Dakota County Bird Trip
Saturday, I led a field trip with my buddy Stan Tekiela to Dakota County, through Staring Lake Outdoor Center. It was a small group and loads of fun. I love birding this place because it's just south of the Twin Cities metro area and you can see some great birds: loggerhead shrike, dickcissel, grasshopper sparrow, indigo bunting, even a Swainson's hawk (they're not really supposed to be in Minnesota).
We started the morning by checking one of the Outdoor Center's bluebird boxes. Some of the participants got to hold a young bluebird--what a great way to start a Saturday morning!
I had driven our route on Friday looking for target birds and didn't find all of them but hoped for the best on Saturday. I did find lots of song sparrows (above). It's interesting to note the abundance of corn growing in many of the fields and I wondered how much more there will be in the coming years with the popularity of ethanol. One spot that has traditionally been great for yellow-headed blackbirds was all corn.
I like going with Stan, because he likes to help put the adventure in a trip.
Case in point, the above photo. Note in the background the sign reads "Road Closed"--that's where we parked. Well, this was our unplanned last stop of the day. We had seen all target species except for dickcissel. I had an email with me that someone in the past week had seen dickcissel off of Hwy 52 and 117th Street--just off the exit. That was on our way back to the Outdoor Center, so we decided to stop there, what did we have to lose? As we drove on the exit, I had my window down and I immediately heard, "dick dick cissel cissel" and there on the exit sign was a dickcissel. Stan pulled his vehicle over right on the exit, I went a little further ahead to an area blocked off for construction. We hopped out and everyone got a good look at the dickcissel.
Incidentally, we were across the highway from the Koch Refinery. Even though we were far away, my spotting scope though aimed at the dickcissel, was pointing towards the refinery. Two security vehicles approached us in less than five minutes to insure that we were not taking any photos--I opted to not try and digiscope the dickcissel.
One of the target species (and on that put on the best show was a northern shrike). I had seen one along this stretch of road on Friday and at first I drove past it, but Stan called out on the two way radio, "Shrike." We pulled back and there it was perched on a telephone pole.
Look at that little shrike loaf. The bird was totally dosing off--slacker. It was hunkered down and periodically the eyes would close--certainly wasn't too stressed out by us humans. I even pulled out my Handheld Birds and played the call of the northern shrike versus the loggerhead and it still continued to dose off.
Eventually, the shrike did wake up and went through a series of stretches. Here is your basic wing stretch.
And this? I don't know, perhaps a bird version of downward dog? I'd never seen a shrike stretch quite like this before--kind of a butt up pose. Boy, it doesn't look anything like it does in field guides. After this stretch it flew across the street to some spruce trees and teed up. It looked like it was on the hunt. I wonder if the shrike was thinking, "Alright, you got your pictures, you got to see me, I'm off the clock, so buzz off."
Another highlight of the day was watching some young kestrels that had recently left the nest learning to fly and hunt. The young birds would fly and perch right over us...that is until the adults showed up and started screeching a warning.
All and all a fun time. Up next is a bee entry. Brace yourself, we find out what happened to Kitty.
We started the morning by checking one of the Outdoor Center's bluebird boxes. Some of the participants got to hold a young bluebird--what a great way to start a Saturday morning!
I had driven our route on Friday looking for target birds and didn't find all of them but hoped for the best on Saturday. I did find lots of song sparrows (above). It's interesting to note the abundance of corn growing in many of the fields and I wondered how much more there will be in the coming years with the popularity of ethanol. One spot that has traditionally been great for yellow-headed blackbirds was all corn.I like going with Stan, because he likes to help put the adventure in a trip.
Case in point, the above photo. Note in the background the sign reads "Road Closed"--that's where we parked. Well, this was our unplanned last stop of the day. We had seen all target species except for dickcissel. I had an email with me that someone in the past week had seen dickcissel off of Hwy 52 and 117th Street--just off the exit. That was on our way back to the Outdoor Center, so we decided to stop there, what did we have to lose? As we drove on the exit, I had my window down and I immediately heard, "dick dick cissel cissel" and there on the exit sign was a dickcissel. Stan pulled his vehicle over right on the exit, I went a little further ahead to an area blocked off for construction. We hopped out and everyone got a good look at the dickcissel.Incidentally, we were across the highway from the Koch Refinery. Even though we were far away, my spotting scope though aimed at the dickcissel, was pointing towards the refinery. Two security vehicles approached us in less than five minutes to insure that we were not taking any photos--I opted to not try and digiscope the dickcissel.
One of the target species (and on that put on the best show was a northern shrike). I had seen one along this stretch of road on Friday and at first I drove past it, but Stan called out on the two way radio, "Shrike." We pulled back and there it was perched on a telephone pole.
Look at that little shrike loaf. The bird was totally dosing off--slacker. It was hunkered down and periodically the eyes would close--certainly wasn't too stressed out by us humans. I even pulled out my Handheld Birds and played the call of the northern shrike versus the loggerhead and it still continued to dose off.
Eventually, the shrike did wake up and went through a series of stretches. Here is your basic wing stretch.
And this? I don't know, perhaps a bird version of downward dog? I'd never seen a shrike stretch quite like this before--kind of a butt up pose. Boy, it doesn't look anything like it does in field guides. After this stretch it flew across the street to some spruce trees and teed up. It looked like it was on the hunt. I wonder if the shrike was thinking, "Alright, you got your pictures, you got to see me, I'm off the clock, so buzz off."
Another highlight of the day was watching some young kestrels that had recently left the nest learning to fly and hunt. The young birds would fly and perch right over us...that is until the adults showed up and started screeching a warning.All and all a fun time. Up next is a bee entry. Brace yourself, we find out what happened to Kitty.
Labels: Bird Watching, digiscoping
posted by birdchick at 10:48 PM
8 Comments:
Dear Sharon,
That sparrow picture reminds me that I wanted to ask you something.
Our cats brought a sparrow home and we managed to save it (normally they die of shock) but its tail is reduced and it does not seem to be flying (although nothing is broken).
My husband thinks that the problem comes from the badly mangled tail.
Would you happen to know if the feathers grow back ?
We'd be most grateful for an answer (the little chap is doing fine otherwise, it seems a shame to keep it in a cage, but unless it can fly, it would not survive - there are far too many cats in the neighbourhood).
Thanks.
Nathalie
Since you were on public property, you could have taken as many pictures of the Koch Refinery as you wanted, and be fully within your rights as an American citizen. It is perfectly legal to stand on public property and photograph private property.
Unfortunately the guards at the Koch Refinery have a reputation for bullying photographers into stopping.
~other Sharon
The other Sharon is right! Since when did Minnesota become a police state? It was nice that you stopped as they were upset about cameras, but you didn't have to.
Some day, I have GOT to go north and bird with you. Your trips always sound like so much fun. I would love to see any shrike, but the Yoga-Shrike is the best. And that baby kestrel - too cute.
To me, the line between "Homeland Security" and "Police State" is too blurry. Yes, we must protect ourselves from terrorist attacks, but not to the point of harassing and intimidating our citizens, especially birders!
Do you mean Loggerhead Shrike or was it a Northern Shrike? If its a Northern Shrike you should alert others as this maybe the first July sighting in Minnesota.
MH
The photo of the shrike is a Loggerhead Shrike (typo on your part?) the reason why I call it a Loggerhead Shrike is that the bill is way to small and the mask is very broad behind the eye/reaches the base of the bill.
Northern Shrikes have large bills that have a ovious hook at the tip of the bill and the mask is narrow and barely reaches the base of the bill.
The photos look wash out and the mantle color fits a Northern Shrike but everything else I see equals a Loggerhead Shrike. Northern Shrikes do not nest in Minnesota and migrate north in the spring to Canada, where it nest. I seen a Northern Shrike a few weeks ago in Churchill.
Just my opinion.
Mike H.
The Mikes are totally right, these are loggerhead shrikes. My brain crossed its wires--I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.
I can't tell you the number of times I've said phoebe when I mean peewee.
That shrike looks awfully fluffy to me--looks like a juvenile. The tail looks short in the last photo, but it could be angled away from the viewer (?). Also you can just barely see the white wing bar on the greater coverts in the last pic, like the juvie pic in the Kaufman guide. July seems late enough for juvs...that might explain its lackadaisical attitude. The yoga poses are hilarious!
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