 years now but today I decided to do just that. I first hiked out to the middle of the park where there is essentially an "island" of overgrown Buckthorn trees. It can be kind of a spooky place actually. When Buckthorn gets this big it becomes kind of twisted and gnarled looking. The tops become so dense and intertwined that they'll catch and hold snow and even create a bit of shade without leaves! Not that sun was a problem today though. It was very overcast when I set out and I even tried taking a photo of the sun itself as it looked more like a pale moon behind the cloudy winter sky. I thought maybe I'd see something interesting out here but every step I took on my snowshoes was loud enough to wake the dead. The snow was just crusty enough on top to be crunchy and loud but not hard enough to support my weight. I broke through on every step, my feet falling nearly up to my knees every single time. Having the snowshoes on made it only slightly more tolerable during an otherwise exhausting hike. I actually had to stop multiple times to catch my breath, it was so much work just to walk. I could hardly wait until I got back to the trail and I removed my snowshoes as soon as I did. The only wildlife I'd seen by this time was a Squirrel who had adopted a Wood Duck house high up in a tree along Shingle Creek. I decided I'd check the spot where I accidentally scared up not one, but two Great Horned Owls yesterday when I hiked in closer to watch a Pileated Woodpecker. Turns out the Pileated was hammering away just mere feet from a GHO who bumped and flew off before I even realized it was there. Then I spotted a second one, only feet from where the other was. I tried to get a photo but it was totally obstructed by branches and dried up Oak Leaves still clinging on from last season. But today my luck was better. I spotted one of the Owls from the path and he looked to be relatively out in the open. I stepped up onto the hard packed snowbank to get a little distance but didn't hike in any further this time. I'm fairly certain there is a mated pair here who are likely nesting now and I don't want to disturb them too much. To my surprise I had to wait quite a while before the Owl even turned around to look at me. When it did I quickly shot my pics and retreated. I've not spotted the nest yet but I'm certain it is close. Shortly after this I spotted a decent flock of Cedar Waxwings –maybe 25 or more. I watched them picking Buckthorn berries and also eating snow from the crook of a tree; a behavior I've witnessed once before. They are quite fun birds to watch and can be quite yellow on the undersides as shown by this pic.

Warm Day and Lots of Birds!

There was just no way I would have stayed inside today. After all the cold temps we've had, today was predicted to be around 35º I think. In fact it warmed up a bit more to nearly 39 or 40 degrees. With a bright, sunny sky in addition, it was a much needed day for me to be outdoors again. I wanted to enjoy every minute of it and so I really took my time walking around the park today. Among the many birds I spotted today, the first I photographed was this bright red male Cardinal. He was just above me over the trail on the south side but it took quite a while to get any unobstructed shots. I was happy with how this one came out and he really popped against the blue sky. Looking at this photo alone you might not guess there's probably 30 some inches of snow on the ground. In my walk around the park I saw at least another couple dozen Cardinals –almost all males in fact. As I made my toward the north end of the park, I spotted a large bird perched out in one of the only few trees among the cattails. Looking through my binoculars I was greatly surprised to realize it was a Great Horned Owl! I've never seen one so out-in-the-open like that, with hardly any other trees around. As he was really far away, I decided to hike into the cattails a bit to see if I could get closer. But in these open surroundings I knew for sure he was aware of me even before I set foot off the trail. I tried the "walk a ways, stop and repeat" method, but I could tell he was getting ready to fly long before I got anywhere near where I would have liked. This was about the closest I came before he decided to take off, flying low over the cattails and perching in a tall tree much further down the trail. I looked for him again in the area where I saw him land but never located him again. Shockingly I actually located 2 more GHO's today. And though I came much much closer, I got terrible photos obstructed by trees. One more bird I did manage to get an acceptable photo of today was this American Tree Sparrow. It posed perfectly for me in the sun and looked rather attractive I thought for a Sparrow. Sometimes you can get these confused with a Chipping Sparrow but Chipping Sparrows are more of a Summer and Fall bird. If you're ever unsure, the American Tree Sparrow has a key identifying pattern in it's beak with the upper park being dark while the bottom is yellow. Oh, I should list all the birds I spotted today as it was more than usual: Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Mallard, Bald Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, American Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, House Finch, European Starling & Red-tailed Hawk.

Happy New Year 2014

Sadly this Sunday January 12th is the first time I've been to the park since December. My new year has been off to a rough start unfortunately as I ended up needing my appendix removed on January 2nd. Recovery was a total drag and between that and my bad back I've just not been up for a walk until now. The first thing I noticed today was that a lot of leafless vegetation on the south side is coated with white, wispy seeds that makes everything look almost furry. I tried to get a closeup –which my zoom lens doesn't do that well at– but it kinda worked here. These are the seeds stuck to the tip of Red-Osier Dogwood (the reddish colored bushes that are common in the park). I'm not 100% sure but I'm guessing that maybe the seeds are that of Cattails. They are really exploding right now and going to seed so that is my best guess. Later on the southwest end of the park I came across these bright red berries. They were about the only thing showing any color today so they caught my eye. I'm pretty sure these are Nightshade berries and I was really kind of surprised that they might stay red this long into mid January. I barely saw any birds during my walk today save for a handful of a Chickadees and a small flock of American Tree Sparrows that were taking turns drinking from a small hole in the ice on Shingle Creek. While watching the Tree Sparrows I noticed a couple of deer on the opposite side of the creek –nearly in someone's back yard. These are the first deer I've spotted in such a long time. It was nice to see some again.