A Cold Walk with Good Sights

The temperature today when I arrived at the park was 0º but at least there was no wind and the sun was shining. I hadn't walked real far and was on the south wood chip trails when a large raptor suddenly burst out above me. It was a Great Horned Owl and I was surprised to see one in this area of the park. I watched to see vaguely where it re-perched and went back the way I came in hopes of a photo. Eventually I did find it again but it was now facing away from me and much higher up. I wondered if a pair were scoping out nesting areas here but I found no evidence of that. Later when I was hiking near the duck pond I noticed quite a few Robins hanging out near the little patch of open water that rarely freezes –even in zero degree weather. As I was watching them I noticed one that looked the wrong color. Then it bobbed it's tail repeatedly, making me look closer. To my shock it was a Hermit Thrush! This is a bird I typically see in late Fall (November) or early Spring (April), but I've never seen one in January! I kept an eye on him but it was hard as he blended right into the patchy shoreline of brown leaves and spots of snow. Gradually he moved into a nice sunny spot and just stayed there while I took photos. When I got home I reported this bird over ebird.org and sure enough it was listed as "rare" for this time of year! Only my second real "rare bird" report since I started using ebird. I decided to back to the open water and get down nice and low for some closeup views of the Robins. I'm very glad I did as I walked away with a couple of photos I'm proud of –even if it is of a very common species. Actually I always like sharing photos of Robins in the winter, as many Minnesotan's tend to think of them returning in the Spring. What actually happens is that while the majority of Robins DO migrate south, a certain percentage will stay all winter in areas where they have access to food and water. This behavior is referred to as "overwintering" and a great deal of Robins happen to choose Palmer Lake Park as their place. I also think it's fun to try and catch them (or any bird for that matter) bending over to drink. Nearly all birds except for Doves and Pigeons have to lap up water and then tilt their head back in order to actually drink. I read once before that it has something to do with their nasal cavities and they don't have the ability to "suck up" the water. Interesting huh? I also spent some time watching the Mallards in the duck pond doing exactly the same thing. It's always nice to see their beautiful green heads shining in the sun on a cold winter day. One other bird I got close to today was this male Downy Woodpecker (as evident by the patch of red on the back of his head). He was so busy hammering away on this branch that he let me sneak up within mere feet and snap some photos. I also saw Hairy Woodpeckers, and a domestic cat roaming out in one of the fields.

Day 2

Well yesterday is going to be hard to beat and that's about all I can say about that. The sun was gleeming on the dried cattails stalks, making glowing hallows in their shape. I noticed a long abandoned Baltimore Oriole nest hanging from the tree tips. One bird that was soaking up the sun was this overwintering Robin. About the only other birds I saw included Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, and an American Tree Sparrow in some thick Buckthorn bramble. Red-twin Dogwood reflected deep red in the sun and the view downstream at Shingle Creek was beautiful.

Day After Christmas

One of the best things about Christmas is the extra time off of work, and extra hikes around the park. It had snowed late on Christmas day and we had been dusted with about 2-3 inches of fluffy snow. It clung to the trees everywhere at the park today and set a nice background for a few bright red Northern Cardinals. I watched them for a while on the wood chip trail as I made my way to the duck pond. When I got to the duck pond I quickly spotted one unusual Mallard –pure white, but apparently not an albino. I've seen similar white Mallards here in the past, hanging out with the larger group and I wonder if somehow it might be the same one. It did not have pink eyes but dark so it's possible that it's an escaped domestic of some kind. Regardless it was a fairly pretty sight to watch it swim around the dark water. The other Mallards weren't giving it a hard time or anything and it seemed pretty content, sometimes closing it's eyes as it stood on the ice. After I left the duck pond I spotted three large birds flying overhead and realized they were Trumpeter Swans! I've not seen a Swan here at the park for maybe a couple of years or more and though these were just a flyover, I was happy to spot some! I only caught two of the three in this photo.

Thanksgiving and First Snow

Today is Thanksgiving Thursday and the Twin Cities metro area is seeing our first official snowfall of the season. We've had light flurries in the air about a week ago but nothing sticking to the ground like it is today. I decided to do a very short loop around the Duck Pond at the park this morning before heading to the in-laws. As suspected there were some Mallards hanging out in the snow and it was really the only wildlife to photograph. The snow was actually coming down pretty good and it was wet and heavy, thus sticking to my camera and melting upon landing, making everything wet including me. I didn't have but an hour so it was a short visit.

Saturday After Christmas

As I get older I look forward not to Christmas anymore but to it's passing. So much running around and adding unnecessary stress to our already hectic lives. Boy I sound old. But really I look at it now as something to get past and one step closer to Spring. But Spring seems like a distant memory as I hiked around the snow covered park today. Wet, sticky snow from a recent storm clung to everything it could and built up in even the smallest of twigs. It made for neat views today which was good because there were very few birds to be seen. Probably the best bird I spotted was a Red-bellied Woodpecker but from a long ways away. Other than this I saw a couple of American Robins, Mallards in the duck pond,  a small flock of American Crows, and a couple of American Tree Sparrows. I hadn't started my hike today until almost 3:00pm so there was a short time of light. As I was coming back around on the north side I liked how the setting sun was hitting the twisted Willow Trees. This was about 4:30pm and it would be dark soon so I headed back to my vehicle.

A Short Sunday Stroll

My hike around the park today was on the shorter side, only about 90 minutes. I still spotted some interesting things including a dead Deer laying just inside the paved trail near 69th Avenue. It appeared fairly fresh and looked like it had been hit by a car, breaking one of it's back legs. I did take some photos but have decided not to post them. I then spotted a Red-bellied Woodpecker (a male) working his way up a tree in search of food. People often wonder why they are called "red-bellied" but this photo shows just a bit of the reason. Notice how he's also using his tail feathers as a third point of contact to steady himself against the tree. This is something that I believe all Woodpeckers do. The recent snowfall has melted away from the paved trails but is still clinging to the ground in other places. But on the north sided the snow had receded beyond the pavement enough to provide an alluring edge for other birds, including this American Tree Sparrow. In this photo it appears to be pulling at grass, but it would be more likely that it's looking for some kind of seed, or even possibly an insect to eat. I'm amazed at what birds can find all winter long to keep themselves fed. Sometimes it might not be so obvious to us. The Tree Sparrow wasn't the only bird taking advantage of the area. This Dark-eyed Junco was doing a little foraging of his own. I find this bird a tough species to approach closely, which just makes me try even harder to get in closer for a photo. This one is cropped down a bit but has some good detail still. As the winter season rolls in, the Juncos will be one bird I'll start seeing much more of. Other birds seen today included; Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee and White-breasted Nuthatch.

First Snow of the Season

Today was Monday and again I was off of work –trying my hardest to use up my many vacation days still remaining for the year. It was pretty well predicted that today we were going to see our first snow of the season. I had been preparing next year's butterfly garden in my yard the day before but planting oodles of milkweed seeds before the snow fell and I was just in time. By morning it was snowing pretty good and quite windy so I decided to visit the park just because I could. The wind was blowing so hard that I was getting stung in the face by the wet, icy snow and thus I decided not to go around the entire park. I started on the east side, going to the bridge over Shingle Creek on the north side and then back again. The birds were certainly aware of the weather too and I honestly can't say I really saw anything of interest other than a large flock of Canada Geese grounded by the winter storm. They sat together in the baseball field on the east side, most of them with their heads tucked under their wings. We could be in for a long winter it seems.

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.

Same Places, New Faces

Except for one of my photos posted today, you probably wouldn't guess that there is still snow on the ground. All of the paved trails have a few inches and it's getting to be late enough in the season that it will just be left to melt versus taking the time to clear it. I've been wanting badly to see the newly born Owlet on the north end of the park. But I also haven't wanted to disturb them. I figured today I could be a little more quiet walking on top of the snow so I hiked quickly out to the tree and past it by just a little. The mother stayed perched only inches from the nest and indeed when I looked up I could see a little face peering over the leaves at me! This was my first good look at the Owlet. A friend of mine has told me that there are two of them but I could not see any signs of another one. Again time will tell. I only stood here long enough for 2 to 3 pics and then hiked back out another direction. On the north side of the park I could see many flocks of birds going over the park. One or two of those flocks looked different enough to have a look through my binoculars. This one was a group of Double-crested Cormorants –which is a fairly common bird around here but one I have not posted on the blog before. Probably the reason being is that I rarely see any on the ground or on the water here. I'm not sure why I've never seen any stop before. Maybe they are but not staying for very long. My guess is that they were heading for the river instead. If you look closely at the photo (click on it for a larger image) you will see their bright orange bills. There is already signs of new growth and greening up at the park, but I thought this photo about tells it all. Plants and grass here in Minnesota are hearty enough to poke right out through the snow in search of sunlight. On April 6th, I saw my first Blue-winged Teal of the season and I'm guessing that I will see much more of them. As the sun was setting this evening I spotted this male quite close to me on the drainage ditch on the north side. I read somewhere recently that the Blue-winged Teal is the waterfowl with the second highest population in our state –behind only the Mallard. But I've never seen any with ducklings before so I'm guessing that they move further north before nesting. I was really pushing the daylight near the end of my walk but I spotted one more bird I wanted a photo of. The Fox Sparrow is also one of those birds that straddle winter and spring here in Minnesota. They are much larger than your average Sparrow, though they have somewhat similar plumage. It is hard to tell from this particular photo, but they have a lot of grey coloring at the top of their head and neck, which besides their size, is the next best way to identify them. They also have a unique song that I think I mis-identify nearly every year. I think it sounds a little bit like a Goldfinch, and so I assume that is what I am hearing.

A Nice Sunday in Early April

Today is Sunday, April 6th and it was a nice evening for walk around the park. The majority of snow is melted except for in very shaded areas or where it has been piled high on the edges of the paved trails. There were a fair amount of birds (and people) out today. Where the snow melt has pooled alongside the trails, the water was attracting everything from Robins to Ducks, giving me some good photo-ops. This Robin just looked so bright and orange I had to take a photo. American Robins are in the "Thrush" family of birds that includes (in the MN area); Eastern Bluebirds, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Hermit Thrush and Wood Thrush. If you were to compare all of these species next to one another, there may be some small difference in sizes, but the overall general shape and posture of the birds would look very similar. Unfortunately everything I saw today wasn't all so pleasing. What had initially brought me to the park today was actually a report of someone who had dumped used auto parts as well as used motor oil in the parking lot! It is beyond reasoning to me why anyone would do such a thing. An acquaintance of mine who I've come to know through our Friends of Palmer Lake Park group was nice enough to contact me after she initially saw the garbage discarded in the West Palmer Park lot. Another Friend of the Park wanted to come out and take some photos before we picked up the trash and consolidated it in a more safe area. We then called the city who promised to come and pick it up the next day. Though I was upset about the incident, this was a great example of how having a "friends of" group dedicated to the park resulted in a quick response. Though it appeared that some of the used motor oil actually spilled onto the ground and traveled into the grass by way of melting snow, things could have certainly been worse if not addressed when it was. Later on when I was able to turn my attention back to the wildlife, I spotted a pair of Blue-winged Teals swimming in the snow melt right near the paved trail on the northwest corner. This is not a great photo but I wanted to share it simply because it's a great comparison in size to the Mallards swimming on the left. A great many of the more "wild waterfowl" such as Wood Ducks, Teals and especially Ruddy Ducks can be quite a bit smaller than you would imagine. Later in the evening after I parted ways with my friend, I decided to hike out along the banks of Shingle Creek and sit for a while. Since last year this has been a favorite viewing place for me, just quietly waiting to see any interesting waterfowl that may swim by. After watching Northern Shovelers and a Pied-billed Grebe, I spotted something walk out of the cattails. It was a Ring-necked Pheasant who walked almost right up to the water's edge. It can be tough to actually spot Pheasants as they can so easily hide among the tall grass and cattails, so this was a fun sighting. I thought maybe I would witness him taking a drink from the creek but in a quick second he burst into the air and flew to the other side. Again, not a great photo here but I think it might be my only photo of a Pheasant in flight. A few other notable sightings today include: Brown Creeper, Northern Shrike, Great Blue Heron and a Cooper's Hawk!

Day 3 of Spring and Back to the Cold

The official first day of Spring was this past Thursday. And since my last post on the blog here we have had some very nice days with temps in the upper 40's. But last night another cold front moved in and temperatures were in the single digits when I woke up this morning! By the time I arrived at PLP it had warmed up to somewhere around 12 to 15 degrees. And with a very strong wind, I had to wear all my warmest clothes –some of which I have put away and had to take back out multiple times already. In fact the duck pond was even frozen over today! It seems that all the Mallards that usually hang out here must have moved on to other open water. Here there were two Canada Geese walking on top of the ice and the ice was so thin that you could hear it squeezing and cracking under their weight. For my visit to the park today I was joined by 2 friends of mine who are very experienced birders. Despite the frigid temps we enjoyed spotting various sights at the park. One sight I really wanted to see today was a second Great Horned Owl nest that yet another birder had recently shared with me. When we found it I was overjoyed to learn that this was the very same nest I had played a part in restoring! You can read the full story here but in July of 2012 a Cooper's Hawk was using the same portion of this tree to nest in. I was walking underneath it that July and spotted two Hawk chicks whom had fallen out of the nest. On a friends suggestion we reached out the Raptor Center at the University of MN and a experienced tree climber came out and rebuilt the nest. He essentially cleared away what was left of the tattered nest and installed a wire mesh which he fashioned into a bowl shape before adding twigs and grasses back. Now nearly 2 years later the work that was done that day is helping provide a completely different species of bird with a suitable place to nest and rear young! How cool is that? I made me think about how our interactions with nature –be it positive or negative– can have effects that last for many years later. Not too much later, Ron from our group thought he saw a Great Blue Heron up ahead behind some thick bushes. I honestly didn't believe him and thought it was another Goose. But as we got closer, we all saw that indeed there were a pair of Great Blue Herons! Apparently it is common for them to arrive back in March but until now I can't say that I've spotted them this early in the year. I usually use Red-winged Blackbirds as my "natural calendar" for the start of Spring but a GBH is even better! Here and there I was also noticing Pussy Willow catkins poking out which is also another good sign of Spring. Later in our walk we stopped to check out the other Great Horned Owl nest –the one I had found on my own on the first day of this March. The mother was quite obvious in the nest this time and just below and to the right, we thought we could see a little white fluff that could be an Owlet. This particular nest has us a little worried because there are no good branches jutting out horizontally from the nest. If the Owlets survive to leave the nest it could a bit perilous for them to not have any branches available to perch on and learn to use their wings. I'm hoping for the best but time will tell.

Beautiful Day in March

This Sunday was just an absolutely gorgeous day to be outside. The high temperature for the day reached 43 degrees and it was sunny with no wind! I decided to meet a friend for a walk around the park and we lazily took our time going around. We saw a few birds including Cardinals, Juncos and Cedar Waxwings but I didn't get many photos. About the only thing I really stopped to take a photo of was this young Deer. There were a few of them again just north of the footbridge over Shingle Creek on the north side of the park. For whatever reason this seems to be the hot-spot where White-tailed Deer congregate every early Spring. After our walk my friend and I sat and gabbed in the parking lot until the sun went down. It was just such a nice day!

March 1st, -2 Degrees, -20 Degree Wind Chill!

Well here we are, the first day of March and this relentlessly cold winter just wont let up. Our weather is pretty much the main topic of all the news that I hear or read lately. Yesterday I heard that our temps are a good 30 degrees below average for this time of year. Meaning that we'd typically be hovering around the freezing mark of 32 degrees, yet we are still dealing with temperatures near 0 or lower! Predictions for our next chance at even 30º are another 5 days away. As I hiked around the park today the temp was -2º below zero and a moderate wind made it feel like -20º below zero! But to my surprise I ended up seeing a fair amount of good wildlife today. In fact I'd say it was one of the best visits I've had in months. One of the first birds I spotted was this male Northern Cardinal. He was perched in a Buckthorn tree not too far off the trail. Cardinals are kind of easily spook-able in my experience –unless they're busy eating something. But this one let me walk right up to him. I wondered if maybe he just didn't want to exert the energy to fly away due to the cold temperature. One thing I noticed today was that a few Cardinals were singing loudly. And the song was so distinctly out of place on a day like today. I realized it was something I'm more used to hearing in the springtime which made me think that even the birds are longing for a warm up! Not long after, I had a good shot at this Hairy Woodpecker also not far off the paved trail. I also spotted a Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadees and a small group of Cedar Waxwings today. The Waxwing were eating from a clump of snow that was clinging to the branches. This is a common behavior for them which I've witness multiple times before. Later on when I came to the foot bridge over Shingle Creek I noticed some movement upstream. There was a group of four Deer walking straight down the creek towards me. I got excited at the good photo opportunity but as they came closer the lead Deer sensed my presence though I was holding perfectly still. Eventually the group turned back around and climbed up the creek bank. I sat on a park bench and watched for a while. More Deer joined them from across the field near the town homes. Then even more. Another hiker coming down the trail along the creek must have scared the entire group and they all high tailed it back across the creek. There were 10 in that group, followed shortly by another 4. Add that to one I spotted earlier makes 15 Deer I spotted today! I think that is more than I've seen in the past 4 months combined. As I was heading back to my vehicle, I heard a deep "whoo whoo" coming from behind me. It sounded not too far away and I decided to follow it as best I could. It continued just long enough for me to get into the general area and then it stopped. With my binoculars I scanned the trees looking at any kind of dark clump. In only the second clump I looked at, I noticed a pair of dark, pointy vertical shapes. The view was difficult and blocked by a lot of branches but I knew right away that it was Great Horned Owl on her nest! This is only the second time I've ever seen one in a nest and again I'm shocked by how small and crude of a nest they use. The reason is that Great Horned Owl's don't build their own nest. Instead they re-use one –typically built by Squirrels! As in my last encounter, the mother was right up next to the tree trunk with her tail poking over the side. I stayed a fair distance away as to not disturb her too much and risk endangering the productivity of the nest.

Another Coating of Winter

On Thursday & Friday of this week, we got walloped again with another snowstorm. Some predictions were saying it might be the single largest snowfall of the season. As if we need any more snow! I don't remember what the actual total was but I'm guessing it was somewhere around 7 - 9 inches. Neighbors have been plowing and digging out all weekend and the snowbanks are becoming increasingly difficult to see over at intersections. After I finally got my own driveway cleared I was able to get to the park on Sunday. Heavy, wet and sticky snow still clung to everything days later and it seems every little twig in the park has expanded to double it's girth. Snow like this can dramatically change the landscape and the look of things and it was just interesting to look at. Birds were somewhat scarce today other than the usual Juncos, Cardinals and a few Woodpeckers. I did watch a Chickadee very closely as it inspected the end of a broken off branch –probably for some kind of food. Later in the same area I thought I noticed some movement in the thickly coated shrubs. When I peered in I could see a group of Mourning Doves huddled together under the new white canopy of snow. I really wanted to get in closer for a better pic but stepping off of the trail meant falling into snow up to my waist! Somewhere on the west side I stopped to watch a few Northern Cardinals and admire their red color against the clear blue sky.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2014

This Saturday morning I had an extra reason to hike around the park. Yesterday through Monday is the annual 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count. This count is a joint venture between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada. Furthermore it is powered by a widely used online reporting website called ebird. Since becoming a full-fledged bird geek in recent years, I've participated in both this count as well as what is called the annual "Christmas Bird Count." I've gotta say that I prefer the Great Backyard Bird Count or "GBBC" as it is just all around an easier commitment to make. Whereas with the Christmas Bird count you are encouraged to go out in groups, cover a LOT of ground –much of it by car– AND have a designated expert in identification among your group, the GBBC essentially lets you do everything on your own. You can cover as little or as much ground you like, and in fact you could do it from your window without even leaving home! So for at least one day a year in February, I like to be a little more fastidious when I'm out bird watching so that I can report my results. I did have a little help from a friend today in doing so, though we didn't make it all the way around the park. With the temp being at only 5 degrees above zero, and with my lower back still bothering me, we only hiked about half the trails. Probably the highlight though was a Hawk that we spotted not too far in from the trail. At first I thought this was a Red-tailed Hawk but upon closer look and seeing a long, bared tail we concluded it is a Cooper's Hawk. We also saw a fairly large flock of House Finches in the same area and were wondering if maybe the Hawk was watching them as well. The other most interesting thing we spotted could unfortunately not be counted as it was dead! Some time earlier another park goer stopped to ask us "what kind of feathers were these?" We both thought they looked like Pheasant feathers. Then later we started noticing more similar feathers laying on the trail. My friend then spotted a dark spot about 10 feet off the trail. There laying mangled in the snow was indeed a rooster Pheasant. Our first though was that it was likely attacked by a Great Horned Owl. So we looked for "wingtip imprints" in the snow and sure enough there they were. These are hard to take a photo of and so I passed on that. But I do have some photos of it here in an older blog entry. Whatever did kill this Pheasant didn't stick around long enough to consume everything it could. There was lots of it left. This is kind of a disturbing photo, but you can see some of what the Pheasant had eaten in it's lifetime.

Following is our bird count report submitted to ebird.org.

Palmer Lake Park, Hennepin, US-MN
Feb 14, 2014 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:     5 degrees above zero, snow heading in soon.5 species

Cooper's Hawk  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Black-capped Chickadee  5
House Finch  35

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16956735

This report was generated automatically by the Great Backyard Bird Count (http://gbbc.birdcount.org)

Another Gray Day

Due to our recent long-running cold snap, I've often been waiting until the afternoon to go around the park. It helps some as the temps can at least crawl into the teens instead of single digits above zero! I also tried to change things up today by walking the opposite direction of what I normally do. The sky was overcast today giving me hopes that I might spot an Owl but I had no such luck. There was a kind of bird "hot spot" that I came across on the north side where someone had dumped a handful of field corn. There were quite a few Cardinals here, perched in the trees above and waiting their turn to swoop down and steal a piece. I thought I might finally get a good Cardinal shot this way but they still spooked when I went in close. As I waited there were both Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers flying back and forth above me. They had no interest in the corn as they continued to hammer at the trees looking for insects of some kind. Finally this female Cardinal came in for a bite. Later near the southeast side before the duck pond, I noticed a group of Sparrows in some bushes right off the trail. At first glance most appeared to be Tree Sparrows but then I realized there was something different in there. They turned out to be House Sparrows. I have oodles of these in my own back yard but rarely do I see them at PLP. I just read recently that both European Starlings and House Sparrows will intentionally destroy eggs AND even peck to death other species of baby songbirds such as Bluebirds. This is why the House Sparrow is generally considered a "nuisance bird." From here I could already hear the Mallards and wondered how many were there today. As expected there had to be somewhere close to 200 in the same place, keeping the water from freezing over. This is the very reason I refer to the area as 'the Duck Pond." It is sometimes fun to sit and look carefully among the group for species other than Mallard. This is how I first became aware of a single Gadwall that had joined the group in past years. I can tell that other park goers have been feeding them as when I approach the group they actually fly up the bank and come right too me. More on that in a future post! After I moved on and was making my way through the snow trampled wood chip trails, I noticed a solitary bird perched up in the top of a tree overlooking the center of the park. I actually didn't give it too much thought, but then realized quickly what it might be. Indeed it was a Northern Shrike and I've not seen one for at least a month I think! Of course he was way off the trail so I decided to hike through the snow to get closer. I quickly learned just how deep the snow was as I sunk up to my knees with every step. I only made it about half the proximity I had intended before the Shrike flew off. Unfortunately this was the best photo I got, with it facing away from me. Oh, I also later spotted a handful of Robins perched in similar fashion near the tops of the trees.