green heron

 

 

Green Heron stood on the log, soaking up the sun and looking for lunch in the water beneath. 

Suddenly, he stuck out his neck and grabbed a morsel from the pond.

molting woodpecker

 Mullein blooms over a long time in the summer. Some of the flower stalks have produced seeds.        Birds molt old feathers and grow new ones after nesting and fledging their young.  This Downy Woodpecker has a few more new feathers to sprout, but it is hungry enough to come out for lunch.

fledgling robin

The nest is nearby. When the young American Robins fledged, this one flew only a little distance.  

It sat a long time waiting for someone to bring food. 

killdeer

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus is a shorebird that is part of the plover family. About the size of a American Robin, it has very long legs and striped black and white neck.  It usually inhabits grassy areas but eats mostly invertebrates. This one was foraging along the shore for aquatic insect larvae.  The scientific name "vociferus" is from Latin; 'vox' meaning "voice" with 'ferre' meaning "to carry". Their call is surely carrying!  https://musicofnature.com/mary-holland/killdeer/ 

song sparrow

 

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia live up their binomial nomenclature 'melodia' by singing a delightful song, enthusiatically, and often.

They move along wetland edges like around the pond. I see the males occasionally, but they spend most of the time in dense, low vegetation. 

ducklings, Mallard 2023

 This clutch of Mallard ducklings came to the pond a few days ago, led by their mother.

pair of blue winged teal

Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors have a bold powder-blue patch on their upperwing coverts, only seen in flight or when they are preening.  

They are 'dabblers' - - dipping into water to find aquatic insects and water plants to eat. When on land they eat vegetation and grains. 
 

sandpipers

We see many Sandpipers on the pond each Spring and Autumn.  They are hard to tell apart! I think this is a Solitary Sandpiper, because it has a dark bill.  Solitary Sandpipers nest further north of Minnesota, but Spotted Sandpipers nest all around the state.  

yellow-rumped warbler

 Yellow-rumped Warblers Setophaga coronata arrived here on the pond today on migration to the northern part of Minnesota and Canada, where they will nest and breed young birds.  Also called "Myrtle" Warblers.  On migration they eat fruits and seeds.  Here, they flit along the shoreline hunting insects among the grasses.  These individuals came to the feeders to eat thistle and sunflower chips. When more insects appear and the Warblers arrive on the breeding ground up north, they will eat caterpillars and other larvae, small beetles, weevils, ants, scale insects, aphids, grasshoppers, caddisflies, spiders, and gnats.

northern shovelers in Spring

Northern Shovelers visited the pond today.  They eat tiny crustaceans, other aquatic invertebrates, and seeds in and around the pond.  To filter food out of the water, they have comb-like projections (called lamellae) along the edge of their bills.  Lamellae are slightly pliable.  They help many ducks, gooses, and other birds eat by filtering edible items from mud or water.

hooded mergansers in Spring

We have three types of Mergansers in North America.  The smallest of the group is the Hooded Merganser.  These are diving ducks; their long bills are slender with serrated edges, formed like teeth for grasping and holding their prey.  They dive in lakes or ponds, staying under water up to two minutes, while hunting for small fish, crustaceans, amphibians, or roots.

blue-wing teal in Spring

The wetland around the pond is a stopping place where ducks in migration can rest and get a meal.  

A pair of Blue-winged Teal stopped today.

tree sparrow

American Tree Sparrows come to the feeders often in winter.  Spizelloides arborea Tree Sparrows often fluff out their feathers.  A rusty cap makes them look like chipping sparrows, who migrate south of Minnesota for winter.  These little birds come 'south' to the northern US for winter.  In spring, they breed in the far north tundra in Canada (near the tree line) building nests on the ground, often in a tussock of grass.  They sport a rusty eyeline, a brown back, and dark smudge in the center of the smooth breast.

dove

 

Mourning doves are often seen in winter, especially under bird feeders.

Crows gather in massive groups to roost together at night so they can share warmth and safety from predators. It is believed they even exchange information about food and weather fronts.

hummingbird on salvia

young blackbird showing epaulets

This young male Red-winged Blackbird was begging his mom to give him food from the seed feeder. I can tell he is a male because he's already starting to get his bright colored 'epaulets' on his shoulders.  She has been putting food in his mouth whenever he gapes since he hatched out of his egg.  But now that she is hoping he will find his own food!

mallard families

Female Mallard came out of the grasses with her 3 young ducks (upper right).  Then, another Mallard appeared with her 8 younger ducklings. They were all intent on eating duckweed and other aquatic plants growing in the pond.

On 5/20/2022 we peeked into the nest box, and found several eggs. Not countable, because of the feathers in the box meant to hide the eggs from predators. Since then I have peeked several times more.

The female adult was incubating the eggs.  I noticed the adults going in and out of the box on June 3 since  the eggs had hatched and they were bringing food to the hatchlings.  After two weeks in the box the nestlings had grown enough so they were full size and had gained some flight feathers.  On June 21 most young fledged out of the box, ready to learn how to fly and hunt for their own food: flying insects.

On June 22 the adults coaxed the last young bird to fly.  A few days later, we saw 3 of them perching on a branch looking over the pond.

sora, master of disguise

My new favorite bird!  I just discovered the Sora Porzana carolina (a very secretive wetland bird) this Spring.  I watch a pair every day, hunting at the edge of the pond.  They think the mottled-pattern camouflage feathers makes them hard to spot.  But the bright yellow bill gives them away.   (see post on 4/24/2022)