Bird of the Day - Evening Grosbeak

I was thrilled this last week to see a whole flock of evening grosbeaks.  My first couple of years on the Gunflint Trail, we had large irruptions of these beautiful birds, but they have been quite sparse since about 2003.  

Often I only see 2 - 6 of these birds over the course of a whole year.  This was a flock of about a half dozen individuals.  Hopefully, they will stay around for the winter!

Male Evening Grosbeak

Male Evening Grosbeaks

Male Evening Grosbeak

Male Evening Grosbeak

Male Evening Grosbeak

Female Evening Grosbeak

Bird of the Day - Bohemian Waxwing

 I saw these beautiful Bohemian waxwings last week at the Pincushion Mountain Overlook Trailhead above Grand Marais, Minnesota.  It is really fun to see the unique species of birds that come through during migration.

Bird of the Day - Rock Pigeon

The Bird of the Day today is the rock pigeon.  It is also known as the rock dove and the feral pigeon.  Scientifically, it is known as the Columba livia, and in Irish, it is known as Colm aille.  It is native to Europe, and especially adept at living in the cities.

I spotted the birds in these pictures while hiking the Duluth Lakewalk in Duluth, Minnesota.  These birds were sitting along the railroad tracks, next to the hiking trail.

There are a lot of interesting color variations association with this species.  The top three pictures are of the most common color variation, and the bottom bird is much more unusual.  I had to look in several field guides to find this variation, and finally located it in The Complete Guide to Birds to North America put out by National Geographic.

Bird of the Day - Semipalmated Plover

The Bird of the Day today is the semipalmated plover.  I saw this one in Grand Marais, Minnesota on May 31, 2020.  It migrates through Grand Marais.  This bird most likely spends its' winters on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and migrates every year to at least as far north as the shores of Hudson's Bay.

The last time I saw this species was exactly three years earlier, on May 31, 2017.  It was species number 85 on my most recent Big Year, which ran from April 30, 2017 - April 30, 2018.  You can see a picture of the bird on my May 31, 2017 blog article.  The early articles in the archive of this blog are all about that Big Year.

Lighthouse Goose

When I was in Grand Marais, Minnesota on Monday, I come across this scene of a Canada goose looking at the West Breakwater Light.  The vast majority of the Grand Marais Lighthouse pictures are of the main lighthouse on the east breakwater.  I like rooting for the underdog, so I thought I would feature the lesser known light.  This light was lit in 1902, and is still active today.  It is a lot harder to access than the main lighthouse, but you can get close to it in a boat, or by climbing over a lot of very large boulders.

The Canada goose is further from the light than the picture might suggest.  I was on shore when I took the picture, and the goose, lighthouse, and orange lichen covered rocks all lined up nicely.

Bird of the Day - American Black Duck

American Black Duck

The Bird of the Day today is the American Black Duck.  It is similar is size and appearance to to mallard duck, but darker in plumage.

American Black Duck

The differences in the genders of the American black duck can be seen in the color of the bill.  Males have a yellow bill.  Females have an olive bill.  Plumage is the same in both genders.

American Black Duck

Mallard Duck Hen (Female)

When seen side by side, the American black duck is noticeable darker than the mallard.  You can see the difference easily in the two pictures above and the picture below.

American Black Duck (left) and the Mallard Ducks (center and right)

Bird of the Day - Common Merganser

The Bird of the Day today is the common Merganser.  They are a larger type of diving duck.  Other mergansers in our region include the red-breasted merganser and the hooded merganser.  You can see some pictures of the hooded mergansers in one of my previous Bird of the Day posts.

 I took these pictures right in the Grand Marais, MN harbor.  The top picture is near the Coast Guard Station, and the bottom two pictures are from the campground.  I enjoyed watching the common merganser with the Canada geese.

Can you spot the common merganser amongst the flock of Canada geese?

Baby American Robins

I have been watching this nest for about a week, and had several encounters with the adult American robin.  Today I walked by, and saw four chicks looking at me.  The mother was calling from nearby, so I did not get too close to the nest.  I was able to take this picture using my 60x optical zoom from about twenty feet away.

Bird of the Day - Ring-necked Duck

 The Bird of the Day for today is the ring-necked duck.  I spotted this pair along the Kekekabic Trail off of the Gunflint Trail.  This duck is found throughout the continental United States, along with large parts of Canada and Mexico.

Bird of the Day - Common Grackle

The Bird of the Day for today is the common grackle.  It is related to the blackbirds.  The common grackle is 12.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 17 inches.  It is distinguished from the blackbirds by the long and thick bill, keeled tail, and distinctive voice.

I took these pictures by Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Bird of the Day - Merlin

 The Bird of the Day for today is the merlin.  I photographed this bird shortly after returning to the Gunflint Trail.  There was a pile of feathers nearby, so the merlin has most likely hunted there before.

 The merlin is one of three species of falcon in north-eastern Minnesota.  Peregrine falcons are the largest, followed by the merlin, and the American kestrel is the smallest of that family in Cook County.  

Bird of the Day - Black-capped Chickadee

 The Bird of the Day is the black-capped chickadee.  It is one of the most common year-round birds in Minnesota.  The only other chickadee in Minnesota is the much rarer boreal chickadee, which has a brown cap.

 Black-capped chickadees sing their own name, "chick-a-dee-dee-dee."  They also sing a two-toned "fee-bee" call mainly in the spring.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  As a tribute to mothers everywhere, I have gathered several pictures of bird mothers (or mothers soon-to-be), and some babies too.

Mallard with Ducklings

Mallard Ducklings

Canada Goose on Nest

Turkey Hen Watching Over Her Nest

Mallard Hen with Ducklings

All of these pictures were taken in Roseville, Minnesota.

Bird of the Day - House Sparrow

The Bird of the Day today is the house sparrow.  It is an old world sparrow that has become established throughout most of the United States.  

The house sparrow is in the family Passeridae.  Eurasian tree sparrows are the other bird in this family that has become established in the United States, though with a much smaller range than the house sparrow.

I took these pictures on the grounds of the Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville, Minnesota.

Bird of the Day - Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 I saw my first ruby-throated hummingbird of the year today.  It is exciting to see these tiny, but bold birds again.  The pictured bird would have flown from Minnesota to South America last autumn, and came back over the Gulf of Mexico this spring and all the way up to Minnesota.

Birds have a massive amount of feathers.  The ruby-throated hummingbird has roughly 1,000 feathers (according to the Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior).  Swans and geese have closer to 25,000 feathers per bird.

Bird of the Day - Brown-headed Cowbird

The Bird of the Day today is the brown-headed cowbird.  It ranges throughout the United States, and most of Canada and Mexico.  They are in the Icteridae family, which includes such things as American blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds, and orioles.

Brown-headed cowbirds are often vilified in modern society because they lay their eggs in other species nests.  Cuckoos do the same thing, but their reputation has been protected by their inclusion in the clocks.  Both species of birds are only acting on instinct, and are not bad forms of life.