Update On Tornado Ravaged Herons #birding

Hey, here's a great video from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of some of the young great blue herons that were retrieved from the tornado damaged rookery at North Mississippi Regional Park.  They appear to be doing very well! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgQhwLHxWgs[/youtube]

In other news, I have had multiple reports of herons rebuilding on 2 different areas on the river.  I'm working with my park and the MN DNR now to go out and try and get photos of it for next week.  One of the new spots is not easily visible from the shores of the Mississippi but if you are canoeing the area or taking a boat, you'll see it.  As a matter of fact, I was supposed to lead a birding trip to the rookery via voyageur canoe with Wilderness Inquiry on June 11 and wondered how we would improvise, but that trip is going to go right past the new rookery.  We should also see eagles, peregrines, orioles, and hear warblers, vireos and wrens.

If you have any spare cash, consider donating to the WRC and the great blue herons.  Fish eaters are expensive birds to take care of.

The Nighthawk Connection

I love days that do not turn out the way I thought they would.  Especially when the original plan included copious amounts of laundry. It started when the woman who does my hair (Rachel) texted and asked if I wanted to go fishing.  I did want to inaugurate my pole to the season and I need to stay in some sort of practice for ranger programs so I was excited to say yes.  I typed up my beat for for 10,000 Birds (basically, it's a "know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" article on how to be an actual help to found baby birds) and when that was up and ready to go, I joined Rachel for some fishing. We were fishing off of Lake Harriet which is a frequent bike route for me and it's also where the great horned owls were nesting (young owls have left the nest now).  But it's not a bad place for some casual fishing.  All was well, we were giggling, chatting and in my case, landing some of the smallest bass ever when a guy started playing his flute.  We both sort of rolled our eyes.  When I enjoy the lakes, I like to listen to bird songs, not some random guy working on his "sound" with his flute.

All of a sudden, I heard a nighthawk call loud right above us.  It sounded off three times and I realized that it was 2pm (not the time for a nocturnal bird to be singing) and I didn't see it fly off.  Was the nighthawk as irritated with the flute player as we were?

A quick scan of the tree and we found the common nighthawk.  Do you see it?  It's right there in that tree!  I didn't have my scope with me to digiscope it.  I find that if I try to fish and bird at the same time, I don't do either well.  After Rachel and I finished our day, I ran some errands and headed home.  I noticed that I had an hour before Non Birding Bill would be home so I thought I'd strap my scope to my bike and try to digiscope the nighthawk.  Since it's a nocturnal species and their defense during the day is to remain still and camoflage, my chances were good that it would still be there late in the afternoon.

As I pedaled around Lake Harriet, I noticed ducks running amok.  Drakes were chasing hens and at one point a hen almost nailed a jogger right in the face.  I paid attention as I headed down the trail and then noticed a biker in front of me yelling at some cars on the road that goes around Lake Harriet.  I thought the bike rider was yelling at someone driving a car, as I neared I could see a hen mallard in front of the vehicle.  It sounded like the bike rider was yelling at the driver, perhaps for hitting the duck.  I felt that it wouldn't have been the driver's fault because the ducks were chasing each other.  I pulled over and heard snippets of conversation:

Bike Rider: "Nice job."

Woman with Car: "We are trying to help, we are trying to get bird expert, she has nest in the road!"

I recognized the voice.  It was a woman I had seen at parties who was a friend of NBB's Theatre Arlo partner.  But I couldn't remember her name.  I knew she had an accent and that her name sounded Russian...what was the name.

I lifted my sunglasses, her name suddenly hitting me, "Natasha?"

Woman with Car: "OH! You're who I'm looking for! Sharon, we've been trying to call you for the last hour! Help, what do we do with this duck?"

Natasha had been trying to get hold of someone to give me a call because she didn't have my number--how weird that I took this bike ride at the last minute and ran into her!  I got to the street and assessed the situation: a hen mallard had a nest right on the curb of a very busy and narrow street around the lake.  It looked like the nest had started on a hill right above the curb and the eggs shifted down on the pavement.  Some nesting material surrounded the eggs as did a few beer cans.  I suspect someone else found the nest in the street and tried to use the beer cans as a buffer from from cars.

Natasha and her friend directed traffic as she told me how she had seen the duck and worried it would get hit.  Many of the eggs were cracked.  Most felt cool.  I peeled open the cracked eggs and found liquid inside.  I picked up an uncracked egg and pealed it too and found that egg was also liquid.  I made a snap judgement:

This was probably a young female who made a poor choice for a nest.  If I took the eggs away now, she wouldn't nest there again, it'd would be as if a fox/raccoon/skunk had raided the nest.  She would be out of the street and in less danger from being run over by cars and could possibly nest again this year.  The eggs weren't viable and if they stayed, she might still try to incubate them and most likely get hit by a car.  I removed the eggs.  Then Natasha and I surrounded the female causing her to fly out of the road on to the bike trail.  She was spooked by a dog walker and went to the lake where she would be safe.  I stuck around a few minutes and she swam to shore, staring at me and making soft quacks.

I'm sorry I took her nest but her eggs were dead and her nest situation was precarious for her survival.  At least this way she would live to nest again and this time stay FAR away from a busy street.

I continued on my way around the trail and did find the roosting nighthawk:

It was still here, perched the way a nighthawk should be.  Lake Harriet is not far from my apartment at all.  We only hear one nighthawk singing, I wonder if this is that bird that flies over our apartment at dusk?

As I took pictures of the bird through my scope, I heard someone passing me say, "Is she looking at leaves? Oh, I bet she's taking pictures of bark."

Well, I was taking pictures of a bird that uses bark to camoflage itself in the middle of the day.

So, all in all not a bad day, despite it not going as I planned it to be, but glad I could be around to offer some help to non birding friends, get in some fishing in and a cool bird too.

For those curious, here's the earlier photo with a red circle around the nighthawk.  This is what it looked like without binoculars or a scope.

Brown Duck for @bstiteler

For Non Birding Bill--a Cinnamon Teal!  That's the male--in all his brown glory.

Random American Avocet

Random Bobolink

The Billy Idol of blackbirds.

Heron Rookery Visit

Here's a follow up to yesterday's story about the Minneapolis tornado that destroyed the great blue heron rookery at North Mississippi Regional Park. Thanks to a lot of phone calls, my park the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, CO Todd from MN DNR and some vet techs with heron experience from the Animal Humane Society, we made it out to the heron rookery.  I was so excited that as we were making phone calls to coordinate this, people were willing to loan boats and equipment, especially since money is tight when it comes to government funded employees.

This is Nicole and fellow Park Ranger Gordon holding birds we recovered.  I was especially excited to have along Laura and Nicole from AHS, they had heron grabbing experience, which made a huge difference.  Apart from minor scratches from vegetation, no human was injured.

A group who knew enough about herons to avoid adults retrieved 7 live heron chicks last night.  We recovered 2 more chicks and 3 adults this morning.  Most were taken to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville, MN (apart from 2 who had injuries so severe, they were euthanized right away). If you have any spare cash, please donate it to the WRC--even if it's only $5.  This is their busy time of year and getting an unexpected drop of 9 baby herons who need lots of fish to get the adult weight of 7 pounds is expensive.  Any extra spare change you have is greatly appreciated by those folks.

We couldn't save them all, most of the chicks were dead, but we did what we could and helped those we could reach.  If you figure conservatively that there were 180 nests (though I suspect there were over 200), with each nest holding 2-3 chicks and every single nest came down, we lost over 300 healthy chicks.  We found maybe 50 dead chicks on this island, but from the way the trees fell, I'm sure most of them ended up in the river.  We found very few dead and injured adults.  I think the herons saw the tornado and took off for safer skies, leaving the chicks behind.  The few who stayed were the ones who were killed or injured.  So, sadly we lost almost an entire generation fro the summer from this one rookery, but most adults survived to breed again next year and there are several rookeries for them to use around the Twin Cities.  Herons build flimsy nests and have evolved to deal with natural disaster.  It is a sad day for the park to loose this colony, but we know in the long run, they will survive and continue to breed.

I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to the media.  I'll post links as they show up on the web.  Also, Ranger Gordon uploaded photos from today on our park's Facebook Page.  Check them out!

Star Tribune story by Jim Williams

Star Tribune story by Maria Elena Baca

WCCO's coverage of the heron rookery

MPR coverage of the heron rookery

KSTP coverage of the heron rookery

Pioneer Press coverage of the heron rookery

National Park Traveler coverage of the loss of our rookery

WRC coverage of the heron rookery

Minneapolis Heron Rookery Destroyed By Tornado

This was so not how I planned to spend my Monday.  Warning, not a pleasant post ahead. I returned from Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds yesterday and on my way home, Non Birding Bill called to warn me of a possible tornado in north Minneapolis--an area I would drive through on my way to our apartment, but far from our our building.  I mostly avoided the storm and drove through the tail end of it.  We checked Facebook and called friends to make sure people were accounted for and were relieved to find them alive.  This morning, I started my day off finishing errands and planning bird festival blog entries, some bike riding and our next podcast.  Then the emails started to come in asking what I new about the North Mississippi Regional Park Heron Rookery.

A quick check of the Minneapolis Police traffic plan confirmed my fear.  The tornado's path hit the park.  I called my boss from the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and said, "I know it's my day off, but do you mind if I put on my uniform and go check out the situation?"  If areas were blocked off, I knew I'd have a better chance of getting in and not be perceived as a looter if I had my official badge and uniform on.  He said to go for it.

Reports from friends in the area said that herons were circling non stop around the park.  As I was driving to the exit for North Mississippi Regional Park, I saw herons circling outside of the park fence (this photo was not taken as I was driving, it was taken at the park).  I also noticed trees down around the fence and tornado debris around the highway.  My stomach sank.  I made my way around the blocked exit, entered the visitor center for the park and the employees faces confirmed my fears.  They said the rookery was gone and they were devastated.

I've blogged about this rookery a lot.  I even took someone from MPR out to it.  We use it regularly for programs for my park and people who use the trails love to check it out in the summer.  It's a testament to birds adapting to an urban area.

This is what it looked like this morning.  There are no words.  Every single nest was gone, it looked like the tornado went right through the island.  Even the few trees that managed to stay up in the face of the tornado had lost nests.  Herons were circling the island, some looking for purchase, others flew in with sticks in a half-hearted attempt to rebuild.  Everything was gone.

Most of the walking trails around the park were downed.  There was some access on the biking trail but I had to do some climbing to get around.

There was at least one dead heron on the trail at North Miss, but how many more were under the trees?

When I arrived at a point on the bank of the Mississippi River where I could view the island that once hosted the rookery, I found an injured heron.  I was unprepared.  I've handled all sorts of birds with bird banding and with picking up injured raptors for The Raptor Center.  Herons are difficult and dangerous.  They don't know that you are trying to help them, all they know is that they try to eat the weak and injured when they find it.  They will fight with that spear like beak and that long neck gives them an advantage.  I know of one rehabber who lost an eye grabbing a heron and others who have been stabbed in various appendages.  I had no protective goggles or anything to put the heron in.  It was also close to the river.  I stayed and waited a moment assessing the situation:

The heron flew to a log on the river and compound fracture on its leg was evident.  Sigh.  I was really surprised at how few injured herons I could see.  These are long, lanky, slow moving birds.  The ones that were flying had a few feathers missing but otherwise appeared okay.  How did they survive the tornado?

Some herons perched in the remaining branches and they appeared to be okay. It's almost as if what happened hasn't clearly processed in their brains.  They know the nests should be there, they should either be brooding eggs and chicks or bringing in food, but the nests are gone and so they perched in the trees and waited.

A few more were down among the vegetation on the island.  As I was there taking photos, park visitors came by wanting to help and grieving over the lost rookery.  I advised all of them to wait for park personnel to get to the herons and warned them how dangerous they can be.  I sympathized with the park and staff.  However, while there some guys in a boat came by taking photos of the island and of us.

Then these guys in hipster hats got on the island and started heading towards the herons, no gloves, no protective eye wear, nothing.  I yelled to them to stay away and they seemed surprised someone could see them and backed off.  I appreciate that people want to help, but injured herons are incredibly dangerous.  My park is working on a solution to reach them right now.  The river is still high and again these are dangerous birds, we need planning and skills.

The big question people want to know is what will the herons do now?  Will they renest?  I don't think that they will, they have a brief time for nesting in Minnesota. Nest building can take about 3 days if they really work, but can take a week or more.  Incubation is about 27 days and the young fledge (fly and leave the nest) at about 54 - 57 days.  It takes a few weeks for young herons to become independent from the adults.  So, we're looking at about a three month process meaning the chicks would fledge in late August--that's a little late, especially since the rookery is gone.

I think these guys will get the summer off to feed themselves.  There may be a few young herons who might attempt a renesting at Coon Rapids Dam a few miles north on the river, but I think the season is scrapped for most of them.  On the upside, herons build flimsy nests and this is something they have evolved to handle natural disasters.  The heron population in the Twin Cities is very stable, they will handle this and restart next year.  At the same time, it's hard to see the devastation and it's incredibly hard to watch the injured.

I couldn't help but notice all the birds on the ground.  This American redstart practically walked through my legs.  Warbling vireos, orioles and other warblers were down low, feeding off of the insects tucked around the branches of the downed trees.  I couldn't help but wonder how something that weighs about as much as a dust bunny could survive a tornado?  Did they just roll under some shrubbery when the wind blew?

As I was about to leave, a park patron walked up carrying a bawling fawn.  He said it was found in the open on the trail alone and crying out (it kind of sounded like a goat).  I was working my way towards getting him to put the fawn back where he found it (fawns normally hide while the does are out feeding and it's not unusual to find one unattended) but he said that he found a dead doe near the fawn which didn't sound optimistic for the young deer.  I ended up taking it to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

So, all in all this was a crap Monday.  I apologize that the podcast didn't happen today and it won't happen tomorrow.  I spent the day trying to coordinate an effort to get to the heron rookery island with people experienced with herons and to see if we can get the injured adults. Plus, I'm in a morose mood, I can't imagine the podcast being fun to listen to.

One final sad note about the Minneapolis tornado. There's a report that Rob MacIntyre of the Raptor Resource Project (the folks who bring us the Decorah Eagle Cam) died while helping his neighbors clear debris.

This tornado was sad on many levels.

North Miss. Heron Rookery is gone.

Sharon's asked me to post a quick note while she's on the scene. After our recent tornado(es) in Minneapolis, the North Miss. Heron Rookery is gone. Also, they have no phone service in the area. More later.

Random Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's hawk and its eternal question: Can I eat that?

Deer Eats A Baby Bird

Yikes, this video may not be for the squeamish.  It's not bloody but there's no doubt what this deer does.  They're not just herbivores. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQOQdBLHrLk&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Thank you, Matt, for sending this...I think.