Searching for Otters

It's almost the end of January, yet Shingle Creek remains completely ice free! A friend and I decided to hike the length of the creek through the park today in hopes of seeing an Otter. There have been signs of them recently, but this is one mammal I've actually NEVER seen in the wild yet. It was a sunny day but there wasn't much to be seen in the way of mammals OR birds. I did catch this photo of a Black-capped Chickadee somewhere along the way but I don't remember where exactly. Later as we were nearing the middle of the park, I noticed this funny little ice formation clinging to a stick poking up out of the creek. This is how little ice there is right now –almost unprecedented for this time of year! After searching high and low, we never did see any Otters which was unfortunate. Later we found a small group of American Robins chowing down on buckthorn berries. These are "overwintering" birds that never left for the winter. Over the years I've learned that the Palmer Lake area must provide adequate shelter and food sources for Robins and I've encountered them here in winter pretty much every season.

Spring is on the way

The park is starting to sprout up with both new foliage and new birds for the season. Here are some of my favorite photos from my hike around the lake today.

I also photographed my first-of-season (or FOS) Common Grackle. Their arrival is each Spring is usually not far away from the Red-winged Blackbirds which is generally around mid-March sometime. Later, I saw this Great Blue Heron flying over the lake which is another good sign that Spring it just around the corner! Also seen today but not pictured; Northern Cardinal, Mallard, Red-winged Blackbird and two Bald Eagles from across the lake.

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.

Fruitless Search

Today I decided to go in search of a very particular and special Owl. One that I've seen and photographed at the park before but one that I'm hesitant to even mention here on my blog. The reason is that certain species of Owls (including the one I was looking for today) are actually SO hard to find that when someone does find one, and tells someone else –well the word travels quickly. And unfortunately this knowledge can sometimes balloon into circumstances that aren't so good for the birds themselves.

Any way, I wasn't able to locate the elusive Long-eared Owl today but I DID find a spot where one has obviously been perched recently as evident by the "whitewashed" branches covered in Owl scat. Better luck next time I guess. All I saw today was an American Robin and Blue Jay.

A Somewhat Un-birdy Day

I visited the park today around 12:15 in the afternoon. I had been out of town yesterday visiting some MN State Parks in the Alexandria area. In all the hiking I did on Saturday I saw very few birds so I was anxious to get to PLP and hopefully see some more. But much like the larger State Parks, today was very slow for birdwatching. In fact I think I had only seen about 10 birds –not 10 species– but 10 birds total by the time I was 4/5ths of the way around. Then finally near Shingle Creek on the south side I spotted a bit of movement. There were 2 Eastern Phoebes skimming the water here in search of insects. I had many opportunities to photograph them as this particular species is just not very skittish of people at all. Phoebes are known for constantly flicking their tail and also for "hawking" for insects, meaning they will often fly out from their perch after an insect and then land in the exact same spot again. One more reason they are easier to photograph than many other birds. Just a few minutes earlier I had spotted a group of about 40-50 Coots out in the lake near here. They are the first Coots I've seen at the park this fall but they were a little too far away for any good photos. But while sitting on the banks of the creek watching the Phoebes, one lone coot came swimming down the creek nearly in front of me. I took advantage before he scared off and at this close distance I could see his red colored eyes. I was hoping others might come in towards me too but for some reason it was just the one. Eventually he turned around and headed back out towards his group. Also here I spotted a Pied-billed Grebe, another FOF (first of fall) for the park. He too quickly headed out into the larger area of the lake. Other sightings for the day included; American Robin, Song Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mallard, Wood Duck, Ring-billed Gull and one single Yellow-rumped Warbler. Near the end of my walk I noticed that the miniature Maple Tree on the east side was in nearly full fall color. There is NOT a lot of colorful foliage to be seen at Palmer Lake Park in the fall, but this particular tree turns a brilliant red every year about this time. I recently had a friend tell me that this tree was a Maple variety from China. I have a hard time remembering but I'm fairly certain he said it was an "Amur Maple" synonymous with the Amur River in China. Reading a bit about it now led me to the MN DNR's website that lists it under their "invasive species" section! I guess I shouldn't be too shocked as I've been coming to realize just how many non-native and other invasives are present within this park.

A Few Days Before Christmas

It's only a few days now until Christmas. Our colder-than normal December has continued on as such and it seems like it snows every other day or so. One good thing is that my back has been giving me less pain than usual and I am thankful to have found some treatment that seems to be helping. Though I took multiple breaks where I sat for 10 - 20 minutes, I was able to get all the way around the park today without too much pain. There air today was saturated with snowflakes and I had to blow off my camera every few minutes to keep it from building up. I did some off-the-trail hiking today in hopes of seeing an Owl but no such luck. I did however see a Red-tailed Hawk who was screeching loudly over and over. I wondered if maybe HE saw an Owl somewhere but I couldn't confirm so. Other than the Hawk I spotted only the regulars today; Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, Juncos, Blue Jays and Cardinals. I've hardly even spotted such other common birds such as a Crow or even European Starlings lately. From the north side I stopped to look over the park and it just looked so wintery and devoid of any life. I thought to myself it's amazing that this place can be appear so dark and desolate now but be teeming with life come spring. I took this photo with just the smallest of intention of seeing if I could make it look even more "dreary" later using Photoshop. This is the end result and I feel like it kind of captured the way I felt about something today. Near the northern most end of the park I came across a bright red Cardinal who was singing up in a tree so I decided to hike in closer. I'm still amazed at how bright they can look on a day like today and seeing one on a dull wintery day is always a plus. I hiked off the trail through some pretty deep snow but had a tough time getting a clear shot through the the trees. He was picking at Buckthorn berries like I see so many other birds doing throughout the winter.

Still Some Color

This Sunday morning I got a later start than usual and did not arrive at the park until after 10:30am. It was a mostly sunny day with just wispy, thin clouds floating by. There's barely a trace of snow left from our first snow on Wednesday and with a lot of vegetation still remaining green, it was hard to imagine that it even happened. One plant in particular I was noticing as very green is Garlic Mustard. The leaves look exactly the same as the do in the spring, maybe only a little larger. In an earlier post I mentioned that I hadn't paid particular attention to when Song Sparrows leave for the season. I believe this was a Song Sparrow I saw today. I detect a bit of yellow coloring around the neck area which isn't something I associate with a Song Sparrow, but that could also just be the lighting. Everything else fits with a Song Sparrow so it is interesting to note still seeing one this late in the season. They are definitely hearty enough to come back in the spring while snow is still on the ground so November certainly wouldn't be out of the question. Looking at all that green in the background, you might not guess November. On the southwest side I walked along the wood chip trail that follows the edge of the Duck Pond hoping to see anything out of the normal. But all I saw were Mallards. A couple pairs of them were sleeping so still along the shore that I almost stepped on them before noticing them. Like a lot of animals I don't think Ducks ever really sleep deeply or for long periods as it would be too risky. I got the feeling from this female that maybe they sleep with one eye open –figuratively and literally. Besides these two birds today, I spotted Northern Cardinal, Red-tailed Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco and Black-capped Chickadee. Oh, and I even spotted a Wooly-bear Caterpillar today out trying to cross the paved trail. Another hearty creature indeed. This last photo here is of the only two remaining crab apples still clinging to a tree somewhere on the north side, just off the trail. At the height they were at (above the small and still green Buckthorn), the red color really stood out and caught my attention. Though I estimate Buckthorn makes up more than 70% of all the trees at PLP, you'd be surprised at how many other tree species are out there. The problem is that there are so few of them. And in time, if the invasive Buckthorn is not addressed, the other species have a harder and harder time populating. Generally, any fruit-bearing tree is good for wildlife –including birds. Buckthorn does produce berries, and wildlife will eat them, but this particular berry is toxic and will produce diarrhea in birds and other animals –including humans!

After the First Snow and "Bird Bumping"

Three days earlier, on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning we received our first snowfall of the season. It actually accumulated to about an inch of heavy, wet and sticky snow. It was kind of an odd thing because many of the trees have been late to turn color this year. So we had some brilliant looking Maple Trees looking almost out of place against the white covered ground. But as expected it all melted within about a day and a half. The snow was followed by much colder temps and this was like the final blow to the trees that had still been holding their leaves. This photo here shows the same Maple Tree along 69th Avenue on November 3rd on the left, and today November 9th on the right. This same thing happened all over the place and there is no denying now that winter is lurking just around the corner. Only about half way into my walk I ran into a good friend of mine who was also out in search of birds. So we paired up and walked together for the remaining half of the loop. We went off the main trail many times hoping to see better sights and we finally did come upon a Northern Shrike! It was perched in a large shrub out into the cattails a ways. As we've both learned to do, we approached it only 4 to 5 steps at a time, took photos, then repeated the process. It's actually quite a good method for photographing birds or any other wildlife. You never know exactly at what point you're going to "bump" the bird (or other subject) so you take 1 or 2 photos at intervals while you continue to advance closer. But with the Shrike I didn't quite make it as close as I'd hoped. I expect I will have many more opportunities though this winter season. Near the end of our walk we went off-road one more time and flushed up a group of Mourning Doves. I quickly pulled up my lens and snapped this shot before the bird flew off a second time. I was really happy to see how well it turned out. I always joke that I'll take photos of any bird that is very close to me. But the thing is, even with very common birds like Mourning Doves, Robins or Chickadees, we don't often get to see them so closely. A good close proximity photo can really make you appreciate just about any bird. I previously wouldn't have guessed that Mourning Doves have such a beautiful blue, almost turquoise eye-ring.

A Much Overdue Walk

Somehow most of October has passed by without many visits to Palmer Lake Park. Now with the daylight hours dwindling so rapidly, it's nearly impossible to fit in a full walk (all the way around) after work. And it's ever harder to get decent photographs with such low light. So my visits are narrowing down to weekends only and after being out of town last weekend, I was itching to get back to PLP. This afternoon I hiked around the park with someone whom I first met while at the park. I remember the first thing she ever said to me –"that's a Yellow-rumped Warbler"– as I spied on one through my binoculars while standing on the bridge over Shingle Creek. I immediately liked her and found that we not only shared an interest in birds but in Palmer Lake Park as well. She has quite a passion for the environment and is also one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met in regards to plants. I don't know if she realizes how much her friendship has inspired me to learn more about nature. And had we not met, I really doubt that Friends of Palmer Lake Park would have ever been founded.

The Color of Winter

There can be such a lack of color outside in January and February that it can feel like you're living in a black and white movie from the past. Anything that has the faintest hint of color really stands out –from a red Cardinal, to the bright orange feet of a Mallard. As I was walking around the Duck Pond today on the south west corner of the park I paused to watch the Mallards. They must have assumed I had some food for them and immediately the whole group started clumsily up the snowy banks. Some found it easier to fly up the short distance and I snapped a couple of photos as they did. I just let them walk right up underneath me, almost stepping on my feet while I stayed very still and I felt like part of their group for a minute. Gradually they realized I had no food for them and they returned to the water which was likely warmer than the snowbank. Some other birds I spotted today were a Red-tailed Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, and a few cluster of 3-4 American Tree Sparrows. This bright red Cardinal made for the best photo –though I really had to lighten up the image to show some detail. It was after 4:30 in the afternoon by now and the dreary landscape was slowly losing even more light. At about 5:10pm I wandered out into the field near 70th Avenue North to catch a glimpse of the sun setting underneath the blanket of winter clouds.

Lunch for a Northern Shrike

This Sunday I got the park a little later around 10:30 in the morning. It was another sunny day with clear blue sky overhead but a heck of a lot colder than yesterday -only around 19º I think. For whatever reason I decided to hike counter-clockwise around the park today. As I came up to the northeast corner of the park I was looking at all the footprints of people who walked on the frozen ditch towards the middle of the park. This is the same ditch that was recently dredged out last fall and now it looks nearly like a well traveled road. I figured what the heck and set off on it as well. Only minutes later I thought I saw a chunk of snow hanging out near the edge of a tree and then realized it was a Northern Shrike. He quickly flew off back into some much thicker trees and through my binoculars I noticed him pulling at something brightly red colored.

It was indeed his most recent catch - another mouse! For all the years I've been seeing Shrikes at Palmer Lake Park, I've never once seen them with a catch until just recently. Today however marks the third time I've seen one with a mouse in just one short week! I wanted to know just exactly how they eat one, if they use their feet to hold the mouse while pulling at it or what. I kept trying to get closer but every time I did, the Shrike would fly off to another perch, carrying it's prey with him. I probably should have observed a bit more with my binoculars but since seeing one with it's prey for the first time only a week ago, I'm wanting badly to a get a good photo of this. So I stalked him back and forth from tree to tree while he used the time in between to pick at the mouse. Though I never did get quite as close as I would have liked, from what I can tell, the Shrike never touched the mouse with his feet at all. Instead he seemed to hook or wrap the mouse around a twig to create leverage so he could then pull it apart with his hooked beak. By this time he was making quick work of the mouse and when he turned it a certain way it looked like maybe he'd eaten it's head off first! This second photo is probably the most graphic perspective I got. At one point I could see him appear to tip his head back as he swallowed little chunks of the mouse. Ever since learning about Shrikes, this is what I've always wanted to witness and today I got quite the show. I suppose that they have been taking advantage of all the rodents running out through their runways in the snow just like I've been seeing myself lately. I'm sure this Shrike was annoyed at me, bumping him out from tree to tree as he attempted to enjoy his lunch. He was certainly intent on eating it now as he took it with him every time he moved. Eventually I lost sight of him when he moved to another section of thick branches and by now I knew I'd never get any closer than I had already gotten. I would have like to see if he ate the feet and tail or not.

Gonna be a Cooold Christmas!

Today is Monday, December 24th and my workplace is closed for the Christmas holiday. With all the days off this late December I am trying to squeeze in as many visits to the park as I can before the new year. The only downside is that it's been quite cold -even for this time of year. It feels a bit more like January or February instead of December. This Christmas we are predicted to hit a low of 0 degrees for the first time this year -and it will supposedly be the coldest Christmas day in 12 years! The first thing I spotted today on the southeast side was this Red-tailed Hawk who didn't enjoy my company very much and immediately took off as soon as I raised my camera. Typically I wouldn't get the shot but I must have been just a split second ahead of him and caught him right as he was about to dive. With the cold temps I am finally starting to see a lot more Woodpeckers -Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied, though I'm still struggling to catch a good photo. Juncos have been fairly scarce lately though I'm not sure but there are still lots of Blue Jays, the occasional Cardinal and of course tons of Chickadees. Sometimes Chickadees seem to be the only birds that are out and about on many of my winter walks. Today I caught one in the act of grabbing a Buckthorn berry. I've seen plenty of other birds eating them but never a Chickadee so I thought that was kind of interesting. A new friend of mine (and an expert in trees and plants) recently told me that the species name of Common Buckthron is "Rhamnus cathartica" which refers to the laxative properties of it's berries. Birds eat them but then quickly poop them out, ensuring the spread of more trees. At Palmer Lake Park there are enough Buckthorn berries to last the entire winter and then some. Later back on the east side I noticed this Crow with a snack of his own that definitely didn't come from a tree. It looked as if he had either one of those snack crackers or possibly a piece of cheese. I didn't see where he got it from but he looked quite proud to have found it and held it in his beak for quite a while without any attempt to eat it. I thought it was kind of funny so I snapped this photo after watching him for a while. Oddly about 15 minutes after I'd walked away, he showed up again in another tree just above me still holding the orange treat. This time he was by himself and he finally set it down on the branch and began picking at it. Crows will eat just about anything and it makes me wonder what they think when they taste something brand new for the first time.

First Sunday in December and Nothing to See

I arrived at the park this Sunday; the first one in December, just before 10am. It was kind of a humid day and everything was wet, though there's currently NO trace of snow on the ground. Today was one of those completely uneventful walks with just nothing of interest to see. I found myself taking photos of wet Oak leaves and other scenery just because there was nothing else. Finally I did spot a few birds -common ones such as Nuthatches and this Tree Sparrow. Later as I was coming back to my vehicle on the east side I was noticing how badly the Deer have scraped up this newly planted tree along the boulevard. I think this was put in last year after the new curbing was installed along Penn Avenue. You can see the tree behind it had some rabbit wire wrapped around for protection but I'm not sure if this one ever got that, or if maybe the Deer just ripped it right off. Even the one with the wire has some damage to it from Bucks scraping their antlers, but this one is scraped all the way around! As I was looking at it, two women walked up and asked if it was from Deer to which I replied "yes" but that it looks as though a person had also grabbed a piece of loose bark and yanked it upwards as far as it would go before breaking off. Sadly I don't think this tree will make it when spring time comes around next year.

A Beautiful Fall Day

It was another gorgeous Fall day this morning at the park. I arrived early around 8am but kept it a quick walk and took just 21 photos by the time I was done. Unlike the northern part of our state, there are still some leaves hanging on here. I'm not quite so good with trees but I think these were Poplar (?) on the northwest side that were so brilliant against the blue sky today. The first bird of note that I spotted this morning was a White-throated Sparrow. I'd not seen one since early October and this time I was able to get just a little closer -though my view was still a bit obstructed as they like to sit "inside" the trees. Later I saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker and also a few Mallards in Shingle Creek. But near the end of my walk I spotted a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and this may indeed be the last one I see this year considering how November is coming up quick. I couldn't tell for sure but it seems it was another female as I never saw any hint of a red crown atop it's head. 

Cooper's Hawk Chick Rescue!

I had no idea of the adventure that awaited me today when I arrived at the park. I'd arrived quite early in the morning just before 8am to beat the heat as much as possible. In only the first few minutes I'd seen or photographed Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Baltimore Orioles, Cardinals and lots of Goldfinches. But my mood was soon struck down when I noticed something white and fuzzy laying right on the paved trail. It was a young Hawk Chick and was unfortunately dead though it seemed to not have happened all that long ago. I wondered how it came to be laying on the trail and then I realized to look upwards. Straight up above me was a large nest in tatters with an adult Cooper's Hawk perched nearby. I thought what a bummer that this chick had apparently fallen right out of the nest and likely hit the pavement below. I started taking some photos of the adult Hawk who flew off moments later. As I looked at the nest -or what was left of it, I noticed one more fuzzy white body moving around in there somewhere. At least one was left but man, that nest was precarious as could be. I went to take another look at the dead chick on the trail and felt how sharp it's talons were -nearly like the tip of a needle. As I was looking I just barely noticed another white clump of downy feathers only a few feet away and further into the weeds. Oh no I thought -another one had fallen out! Then I noticed it breathing. I quickly used my phone to dial another member of Friends of Palmer Lake Park who happens to have quite a bit of experience with bird rehabilitation. While I waited for him to arrive with gloves and towels, I called the Raptor Center of Minnesota and was surprised to have a real person answer the phone! We exchanged information and called back after a while once we had the chick safely in the box with towels. Over the phone they helped us assess the situation, the bird's condition and even the condition of the nest it apparently fell from. For a number of reasons, the Raptor Center decided the best course of action was to track down a tree climber who could come out to the park, restore the nest and then return the chicks to it. With my inexperience in this area, that really seemed like a long shot to me. The nest was a good 60 if not 70 feet up in a Boxelder Tree that wasn't all that big around. On top of that it was Sunday morning and the likelihood of finding a climber within a short time seemed slim. Nevertheless, I went along with the plan to take the chick home to my house and wait until being contacted by a climber. It was a bit nerve-wracking, driving it all the way home trying not to jar it around too much in my truck that rides like a brick on wheels. Our resident bird rehab specialist who'd come out to help explained that sometimes it takes 4-5 hours or even a whole day to track down a climber who is available and in the area. So I had no idea how long I was going to have this bird in a box but worried that the longer we waited the less chance it had. Then in a stroke of luck less than an hour later, I received a call from a tree climber named Jim who was not only close but available to tackle the project in just one more hour. I gave him directions to the nearest place to park and headed back over the park with the boxed up chick to meet him. I pointed out the nest and to my amazement he said it was do-able and started gearing up to climb the tree! At this point I was pretty excited that I was gonna get to see this done first hand -not to mention even help out however I could. He leaned a tall extendable ladder up against the base of the tree, got out a whole lot of rope and started making his way up. I went for my camera to take some pictures and was heartbroken when I didn't hear the familiar click. I looked and sure enough, I'd forgotten my camera card at home when I earlier emailed in some photos of the chick to the Raptor Center. Dang!!! I realized I would just have to watch. On his belt, Jim carried up a 2'x2' piece of bendable wire fencing that would be used to provide a completely new base for the nest. With great care and calming words to the one chick still left up there, he scooped it up and put it into his bag which he then lowered down as he proceeded to rebuild the nest. After creating a sturdy and snug base in between the crook of 3 branches, he broke off other twigs from the tree to quickly reinforce it. At the bottom he asked me to collect anything I could find that was soft -like grasses and weeds. I shoved those into the bag and then got the opportunity to transfer the other chick from the box into the bag. Luckily I'd brought along my own heavy gloves just in case. Within mere minutes Jim had quite a new nest lined with the softer material and then transferred both chicks back into it. The whole process took maybe 25 to 30 minutes tops and I could hardly believe it went so smooth. The nest looked better than ever and hopefully will contain the little guys for just another week or so. Jim estimated that they might be flying within one to two weeks so they just have to make it a little longer. What an all around great experience it was to have worked with the Raptor Center and Jim who was able to perform such and amazing feat with speed and finesse. My feet would have never made it past the top rung of the ladder! Make sure to check out their website at www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu After the chicks were safely back in the nest I didn't hang around so as not to draw any more attention to it. We could hear the mother calling from nearby trees but when I left the park she'd not returned yet to the nest. Jim was extremely knowledgeable about raptors and explained that he could have been up there for 2 hours and a Cooper's Hawk will still return afterwards. A few hours later after telling my wife of the whole story, we returned to the park and saw that the mother had indeed returned and even looked to be feeding the chicks as we walked up within viewing distance. This last photo is of the new nest and mom's tail feathers sticking out. A happy ending I think -as long as the chicks don't get to rambunctious and take another dive. A HUGE THANK YOU TO JIM AND THE RAPTOR CENTER OF MN -YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!!

Record-Breaking Day After Christmas

Even though we've periodically had some snow flurries and some temperatures in the teens, this has got to be the warmest Christmas-time I can remember. I got to the park just after 10am this morning when it was already 36 or 37 degrees. But later in the afternoon, it warmed up to a record high temp of 52 degrees for the Twin Cities area! Right as I hit the wood chip trail today, a large and mature Bald Eagle flew up in front of me and glided on the strong wind above the lake. I stopped dead in my tracks and waited to see where he might perch again. He in fact did land again, extremely close -almost right above me! At this distance I would not be able to walk very much closer without scaring him off again, so I opted for a crummy photo right through the trees. I couldn't even see his face but I knew this was probably the only photo I would get -and I was right. Later today I ran into some fellow "Birders" on the north side -one of whom I'd only previously known from his photos on Flickr.com. The 3 of us spent a good deal of time swapping stories and photos of recent sightings, photo equipment and so on. It is always nice to meet people that share your same enthusiasm for something and are kind enough to share their knowledge and experience with you instead of holding it above you. Much too often I think our competitive nature gets in the way with hobbies or pastimes that should be more focused on education and just having fun. But that was definitely not the case today, nor has it been with most of the people I've met so far who are interested in nature, birding and the environment. I later realized just how warm it had gotten when I crossed Shingle Creek on the south side and could see the bottom of the creek bed through water that should be frozen by now. The sun was glinting on this Clam shell and I still think I'll find it hard to believe later than I took this photo on the day after Christmas! By now it was seriously nice out and as I walked up the wood chip trail to where Shingle Creek flows back out of Palmer Lake, I just decided to sit along the creek. No sooner than I sat down did I hear an interesting bird call which I assumed at first was a Robin. As it continued I realized it must be something else and then I caught my first glimpse of a plump, mostly white bird. At first I thought I might be seeing something new, until a glance through my binoculars told me that it was a Northern Shrike. I had never seen one so closely before, nor in this environment of thick branches, nor on such a nice sunny day! I sort of recognized some of the calls it made but was amazed at all of the other sounds it was making. Since I was just sitting there, I grabbed my iphone, hit my bookmark to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology page and played the sound files for "typical voice" of the Northern Shrike. It was then quite obviously the same bird and I believe that the recording helped attract it closer to me. At certain points I had a hard time differentiating between the recording and the real bird in front of me on the opposite side of the creek. It was quite a fun experience seeing and hearing a Northern Shrike in such close quarters. I completely understand now why they are referred to as a "predatory songbird."

Back to Warmth

Well the first snow that we'd received 5 days ago is long gone. The temps climbed right out of the teens and are back above freezing again. When I arrived at the park just before 9am it was already 37 degrees. In fact the warmth had created a thick fog that just hung over the cattails near the middle of the park. I spotted one Doe near someone's fenced in garden on the north west side but she was behind a lot of thick stuff. Shortly after moving on, the sky caught my attention as it had changed drastically in just 30 minutes time. Facing back south, the sun was trying to burst through and was reflecting orange and yellow in all direction like a nice sunset. It's still hard to believe that this was taken after the first photo. The fog soon cleared out and the sky lightened up a bit afterward. In the little pond near the east side baseball diamonds, I looked for and spotted a Muskrat in the same place I'd seen before. He looked like he'd just popped up out of the water. I'm still amazed at how certain mammals can go in and underwater in the fall and winter. But with the temps we've been having lately I bet it still feels like Spring to a Muskrat. Later I spotted one more who came out of the water and up onto the ice that has formed on Palmer Lake's middle body of water.