Year of the Sora

Someone asked on Twitter if this was the year of the sora because the seem to be EVERYWHERE.

This is a sora that was very cooperative at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.  I took this before I left for Horicon. I was walking by the Bass Ponds and I could hear several soras when I noticed this bird out and about in the open, not skulking among the vegetation like most soras do.

Here is where the sora was in relation to my scope.  Here's what the sora sounds like.  Here are some more calls on the Cornell All About Birds page.

Horicon Marsh was loaded with them too.  I didn't get any photos of the little water chicken, but I heard them every stop I made that had any sore of marsh.  Right now I'm in Utah for the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.  When I arrived, I went straight from the airport for some birding at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and it was sora city there as well.  I don't remember hearing so many soras all the time--I'll take it.  Must mean they found some great breeding habitat and great places to over winter the last few years.

They eat vegetation and invertebrates.  This bird was too fast for me to capture it, but I watched it down a few small snails including shell.  I wondered if this was a female, snail shells provide calcium for egg laying.

Those these birds are timid, the curve of the beak always gives them a contented look.

Keep your eyes and ears open for these mysterious little water chickens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redhead Shenanigans

This is a pair of redheads (a type of duck) seen during last weekend's Horicon Marsh Bird Festival.  Horicon Marsh is over 33,000 acres in size and at first glance it may appear to be managed for Canada geese and muskrats, but redheads are one of the main targets for optimizing habitat.

If you are not familiar with any other duck but mallards, you should really get to know the redhead.  Rather than the usual green head of male mallards, they have a gorgeous rusty red head.  And they don't quack...they kind of sound like crows that have swallowed helium--what's not to love?

Check out the above photo, that is some serious redhead flirting going on--that kind of "my head is higher than your head" posture.  Don't worry if you are reading this at work, that's not the hardcore flirting.  For that they completely throw their heads back.

Here's an example of a couple of male redheads competing for the attention of a female.  I love this look of who can raise their head the highest in the above photo.  For some reason, it reminds me of Kanye West.

But then things can get heated between 2 males.  Note how the female is observing the fight.

The redhead with 2 backs! (How many times am I going to make that joke this week?).  Two males duking it out.

Oh no, redhead body slam!   Again, note how the female is watching with a discernible eye.

Oh no, redhead chase!

Uh oh, is that a redhead goose?  Is that allowed?

Oh man, that is a total redhead goosing.

All part of the mating shenanigans you can see at Horicon Marsh!

 

 

 

Random Sapsucker

This yellow-bellied sapsucker was feeding off the wells of sap near our beehives yesterday.  The woodpecker was making the rounds to various tree trunks and I noticed that some yellow-rumped warblers would come down for the sap too.  Remember, people in the northern US, if you see sapsuckers, hummingbirds are possible.  They follow the sapsuckers up during migration, so if you have a sapsucker, put out your hummingbird feeder.

 

Birding By Bike

Birding got the better of me yesterday--you will note there is no podcast today. I had my day all planned out, serious writing to do, if I got to certain point I would ride my bike for exercise, then tidy up the kitchen, mop the floor, make dinner, record the podcast and then bed.  The siren song of 70 degree weather and spring migration poved to be too much.  I got to a good point on my writing and changed into my bike gear.  I realized that all of the lakes near me iced out the day before so waterfowl would be a good possibility.  I figured out a safe way to strap my spotting scope to my bike...tucked my camera for digiscoping into my backpack and hit the trails.  What only should have been an hour long ride turned into three.

Cool waterfowl were all over Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet.  This is part of a mixed flock of red-breasted mergansers and horned grebes.  I about wiped out on my bike when I saw this flock close to shore.  The trails were so packed with Minnesotans walking and riding that I had a tough time getting a photo without someone jogging in front of my camera.  As I was watching this flock, I heard a guy tell his friend, "Hey the dog wants to run, I'm gonna jump him in the water here."

"Pardon me," I shouted to get his attention.  "I'm actually trying to watch those birds right in front of us, would you mind using a different stretch of the 3 mile trail around the lake?"

He hadn't noticed me or the birds, was very apologetic and gladly jumped his dog further down the trail.  I could understand, I'm oblivious to people around me when I watch birds and the lake trails were so packed, I could see how someone might think a bird watcher would be no where near this place.

Here's a photo of a pair of male red-breasted mergansers.  I have to say, that when my single female friends lament about having trouble meeting someone, I always try to suggest birding.  If you want to attract attention, go to a crowded lake with a bike and a spotting scope--guys come of out of the woodwork to talk to you...although I have to wonder, is my butt in the biking pants or my Swarovski that really gets their attention?  Most of the people who came up to me wanted to know if I was watching the loons.  I'd seen the loons, but they were further out and the mergansers were closer.  One guy kept trying to get me to move my scope to watch the loons (which is a refreshing change, normally people want me to look at that bald eagle on the other side of the lake).  I kept insisting that I was really into seeing the red-breasted mergansers which have a more Dr. Seuss look than the loons.

I did find a pair of loons very close to shore on Lake Calhoun.  I planted myself on the ground to snapped away. Nothing like watching the elegant and deadly fish killing machine in bright sun.

As I took photos, one of the birds yodeled loudly and everyone on the trails stopped moving and stopped talking momentarily.  Everyone had to pay attention to that haunting sound.  It was cool to hear it and even cooler to see everyone around me to pause and take notice.  How strange and wonderful it was to hear it with the Minneapolis skyline in the background, this bird so associated with the remote northern woods and lakes.  I overheard a nearby jogger say to her companion, "That really did sound like a loon, that must be what those birds are out there.  Wow!"

I'm so grateful when I find loons in the metro area, especially biking distance from my home.  When I first moved up here, I expected the state bird of Minnesota to be as easy to find as the state bird of Indiana was.  It was actually a year or so before I got to experience a wild loon.  There seems to be a pair that hangs out all summer bouncing between the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis.  Maybe one summer they will successfully nest and fledge a young loon?

I don't know that I got much in the way of exercise since I stopped to watch birds so many times, but it was totally worth going out.  I don't regret my dirty kitchen one bit (I made Non Birding Bill fire up the grill for dinner instead).

Next podcast will be Friday for sure...it's supposed to get nastier weather later this week so no migratory distractions.

 

Random Robin

"Even I'm impressed with how robust my chest is."

And yes, that is snow in the background of this photo.  Spring is not quite here.

Spring Migration, It's On!

We have turned a corner winter wise up in Minnesota--I was up and at 'em early in the morning this weekend and I heard a robin singing on territory in my neighborhood!  I took the above photo of an American robin outside of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha on Sunday (that's roughly 80 miles south of me).  I was stationed at a binocular booth all day and it was a great vantage point for watching the birds use the Mississippi River as a major highway.  Saturday was bright and sunny and my biggest surprise was seeing a meadowlark zoom right overhead.

I love this photo of a bald eagle tucked behind some branches bursting with red buds about to pop.  That's spring!  It was crazy how migration really turned a corner this weekend.  The previous weekend I struggled to see a red-winged blackbird and I passed clouds and clouds of them on my way down.

Both days, on my drive down I saw several groups of hooded mergansers involved in courtship display in the backwaters of the Mississippi.  Speaking of hooded mergansers, have you seen the shots Picus Blog just posted--amazing!

While Saturday was beautiful and offered great views of spring birds (like the above robin), Sunday was cooler and drizzly which eventually turned to fog and was utter crap for getting photos.  You could still see migration working through the skies until the fog got so thick that we couldn't see across the river.  We would scan the skies with the scopes and watch strings and strings of tundra swans heading north as well as a whole host of other ducks like ring-necks, scaup and common mergansers.  I even got my first of year pelicans.

I'll be at the National Eagle Center one more time this month.  Next Sunday, I'll do a digiscoping workshop on how to take photos and video of birds and wildlife using a binoculars or spotting scope with a digital camera.  I think it starts at 11am.  I'll also have my pro cleaning kit if you would like me to tidy up your optics for you too.

Eagles Fighting Over Carp

I spent the weekend at The National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN as a Swarovski Field Tek for a new company called Big River Optics who sells binoculars and spotting scopes through the Center.  I'll be there next Saturday and the following weekend (when we have a Birds and Beers) answering questions about digiscoping, binoculars and scopes.  Also, if you have Swarovski binoculars or a scope and would like a pro cleaning (similar to what they would do at the Swarovski headquarters) or if you need a minor eye cup adjustment, I'll be there to do that too.  Stop in and say, "Hi!"  It's not a bad way to spend the weekend--along the Upper Mississippi River watching bald eagles (like the above immature) float by.

We did get to watch some eagles squabble over a carp, right across the river from the Eagle Center.  An immature bald eagle got a huge carp and an adult came in to take over.  Other immatures came in to see if they could snatch a few morsels or the fish.

The adult was very intimidating to the younger birds.  As it would chase off one immature eagle, another would try to sneak in to claim the fish.

The immature eagle on the right almost had the fish when the adult charged it.

I love the eagle on the gound on the left.  It's as if the bird is say, "Oh crap, this just got real, I'm gettin' out of the way!"

The adult appears to have won the stand off with that particular immature.

Alas, the adult's charge was full on and it tried too late to put on the brakes.  It slid right off the ice and into the water.  Above, it's just about to go in.

It managed to turn around and get out quickly.  I missed that shot and this picture of it getting out is blurry.  Still, not a bad behavior capture for something on the other side of a river from where I was standing.

The adult was the overall winner of the carp.  A few of the immature were able to sneak in and get a few tidbits, but the adult ate the most.  It didn't have an easy time of it.  Below is a video and in the first part, an immature slams it from above.  You'll know when it's about to happen because the birds on the right look up and see it coming.  And watch how the eagles run around on the ice...it's hard to take them as majestic when they run like that.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1FTyksKEJE[/youtube]