Birdchick

After days of clouds and rain, what a delight to wake up to sun (via a nearby restaurant’s leaf blowers) and robins trying to bathe in all the puddles on the roof. Mixed in with the robins are hoards of waxwings.

Alright, anyone going to Aitkin County in Minnesota this weekend might want to keep their eye for Golden Eagle 42.  Mark Martell reports that for the last two days, “Golden Eagle 42 spent the evenings of both days in eastern Aitken Co. 5 miles east of Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Moved about .5 miles  [ Read More ]

I’ll be late to tonight’s Birds and Beers that starts at 6:30pm at Merlin’s Rest.  I should be in a little after 7pm.  In the mean time, I leave you with a photo of the most disturbing bird house ever.  I found it in my external drive.  Years ago when I worked at the bird  [ Read More ]

I’m writing an article for Bowtie’s Popular Bird Series Hummingbird Issue and one of the editors emailed that she is looking for reader submissions of memorable hummingbird stores in 300 words or less.  Annika Small says she’s looking for stories like you were having a bad day and a hummingbird came into view, brightening your  [ Read More ]

Golden Eagle 42 is still bookin’ it south in Minnesota and taking an interesting way down towards Wabasha.  Mark Martell reported this morning: “Our eagle spent last night in Itasca County, MN about 3 mi. NE of Battle Island. He has been steadily making his way south at about 30 – 40 miles per day  [ Read More ]

A snippet of birds visiting the green mesh feeder made with the Wingscapes Cam.  This was more of a test to see if I could teach myself how to make an animated gif. How many bird species can you identify? Now another question: do I post the P&S and JoCo trampoline photos?

I think this photo caught with my WingScapes Cam kind of sums of the hodgepodge of the last few days. Check out the red-bellied woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, and female purple finch posing on the feeder (never mind that there are 6 other feeders). Note that the chickadee is sporting a band–that means that my buddies  [ Read More ]

Birds and Beers is this Thursday, October 29 at 6:30pm at Merlin’s Rest and we have something to celebrate.  I’ve been testing the waters with OpenSky–creating a shop that only has products I like, use and enjoy.  Well, I thought to myself:  all the best bird companies give back to the birding community and I’d  [ Read More ]

Golden Eagle 42 has crossed the Canada/Minnesota border!  Alas, this bird appears to be bypassing the Lake Superior Shoreline and probably won’t go over Hawk Ridge.  Our bird is currently in Koochiching County, MN.  What route will he take to get to Wabasha?  To follow more of Golden Eagle 42′s story, check out Audubon Minnesota.

I had a rare free morning last Saturday and I realized that it was the third Saturday of October and that meant my friends Mark and Roger would be banding birds at Lowry Nature in Carver Park. When I arrived, there were dozens of bags full of small songbirds and my friend Amber was helping  [ Read More ]