It has been a long winter of muted colors in northern Minnesota, but during my trip to meet my latest granddaughter, I found color! Over the past 24 hours I have enjoyed birding hikes in two Seattle area parks, Marymoor and Yellow Lake Park. Better yet I have been able to wear shorts and a light sweater.
This morning’s sunrise expedition was in search of one very specific bird species (Red-Breasted Sapsucker), which is always dangerous as success has a low probability potential. However, Red came through for me. While the females have not returned north, the males were actively trying to pick and defend territories. I found four individual sapsuckers att Marymoor Park.
Given the cool morning and the lack of a bug hatch, I was surprised to find two male Tree Swallows. However, the best territory goes to the earliest returning guys who were having a stretch on a cool morning.
Over at Yellow Lake the local males were busy trying to impress the ladies.
Today I met my eighth grandchild, Saige Hoeg! Molly and I are doing what is most important in life … enjoying family and this instance being introduced to a little girl who has brought joy into the hearts of her family. Saige even wore home from the hospital the same exact little yellow sweater which I wore home on a cold spring morning just shy of 69 years ago. Now, this “little yellow sweater” has been worn by 3 generations of the family … cue the choir and orchestra as everyone sings out that famous song from Fiddler on the Roof, Tradition! (video link for email subscribers)
And in our case … Saige in the Little Yellow Sweater!
Now, I’m actually not real writer in the family; that crown goes to my wife. If you would like to learn more about “the little sweater” and see baby photos from across the generations in said sweater, browse to Molly’s blog … Superior Footprints (as in both Lake Superior and Life’s Footprints). A big TV station down in Minneapolis / St. Paul even learned about our little yellow sweater and with our family’s blessing created a piece about the sweater for their show, MInnesota Live. Watch Minnesota Live’s short documentary via Molly’s blog.
Now didn’t I mention that in this post’s title that it was also Good-Bye to Snowy Owls? By the time I am again actively birding the Northland (about March 1st), most owls including Snowys will be working their way northward. Thus, yesterday morning I went owling and arrived in Snowy Owl Land (Superior, Wisconsin) well before sunrise. Apparently the folks who arrange successful birding expeditions decided luck should be with me. I found not one, but two Snowy Owls and watched them hunt starting for about one hour both before and after sunrise. Both owls decided it was time take a siesta and I drove home.
Superior Snowys!
Owl #1
Owl #2
The sun has finally truly risen, and both owls will be asleep very soon. Light conditions were changing amazingly fast, which forces the photographer to adjust how they approach taking a picture. While both owls were alert and constantly looking around which made me believe they were still hunting, it is equally possible they did not want to settle down to sleep till they had both upchucked their owl pellets!
Given I live in northeastern Minnesota, I rarely see towhees. Just a few minutes yesterday morning before I took the video included with this post, I watched another towhee and listened to its call. Minutes later I heard the same call, and found this individual! Don’t forget that the Merlin App (my review), which is from the Cornell School of Ornithology, is also a great tool in that it will help you learn bird songs.
Anyhow, I learned one the call of the Spotted Towhee, then heard another and these images and video were the result (video link for email subscribers)
The other bird of the day for me was what most folks out here would consider common, a slate colored junco (dark-eyed junco). However, even though the “scientific powers that be” in the birding world do not consider this Oregon junco variant a different species, browse to this post to view just how different the plumage is for this western junco (same species) as my local Minnesota bird.
Slate-Colored Junco – Oregon Plumage
All the photographs in today’s post were taken during drizzle conditions yesterday. While being out in the rain might not see like much fun, if one can keep the drab sky out of photographs, colors are often very intense on wet days.
