43º and Sunny and Birdy

This Saturday's visit to the park was a fun one. First off the weather was unbelievable with a high of 43 degrees and completely sunny to boot. Secondly I was able to catch some neat photos which always makes my day! The very first bird I spotted was a Dark-eyed Junco and I'm kind of obsessed with them though they're a pretty common winter bird in our parts. They're difficult to photograph because they're little, move quickly and have a dark head against a dark eye. For that reason they're similarly difficult to shooting a Chickadee. This one cooperated with me though there's some shadows on it's face that I could have done without. My next stop was at the duck pond on the southeast corner. The warm weather seemed to please the Mallards and the large group was very active. I witnessed some courting behavior and some fighting between the boys as well. I really love how their green heads just glow in the sun and I've come to appreciate Mallards as an easy and reliable photo subject. After seeing a few Chickadees and Cardinals and other common birds, I spotted not one but two Great Horned Owls high up in a tree. They were both quite far away with lots of woods between so I decided not to go in any closer. It wont be long now before one of these pair will be sitting on a nest somewhere. Great Horned Owls are our earliest nesting birds in the state, starting as early as mid to late January. When this happens we birders need to take extra precaution not to approach the nesting sight or disturb them in any manner that could be a detriment to the success of their nest. Having seen two Owls already today, I nearly fell over when I ran smack dab into a third, this time a Barred Owl! A Barred is likely our second-most common Owl around central Minnesota, but they can be as tough as any of the other Owl species to find. This one however decided to perch barely 10 feet off the paved trail and at a height of only 6 or 7 feet! I was stunned to have been so close to it. I stopped dead in my tracks and cautiously brought my camera up to my eye. Thankfully the Owl appeared a bit sleepy and was taking advantage of the warm sun and really didn't mind me being there –at least for now. I couldn't take my eyes –or my camera– off this beautiful bird and of course I started to draw attention from other park goes. The first one stopped to inquire about my camera and lens. Interesting she never asked me what I was taking a photo of and thus I decided not to even bring it up! The next pair of walkers were more curious and so I pointed out the Owl to them. They were quite happy and surprised to see it as well. As we talked however the Owl did move, though it only went a few feet over and higher up in another tree. I was kind of bummed and wish I had whispered to them instead. Nonetheless the Owl was still very close to the trail and I took a few more photos before it decided to move further back into the woods. I believe this was my third Barred Owl sighting this season which is a good sign. Previous to these recent encounters, my last Barred sighting was in May of 2013. The last avian subject I decided to focus on today were Robins. These Robins are not coming back to Minnesota due to the warm temps, but rather have "over wintered" here at the park. Not all Robins migrate south and quite a few will stay here all winter long. This number appears to be increasing based on other things I've read. There apparently are enough food sources and shelter to see them through event the coldest of winters. Though this winter has been a little light in regards to snow depths and I believe this would also be to the Robin's benefit. I enjoy photographing them in the winter, though I rarely pay attention to them the rest of the year! Other birds I spotted today included; Downy, Hairy & Red-bellied Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwing and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks.