Chickadees at feeder over the pond

Black-capped Chickadees stay in Minnesota all winter.  They eat seeds and insects or larvae when they can find any.  They come to feeders where I offer sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and peanut chips.  This feeder hangs over the pond with an extra branch for the birds to perch on.

From November to April I watch, count, and report the birds I see as a citizen scientist.  Cornell Lab of Ornithology is replete with data and information about birds.  https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home

This pond is covered with snow, and a layer of ice under that.  The turtles are hibernating below in the mud.  The muskrats are snug in their burrows.  It looks quiet and peaceful on the pond, but there is a lot going on in all seasons.

snowy pond February

How different the same view looks in winter! Still, we see evidence of critters who live at the pond by their tracks in the snow.

feeding birds on the pond

Chickadees, house finches, juncos, and even downy woodpeckers venture out of the trees nearby to take seed at the feeder next to the pond.

winter feeder

The seed feeder hangs on a pole.  I attached a forked tree branch so the birds have something to perch on.  In this grey winter landscape, it is hard to spot.  But the birds find it easily.

doves

The seed feeder and suet cage are out, filled, and waiting for birds.  So far, the only obvious visitors are two Mourning Doves.  They sat on the deck rail for a while, warming themselves in the sun.

dragonfly

This lovely dragonfly landed on the deck rail today.  I am educating myself about pond critters, and just learning about Odonata, so best guess is Ruby Meadowhawk, Sympetrum rubicundulum.  

rest stop

Occasionally, Canada Geese land on the pond to feed on pondweed or take a rest during migration.  These five stopped for just an hour.

Ironweed

Tall and graceful on purple stems, Ironweed Vernonia fasciculata blooms in late summer.  This clump stands on the western edge of the pond in full sun.  It is a host plant for American Painted Lady butterflies, and of value for native bees.

sunflower

At the edge of the pond, wild flowers unfold as the summer passes.

2019 - FIRST POST FROM WETLANDS

Wetlands will now be included in this blog, since my windows now look out on a pond.  My new location is another former farm field that became a neighborhood.  Fortunately, the pond was preserved.  It is surrounded by wildflowers, grasses, trees, and reeds.

2018 -- sunflower seeds LAST POST FROM WOODLAND GARDEN

Sunflowers have bloomed, and the seeds are ripe. Usually the Chickadees, with their extreme curiosity, are the first to inspect the seedheads.  But the Goldfinches are the true connoisseurs of sunflower seeds fresh from the seedhead.  I've noticed they usually hang around on a seedhead for quite a while, and use a horizontal leaf as a shelf to help enjoy the treat.

The scientific name of Sunflowers, Helianthus, is from Helia for "sun" and Anthus for "flower". 

nectar

Monarchs are finding the
Joe Pye Weed and milkweed plants in the yard. 
This one even found the sweet nectar in the hummingbird feeder.

juvenile birds

The wild wild woods and the feeder garden are full of fledgelings and juvenile birds.  Some are learning to get suet from the hanging dispensers.  This Downy Woodpecker has been at the suet three days in a row.  If it is with the same young bird, I suspect she is pretending to be a slow learner so the adult continues to serve it up.

shelter

One of the trees in the wild wild woods fell a long time ago.  It has survived in horizontal position, spreading its branches above.  And, it allowed the critters to hollow out a shelter along its sprawl.

mates

Northern Cardinals often offer food tidbits to a prospective mate.

differences

Some birds confuse me!  These two often up show in the feeder garden.  The female Red-wing Blackbird (top) has a long pointed beak for gleaning cattail seeds in the grassy pond area where they nest.  The female Rose-breasted Grosbeak (bottom) has a thicker beak for opening the bigger seeds they prefer.  Their male mates are bright and flashy, but these females wear a softly speckled breast and subtle coloring to avoid being noticed as they nest and raise their defenseless chicks.  Each has a beak that is best suited for the food they prefer.

suet for Spring birds

Brown Thrasher

Baltimore Oriole, male

Every bird loves suet at this time of the year.  Their efforts -- whether to migrate, find a mate, define territory, or build a nest -- all take energy.  Suet provides it when the insects are not quite plentiful enough this early in our "late" Spring.

wrens

Several House Wrens Troglodytes aedon have invaded the wild wild woods.
Only about 4.5 inches long, they are tiny melodious singers in the trees.

But in an effort to please his mate, a male will fill several boxes or tree cavities with small twigs, preventing other species from using those nesting sites.

The female Wren will choose one twig-filled cavity or nestbox and place soft material at the bottom.  The twigs create a scaffold that serves as a shield against predators. In her chosen hideaway, she will lay a clutch of eggs.

Grosbeak

Rosebreasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus pair are nesting somewhere nearby in the wild wild woods.  The female is dressed in brown-gray camouflage pattern so she can hide her eggs among the trees; the male sports a rose front to contrast with his black and white tuxedo. Both come to the feeder tray for seed.  But they won't let me know where their nest is!

pussywillow bloom

fox sparrows migrating

Over the last week, through blizzard winds and huge snows, a lone Fox Sparrow seemed stranded alone among the Dark-eyed Junco flock sheltering in my feeder garden.  Today, with clearing weather south of here, several Fox Sparrows joined the first one.  They are ground feeders, kicking and hopping in leaf litter to expose bugs and seeds.  With a hard crusty snow cover on much of the ground, some of the hopping motions take maximum energy to be productive!

 

filling the larder with suet

Red-bellied Woodpecker gathering suet from the hanging feeder cage.

Red-bellied Woodpecker caching suet in a hiding place for later.

winter birds . . . as winter continues

Snow again.  I've been away since January. This is mid-April.  Almost 80 inches of snow this winter. I've resorted to putting out a plate of seeds for the birds rather than wade through deep drifts between the house and the hanging feeders.  It warmed up a bit last week; many migrating birds are now stuck here.

winter birds

Snow today, and the birds are more visible than over the last few weeks with no snow.  The Bluejays and Northern Cardinals are willing to sit together for a meal as the temperature drops and the wind increases.

photo credit gwp

peanuts and suet

Below zero F air temperature.  Wind makes it feel even colder.  Clouds and snow flurries prevent any warmth from sunshine.

The suet is popular with several species.  They do not mind close association when it comes to getting nourishment on a cold day.  Here, a Downy Woodpecker and Black-capped Chickadee partake as a Dark-eyed Junco (with claws more suited for finding seeds on the ground) tries to figure out the best way to hang and feed as the others.

Meanwhile, the new peanut ring attracts the Bluejays.  The Chickadees and Nuthatches explored it immediately.  The Bluejays were more cautious but their curiosity led them to solving the puzzle of this feeder.