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Spring migration has already occurred, and thousands of birds are already nesting. This spring, I got the opportunity to photograph several colorful birds.

Migration: Bird migration is a seasonal movement that occurs twice, in the Winter season and Spring season, and is driven by the availability of food. While the majority migrate, very few will stay behind.

Scarlet Tanager:
One of my favorite birds that I got to photograph during the spring migration, was the Scarlet Tanager. Not only because of the striking colors but also because they’re a rarity to see. Tanagers, nest high up in trees, and are silent birds, making them difficult to locate. Scarlet Tanagers are long-distance migrators, wintering in South America. Migrating all the way to the United States during the spring. Their diet consists mostly of insects while also feeding on berries. For more information about them click here: https://palmerlakenature.wordpress.com/2022/05/17/scarlet-tanager/

American Redstart: Redstarts are New World warblers that are seen hopping around branches searching for insects. When an insect is found, the warbler will strike its tail and wing feathers startling its prey. Redstarts are singing warblers that nest in open areas in Northern America. Their diet consists of insects but will also feed on berries. Wintering in Northern South America, migrating north in the spring.

Tree Swallow: A popular bird among many. Among other species like bats and bluebirds, they play a role in integrated pest management for controlling farms and garden pest insects. They are also known as a welcome sign for spring in Northern America. Their diet consists mostly of insects.

Eastern Bluebird: Unlike the other birds that I mentioned in this post, bluebirds have a choice of whether they want to migrate or not. Large portions of Texas and New Mexico are wintering grounds for migrating bluebirds. Where places like Central America, and Southeastern US, they don’t migrate. They make a call that sounds like “chur lee” or “chir we” which also sounds like they’re saying “truly” or “purity”. Their diet consists mostly of insects and berries.

Yellow Warbler: The Yellow Warbler is a New World warbler that is widespread species found in North America during the summer, migrating to wintering grounds in South America like Peru and Bolivia. Their diet primarily consists of insects but will also feed on fruit. They’re also a regular host to the Brown-headed cowbird (a parasitic bird that lays eggs in other birds’ nests, letting the hosts raise their young).

American Goldfinch: Last but not least, the American Goldfinch. Part of the finch family, they’re easy to find and widespread across North America. Migrating all the way to Mexico during the winter, while migrating north during the spring. They’re active birds that are seen balancing on plants and plucking seeds. Listen for their call that sounds like po-ta-to-chip calls. Their diets consist primarily of seeds and insects.

Before the year ended, I traveled to Phoenix Arizona, to escape the dreadful snowstorm up north. During the winter season, Arizona’s weather is around mid-60s F. As for the summer, temps can reach over 100 F! During my week’s stay, I hiked a couple mountains and captured beautiful landscape shots as well as pictures of animals. I used two different lenses to photograph nature in Arizona. I used my 50mm lens for landscapes and close-up photos and my 100-400mm lens for long-distance photos.

On the very first day, I went to a park and saw about a hundred birds including Pigeons, Muscovy Ducks, American Coots, and Greylag Geese all crowding towards people who were feeding them. It was a sight to see all right! About a hundred birds swarmed the area.

A fun fact about Greylag Geese is that, unlike other geese that migrate and are seen in the wild, they are domestic and seen at parks. I took a few pictures of the colorful flowers as well.

On another day, I went to Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary in Prescott Arizona. There were several animals that were fascinating and interesting. When I was getting pictures of the coyote, it started communicating with another one.

The day before we left for freezing Minnesota, I went to a small farm where you could feed the animals. Animals like goats, chickens, donkeys, pigs, cows, and horses there were both young and old. Also, there was some competition among certain pens that had the males, fighting each other for who fed them.

With the days getting shorter and fall migration past us, there hasn’t been that much activity. For birds, the majority have migrated to South America to escape the freezing cold winter, while some remain to call themselves snowbirds.

Island Lake County Park, Shoreview MN:

Last month, I went to Island Lake County Park in Shoreview and photographed a group of Blue Jays, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a Double-crested Cormorant. Taking pictures of the warblers was difficult as they were quick and nimble. But in the end, I got a few pictures of them. When I was photographing the group of blue jays, I noticed that they were foraging for acorns that had fallen from the tree. As I walked around the lake for a little bit, I went to the edge of the lake hoping to see any waterbirds. Though none were there, I got pictures of a cormorant flying low across the lake. Last but not least I managed to get a shot of a squirrel finding a peanut and eating it.

Eastman Nature Center, Dayton MN:

One evening, in early October, I signed up for a golden-hour photography hike at Eastman Nature Center. As I hiked around the park reserve, the group took landscape pictures of colorful trees and flowers. As the group was wrapping up the hike, we all heard coyotes yipping in the distance. Last but not least, I got pictures of the moon brightly shining in the sky.

Luceline Orchard, Watertown MN:

One cold 40 degrees morning, I went to an orchard to not only pick apples but to photograph anything that interests me. There were several sights to see at the orchard like farm animals, bumpy hay rides, and a corn maze.

One thing I noticed while at the orchard, is that roosters have a “nictating membrane” or what is commonly known as a “third eyelid”. The nictating membrane is a transparent membrane protecting the eye while maintaining visibility. Animals like fish, reptiles, birds, and most mammals all have it.

Lowry Nature Center, Victoria MN:

Lastly, I went south to Lowry Nature Center for a raptors program they had and got a few shots of the Barred Owl they were showing. After the event, I decided to walk some of the park looking for any other birds to photograph. On my way out, I got a picture of a Trumpeter Swan resting on a shallow part of the pond.

Hope you enjoyed the photos from places in Minnesota during the fall.
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A few weeks ago, I went to Langton Lake Park located in Roseville, Minnesota to photograph some birds. I have never photographed a green heron before, so I was hoping I would get a picture of one before they migrated south this year. To my surprise, I found 5 green herons at the lake! The green heron is a small dark-colored bird that often looks like it doesn’t have a neck. Whereas other herons tend to stand in open water hunting for prey, green herons tend to be near the edge of shallow water. This bird was fun to photograph, and just observing how they hunt is fascinating.

The green heron is a fascinating bird and one that is clever when catching its own food. When I was observing one at the lake, I noticed it was dropping insects and sticks in the water trying to entice the fish. They are one of the few birds to use this method. Their diet mainly consists of minnows, sunfish, perch, crayfish, frogs, and catfish. They also feed on insects like spiders, caterpillars, reptiles, amphibians, snails, and anything else that can fit in their mouth. To catch food, they strike at prey with their sharp dagger-like bill. When visiting a wetland, carefully scan the banks for a small dark-colored bird staring intently at the water.

After observing the heron for a while I decided to move on looking for another green heron. Like other herons, they nest in high-up trees and conceal their nest from predators. The male will find an area and start building the nest and later will pass it off to his mate who will finish it by shaping it. They also will renovate abandoned nests or even take sticks and use them for their own. They will have three to five eggs and incubation will take about twenty-two days. Both parents will feed the chicks and when they get older and are almost grown up they will often fight and compete for food when a parent arrives. The difference between a juvenile and an adult is that the adult will be dark-colored and have a dark rufous neck and the juvenile will have a streaked neck and a slight crest. After walking around the lake, I found a juvenile green heron on a small dock.

At the end of my trip to Langton Lake, I noticed a juvenile heron curiously looking at a fishing lure that was caught on a dead tree branch. After staring at it for a few minutes, it decided to leave looking for something else to catch. I also saw a great blue heron, double-crested cormorant, wood ducks, and mallard ducks.

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On Saturday July 23rd, I returned to Silverwood Park hoping to find the Great Horned owls, only to find that they were not there. I decided to walk around the park looking for some other birds to photograph. I heard and saw this crow sized bird on a tree realizing that it was a pair Pileated Woodpecker. As I followed the birds down a path, I came upon their nest, which they had made in the side of a huge tree.

The Pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in Minnesota. They like to feed mostly on carpenter ants as well as beetles, flies, caterpillars, cockroaches and larvae. You might think that by banging their head on trees might cause brain damage to the bird. But actually, their tongue is super long wrapping around the brain protecting them from brain damage.

These are birds that require large standing trees that are mostly dead. Dead trees are a valuable resource as nest sites and shelters not just for bird, but for animals too. The male does most of the work but the female will contribute when the nest is close to done. Nest construction will take 3-6 weeks and the nest will be 10-12 inches deep. A Pileated woodpecker pair will live year round protecting their territory and nest through the seasons but allowing some species to nest in their territory during the winter. They will have a clutch of 3-5 eggs which will take about a month for them to be fully fledged. Predators at the nest can be Squirrels, Weasels and Martens. For the adult, their predators can be Bald eagles, Barred owls, Cooper’s hawk, Great horned owls and Red-tailed hawks.

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A few weeks ago I heard that there was a pair of Great horned owls nesting at Silverwood Park. So last week I went to check it out. The first day I went to Silverwood, I was hoping I could find the nest but could only find one of the adults. The second day I found the nest. I saw three owlets in the nest and one of the parents on a branch close to the nest.

The Great horned owl is the largest owl in North America. Great horned owls begin nesting in January or February using old abandoned nests built by other species such as Herons, Red-tailed hawks, Bald eagles, Squirrels, or Crows. Owls can’t smell, instead they use their keen sense of hearing in order to catch prey. This powerful predator can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself. Their diet consists of mammals and birds such as hawks, ducks, skunks, house cats, crows, ravens, loons, squirrels, porcupines, shrews, rats etc. If you hear a group of cawing American crows, they may be mobbing a Great horned owl. The crows have a good reason, because the Great horned owl is their most dangerous predator.

Owlets can fly at about nine to ten weeks though they are still fed by the parents for up to several months. Owls can’t digest furs and bones, so instead they cough it back up into pellets.

On Saturday May 14th, I walked around the Eastman Nature Center hoping to find some migratory birds to photograph. I found a male Scarlet tanager in the trees that caught an insect. The Scarlet tanager is a bright colorful migratory songbird that is placed in the cardinal family. The Scarlet tanager migrates twice a year. They fly across the Gulf of Mexico to get to their breeding grounds in eastern North America and to their wintering grounds in South America.

A Scarlet tanager’s diet consists of insects such as moths, butterflies and spiders. It’s predators are long-eared/short-eared owls, merlin, etc. Predators for their young include blue jays, crows, squirrels, and snakes. An interesting fact is that in the summer and spring the tanager’s colors are bright red and black, but during the fall those get traded with yellow feathers.

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