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.

Bird of the Day - Downy Woodpecker

 The Bird of the Day today is the downy woodpecker.  It is smaller than its larger cousin the hairy woodpecker.  Downy woodpeckers have a shorter bill than the hairy woodpecker, and a shorter call note (pick vs. peek).  If you look closely, you also see the distinguishing feature of faint dark bars on the tail, which the hairy does not have.

I was thrilled to find that I had photographed this woodpecker eating its meal!  Both of these pictures were taken in Roseville, Minnesota when the woodpecker was foraging on a large stump.

Bird of the Day - Indigo Bunting

 The Bird of the Day today is the indigo bunting.   It is a small, bright blue bird in the family Cardinalidae.

 These pictures were taken last year on the Gunflint Trail.  

 When you think about it, there are not a lot of blue-colored birds in Minnesota.  Blue jays are common.  Eastern bluebirds are present in smaller numbers.  The red-breasted nuthatch has a bluish back.  Indigo buntings are probably the rarest of these birds.

 Indigo buntings enjoy living on the edges of woodlands.

 Happy birding!

Bird of the Day - Red-bellied Woodpecker

This bird was photographed in a suburban yard peeking out of a nest.

The Bird of the Day today is the red-bellied woodpecker.  These woodpeckers range as far west as Nebraska, as far south as Florida, as far east as Maine, and as far north as the middle of Minnesota.  At 9 1/4 inches in length, they are barely smaller than a hairy woodpecker.

Red-bellied woodpeckers can be challenging to photograph.  I took the two pictures for this post in two different locations in Roseville, Minnesota.  These birds seem to move rapidly, and stay quite high on the tree.  

This bird was photographed next to a wetland in Roseville's Central Park.

Bird of the Day - American Goldfinch

 The Bird of the Day today is the American goldfinch.  It is a beautiful sight in the spring when the males turn bright yellow.  For much of the rest of the year, the American goldfinches are brown or grey (males), or olive (females).  The black and white of the wings remains throughout the year.

American goldfinches ranch throughout the Continental United States, and into parts of Canada and Mexico as well.  They can be a year-round resident throughout most of Minnesota.

The pictures on today's post were both taken in Roseville, Minnesota.  Both birds are breeding males.

Bird of the Day - Red-winged Blackbird

 The Bird of the Day today is the red-winged blackbird.  They are in the family Icteridae.  Some of the birds in the family are the meadowlarks, blackbirds, bobolinks, grackles, cowbirds, European (but not American) robins, and orioles.

 Red-winged blackbirds range throughout most of North America.  They nest in wetlands and dry fields.  These birds forage in orchards, woodlands, and fields.

Bird of the Day - Great Blue Heron

The Bird of the Day today is the great blue heron.  This bird was a bit of a challenge to photograph.  I had sporadic sightings of it over several weeks, but it always flew away before I could snap a picture. The day I got this photograph, it flew away upon seeing me (below), but I followed it to another part of Lake Bennett, and was finally able to get a good picture of this amazing bird.

The great blue heron is the largest North American bird in the Ardeidae family, which includes the herons, bitterns, and egrets.  They are 46 inches long, with a wingspan of 72 inches (6 feet).