new feathers

In November, Mallards paddle on the pond before they migrate to warmer places. The male Mallards molt their feathers in the autumn and regrow their green head feathers; in the following spring brilliant colors will help each male find a mate for the next breeding season.

hooded mergansers

Hooded Mergansers Lophodytes cucullatus are the smallest of the three native Mergansers. They migrate in early Spring along the Mississippi River and arrive on breeding grounds as soon as the ice is melted.  On this pond, they rest and find nourishment in aquatic insects, crustaceans, amphibians, and vegetation.  Pairs form in winter and they will find a tree cavity or wood duck box to built their nest.

geese in early Spring

 

Mallards have been feeding and sunning themselves all day on the pond, even though we had a few snow squalls.  They must be getting ready to head south for the winter.  At dusk, the muskrat came out to gather a meal.  Seeing the ducks, he swam towards them again and again, trying to chase them away.  Defending his territory, or maybe since it is autumn he does not want to share the dwindling green plant material left to eat in the pond?

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor have arrived after migrating from southern USA or Mexico where they spend winter. This bird showed off his iridescent dark blue feathers while taking a rest on a branch over the pond.  Tree Swallows feed on flying insects that they catch on the wing.

bufflehead

Buffleheads Bucephala albeola, small diving ducks, are migrating through Minnesota now.  They nest north of here, so I assume these  two males stopped today for rest and food.  The pond is a perfect place for a respite on a cold snowy day. Maybe they found it warmer under the surface; they seemed to stay under for 12-15 seconds. Judging from the geese and other ducks feeding here, the Buffleheads must be finding nourishment as they dive in the pond.  I was trying for a photo of both, but they were constantly diving again, and too quick for me. 

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.

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.

migrating painted ladies

The garden was aflutter last week with Painted Lady butterflies Vanessa cardui.  They were obsessed with the blossoms of Brazilian Vervain Verbena bonariensis.  Fortunately, the lavender blooms are abundant this year, probably self-seeded from last year's single pot of the plant.  I was beginning to think I had too many of the tall strong stems topped with airy umbrellas of tiny flowers.  Now, glad they invited the ladies to stop for refueling on their way south!

migrants

Among the migrating birds in the woods this week are a flock of White-throated Sparrows.  They show up in the late autumn on their way south, and in the springtime on their way to nesting grounds in northern Minnesota and Canada.

Their yellow lores make it easy to spot them among the foliage and branches . . .   until the warblers show up.  Some of them have yellow feathers too.

ground camouflage

Camouflage of brown and gray and buff.  The outfit allows a sparrow to blend in among the leaves and litter while hunting for seeds, fruits, and insects on the ground.  But the pure white throat, striped head, and yellow lores gives away this White Throated Sparrow.  They've come south for the winter from Canada where they breed and raise young in nests on the ground.  

Southwest USA study trip

Just returned from studying wildflowers in the Southwest USA. 

At a wetland preserve area, we saw some of the birds that are wintering there but will return to Minnesota for nesting season.


top: Northern Shoveler male Anas clypeata

middle: Common Moorhen Gallinula galeata
bottom: Mallard female Anas platyrhynchos

more migrants

Another wave of migrants stopped here for refueling:
Tennessee Warbler, Yellow Warbler
and Indigo Bunting.
 
  
They gorged on suet at the bird feeders, hunted insects
in the grass, and picked bugs hiding among tree
buds and blossoms.

migrants

Migrating birds stopped at the edge of the wild wild woods this week.  On Friday, one Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata hopped around among the finches below the seed feeder.  On Saturday and Sunday, several more appeared.  A flock of 30 or so have been sharing the suet with our resident finches and sparrows. 
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/yellow-rumped_warbler/lifehistory these warblers are able to winter farther north than other warblers, sometimes as far north as Newfoundland, because they can digest the waxes found in bayberries.  There are some bayberry bushes around here, but this is the first time we've hosted traveling Yellow-rumped Warblers. 

Fox Sparrows

Among the Juncos and Chickadees, today there were two Red Fox Sparrows searching for seeds on the ground at the edge of the woods.  They find insects, larvae, and scale insects in leaf litter with a hop forward and an immediate hop back, during which they simultaneously scratch both feet backwards. Several inches of snow this week may be delaying migration of these and others birds who go back up north to nest and raise their young.

Common Redpoll

This week, some Common Redpolls joined the guild of mixed species in the wild woods.  Their perky attitude and bright red caps made them stand out among the other finches.  Usually nesting in the arctic tundra and boreal forests, they come south for warmth in winter. 

migrants

A new flock of sparrows showed up today, gathering up all the seeds on the ground in the woods and on the woods' edge.  A closer look at their yellow lores tells us they are White-Throated Sparrows Zonotrichia albicollis.