Birds and Caterpillars and Mink, Oh My!

Well there are slowly but surely signs that the season is changing. There are only a few days left of February (including a leap year day) and then technically winter is over. When I say technically I mean "meteorologically" that Spring spans the months of March, April and May. I had a FOY (first of year) bird right off the bat today when I spotted a Brown Creeper making his way up a tree. I actually heard him first, which is only one of a handful of times that I've ever heard them make any noise. It was a high-pitched sound and I first thought it was a Cedar Waxwing which made me look up and find him. I didn't get a great photo but it was a good find regardless. On the duck pond was one lone Canada Goose who appeared to be soaking up the sun along the shoreline. I've seen a few small flocks moving around as of late which is another good sign. Since it was such nice light and relatively mild in temperature I decided to just stand for a while near where the water flows under the wood chip trail. In nearly no time at all, I heard a loud creature making it's way towards me. I though it was a Deer at first but I could see nothing. Then I saw a flash of white near the ground which made me thing it was a Rabbit or something. It continued toward me in a hurry and all of a sudden there appeared a Mink carrying his prey! I could hardly believe it. He stopped right in front of me on the edge of the water, likely sensing my presence but not actually seeing me. He was carrying quite a large chuck of dead animal and I'm still trying to figure out what exactly it was. It had almost white fur and reminded me of an Opossum but that seems kind of unlikely for the area. Whatever it was, it clearly lost a battle to the Mink which isn't surprising as Mink are apparently quite viscous little critters. It was one of the more interesting Mink sightings I've had at the park! Later I made my way around the remainder of the park stopping here and there for Chickadees, a male Red-bellied Woodpecker, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks and even a FOY Wooly Bear Caterpillar crossing the trail. Actually there were two caterpillars as well, just a few yards apart. Spring will be here soon!

Christmas Eve Day

Today was a day off of work, December 24th with Christmas coming tomorrow. My visit to the park today was something I regretted later for reasons I don't want to share here. Lets just say that I made a choice that I disagreed with later and would have done differently. Life lesson I guess. But the visit wasn't completely wasted. I was surprised to notice a Woolly Bear Caterpillar inching it's way across the paved path! But knowing what I do now about this particular caterpillar, it's not quite as unusual as it may seem. The Woolly Bear –or Isabella Tiger Moth– caterpillar doesn't hatch until Fall and then spends the entire Minnesota winter still in caterpillar form.

It's not until the following spring that it pupates and turns into a moth. During the winter, Woolly Bear can literally freeze solid and still survive! Besides the caterpillar today, I saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee and Northern Cardinal. I also noticed a bright greenish-yellow patch of moss growing on an old dead tree that seemed to be in just the right light for a photo. It was just something that appealed to me today and made for an interesting photo.

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.