Unfortunately I'd not gotten out birding for the past two days. Work has been crazy and I've just plain old been too busy to fit a birding hike into my schedule until after work this Thursday. It was a beautiful evening for a walk, but only 20 minutes in I found myself hiding under a tree from the rain. Then 10 minutes later it was beautiful and sunny again. This pattern continued throughout the evening so I guess we are just into that time of year now. The off and on rain showers always seem to bring out the birds and I saw a good deal of species tonight and I will have a tough time remembering them all. A couple of highlights were seeing Blue-gray Gnatcatchers again, and also seeing a small flock of Cedar Waxwings! I've not seen Waxwings for quite some time now. I watched pairs of them passing food back and forth which is a behavior I've witnessed previously with Waxwings. But I also had the opportunity to spot one more brand new species for me -and with just one day left in my "Big Month!" While watching some other birds I thought I heard odd sounds coming from the water on the south side of the park. So when I got close I scanned the water and noticed a very odd colored Duck that I'd never seen before.
It had almost a pinkish breast with an abrupt change to white on the bottom. They were quite some distance away and there was absolutely no way to get closer. But through my binoculars I could also make out a distinct "white crown" on top of it's head that went all the way up to a short and almost blue looking bill. Because I truly had no idea what this was I knew I was seeing a new species for me –and spotting a brand new species in Palmer Lake Park is doubly exciting to me. I almost phoned a friend thinking something very rare was here. My curiosity couldn't wait and so I started to search google right there on my phone for "duck with white head/white crown." After seeing dozens of photos of Buffleheads and other ducks I am familiar with, one image came up that showed a duck with a dark rear end and a hint of white feathers on it's side like the one I was looking at.
Around this time I finally noticed there was another one to the right, similar looking but without the bright white crown. By comparing photos I was 80% sure right then and there that I was seeing American Wigeons! One of the most distinctive coloring in the photos I was looking through was a bright, emerald green patch behind the eye. But for the life of me I was not seeing that on either of the two ducks I was watching out in Palmer Lake. I don't know if it was the angle, the distance or a combination of both but that green was just not there –or extremely faint if it was. Even now upon zooming in drastically on my photos I cannot really see that pattern. So either they were not quite mature, or possibly they were even hybrids crossed with other similar species as noted by my
Stokes Field Guide
to the Birds of North America. Either way I was quite happy to spot
something brand new yet again this May which has truly been such a "Big
Month" for birding!
Total species seen today: American Wigeon, American Goldfinch, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Cardinal, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Least Flycatcher, Mallard, Canada Goose, Gray Catbird, American Robin, House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Crow, Song Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Great-crested Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing, Green Heron and Great Blue Heron.
Conditions: 68 degrees, partly sunny with periodic showers
This is a unique and beautiful duck if you can get close to one. And that is usually the problem. They are typically seen far out in the water and can be quite skittish. But that certainly was NOT the case with this one! This little duck (about 3/4 the size of a Mallard), was not shy in the least and didn't really mind my presence at all. It was a rare photographic opportunity that I wasn't about to miss out on. I followed the Wigeon slowly along the creek, moving up and back where he finally decided to jump up on the grass bank and preen himself among the Mallards. As I watched him he was noticeably assertive, even aggressive and would nip at any Mallard that came too close to him! 
I bet I watched him and took photos for over an hour, even calling a friend who came and met me at the park. It still feels early to be seeing new waterfowl so this was quite a special find. For some of these photos I laid flat down on my stomach on the wet grass trying to get as low an angle as I could. I'm guessing the Wigeon was a male based on the fairly colorful plumage, especially the green eye stripe. But I'm also thinking he wasn't quite in full breeding plumage yet as the green would have probably been even more bright and obvious. After sharing my photos on the Minnesota Birding facebook page, someone referred to him as a "Baldpate" which is a nickname for the duck based on it's white colored forehead. 
After this find I was quite pleased and really didn't try very hard for other birds. After all it was still early and very few migrants have returned yet anyways. My friend Ron enjoyed seeing the Wigeon as well and afterwards we hiked a little bit on the north side to see the Great Horned Owl reported nesting in a big Cottonwood tree. This was pointed out to me by another nature enthusiast some weeks ago and I highly doubt I would have spotted this on my own. Typically, Great Horned Owls nest in abandoned Squirrel nests. But this one chose the crook of a large tree which I think had a little depression. I have never seen an Owl nest in such a way, and the tree was so far from the trail, that one would have a hard time even seeing the Owl. 
We saw no sign of the male at all, though there are a lot of other large trees in the area where he could be roosting. I will have to check back periodically on this nest to see if it is successful. If it is, it will be interesting to see how the chicks manage this small space together with mom. Later the same day I actually stopped back to watch the Wigeon some more. I found him further upstream on the bank again but the low light was terrible and I only managed a few more photos worth saving. Oh yeah, I have to add this. A pair of Mallards were mating just below the bridge. Quite a sight!
