Quintessential April Birds

This Saturday's visit to the park showed me just about all of the most common birds one would expect to see in the month of April. When I arrived I spotted a mature Bald Eagle soaring overhead but he zoomed past quickly and I never got another look at him. Then almost immediately after I spotted a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. It was yet another female as were the majority of others I've seen so far this year. Next came a Common Grackle, a bird I've seen already but not gotten a photo of yet this year –so this is the first. Much like Red-winged Blackbirds, I am excited to see them returning each spring and then later get completely sick of them by the end of the season! After this I spotted a pair of Wood Ducks and then what looked to be a Cooper's Hawk. But I was to capture one more first of the season photo next when I spotted a Hermit Thrush hopping around near the ground. It is really quite interesting to note that almost every time I've ever seen a Hermit Thrush, there is still snow on the ground. It's almost like they prefer it and seem to travel just far enough north to keep themselves in line with areas that maintain just an inch or so on the ground. So if you ever see a bird that looks similar to this, taking note of the conditions may help you identify and differentiate it from other "Thrushes" that will arrive later in the season. Next I headed out across the big field on the north side, walking out along Shingle Creek to see what I might find. Indeed I found the Bluebirds again but didn't manage any good photos of them. There was however a Song Sparrow perched nearby who was singing out loudly. It seemed to be so engrossed in singing that it let me creep up closer for a couple of decent photos. This is also another bird who's song heralds the arrival of Spring in Minnesota. On the creek I scared up a Pied-billed Grebe who actually took to the air. It was actually the first time I've ever seen one flying and I got to see it up close which was pretty neat. After this I came upon a large group of Cedar Waxwings feeding on dried up Buckthorn berries. Many times I've found that I can get extremely close to this species, especially when they're in a group and eating. For such a beautiful looking bird, they are one of the most tolerant when it comes to people. This combination makes it a great bird to try and get photos of and I've had more good results than with other birds. Though the time of year makes the lighting not as cooperative as the bird! After this I spotted a Dark-eyed Junco, a flock of Double-crested Cormorants, more Ruby-crowned Kinglets and also a Canada Goose to wrap up my hike.