The Hazards Of An Empty Feeder

When I can't fill the feeders at Mr. Neil's house, the groundskeeper named Hans usually does the honors.  He does an admirable job but he has a ton of things to do like maintaining trails and keeping the grass and weeds trimmed around the beehives.  And now that we have 8 beehives, let's bow our heads in honor of dear, sweet Hans who has sustained more stings than any of us and yet makes life easier for hive inspections. Moment.

But sometimes certain feeders go empty (especially the suet log, because I appear to be the only person in the US who actually enjoys the feeling of squashed animal fat mixed with peanut butter on my fingers).  And this summer, the safflower feeder went empty but Mr. Neil called me over to see what had been filled inside in place of the usual safflower:

I knew as soon as I saw the feeding ports what had moved in, but then wondered, "How did a house wren fit in there?  I know they are tiny, but wow!"  House wrens are the smallest cavity nesting birds in our neck of the woods.  They only need a hole that is one inch in diameter to fit their tiny bodies through.  The other thing is that you can usually id the type of cavity nesting bird in your nest box by the material--house wrens are all sticks.  Chickadees usually weave a neat fur lined cup nest, bluebirds nests are made of fine grasses and tree swallows line the nest cup with huge feathers from ducks.  House sparrows will make a nest out of everything: grass, sticks, vines, cellophane, cigarette butts, etc.

As I wondered how the house wren was getting in out of the feeder, I soon had my answer.  Apparently the lid had been left only slightly ajar and that was all the enterprising little male needed to collect twigs.

When we looked inside, we could see a whole pile of sticks, but no complete nest.  One of the really interesting things about the tiny house wren is that they will make five nests, use one to rear chicks and the rest as decoys to fool marauding predators (even defending a decoy nest as if there were eggs inside--clever birds).  I figured this was going to be a decoy nest.  Mr. Neil didn't mind the wrens so we left the roof ajar.

Non Birding Bill and I came over for a bee inspection and some grilling and we watched the wren declare his territory in boisterous song.

There was at least one female who took him up on his twittery offer and inspected the feeder inside and out.  I always figured that the males put sticks in several locations, the female chooses the one she will use for eggs and the rest become the decoys.  She flew off after a few moments and I thought, "She's going to make that one the decoy."

Cut to one week later! On Sunday, we arrived for another cookout at Mr. Neil's and as soon as we arrived he took me out to the feeder and showed me this:

Gah!  A feeder full of sticks, a small feather-lined cup and three tiny house wren eggs.  Well, this feeder is out of commission for a month.  I think the female was still in process of laying eggs and that incubation will start today or tomorrow.  From there we have about 12 days of incubation and then another 12 - 13 days before the chicks fledge.  I think the other birds can live without safflower that long.

I must say that this breaks one of my bird feeding rules of thumb: don't have nest boxes around your bird feeding station.  Birds generally don't want to nest near where nest raiders show up on a regular basis (ie squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays, crows, woodpeckers, raccoons, etc).  At least they nested in a squirrel proof feeder, so that solves that problem and maybe the wren's nest decoy strategy will fool the other egg eaters?

More Lock & Dam 1 Peregrines

As part of my duties as a park ranger, we go out and rove in the park.  Basically, we tote around a back pack with park info and you're on hand to answer questions--it's fun, it's a bit like improv.  I like to take my scope for birding of course, but it gives me a chance to explore more areas of the park that I otherwise wouldn't visit.  One is Lock and Dam 1.  On Friday, we did a canoe paddle through the lock (you really haven't experienced the Mississippi until you've taken a canoe or kayak through a lock and dam--to be tiny in something so big is amazing). It was fun Saturday morning to look down on it knowing the day before I had been right in it.

I was curious to be back on Saturday to see the peregrine chicks.  Last week, they were a lot fluffier!  On Friday as we canoed past, one was already out of the box, flapping around on a nearby ledge under the watchful eye of the adults.  We had that big storm on Friday night and I wondered how the first fledger from the box fared.  When I arrived, two were still visible on the nest box perches, practicing their flapping skills.  I scanned and couldn't find the third one.  I wasn't too worried, I figured it was perched nearby and when the adults arrived with the food, I would hear it begging.

This is the view from the deck of the Lock and Dam 1 visitor center.  You can see the peregrine nest box on the far left on the wall (note the box below the brick building).  As I watched this, I noticed some flapping behind the big pipe on the right...

The bird out of the box did survive the storm!  Heck of  a first night out of the nest box--2 storms with heavy rain and the only refuge is a pipe.

The other two continued to practice.  The one on top of the box almost seemed like it was really going to get completely off the box, but stayed and screamed impatiently for one of the adults to feed it.  The adults flew in once or twice with food, but no drop offs were made in the box.  They want the young out of the nest so they can learn to fly.  The chicks want to be fed and eventually, they will put two and two together. When the chicks are hungry enough, they will fly out towards the adults with the food.

I checked on the peregrine fledgling behind the pipe and noticed that it was laying down and they eyes were part way closed.  I thought it was odd, but chicks lay down when they sleep, adults  remain upright, sleeping on one foot while the head is turned around and tucked under a wing.  I wondered if this bird was exhausted and not used to sleeping while standing yet.

If you think about how quickly a bird grow they have to work out how their bodies move and function relatively quickly.  You will often see young birds like the immature above, just letting its wings hang to the side after flapping--those things are heavy and they aren't quite used to using those muscles just yet.

You'll see young birds in all kinds of weird positions as they work out their bodies (what's that bird doing, checking for the time on her Swatch?)--imagine going from super soft fluff to hard pin feathers growing in over every inch of your body in about two weeks.  We think teething makes babies cranky.  Feather shafts poking all over the skin has to be about as fun as sandpaper underwear on a bad sunburn.

When the peregrine nodded its head down, I though I would call my buddy Avian Images just to be on the safe side.  She works at The Raptor Center and goes to the bandings, I thought she'd have an idea.  As soon as I heard her cell ring...

In flew one of the adult peregrines and this bird sprang upright to beg for food--it was fine, just sleeping like a young bird instead of an adult.  Whew.

And peregrines weren't the only cool thing--I found a huge turtle out of the water.  I know that it is a softshell turtle, but I'm not sure which type.  Someone on Twitter thought it might be a spiny softshell turtle which is possible in Minnesota (as is the smooth softshell).  But many of the photos for spiny softshell show a light colored turtle and this is a very dark one.  Whatever kind of turtle, it was huge with a pointy nose.

Peregrine Falcon Viewing At Lock & Dam 1

Just a heads up that right now is an excellent time for peregrine falcon viewing at Lock and Dam 1 in Minneapolis near Minnehaha Creek.  I took the above photo of one of the chicks Saturday. Look at that baby peregrine--doesn't it look like quite the thug?

Here's a screen capture of the dam from Google Maps.  I circled the area you want to stand in to view the falcons.  Of course it helps to have binoculars or a scope, but the falcons are quite visible without optics.

The cool thing about the timing for the next two weeks is that the chicks are losing their natal down and growing feathers--they should be easy to see and huddled in the back of the nest box.  They are quite active as they beg for food and practice flapping their wings when they take flight very soon.

Here is one of the adult birds that was perched near the nest--look at that, her foot is tucked and her feathers are fluffed.  That's a sign of a relaxed and contented bird.  The Lock and Dam peregrines are a treat in the Twin Cities--easily accessible and awesome birds.  You can also watch for other species around the dam including great blue herons and double-crested cormorants.  Take advantage of this cool view before the chicks leave the nest box.

Horned Lark Display

I've had some work taking me to southern Minnesota the last few weeks where I spend the day out in a field with red-winged blackbirds and a few other prairie species.

It's not a bad way to spend the day.  My biggest challenge has been the black flies--a pest I previously only associated with the north woods and not the open fields of southern Minnesota.  I'm not a big fan of insect repellent that is so strong that it should in no way come into contact with my skin and I shouldn't wear my clothes for a few hours after it has been sprayed on it.  Yet, I'm even less of a fan of biting insects that fly into my ear canal or up my nose, so I tried using permethrin.

And it appears to be doing the trick.  If it's windy, the black flies stay way--too small to fly in the wind I suppose.  However, when the wind stops, I appear to have an invisible barrier the flies are not willing to cross.  This is the view right above my head, the flies hover like a tiny buzzing entourage as I walk the fields.  Black flies are attracted to carbon dioxide, so with every exhalation the females know I am a blood source but the permethrin prevents them from venturing any closer and biting me.  It's a relief, but an uneasy one.  I'm buying instant gratification from bug bites and bugs being in places on my body they do not belong, but what long term effects will a heavy duty repellent like permethrin bring?

Horned larks are another constant companion in the fields.  Horned larks are a bird that many people have seen, but not realized it.  You drive down a farm field and a small brownish gray bird flushes--chances are that it's a horned lark.  They are easy to id from other farm field species by the black lines visible on either side of the tail as they fly away.  They are a cute little bird to see in the fields but not everyone has a chance to really enjoy them up close.  I've spent some agonizing moments leading field trips in the rain on the prairie trying to get someone their lifer look through a spotting scope of one of these birds and at those moments I wish I could teleport us to the middle of a farm field on a sunny day where if you wait patiently for about 10 minutes, one will scurry by.

I set a little goal for myself to try and get a photo of a horned lark in the middle of his territory display.  They fly high, practically hanging in the air while singing their little tinkling whistle.  Here's a sample of the song at Xeno-Canto.  However, trying to capture them in a photo while they are singing in the sky is no easy task as you can see from the above image.

Quite of few of the photos ended up blurry or with only parts of lark in it as opposed to the whole bird in focus.  Part of the challenge is to find them in my spotting scope in the sky.  If the skies are clear, it's an exercise in futility.  However, if there are clouds--I stand a chance because I can use the cloud shapes as a guide to find the hovering lark.

But after about 200 clicks on the camera, I did have one or two that were in focus--score!  What a delicately marked bird--I love the contrast of the dark marks on the face accented by the dark tail.  Periodically, other males would work into a male's territory.  At one point, 3 males were duking it out.

Look!  He's danling his feet like he's a little raptor!  Note how erect the little horn feathers are--channeling a bit of great horned owl there.  When the 3 males discovered each other in the air the singing became more urgent.  Although, it's hard to take the angry trickling whistles seriously as any sort of threat.  But two of the males swerved towards each other and frantically began to flutter and "claw" their little feet at each other.  They dropped like a stone and continued the fight on ground.  The two intruders took their fight elsewhere.

After the skirmish, the lone male resumed is aerial display.  Not a bad song to have as your office music for the day.

Random Owl Chicks

I was archiving some photos and found this photo from this year's Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds of a great horned owl nest with 2 chicks.  I figured the least I could do is post this photo after yesterday's link to a flycatcher eating what appears to be Cthulu.

A Day In The Office

My spring travels are almost finished and each day I feel like I find myself in a new office. When not at the park service, the above photo is what my office looks like.  Some cubicle view, huh?  The only downside is that I have the occasional misstep into a badger hole.  Fortunately, no badgers have confronted me on this faux pas, which makes me suspect shenanigans on their part as the holes are well hidden in the tall grasses.

Here's one of my office mates--the horned lark.  Don't let that face fool you into thinking he's constantly reminding all of us to stay on task.  He has a habit of taking to the air, hanging right above me for minutes at a time and singing.  It's pretty cool to actually see that behavior...and yet so vexing when I try to get a photo or a video of it.  Some day, Mr. Horned Lark, some day.  Yes indeed, that photo of your territory display will be mine.

I'm practically tripping over the vesper sparrows and their song greets me every morning.  The feed around me in the field and get so close I almost wonder if they are watching me?  I think I attract insects and kick seeds and they are more interested in that.

And speaking of insects, last week about killed me.  I got covered in black flies--something I did not expect in southern Minnesota.  For some reason, I always thought of them as a north woods pest, yet their irritation seems to not be. limited to wooded habitat.  I now have a biting creature that I detest more than noseeums and ticks.  They flew up my nose, down my shirt, into my ear canals and into my mouth if I was foolish enough to open it--good grief, at least chiggers stay below the knee.

I sprayed myself with my Deep Woods OFF to no avail.  Suspecting that I had an old bottle, I purchased a new one at lunch time.  The black flies treated it more like hollandaise sauce rather than repellent.  I asked Twitter and researched the Internet and found that the only thing that helps is 100% DEET and that's not always a guarantee.  Other than that, permethrin on your clothing or beekeeper netting works well.  I didn't really want to spend 10 hours in my bee suit and as much as using a product that demands I only put on my clothes not my skin (and then leave my clothes to dry for several hours before putting them on) kinda scared me, I was desperate.  I purchased some permethrin and invested in a boony hat with bug netting.  So far today, I've yet be bitten.  We'll see how this evening goes.

And it's not always all bad.  I do get some cool views as I work.  This is last week's sunset.

Another benefit is that I got to watch a sedge wren delurk itself.  I hear one quite a bit, but most of the time, the singing happens behind grasses and I can't see it.  The closest I came was the above photo until...

He popped up!  Cute.  Am I the only one who thinks they kind of sound like dickcissels?

And, as I frequently use my blog as a catch all for travel notes so if I return to an area, I can remember place I enjoyed eating, weird hotels, etc.  Here's a note:

My work for this particular project leaves me with a large chunk of the afternoon free and wondered what my chances of find an internet coffee shop with a decent lunch would be.  Early on, things looked bleak as I stumbled upon a train themed restaurant.  Though the decor and staff was charming, the food was not.  The only other vegetable on the salad bar besides head lettuce was a dish full of black olives (that's not an exaggeration).  The daily special for that cafe was battered cottage cheese deep fried and served with "white sauce" served on a slice of ham.

No, I didn't try it.  I saw that someone next to me ordered it and it looked even less appetizing than it sounded.

But then I found SiJambo, a charming little coffee shop in Windom that had a pretty good salad bar with a cucumber salad and tasty paninis.  I warned the staff that I would be camping out for a few hours when I visited and they've been down right sweet about it.  In Minneapolis, if you overstay your welcome at an Internet Cafe, the staff will give you glares to get you to leave (or in the case of the Urban Bean, the owner just shuts off the internet until the undesired leaves).  Here, they include me in conversations and even offered me free cake.

Also, the Earth Inn Motel in Jackson, MN is inexpensive, comfortable with reliable wireless and the owners are a hoot.  Wednesday night is free dessert night.

Homemade Heron Rookery

I love this little male kestrel snacking on a small rodent it plucked from a field in Utah. I got its photo at the same place I had my unexpected weasel encounter called Farmington Bay WMA.

One of the coolest features about this wildlife management area is the homemade great blue heron rookery that is actually being used.  I've seen plans for these in books like the fabulous Woodworking For Wildlife and I've seen a few erected, but never have I seen an artificial heron rookery being used by herons.

I'm used to seeing great blue heron rookeries on the Mississippi River surrounded by trees, not with a dramatic background full of snow capped mountains--too cool.  Apparently, this heron nesting habitat was part of a boy scout project, that is one huge undertaking, but how sweet to see the kids' hard work pay off with actual birds.

Farmington works hard to keep humans from tramping on ground nesting birds.  Trails are blocked from motorized vehicle traffic during nesting season and signs warn you to watch your step.

Even dogs are kept away to prevent altercations with waterfowl or to protect wayward chicks from becoming unintentional chew toys.

Utah is loaded with yellow-headed blackbirds and they are one of the common nesting birds at this site as are shorebirds.  If you have limited time in Utah, this is worth a stop for western US specialties.

Birding Jeffers Petroglyphs State Historic Site

Some of my work this spring has taken me to southwestern Minnesota and I was so excited to see that one of the places I have always wanted to visit in this beautiful state was close by.

It's called Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site and it's in Comfrey, Minnesota.  The visitor center itself does not open until after Memorial Day but a person can visit just about any time and walk the well marked trails--and stay on the trails so as not to ruin all the native prairie landscape they have worked so hard to create.  I called to confirm they were open before I headed out and the person working the phone recommended evening viewing.  Many people come during the middle of the day and it's harder to see the ancient petroglyphs with the sun overhead.  She said that the late afternoon sun makes the carvings look almost 3D.  That timing worked for me and I knew that would be good photo light.  I asked if she was aware of any birds I could find when I visited.  Her first suggested bird was:

Dickcissel!  SWEET--I hadn't seen one of these snazzy looking sparrows for a year or two so I was up for some dickcissel action.  When I arrived in the parking lot, both a grasshopper sparrow and the above dickcissel greeted me.  I noticed that the visitor center was closed and my vehicle was the only one in the lot.  It was a gorgeous late spring night and I thought I couldn't be the only person at the historic site for long, but I ended up spending over three glorious hours alone and some fantastic prairie birds.  Many Native Americans consider this spot a holy place and come to pray.  I found it peaceful and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that some people have worked so hard to preserve it for my generation and future generations to enjoy.

Bobolink (the above male bird) and western meadowlark rounded out the evening chorus.  Incidentally, if you are not familiar with the song of the bobolink, listen here.  For western meadowlark, listen here.  I'm serious, if you have never heard either of those birds, click on those links--can you believe birds like that can be found outdoors? I love the bobolink song so much that it is the default ring tone on my Blackberry (Manilow).  The bird song combined with the late spring warm air and sun made for a wonderful place for me to unwind after two (incredibly fun, but) exhausting weeks of travel.

The well marked trails lead out to the petroglyphs.  Signs supply some of the information for the long-grass prairie (and to please not pick the flowers) while birds serenade you.  I must admit that I wanted to run off the trail the and get better photos of the bobolinks but instead enjoyed the songs from afar.

The petroglyphs can be found in the Red Rock Ridge, an outcropping of Sioux quartzite that goes for 23 miles.  The petroglyphs were discovered by Europeans in the 1870s and the property was purchased by the Minnesota Historical Society from W. R. Jeffers, Jr. in 1960.  The age of the petroglyphs is not known for certain.  From what I can find on the internet, they could be anywhere from 3000 - 5000 years old--that's older than the pyramids in Egypt.

Signs near the outcropping give you a hint of symbols to watch for in the rocks.  Above is the sign for Wakan Tanka.

Above is an arrow pointing to the petroglyph of Wankan Tanka.  You can see several other ancient carvings in there as well.  As I basked in the late afternoon sun and listened to the birds singing (without any man made sounds of cars or airplanes) I fell in love with this historic site:  birds and archeology--what a fantastic combo.

The late afternoon sun angle did make the carvings easier to see but I did not find them all, my attention was divided by all the birds.  I took in as much as I could and made a mental note to visit again when my travels bring me back this way in the coming weeks.

As I continued on along the rock trail, I noticed a killdeer walking slowly and giving a halfhearted attempt to lead me away by pretending to be somewhat injured.  The killdeer apparently ignored all the signs to stay off and not touch the petroglyphs and nest on one.

There were some noticeably newer carvings in the rocks.  I think it's a safe bet that this is not a 3000 year old artist's signature to the rock carvings. I doubt there were too many Dakota running around with the name Otto.

Here's a proper signature.  I was struck by how similar in size this carved hand was to mine--such tiny hands!

As I walked to my car, I noticed some clay-colored sparrows furiously chipping back and forth.  I figured that they must have been setting up territory near the building.  Lots of birds were nesting on the closed visitor center: starlings, robins and barn swallows at the very least.

And then to cap off my perfect time at a perfect historic site, I got a shot of the clay-colored sparrows engaged in a cloacal kiss.  Ah for one brief moment I could tell male and female apart!  I know bird sex is fast, but I'm still amazed that any eggs are produced from balancing on the back of a small brown bird while she is balanced on a branch.

To learn more about Jeffers Petroglyphs State Historic Site visit here and here.  They will have some official programming this summer and a guide can give you the inside scoop on the site's history and ancient symbols carved in the stone.  If you are a birder and in the mood for some great prairie birds, definitely check this little spot out.  The small patch of prairie is surrounded by agriculture so it concentrates some awesome species in one spot.

Seriously, if you have ever had it in the back of your mind to visit this place, make it a must do this summer.  I love all the archaeology we have in this state from fossil hunting in St Paul to petroglyphs in Comfrey.

Blue-winged Teal: Beak Check

I love living in the Twin Cities. As I'm typing this, I just heard a radio commercial for the MN DNR about taking kids to enjoy the outdoors in our lovely state and one of the lines was: "Today, my daughter learned that the call of the warbler is more powerful than the call of her BFF!" Ha!

I may have over done it this spring.

Every spring I have the best intention to keep it simple--leave some time to actually enjoy birds and not work birds the whole time.  And every spring cool bird opportunities come up and before I know it, I have three solid weeks of work. I have a great time but I turn around and wonder, "Whahappa?"  Especially for warblers.

Not that I haven't had a great time.  I've had the opportunity to enjoy some time up close and personal with sparrows like the above vesper sparrow (love that little rufous patch on the shoulder) but I look at this week and think, "Wait, wasn't it just tax day last week and how is it already the week of my wedding anniversary?"  Incidentally, Non Birding Bill and I have been married for 12 years now--our marriage has now lasted longer than the M*A*S*H tv show!

But despite feeling like I've been birding at the speed of light, I've seen some beautiful birds in beautiful light.  Here's a pair of blue-winged teal at a WPA in southern Minnesota (one of my jobs is forcing me down near the Iowa border this year and even though I may not be getting the warbler action I'd hoped for, I'm getting the opportunity to bird some habitat that I generally avoid).  The male is on the left and the female is on the right.  Both are helpfully showing their sky blue patches on their wings.

And I chuckled as I watched the male go to town in his preening and focusing on his belly.

And he kept focusing on the same area.

...and focusing...That must be one itchy spot!  I think I have about 250 shots of him working his belly...I almost wondered if he was really just trying to work his way down to his cloaca...

When he finished, he had that look of, "Hey, lady, don't judge."

And then he gave a big stretch revealing how large that blue patch on the wing really is.  Such a brown bird, with a lovely shade of blue tucked in the wings.

Cooper's Hawk and Crow

I caught this interesting interaction between a Cooper's hawk and crow.  I had noticed the crow going back and forth throughout the day and figured it had a nest nearby and was bringing back food.  Later, I heard red-winged blackbirds giving their aerial predator call and looked up.  The crow was chasing a Cooper's hawk.  The hawk circled as though to glide into a thermal but then turned the tables and chased the crow.

The crow managed to dodge the hawk, flap upward and then get in a position to dive at the hawk.  The shape of the crow reminds me a bit of a stealth bomber.  It was interesting to watch one crow chase a raptor instead of a full on murder of crows mobbing the crap out of a red-tailed hawk or great horned owl.  I think the crow had a nest and territory to protect, but realized it was not part of a flock and Cooper's hawks are crazy enough mothers and not to push the envelope too much.

But a fast accipiter like a Cooper's hawk is a master of maneuvers and soon was above the crow again.  The hawk didn't appear to be seriously diving for the crow, just giving it a warning to back off.

The crow continued its pursuit and was once again above the hawk--it even dropped its landing gear down towards the hawk.

But once again the Cooper's hawk got above the crow and showed it some real landing gear.  The birds took turns diving after until they were well out of sight.  I'm sure the crow eventually gave up its pursuit and that the smaller Cooper's wouldn't have been quite sure what to do with the crow if it actually nailed it in midair. The interaction seemed to be the equivalent of two birds trying to get the last word in.