Sunny, 78 Degrees and Two New Species!

So our weird weather just continues to get weirder here in Minnesota. Today it got up to 78 degrees and it was kind of like we skipped Spring altogether and jumped headfirst into Summer! It was hard to believe that only 4 days ago we received about 5" of snow and only 9 days ago received 6-8" of snow. There was basically no trace of snow on the ground anywhere today and in fact I took a photo of the only small pile on the side of the trail I could find. I was walking with a friend today and right away we ran into a frequent park-goer who told us of a very unusual looking creature. He told us where we might see it and sure enough it was viewable right there from the footbridge over Shingle Creek on the south side. Indeed it was a Horned Grebe and we had a front row seat, watching it dive and surface over and over. This was an exciting sight for me as it's the first time I've seen one AND the first time I've documented one at PLP. One time when he was close enough, we could see him move underwater after he dove which was neat. They have intensely red eyes which really stand out as well. As we were making our way around the lake on the south end we could see that there were hundreds of waterfowl out on the water -and not just your normal, average Mallards! We were quite a ways away but through my binoculars I could see tons of Ring-necked Ducks, a few Northern Shovelers and mabye a Bufflehead or two. Upon closer examination of the photo once I got home I noticed even more Horned Grebes and possibly even a Ruddy Duck or two but I can't be sure. Also it's possible that maybe some of what I thought were Ring-necks were Scaups but too hard to tell from such a distance. This was the largest group of non-Mallard waterfowl I've ever seen at the park! Later on the south west side I noticed a group of 4 or 5 Brown-headed Cowbirds that we'd walked right past. They weren't making any noise and just sat there silently as I took a few photos. I'd heard a Cowbird much earlier in the year up at the Coon Rapids Dam but haven't officially seen one until today. The female is on the left and male on the right in this photo. Before we turned the corner to head north we noticed a large shape in a tall tree way up ahead and looked closer through binoculars. It was an adult Bald Eagle staring out towards the center of the park. He was a long ways away but once we started up the wood chip trail we realized that he was actually perched above the waterway that connects the two western most bodies of water. My guess is that maybe he was on the lookout for a Coot to snatch up. I was able to get even closer by heading to where the old overgrown railroad ties are and snap a few photos without bumping him. It is always fun to see Bald Eagles at the park and it seem like maybe Jan or Feb was the last time I'd spotted one. On the north side we quite plainly heard Sandhill Cranes again. They have an extremely loud call that tends to echo and to me sounds like some kind of pre-historic bird. There was no sight of them but we could tell they were close. Then all of a sudden one came barreling straight towards us, above the trail but under the tree canopy. I only got off one shot just as it turned and headed to our left. I wasn't even sure if I got it but was quite happy to see this photo when I got home! This was my second new species (for the park) in one day making it quite an enjoyable day.

A Dreary Day in April but Good Birding!

After losing only about 2" of our recent snowfall, the sun went away today thus making Spring seem all the more unattainable. I wasn't quite as motivated to get out to the park today but I dragged myself anyway, knowing that despite looking and feeling like February, the birds know that it's actually late April! In the end I was very glad I went as I saw nearly 30 different species including: Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Canada Goose, Ring-billed Gull, American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, American Coot, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Cooper's Hawk, Wild Turkey, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Red-winged Blackbird, Dark-eyed Junco, American Crow, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Wood Duck, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ring-necked Pheasant, Mourning Dove AND I distinctly heard Sandhill Cranes for the first time ever at the park! I never saw them but I heard them long enough to assume they had at least stopped somewhere in the park for a bit versus flying over. I took quite a few photos today so here goes. First was the Ring-necked Duck which was a great way to start off. I was very surprised to see one in the "Duck pond" which is the western most body of water in the park. In fact it was both a male and female which is exciting because I can't positively say that I'd seen a female Ring-necked before. I tried getting closer but of course as I did the pair swam further away from me. I decided to sit for a while but by the time I finally found a dry fallen tree, they decided to fly up over me and head into the middle of the park. That led me to the other side of the waterway where I quickly noticed both a Blue-winged Teal along with some Coots very near each other. Coots aren't much to look at but they are quite fascinating if you ever get to see them out of the water. Walking on land they appear much more like a chicken than a duck. These were the first ones I'd seen at the park this year but seeing the Teal there was of much more interest to me. I don't know very much about them but they are quite beautiful even though on the water you cannot even see the "blue wing" for which they are named. That portion is tucked away on the upper inside portion of their wing. As the Teal quickly swam back towards the middle of the park I again found a dry place to sit for a while, hoping he and other ducks might come back around the corner if I waited long enough. As I sat there I noticed my friend from yesterday, the Hermit Thrush bouncing around along the ground to my right. Of course I couldn't help but follow him too as he flew back and forth between the bare ground and some low trees. Once he perched on the side of a tree trunk kind of like a Nuthatch does which was something I didn't expect him to do. Finally as I moved around quietly he came to perch in a tree just slightly above my head and I had a nice clear view of him versus when he was on the ground and blending in. They are quite a beautiful bird and I hear they have a wonderful song though I've yet to hear one make the slightest peep so far. After this I continued up the wood chip trail where ahead of me I could see a commotion of two large birds. They were clearly raptors of some kind but I mostly could only see their light colored under sides. One of the two then swooped out straight towards me and then upward to land in a fair sized nest high up in the trees. This was the same nest I'd seen Cooper's Hawks in two years earlier. I could only see the tip of the tail over the edge of the nest so I decided to keep going and see if I could get close to the other one. The other had pretty much stayed in the same place but was kind of flapping about precariously trying to find a bigger branch to hold it's weight. Even from a distance I could see it's bright rusty breast and distinct red eyes, confirming they were indeed Cooper's Hawks. Quite an exiting sight -especially since they appeared to be preparing a nest! On the north side I was hurrying along in hopes that I might get to see some Sandhill Cranes that I could hear faintly but distinctly. I didn't know where to look but as I scanned back and forth I caught a glimpse of one lone Wild Turkey to my right. It was in the vicinity of where I think one had nested last year which made me wonder if it was scouting out a sight. Shortly later I ran into another park goer who said she just saw a pair of Turkey hens so I assume this was one of the two she saw. She mostly had her back to me but eventually turned and headed to the right away from me. The last thing I photographed today was a male Red-winged Blackbird who along with a group of others was making quite a racket. I've still not seen any female Red-wings yet but I assume they are here in small numbers or maybe they're just not as visible yet. The females do tend to blend in way better and it seems like they stay near the ground or near the bottoms of the cattails more. This male tolerated me being quite close to him and I waited until he belted out a loud raspy call for this photo. Every time they call it looks like they put every ounce of energy they have into it as they throw their shoulders and head back, thus showing off their bright shoulder patches. Palmer Lake Park would not be the same without Red-winged Blackbirds.

Early Spring and TWO Brand New Species!!!

At this time last year Spring-like weather had been in full swing for nearly a month already. Last January felt more like February, February more like March and March more like April. But this year has been nearly the opposite -seeming like our weather is one month behind instead. But after today it feels like Spring has finally arrived after all. Very early in the morning we awoke to claps of thunder and lightning which led to a steady downpour of rain most of the early morning. I was itching to go for a bird hike so badly that I put on my full rain suit top and bottom and grabbed my old "pocket-sized" camera instead of my newer DSLR which is impossible to keep dry. By the time I arrived however it had completely stopped raining and I could just tell how much stuff was going to be out today. You could just feel it in the air -and hear it as well! I drove back home, ditched my rain pants and grabbed my newer camera -and boy was I glad that I did. Sometime during the week a LOT of other Red-winged Blackbirds have found their way back to the park and they could be heard abundantly today -though all males so far. If I were to define Spring with a "sound" it would be that of the RWB. I was very hopeful that today I might catch a glimpse of at least one returning species of bird -and it didn't take long until I did. The first were Tree Swallows that were zooming all over the cattails on the north side. There were maybe 4-5 of them and they just continuously flew back and forth, climbing and diving over and over again. I waited for a long while hoping to catch one perched for a bit but they never took a break. So to prove my first sighting for the season I had to attempt to catch one in flight which proved pretty difficult. Along the way I had already heard lots of Goldfinches chirping away but I was finally able to spot a group of them feeding on seeds from last year's plants. Though Goldfinches might not completely leave our state during the winter, they don't always stay around the park in the winter. In fact I'd say you are more likely to see a Robin versus a Goldfinch at PLP in the wintertime. I'd already spotted a Goldfinch last weekend that was quite yellow already but didn't get a shot of one until today. There were both males and females in various stages of "yellowing up" for the season -yet another sure sign of Spring. When I got to the bridge over Shingle Creek I could see lots of waterfowl way downstream through my binoculars. They were very far away but I thought I caught a glimpse of something interesting like a Goldeneye maybe. I also knew that Hooded Mergansers had been spotted a couple weeks ago already up at the Coon Rapids Dam area so I was hoping I might see some of them as well. I decided to hike downstream along the banks of the creek, attempting to avoid the loud, crunchy snow wherever I could. After making lots of noise and pushing all the waterfowl further downstream I finally made it to the last big Cottonwood and kind of crouched behind it for a while. From here I could tell that there were quite a few Hoodies and Wood Ducks on the water but I had to let them forget I was there and then hopefully they would move in closer to me. My plan worked when after a while a pair of male and female Hoodies decided to swim right past me. I just absolutely love seeing the males -especially when they lift their crown all the way up. This one didn't do so as they swam by but it was quite awesome to see them so closely. After I was satisfied I'd gotten a decent photo in there somewhere, I waited for another long while just in case more came back upstream. I was getting tired of waiting when I popped my head around the corner of the tree and was shocked to see a beautifully colored duck that I'd clearly never seen before! It had beautiful silver sides, a strangely patterned black and white bill, and very bright yellowy orange eyes. This was likely the same duck I'd seen from a distance and guessed was maybe a Goldeneye. Right when I saw it, the duck had just come up from underneath the water with a little fish of some kind in it's bill. Of course when it saw me it immediately turned the other way and kept getting further and further away. I wildly snapped as many photos as I could but of course I was not holding as steady as I should have in my excitement. I did not know at the time that what I was seeing was in fact a "Ring-necked Duck" per my new Stokes Field Guide. You can just barely make out the faint brown "ring" around this male's neck for which they are named. A completely brand new species for me! I was so happy after seeing this that the rest of my walk could have been in the dark for all I cared. BUT, as I was heading back to my vehicle I couldn't help but notice yet another interesting bird wading in an area flooded by melting snow and hopping from one clump of grass to the next. As the time of year seemed right, I assumed I was seeing my first Grackle of the season. Grackles are not quite all that interesting or uncommon but I do like their iridescent blue-purple heads so I went in for a closer look. I watched a pair of them turning over leaves and grasses but wasn't quite seeing that beautiful head I was looking for. Even upon coming home to show my wife my photos for the day, I still told her I'd seen my first Grackle. But upon picking my best photo to post I started to wonder if this was indeed a Grackle at all! I pulled out my field guides and pretty instantly realized that it's beak was not as big and thick as that of a Grackle, though it did bright yellow eyes telling me that it was NOT an immature Red-winged Blackbird. I had a hunch of what it might be but I decided to immediately post my photo into a new "discussion topic" on the Birdshare group of Flickr and ask others opinions. Sure enough, so far the general consensus is that I saw a Rusty Blackbird -a second brand new species to me! In total, I counted 24 species in just one day today which might also be a personal record for me so far at PLP!