While in Indiana, I went out for some birding with my mom, my aunt and one of my sisters. In the Hoosier State, spring is ahead of my home in Minnesota, so I welcomed watching the song sparrows on territory singing for a mate (above). There were also a few field sparrows singing which had me excited about hearing them at Carpenter Nature Center in a few weeks–it’s such a great song.
My mom and aunts have monitored a bald eagle nest in Mooresville, IN for the last five years. They keep a journal on their observations and I smile when locals drive by, see my mom and say, “Hey, it’s the Eagle Ladies. Hi!”
Quite a few of the people who live near the nest have invited my mom and my aunts on their property to look at other birds. One is a bed and breakfast called Lake in the Woods. As we took the long driveway into their property, we passed a few beehives and then came to a whole bee yard with over 20 hives. Their bees were much more active, you could see workers going in and out of hives to look for pollen and propolis. I tried to get my sister, mom and aunt out of the vehicle to look at the hives, but they would not do it. I told them they would be fine, but they rolled up their windows. I swear, you blog about getting stung once or twice and no one wants to go near a hive.
The owners of Lake in the Woods were very generous with their time and showed us around their yard full of chickens, guinea fowl, bees, a couple of pigs, and lots of great birds, including the above mourning dove. A pair took up residence last summer on their porch and fledged two broods. The pair of doves returned three weeks ago and got started again.
I noticed some splashing on the lake behind the bed band breakfast and at first could not believe what I saw. It could not be what I thought it was. But when I got my bins and finally my scope on the splashing…
…I discovered that it was what I thought: a common loon–my state bird. I had to come all the way to Indiana to see the Minnesota state bird. The loon was in the process of bathing and darted and splashed all over the lake. I never saw these in Indiana when I was growing, but I wasn’t often at a lake large enough for a loon either.
Must be a migrant loon, on its way north, waiting for the lakes in the far north to open up. Apparently, this species is possible to see on larger Indiana lakes during migration. I got some video of it bathing, it really looked like it was having a good time.
Nice day out.
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Great shots of the loon. That’s funny how you came all the way home to Indiana to see the MN state bird.
Reminds me of when I, also from Indianapolis, went all the way to Rochester, MN to visit a friend one spring and in the grocery there I saw the first Indiana Sweet Corn of the season.
I’d have gotten out and looked at the bees. When I was growing up on the east side of Indy my dad kept about 7 hives for honey. From as early as I can remember until I was about 7, when he got rid of them, I think I was stung a total of 5 times. Still love bees. And my memories and starting to follow your blog recently has inspired me to, when I finish grad school, if we end up somewhere I can, to get into them myself.
I’m sure looking froward to the sound of loons calling.
Most unusual. But then again, Common Loons did nest in even Iowa years ago.!