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!

Great Blue Heron, Mink and the Grey Ghost

Our weather for the end of March has been unseasonably nice. I decided this afternoon to sit along the edge of Shingle Creek and hopefully see a Wood Duck or Northern Shoveler. Technically some of the migrating ducks have returned, but it's still probably a bit early for them to be congregating on the creek. Regardless, the weather was so nice that I decided to try anyway. On my hike from 73rd Avenue out to the bridge on the north side, I spied my first Great Blue Heron for the park this year! Myself and some others had seen our first one of the year just yesterday at the Coon Rapids Dam. This one today at Palmer was standing in the drainage ditch on the north side that was re-dredged out a couple of years ago. It spooked and flew off shortly after taking this photo. Within minutes of finding a decent spot to plant myself along the creek, I noticed a mink hop up onto the creek bank opposite me. He hopped a little ways, paused and turned to look downstream. It was a perfect picture moment, and my camera failed to turn on! Once in a while I have problems with the contacts or something and I have to turn it off and on once or twice to get it to power up. The mink hopped further downstream and out of view as I swore at my camera. But sure enough a second mink came out of the grass and walked along the edge of the water. This time I was ready for him and was able to snag just one focused image. They are interesting and curious critters and always fun to watch. There were no waterfowl on the water yet, not even downstream and I was getting discouraged. I heard one or two Wood Ducks fly overhead but none stopped on the creek at all. After waiting for probably over an hour, I noticed something else flying very low over the cattails. A friend told me just yesterday that he'd seen FOUR Northern Harriers at the park on Friday in the rain. Indeed this is what I was seeing as Northern Harriers (also known as Marsh Hawks) hunt their prey by gliding very low to the ground, and or hovering in one place while they look downward. This hunting habit is probably the most reliable method of identifying a Harrier, however they also will show an obvious, white "rump patch" when they turn their backside toward you. Both of these signs were visible to me right away, but what I didn't realize at the time is that the male Northern Harrier is very grey in color compared to the female who is more brown in color. Because of this, the male is nicknamed "The Grey Ghost." He was a long ways away and my photos here are very cropped but there is still some detail. If you ever get the chance to see one close up, like at the Raptor Center of Minnesota, you'll see that Harriers have a roundish "face disc" sort of like Owls do. They are fascinating raptors and it has been some time since I've seen them at the park so I was quite happy to forgo any waterfowl for this sighting! Later I ended up hiking the rest of the way around the park and spotted; American Robin, Song Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal and lots of Red-winged Blackbirds. Near sunset I ran into the same aforementioned friend and we hiked out into the field near 73rd Avenue. We didn't really see anything else but enjoyed a nice sunset.

15 Birds, 2 Mink and Some Insects!

I can hardly believe it is only late November now as the weather we've had since our first snow on the 10th has felt much more like December or even January. We've already dipped below 0º and had a couple more snowfalls and it's not even December! This Saturday was slightly warmer and I was anxious to hike around the park. I started tallying up the number of bird species that I spotted because it is just so slow this time of year. After watching some Chickadees and Juncos moving back and forth from the cattails, I spied a small group of Cedar Waxwings picking at the Buckthorn berries. The light wasn't so good and especially shooting upwards like this but I like this picture non-the-less. When I got over to the "duck pond" I started to see all sorts of birds including a few House Finches and Goldfinches. I always enjoy seeing or hearing Goldfinches in the wintertime as they remind me very much of Summer. I'm guessing this one might be an adult male in his winter-time plumage since he shows a bit of very bright yellow still on his face. The Mallards have been slowly growing in numbers since the first snow and I always stop to check out the group just in case there's a stray duck of a different species among them. So far now luck. I did try my hand at catching a picture whenever one would bathe or stretch it's wings and this was the best of the bunch. I'm still no good at catching movement and not having it appear blurry. My very best photo of the day however would be taken just minutes later after I spotted a handful of Cardinals –males and females– moving around low in some dogwood. I crept closer very slowly and positioned myself perfectly on this male somehow without spooking him. He had clearly just eaten something as evident by food left on his bill, so he must have been content just to sit there for a while. So I took advantage and popped off numerous shots and got a couple of very sharp ones. For me, a decent photograph of even a common bird can make my whole day of bird watching well worth it. And at this time of year when everything outdoors starts fading into black or white, a bright red Cardinal is very appreciated! In a short while later I spotted another flash of red, this time being on a Red-bellied Woodpecker. It was here in this same area on the wood chip trail bordering the duck pond that I spotted the majority of the birds I saw today. I believe I had roughly 15 total including:
1. Dark-eyed Junco
2. Black-capped Chickadee
3. American Crow
4. Mallard
5. Blue Jay
6. Northern Cardinal
7. Cedar Waxwing
8. Downy Woodpecker
9. Hairy Woodpecker
10. Red-bellied Woodpecker
11. House Finch
12. American Goldfinch
13. American Tree Sparrow
14. American Robin
15. White-breasted Nuthatch
Aside from these birds, I actually spotted not one but two different Mink! One nearly ran into my foot as I hiked along the wood chip trail on the south side of the park. I could hear shrieking in this area and at first I thought a Raptor had caught a rodent of some kind. But I quickly learned it was indeed a Mink moving through the cattails at a hurried pace –possibly with another one chasing it, though I only saw the one. Then on the complete opposite end of the park, I spotted another one. This time bounding up the banks of the drainage ditch under the northern most paved trail that leads out of the park. Neither one stayed put long enough for a photo of any kind. However it was here that I spotted something interesting –flying insects! There were 2 or 3 of them flying through the air and landing on dried Goldenrod plants. I could hardly believe what I was seeing considering how cold it has been. Simply amazing what nature can withstand.

Close Encounter with a Mink

Our temperatures have been seriously cold for December –much more like it usually is in January or February. On Thursday of this week, we finally reached a high of 13 or 14º and it was the warmest day in 8 days! This warming trend (if you can call it that) continued into this weekend and this Saturday was fairly tolerable –especially when the sun even came out. I bundled up and went first for a walk at MAC park over in Crystal behind the airport. It's kind of a small park but similar habitat to PLP. However I didn't see hardly anything there save for maybe a Nuthatch, a couple of Woodpeckers, and a Red-tailed Hawk from a long ways away. I was still hungry for seeing some wildlife and so after my short hike there I ended up at PLP anyways. I decided to hike right through the snow along the tree line along the northeast side from 73rd Avenue. I'd hardly walked in 50 feet or so when I saw something small and brown scurry away not to far ahead to my right. I stopped immediately in my tracks as to not make any more noise. At first I thought it was a weasel because it was so small. But then I saw it again briefly and realized it was yet another Mink! This was quite a ways from the creek so I was quite surprised to see him way out here. On my last glimpse he'd darted behind a mound of snow supported by tall weeds underneath. I decided to go down on haunches and wait a while since he was SO very close. After 5 or more minutes I couldn't hold that position and stood up. Shortly after I saw a pink nose slowly rise up over a snowbank. Then a pair of eyes that looked directly at me. He was no more than 10 feet away. I stood there motionless taking a few photos but my camera was focusing on small weeds that were in between us. The mink eventually went back down as did I again. I tried moving to my left just a tad in order to clear the weeds that were blocking my view. Right after I did I saw him pop his head up again, this time even closer to me now at about 8 feet away. I was ready for him this time and clicked away on continuous mode. He fully stood up, arms dangling at his side and stared directly at me. I couldn't believe it. Though I didn't move I guarantee he knew I was there but didn't seem too threatened. For a moment he turned to look to the side but never really took one eye off me. After just a short while he disappeared again. I knew I'd gotten some decent shots but decided to wait another while just in case. But after staying as still as I had for this long, I was about frozen by this time and had to get up and move. I decided to walk in towards where he disappeared and found only a small opening in the grass. I couldn't even locate his tracks which stumped me for a while. Then I realized something –he was likely traveling underneath the snow all along, only popping up here and there for a look. I imagined the Mink might have had quite an elaborate system of roads underneath the snow and I hoped I hadn't crushed any of them. Though I've actually been even closer in proximity to them before, this was the first time we both knew how close we were!

More Mink!

Today was the last day of November and again I'd planned only to walk from 73rd Avenue to the bridge and back. But surprisingly when I got to the bridge, I noticed a Mink heading straight down the frozen creek towards me. I hadn't even had a chance to adjust my camera settings yet and here the Mink kept coming closer and closer. I froze there in my tracks on the bridge and shot a bunch of photos on burst mode, but with the wrong focus mode I learned later. To my amazement the Mink continued hopping towards me. He paused one time to eye me up but then continued on right underneath the bridge I was standing on! Then I spotted him hop up underneath the new wooden bridge footings. He popped his head out quickly, I think to look at me and then went back underneath. I quickly backed off the bridge towards my side and jumped down underneath to find him sitting right there on the other end. I went to pull up my camera and he turned back the other way, now going back the exact same way he came down the creek. I shot more photos on burst mode, catching some neat photos of him in mid air, that were still unfortunately not quite focused well. Only minutes behind me on the trail was my friend and fellow birder Ron whom I quickly approached to tell of the Mink I'd just seen. Together we spotted the Mink again from the bridge and even a second one appear from an area of open water further down the creek. We decided to hike in for a closer look and ended up sitting on the grassy creek bank just like I'd done last week. We spotted them a few more times but didn't get such a good photo opportunity as I did when I first stepped onto the bridge. A few times we could see one making it's way along the edge of the creek, weaving in and out of the tall grass. Then all of a sudden without warning it would launch out across the ice and run for the other side. This was when they were in plain view but also running the fastest. At one point we noticed a big Crow fly in it and kind of "dive bombed" the Mink. We watched with binoculars and it appeared that the Mink was watching for the Crow to come back. As we inspected some of the area around the open water I noticed that there were obvious blood stains on the ice likely where the Mink have been eating fish. Then later as Ron and I hiked back, we spotted scat that had fish scales in it. The Mink sure have been active along the creek in recent weeks! Oh and as if this weren't fun enough, we also scared up a Great-horned Owl as we were first hiking down the creek to get closer to the Mink. This is the first Owl I've seen this season and it was a real treat to see on such a nice sunny day. After perching for just a short time the Owl took off again and flew almost right over where we'd seen the Mink. We wondered if he had been watching them too!

Cold, Windy and Short

After battling increasingly painful lower back pain for more than a year, I am fairly convinced that my long walks at PLP are detrimental to my condition. I was told only yesterday by my newest care provider to limit my walking to 30 minutes or less. So today I decided I would hike out only as far as the bridge from 73rd Ave. N. and maybe just sit for a while. In order to do so I had to dress extremely warm with the temps somewhere in the teens coupled with a nasty wind. Shingle Creek had only just barely frozen over as of yesterday –kind of a "flash freeze" due to the sudden drop in temperature on Saturday. It was as smooth as a skating rink but only maybe half an inch thick, trapping leaves and seeds in their place which reflected in the sun. I sat the base of a large Cottonwood tree on the sunny side which was also the windward side and watched out over the creek. I wondered if I might see a Mink, or even better the River Otter that had been reported by a friend of mine. After a long while of not seeing anything I decided to hike back along the creek bank. Almost as soon as I'd turned around I saw something brown and furry scurry across the ice quickly – a Mink! I waited for another long while and eventually it came back across to my side again. I was really far for a photo so I hiked up a bit further and waited again. Sure enough I saw him one more time but by the time I pulled my camera up I was sure I missed him. When I got home and looked closely I can just barely make out his rear end and tail poking out of the weeds, as indicated by the pink arrow. After giving it another long while and not seeing him again I decided to call it and hike back. I'd honestly not seen more than maybe 1 bird by this time and was thinking I wouldn't have any photos to post today. But on the very short hike back to my car I did end up seeing a few Robins, Chickadees and Juncos. One of the Juncos held very still for me long enough to get in close and I was pleasantly surprised with the photo I got. I was really happy to get such a nice shot of any bird today in the short distance I hiked. This one bird and photo meant the world to me today.

Critters Everywhere

I can hardly believe July is coming to a close in the next few days. I've been out birding a fair amount this month but didn't get to Palmer Lake Park until this Sunday morning. Our hot and humid weather has thankfully been replaced by much more tolerable conditions. In fact I thought twice about wearing shorts this morning but was glad I did when the sun warmed things up. The first thing of interest that I noticed was a curious looking shape inside an old Wood Duck house just off the wood chip trail near the south parking lot. I've gone by this house hundreds of times and never seen a duck in it. So when I saw a flash of movement come from that vicinity, I took a closer look. With my binoculars I could see a pair of feet sticking up. This could only mean one thing so I went in closer and sure enough a masked face peered back at me. Though I hated to see a Raccoon in a Duck box, it's not often that I see Raccoons at all in the park so it was kind of a treat. Later I spotted this nice Red Admiral Butterfly who was attracted to a purple Thistle flower. I waded into the tall weeds, getting poked and scratched by other thistle and nettles to get the photo but it was worth it. I'm still hardly seeing ANY Monarch Butterflies this year which is very sad. Later when I got to the foot bridge over Shingle Creek on the north side, I stopped like I often do to watch the creek for signs of any wildlife. After a few minutes I'd not seen anything and was walking off the other side of the bridge when I spotted something swimming across the creek. It hopped up onto the shoreline and I could see another one then on the shore. I got excited and thought maybe they were Otters –as they have been sighted in the park before (but not be me yet!) I decided again to brave the weeds in my shorts and hiked along the creek bank down stream. Just a short time later I spotted 3 of the furry critters and realized they were much too small for an Otter and were indeed Mink! This was the first time I'd seen more than 2 of them together. Boy are these guys fun to watch. They are so playful. As I sat as quietly as possible while being bitten up by mosquitoes, a Mink swam directly toward me and then hopped up on shore again. It zig zagged through the tall grass right beneath my feet! All the while it made a short, barking kind of call and I heard another one further down stream responding. This was also the first time I've ever heard a mink make any noise and it was very cool! Then the 3rd one came across the water and up the shoreline in the same path as the last, also making the same noise. I was literally within just feet of them and I don't think they even realized it. I tried imitating the sound as best I could but I sounded more like a duck than a Mink. I was truly hoping one of them didn't crawl up my leg or something because they were that close to me! On my way back across the north end of the park I heard and then spotted a Common Yellowthroat along the paved trail. I love hearing and seeing these colorful little warblers and so I stalked this one from one side of the trail to the other, back and forth until I was able to get in close to him. I caught this photo just at the right time while he was belting out his "wichety wichety wichety" song.

My Big Month - Day 20

It was raining off and on today and although I had the day off I waited until later in the day for the weather to clear before going out birding. It ended up to be just a beautiful evening and it was a really nice and relaxing walk for me. I really thought I was going to see a lot today but for some reason it seemed a little quieter than normal in regards to bird activity. Maybe they knew there was even more rain on the way overnight. There were a few highlights of the day; seeing a Magnolia Warbler, calling in a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and also getting to see a Mink very close up! I actually did end up with a couple of pretty nice photos of two different yellow birds -a Goldfinch and a Common Yellowthroat but since I've already used both species in previous "Big Month" posts, I decided to post this photo instead. This is a Brown Thrasher sitting on her nest. I don't want to even say where this is but I'll tell you that I would have never have found it without watching the activity of another Thrasher last week. She is quite well hidden and sheltered so I hope the nest is successful. I may check on it from time to time but do not plan to get close for fear of disturbing them. Though it might look like it, this photo was taken from a fair distance away and I don't plan on even coming that close again in the future. As mentioned above, my most fun sighting of the evening was not a bird at all but a playful and curious Mink. I spotted him swimming across a drainage ditch on the far north end of the park and watched him hop up onto the bank through my binoculars. To my surprise he then proceeded to bounce along the water's edge making his way closer and closer to me. I bent down on my knee and just continued to watch him. I think he had planned on crossing the trail to get to the other side of the ditch because he eventually popped out right there in front of me. It was awesome to finally see a Mink in plain view and in such close proximity! I didn't realize just how long their tails are, and it was also darker colored than the rest of his fur. Although I hadn't made a sound he was aware of me right away and looked pretty surprised to see me. All it took was to click my shutter once and he instantly turned around heading back the way he came. It is quite apparent how well adapted this mammal is for the environment in which it lives. It just easily covered so much ground in so little time and then dipped back into the water with barely a splash.

Total species seen today: Brown Thrasher, Common Grackle, Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal, Mallard, House Finch, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Bald Eagle, Least Flycatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Crow, Blue Jay and Canada Goose.

Conditions: 72 degrees and partly sunny.

Fresh Snow and Critters

Last Tuesday a fairly significant snowstorm moved through the state. It hit areas north of us with nearly a foot but the Twin Cities got about 3 to 4 inches max. Then last night we had about another inch added on top making it actually feel like winter for a change. The park was very much alive today with some great sights. First I caught this Muskrat sitting on the thin ice over the waterway connecting the duck pond to the next lake. Before this photo he was eating what looked to be a greenish colored weed or cattail and I couldn't figure out where he would have gotten that. On the northeast side I wandered up the next trail for a bit when I started to hear a loud shrieking bird call. At first I thought it was a Blue Jay imitating a Hawk. It took me a while to finally get to where the sound was coming from to see that it was a Hawk. He only sat still for a couple of photos before taking off but I think it was probably a Red-tailed. The next bird I saw really stood out against today's overcast and grey skies. This Cardinal was picking Buckthorn berries with his back to the wind -as evident by his crown feathers periodically bending all the way over the front of his head. But the best sighting of the day was yet to come on the south side. As I crossed the bridge over the creek I looked upstream which and spotted another Muskrat on the ice underneath a bush. I quietly made my way up the woodchip trail when I saw what I thought was yet another one on an island of ice in the creek. As it moved I realized it wasn't a Musksrat but a Mink! I had my camera on him right away but there were so many trees and brush in the way. Though I didn't get a decent picture of it, he was eating a little fish about 6 inches long. After he finished that he walked back my way along the ice island and even looked directly at me as I was searching for a better clearing through the brush. He hung out along the edge of the water for a bit, burying his snout into the snow in search of something. Then he turned around and slinked along towards the other end of the ice. There were a pair of Mallards swimming by and when the Mink got to the end of the ice, he jumped high in the air landing in the water right by them, sending the ducks off quacking angrily. It was hilarious and seemed to have no point other than amusement for the Mink.

Monday Morning Mink

I had an extra day off from work today for MLK Day so I visited the park just after 11am. It was colder than yesterday at around 27 degrees. After hearing reports of attempted vehicle thefts at my normal parking spot, I've changed to parking on the east side now. Going in my usual clockwise direction, I see the whole south end of the park first now. Only minutes after leaving my vehicle I was passing by the small pond south of the baseball diamonds and was amazed to see a critter pop his head out of a small hole in the ice near the shoreline. I was within mere feet when I spotted this protruding face and I hadn't even taken my camera out of the case yet! The animal saw me pretty quickly as well and darted back under. It's quick behavior, shape and color told me that it was a Mink and I was shocked to have gotten this close to one. I though to myself I'll never have a better photo opportunity of one so I decided to sit there and wait for him to reappear. I had to explain to a lot of passersby why I was standing there staring down at a frozen pond. I even told a few people what I had just seen and they looked at me kind of strange -either not knowing what a Mink was, or disbelieving that one would be in a city park. After about 20 minutes I was ready to give up and then he popped his head out once more. This time he didn't come out as far and kind of rested his head on the snow for a second. I slowly moved up my camera, took one shot and then he was gone again. It was one of only 7 photos I took during my entire walk -and quite a lucky one at that!

Some Rare Sightings

This Sunday morning was bright but overcast; the kind of day where you could see a whole lot of nothing. In fact it turned out the opposite as I had a chance to see a few birds that are rank low on my list of recorded sightings. Being it the end of August and still fairly warm, I paused near the north west corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of a Hummingbird -which I quickly did. Interestingly enough, I was distracted by a larger bird that flew off quickly, flashing an unusual pattern of black, white and brown. I followed this sight to a new perch and spotted a bird that I couldn't easily recognize. The only hint I picked up on thick, stubby bill, making me think it was possibly a Grosbeak. Then within just seconds, another similar sized bird appeared with almost identical coloring and pattern on it's head, but with a bright red patch in the shape of a V on it's chest. I was excited both in knowing that I'd guessed correctly and in getting to see the male Grosbeak so closely! There was an obvious difference though, between this and the few other Rose breasted Grosbeaks I've seen before. This male had not the full, black colored head, but a patterned yellow and brown head just like the female. I can only assume then that he was a juvenile and not fully developed. Even more interesting is that the male was plucking and swallowing the berries from the shrubs. Later on I had a few other good bird photo opportunities including a Goldfinch, Common Yellowthroat and some fledgling Robins. The one I just couldn't pass up though was this Grey Catbird who was singing his heart out. They're not much for coloring but they really make up for it with their songs. Finally, one last thing I thought was blog-worthy, was another rare sighting of a Mink along the banks of the creek where it flows back out of Palmer Lake. I gotta admit, I thought for sure this was a Muskrat, but after watching it -and another one- swim about quickly, dive and resurface, I'm pretty sure they were Mink. It's hard to tell from this photo but it was the only time it came out into the open, whereas the other one stayed underneath the overhanging tree on the creek.

Quiet Sunday

This Sunday morning I arrived at the park just after 8:00am and it was noticeably quieter than usual. I think a lot of people are out of town on vacation or something because I nearly had the park to myself. Something I find myself doing often after visiting the same park time-after-time, is to find myself in a particular place and remembering a previous encounter with wildlife. While rounding the southwestern corner of the park I paused to look at spot where I'd seen a Coyote sitting in winter, staring out across the middle of the park. The landscape had changed so drastically since then. I didn't see as many birds as yesterday although I did spot a few Goldfinches and a big male Flicker in the tall grass of the baseball fields. After walking up the wood chip trail along the creek on the south side, I quickly spotted a Mink swimming across the water towards a thicket of trees. I'm not sure how to describe the difference between a Mink and a Muskrat when they swim -but I would say that a Mink looks a lot longer and holds it's head almost completely above water. I'm glad to know they are still in the area -maybe they will help clean out some of the Carp in Shingle Creek. While in the same area by the water overlook, I took some time to clean up a bunch of garbage left by people fishing from the railroad ties. I really don't get people who bring in all kinds of stuff -cans, bottles, plastic wrappers and bags, proceed to fish for a while, then just up and leave without a care in the world about cleaning up the mess they just made. What a bunch of idiots. It's a whole 10 minute walk back to the parking lot where there are 3-4 garbage cans, yet they'll leave empty plastic bags and even tangled up fishing line just feet from the edge of the water. After picking up all this crap, I noticed a fairly large, winged insect and decided to grab a photo as it was kind of unusual. It reminded me of some much larger "water-bugs" I've seen in the past along Minnesota riverbanks. When I came back to the parking lot, I'd just gotten in my vehicle when I noticed a Chipmunk crawling around in the trees and bushes near my parking space. Though Chipmunks are so common, it was the first time I'd seen one at the park so I rolled down my window and took this photo from inside my truck. Another mammal to add to my list!

Dark Saturday evening

I didn't make it to the park until about quarter to 7 this Saturday evening. Though the forecast called for a break in the clouds, it remained dark, cold and windy all day long. There actually was a lot to see but unfortunately it was one of those days where the light was just too dim for my camera. I'm continuing to see more Yellow-rumped Warblers and also saw the Mink again on the south side of Shingle Creek. I've also caught glimpses of Wild Turkeys here and there since my first sighting a couple weeks ago. Tonight I had one in view for quite a while near the creek on the southwest side. It wandered back and forth for a while and eventually walked off into the Cattails. I saw a group of 3 Deer shortly afterward and then I spotted the first Bluebird of the season as well. I took lots of pictures of both the Deer and Bluebird but again they just weren't turning out. On the north side I did a double-check with my binoculars on what seemed to be an odd looking Robin and realized it was the Kestral! Last time I'd seen one there was still snow on the ground. He was quite a ways away and when I hiked closer he took off so this is the best shot I got. A little while later I spotted another lone Turkey and a few more Deer. Then another group of 10 more Deer as it was really starting to get dark. As I was coming all the way around back to my vehicle in the parking lot, the clouds broke way way off in the horizon and the sun finally shown for the first time in the day. It was short lived but a brilliantly colored sunset.

Wednesday night wildlife

This Wednesday evening was much more mild with temps near the norm of 50-55 degrees. When I arrived at the parking lot on the south side I could see a lot of waterfowl in the usual place where the creek empties into the lake. As I started walking and got a bit closer though I could see that a large portion consisted of Northern Shovelers! This time there were males and females. Again I checked by posts from last year and my first sighting was on April 18th. It's pretty neat to have a sightings record of various birds and then to learn that it's within days of the previous year! One bird I've been seeing a lot of lately has been the Common Grackle. I first started to notice them among large groups of Red-winged Blackbirds. They are a bit larger than the Blackbirds and have an iridescent blue head that only appears at certain angles. This evening a few were feeding on and around the flooded low areas just off the woodchip trails. One pulled a worm out of the ground just like you normally see Robins do. I saw quite a few Deer tonight though most were at long distances. For a while I stopped to watch a group of 6 in which one was acting completely goofy. It would jump up into the air, spin around, then bolt quickly in a different direction. I even witnessed it trot backwards -something I've never seen a Deer do before, and it was quite funny. Later on the south side I spotted something swimming quickly through the water. Though I captured just one quick photo, I'm quite sure it was the Mink again. He seemed way to slender and agile to be a Muskrat -especially the way he dove under the water. I sat for quite a while here and actually saw him 4 more times. At each moment when I was about to snap my shutter he would dive back under the water. I spotted him on solid ground just once and again as I went for a pic he dove back into the water.

Two more bird species

This Wednesday I spent over 2 hours at the park and took a whopping 98 photos. This was mostly due to the fact that I spent extra time sitting in various placing hoping to get closer to my subject. The first thing I saw though was right along the paved path and quite close. There were at least 3 or more Cedar Waxwings -something I've not seen in a long time. This time however they were close enough for me to notice the small, brightly colored details I was previously unaware of. Check out the bright yellow tip of the tail and bright red tips of the wings. Later, I decided to sit for a while again under the big Cottonwood tree on the creek, still trying to get closer to the Hooded Mergansers. While they stayed mostly out of range, a single small duck appeared close to me out of nowhere. It was a Pied-billed Grebe, the first I've ever seen at the park. I watched him dive under the water and resurface after long periods over and over again. My field guide says Pied-billed Grebes are very sensitive to pollution so I'm kind of surprised to see one here as Shingle creek is full of garbage and plastic bottles. I can't tell if the park is attracting more species of birds or if maybe I'm just more on the look out for them. As I was almost back to the parking lot I noticed an oddly colored Duck way out on the opposite end of the lake. He was black and white but even from this distance I could see the brightly colored yellow eyes tipping me off that it was a Common Goldeneye. There was also a female with a dark brown head. A couple other noteworthy things I saw but were unable to photograph were a Blue-winged Teal and the Mink swimming in the creek again.