Category: bird migration

Birds that you don’t usually get at feeders

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By , April 18, 2013 10:05 pm
Northern Flickers  4/18/13

Northern Flicker 4/18/13

This has been a very cold and snowy Spring. Today we had about 6″ of snow so far and that is very unusual for this time in April.

Finally a respectable day birding

By , April 6, 2013 10:57 pm
Eastern Meadowlark

Eastern Meadowlark 4/6/2013

Yesterday we took a side trip on the way to our normal Friday food shopping. We saw a few birds, in particular we saw a Meadowlark that we could not fully identify.

House Finch

By , March 23, 2013 6:00 pm
House Finch 3/22/13

House Finch 3/22/13

We keep waiting and hoping to see sings of Spring. In particular we are hoping to see the Spring birds come in. A few days ago we saw a few Red Crossbills, but nothing else. So, it was with particular pleasure that we had a male House Finch at our feeder yesterday afternoon. We had last seen one November 19th last year. Usually they come in March. In 2008 we saw them as early as March 2nd. Last year which had an extremely early Spring, they came in on March 13th.

Today on our drive we saw Wild Turkeys and Horned Larks. We still wonder why we never saw them before. They can blend in with the vegetation but they are so active it is almost impossible to miss them. The Turkeys we seem to find in the same place on the back roads on our way to Little Falls. (Love the manure smell, another less pleasant reminder of Spring and the coming planting season.)

Horned Lark 3/23/13

Horned Lark 3/23/13

Wild Turkeys 3/23/13

Wild Turkeys 3/23/13

Spring perhaps? Well, not quite, but it is coming.

By , March 1, 2013 11:21 pm

horned lark

Horned Lark 3/2/2013

We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Favorite Photos of 2012 – pt 3 – Sandhill Cranes

By , January 9, 2013 6:52 pm
Sandhill Cranes 3/21/12

Sandhill Cranes 3/21/12

The only crane we see in Minnesota is the Sandhill Crane. There are very common in this part of MN and if you don’t see them you can usually here them. From the deck of the house we rent, we can often hear them in the evening and I am sure if we could magically remove the trees, they would appear just South of us in the meadow below Lake Beauty.

A slow December

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By , December 14, 2012 12:20 am
Pine Grosbeak 12/2/2012

Pine Grosbeak 12/2/2012

It is hardly news that our December has been a slow bird month.

November 2012 summary

By , November 30, 2012 8:07 pm
American Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow

November is

Pine Grosbeaks

By , November 15, 2012 1:36 pm

Pine Grosbeaks on Lake Beauty 11/14/2012

Pine Grosbeaks on Lake Beauty

One of the great joys of birdwatching is the possibility of seeing a bird that you haven’t seen before or having the opportunity to see well a bird you only glimpsed momentarily. This year we had seen 2 new birds: the Lark Sparrow and the Black Tern. Just yesterday we added a third. I managed to see 2 Pine Grosbeaks in our neighbors yard and at the boat landing on Lake Beauty. The birds are normal fall and winter visitors to this part of the world but we had never seen them before. I would normally expect them in late December or January (following the pattern of Redpolls who usually come in January) but this year we have already had a Common Redpoll showing up at our feeder.

I don’t know how long we will see them or if yesterday was a one off appearance.

Pine Grosbeak

Pine Grosbeak 11/14/2012

Late October Birds 2012

By , October 30, 2012 2:15 pm
Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter Swans on Pillager Lake

It is almost the end of October. We spotted 52 different species so far this month. Early Fall is over, the last warbler of the season, the Yellow-rumped left us on Oct 22. We still have 2 White-throated Sparrows that seem almost determined to stay, but I am sure they will gone to soon. The late fall birds are here. Fox Sparrows have started to show up, almost every day. We have started seeing American Tree Sparrow. Mostly they have come to the lake landing, but I hope they visit our feeders. Red-breasted Nuthatches and Siskins have been regular visitors for the last few weeks. I have no idea if they will stay through November but it is nice to see them.

The lake will be frozen by the end of November so we are using every opportunity to see visiting waterfowl. We have had the odd Swan or 2 since September. Today there must have been 10 or so, Trumpeter Swans, far enough away to make identication difficult. We are getting Wood Ducks and Pied-billed Grebes every day.

Pine Siskins

Pine Siskins

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Fox and  White-throated Sparrows

Fox and White-throated

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Mid October Bird Slowdown

By , October 18, 2012 1:45 pm
White-crowned Sparrow in a group of Juncos

White-crowned Sparrow

The October slowdown in bird observations is in full swing. The trees have lost most of their leaves. The migrating warblers may be done. I saw one Yellow-rumped Warbler yesterday but the noisy active flocks are gone. Our migrating Sparrows are slowing down. From multiples of White-throated that have been visible for a few weeks were are left with stragglers. So, today I saw one White-throated Sparrow and one Harris’s Sparrow. I took my last photo of a White-crowned for the season on Monday.

Common Loons

Common Loons 10/16/12

There are many birds that nest in Minnesota that avoid busy lakes during the summer. Now that our lake is more or less empty we are starting to see those birds more regularly. We actually been seeing Swans irregularly since early September. The loons have lost their summer plumage and are ready for winter. When I walk Sierra in the afternoon. I usually manage to scare a Wood Duck or two.

For the last week or so Red-breasted Nuthatches have been active in our yard. They are not too skittish but they have a habit of grabbing some food and running for cover so they don’t linger at the feeder for long. They are visible in Minnesota most of the year but only erratically at our feeders. So, we don’t know how long this visit will be but we will enjoy it while it lasts.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Harris's Sparrow

Harris’s Sparrow

Wood Duck

Wood Duck

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

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