Another Great Day of May Birding

I saw a lot of great birds today around the park and in fact I got too many nice photos that I can't post them all. So I've picked my favorite one from a good variety representing what I all saw today. The first is a Warbler that I've seen before at the park but one I've never got great photos of –until today. This Tennessee Warbler was calling so loudly and constantly that I probably wouldn't have seen him otherwise hiding in the Willows just off the paved trail on the east side. I followed the sound and spotted him but he quickly darted away. Like I do often, I tried "pishing" which is just making a "pish" sound which is sometimes known to attract curious birds. For probably the first time ever it actually worked and brought this colorful little Warbler right in close to me! I snapped photos wildly, knowing he likely wouldn't sit still for very long. Luckily it was long enough to capture 3 or 4 decent photos which nicely show the olive-green and grey color scheme. I was so happy to have captured this guy that the rest of my hike seemed inconsequential. But I was in for more great birds as this time of year can provide the pinnacle of surprises. And surprised I was, to notice a brief movement down at my feet while passing a little pond just south of the baseball diamonds on the east side. I wondered "could it be?" and so I decided to sit indian style right on the paved trail and wait. Sure enough, minutes later a small Sora poked his head into view between the weeds. I've never had such a perfect and closeup view as this! He really didn't pay any attention to me and I sat there as still as possible with my finger on the shutter button snapping away. I was provided fantastic looks at this secretive member of the "Rail" family and it was a very memorable sighting! Like other Rails and related swamp dwelling birds, the Sora has huge, lobed feet to help it stand and walk through the muddy and unstable habitat in which it lives. Later I stopped to watch a Gray Catbird long enough to catch a few images. They are always entertaining to watch and especially to listen to as they hardly make two notes that sound the same. Their lack of colorful plumage is more than made up for by their colorful calls. One more Warbler graced my camera lens later on. This is a female Common Yellowthroat and I'm quite amazed that I was able to capture her among the thick brush she was in. It was almost like she posed just in the right place for me to see and photograph her. Many times if you see a female Yellowthroat, the male is also around somewhere close but I did not see him. This is one species, that for me is easier to identify by it's behavior than anything else. You are likely to find them hopping around in dense underbrush and they can be very close to you without you even realizing it. There were also plenty of Baltimore Orioles visible today at the park. Through all my efforts, I've yet to capture a photo of one that I like. They tend to perch quite high in trees and for that reason I always find myself underneath them instead of looking straight on at them. This was one of my closer shots. Some of the other species I saw today included; Mallard, Tree Swallow, Canada Goose, Palm Warbler, Bald Eagle, Yellow Warbler, White-throated Sparrow & American Redstart. I also saw two very young Bucks and a nice cluster of Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants.

Saturday Soaker

This Saturday it rained almost all morning. It is much needed after such a dry summer but by now it's almost too late for many plants and trees that have endured yet another hot and dry summer. After about 1:00pm or so it stopped raining and I was able to get in a walk around the park. It was completely cloudy and everything was still wet but at least my camera would stay dry. There aren't many trees showing fall colors yet but there are usually a few exceptions where immature trees turn quickly and shed a few brightly colored leaves. I figured the recent rain might really bring out the birds but instead it was somewhat quiet. One good bird I did spot was a Tennessee Warbler who was picking on the white berries of a Dogwood bush. I always wondered what birds might eat these and now I know at least one. I didn't get a good photo of him and as I approached closer he flew off, but I could definitely ID him by that unique almost iridescent olive-green coloring on his back. Other birds I saw a lot of later on were White-throated Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees and Northern Cardinals. After spotting a small yellow bird on the north side, I happened to notice this Woolly bear Caterpillar who was actually eating on a plant. Honestly I can't say I've ever seen one actually eating a plant before, and I never really knew what they might eat. I've almost always just seen them crawling on the ground. Surprisingly he was nibbling on a common Thistle plant. It looked like maybe the plant had broken and he was eating the inside, or maybe it was the Caterpillar himself that was responsible for eating right through the stalk. Woolly Bears have a fascinating life cycle and can actually freeze completely solid through the winter before pupating the following Spring. Eventually they turn into what is called the Isabella Tiger Moth.

Another Great Day of Birding

I got an early start this Saturday and arrived at the park just before 8am. The sun is getting higher in the sky every day and the weather today was fantastic. I heard and spotted a huge variety of birds and took exactly 90 photos! In only the first 15 to 20 minutes, I'd seen Common Yellowthroats, Baltimore Orioles, Yellow Warblers, and an Osprey picking a fish out of the lake. I'm constantly trying for a better photo of a Yellow Warbler so I stalked this one for a while until he finally came out into the open. They tend to hide out in the dense tree tops so it's always nice to see one in clear view without any leaves in the way. After watching some Canada Geese with babies and then a small group of 3 deer, I spotted a most unusual pair of birds high up some thick trees on the north side. In the brief moments that I could see them through the leaves, I could make out 2 distinct colors -a deep blue and a rusty brown. I thought for sure I was seeing a new Warbler of some kind and it was quite exciting. I desperately tried for photos but the view was unforgiving as the pair hopped around quickly inside the thick tree top. Based on my photos, later study told me that it just couldn't have been a Warbler. I had to call in support from more experienced birders who confirmed that they were Indigo Buntings -in their second year plumage! This explained the brown color as they were probably molting. After spending close to 30 minutes alone trying to get better photos, I moved on but didn't have to go that far to spot yet another colorful bird. This Rose-breasted Grosbeak actually flew right into view just a bit further down the trail. He initially landed with his back side to me and though not as colorful, it was interesting to see the sharp black and white patterns. This bird also didn't like to stay put for very long but with all the moves he made, his front side eventually came into view. I was quite happy with this photo and they are sure a fun bird to see -and hear, though this one never made a sound. Near the end of my walk I'd run into a fellow birder and we stood comparing photos and watching whatever came by. He pointed out a Tennessee Warbler to me and I was able to spot it in my binoculars for just a few seconds. I'm going to try and remember it's drab olive greenish-grey color but it was a pretty plain looking bird. Then a Baltimore Oriole flew in fairly close to us and began picking at the leaves, sometimes even nearly hanging upside down to get at what he was looking for. My birder friend explained that he was eating up all those little green inchworms that are so plentiful lately.

Becoming a Birder

Slowly but surely, my regular visits to Palmer Lake Park over the past couple of years have turned me into an avid "Birder." After cuing in to migration time last year, I'm realizing just how special spring is to birding in Minnesota. This spring, I've spotted and identified twice as many species as last year but I'm also realizing that I'm barely scratching the surface. To me, birding is a lot like collecting coins, stamps, antiques or what have you. Every time I photograph and positively ID a new bird, it's like adding it to my collection. There's also a ton of research regarding subtle nuances and varieties, just the same as if you were collecting anything specific. My collection today started with a nice addition of a Northern Flicker, only the 2nd one I've ever seen at the park. He was high up in a tree and facing me, allowing me to see his spotted breast. Later at the bridge, I spotted a small orange and black bird that landed on the fallen tree laying in Shingle Creek. I tried over and over to catch a photo but it eventually flew off. About this time, a fellow nature lover whom I've come to know, walked up and told me it was an American Redstart. As we stood on the bridge exchanging stories, he pointed out a Water Thrush and a Common Yellowthroat. I only got a photo of the latter -but both are members of the Warbler family. After a while, we ended up walking together for a while and I was amazed at what a keen eye he has for nature. I'd have walked right past without noticing until he pointed out this Jack-in-the-Pulpit plant that was growing just a couple feet off the paved trail. I've only seen them before at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden so it was a special treat to find this one. Just before we got to back to his vehicle, we spotted a couple unidentified warbler-like birds in the plumb trees outside the trail loop that are just now starting to bloom. I went in closer for some pics but only caught two less-than-decent photos. My companion studied the photos and when we got to his truck he pulled out a comprehensive field guide giving merit to his belief that it was a Tennessee Warbler! Since I trust his expertise about 100 times more than my own I'm gonna say that it was indeed a Female Tennessee Warbler. This evening I went and purchased a new field guide to Birds of North America as well as another, smaller guide to Warblers specifically.