I and the Bird. #149

Spring is a time of new beginnings. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, spring migration is on. Just this morning I set out for a hike to be greeted by newly arrived Orange-crowned, Black and White and Nashville Warblers along with Ovenbirds, Eastern Towhees and endless flocks of White-throated Sparrows. These birds and others are coming to northern breeding grounds to start life anew. Hundreds of thousands of people have watched the Bald Eagles in Decorah, Iowa this spring hatch out three chicks live on streaming video over the internet. New birding apps such as BirdsEye allow us to locate birds in the field by sharing our observations across the web so they can almost immediately be downloaded onto hand-held devices. It is within this picture of new beginnings and new technology that we face and ending as well. This very well may be the last ever edition of I and the Bird.

Mike Bergin started I and the Bird as a Bird Blog carnival back on July 7, 2005. It was a new fresh idea at the time. A rotating cast of hosts collect some of the best user submitted bird writing and photography from around the web, wrap it up in a pretty package and deliver it to readers bi-weekly so they can learn about new blogs, writers, photographers, birds and adventures. It has been a success spanning six years. This 149th edition carries on that tradition but all things must end. Submissions have waned and each month it has been harder and harder for Mike to get people to host.

People are using the internet differently than they were back in 2005. Blogging is still a viable platform but there are other outlets as well now. With the growth of Facebook, Twitter and even photo sharing sites like Flickr, some people who used to blog have moved on to other platforms to deliver their messages. This is a good thing as some of these other platforms and venues are better suited to the types of content these people wanted to deliver. Content is now shared through twitter feeds and carefully curated twitter lists. You can, for example, subscribe to either the Twin Cities Naturalist twitter feed or a list I curate of good nature writers online. There are Facebook user groups about birds, there are daily bird-themed virtual newspapers hosted by paper.li. Instead of waiting weeks for the Bird and I you can get a daily digest of the #bird hashtag or a curated daily look at bird news. These new technologies and more will probably mean the end to I and the Bird but it's been a good run. Crack open a drink and raise a glass or perhaps pick up your bins and raise the glass to Mike Bergan and all the hosts and contributors who have made I and the Bird possible. You are all part of an incredible community and I hope we can all keep contributing to the online and real world birding scene in our own ways.

Here's what we've all been up to lately.

Peneolope's been investigating the underbelly of the Pine Siskin. Some days, underbellies are all you get so study up intrepid birders.

Just to the North, Minnesota Birdnerd Roger Everhart takes a Sunday stroll and makes getting beautiful shots of a Sora seem like child's play.

John Beetham reviews the new book, Hawks at a Distance. I just had my hands on this title last week and it is now on my wish list. You may want to check it out too after reading his review.

What would I and the Bird be without sex? Clare Kines doesn't disappoint with some copulating Gryfalcons. Don't say you didn't get your weekly fix of bird smut.

Mike Benzer over the The Slugyard lives up to the tagline on his blog, "the world outside you door" with a series of photos of the common birds that show up in his yard. I wish I could say towhees were common in my yard!

Lynne Schoenborn heads up to Hasty Brook and scores some beautiful shots of Evening Grosbeaks. How can a bird with such a massive bill pull off looking so delicate?

James Brush over at Coyote Mercury keeps the IATB poetry tradition alive with what is now my favorite bird poem.

Jade Blackwater raises a call to arms for I and the Bird and shares shots of a Great Blue Heron.

I believe Duncan has had something in every single I and the Bird. He first shares some background on the Yellow Gum tree and the shares a sound clip of the wattles feasting on said tree. I don't think I could make a less soothing noise if I scraped a violin string with a rusty nail while stepping on a cat.

The Ridger over at The Greenbelt shows us all how goslings take to water like a, well, goose to water.

Is Secret Mountain Wilderness the most beautiful phrase in the English language? Vanessa Mickan thinks so and I'm guessing the ravens do too.

Trevor's been using his 20x zoom to get up close and personal with some Crested Pigeons this week.

Linda captures the spring search for sandhill cranes in poem form.

Susannah over at Wanderin Weeta pauses for a moment to reflect on some Canada Geese at Sunset. For those that get all freaky about common names take note, these geese are in Canada so technically you can call them Canadian geese as well without incurring too much wrath.

Dave Ingram sent in a submission called Fish Wrangling and the title didn't prepare me for the mind-blowing beautiful photos of fish eating birds on display at his site. I will now go destroy my camera.

Rob Miller out in Idaho brings you what you demand. More raptor sex. If you didn't get enough from the Gryfalcon above, Rob summarizes the not so tender love affair of local Cooper's Hawks and gives us a glimpse of other neighborhood birds.

Mark droped his spotting scope and had to make emergency repairs. Super glue or Duct tape? You'll have to read to find out.

Ellen Prather over at 8 eyes photography submitted a photo gallery of beautiful bird shots. Drink in the goodness though your eyes.

Like I need another reason to go back to Costa Rica, Pat O'Donnell shares photos of a trip to El Toucanet Lodge and we're treated to seven species of hummingbirds, the Resplendent Quetzal and more.

If you haven't had enough hummingbirds after that then head over to the Birders Report where Larry Jordan shares photos and video of the Rufous Hummingbird.

Last be not least, 10,000 birds is a great example of where you can get your bird fix other than I and the Bird. Some of the best bird bloggers online have joined forces to present all the bird news fit to publish. Along the way, they've become one of the most influential voices in the online birding community. You can now even follow them on twitter to get all the hottest stories tweeted right to your account. Mike this week nominated Duncan Wright's awesome look at Great Frigatebirds as an example of the great articles they present.

Whether or not this is the end of I and the Bird I know one thing. There will continue to be incredible bird writing and photography out there every day and I'm happy to be a part of such a wonderful community of people willing to share their fascination with and inspiration from birds and nature every day. Bird on.

~Kirk

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Fire on the Prairie

This week, naturalists at the Lee & Rose Warner Nature Center set fire to the restoration prairie on site. On Monday, April 25th the winds were just right and the rain was holding off. With rain scheduled all week it was our only opportunity to burn before our permit ran out on Saturday.

With no time to spare we assembled our team and equipment. There are four basic tools for a burn. Drip torches, water sprayers, brooms and flappers. Prior to the burn we'd plowed a wide firebreak around the to keep the fire contained.

We lit backfires along the firebreaks and then lit main fires letting the wind blow the main line into the back fire. There wasn't a lot of fuel from last year and things were starting to green up in spots so the fire was easily manageable and burned nice and slow.

In the photo above I'm lighting a second area with a drip torch while walking down the moved grass firebreak. You can see the already burned area to the right. The two photos below are the first section burning.

With our first sections burned over we moved on to sections planted in other years.

You can see the plowed firebreak at the bottom of the photo above. In the photo below I'm heading out into the burned area to re-ignite a small area the fire missed.

In the photo below, I'm dressed in the yellow suit who is lighting additional fire lines inside the borders of the burn. The back side of the fire was moving incredibly slowly due to the lack of wind so we decided to light it in multiple lines.



The fire wasn't hot enough to bother this Box Elder in the middle of the prairie. Part of the reason we burn is to keep woody species like box elder from invading the prairie.

With the burn completed, we paused for a photo.


Here's a little video I shot with my camera phone while walking around the burn.

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Monday Phenology: April 25, 2011

It is late in the evening so this is going to be quick and dirty.

Monday I saw the first report of a Golden-winged Warbler by Rachel in Hastings.

Tuesday there were warnings of afternoon snow but they fizzled out. Many song sparrows about as well as pretty good numbers of myrtle (yellow-rumped) warblers. The forest seemed to be full of brown creepers. Our bird banders caught swamp sparrows but I didn't see any out in the wild.

Wednesday I woke up to a fresh two inches of snow on the ground. Winter just does not want to give up this year. Despite the snow, spring continued on, there were bluebirds on the phone wires so they didn't freeze overnight. Many species were hanging out along the roads where there was no snow so I saw lots of mourning doves and red-winged blackbirds. The same barred owl I've been seeing for weeks was again hanging out around the building at work. John reported early Veery in Carver park. Certainly the first report I have heard of them in the area.

Thursday Conney reported an explosion (figurative not a literal) of horned grebes on Harriet, Cahoun and Nokomis in Minneapolis. She put the total at the three lakes at 576.

Saturday, Diana reported a Western Grebe at lake Nokomis. Wow I wish I had seen that report sooner, I would have tried to head over to see it. The bid was refound and confirmed later in the day.

Sunday Tami in Afton reported the return of her house wrens. Roger (Minnesota Bird Nerd) saw Yellow-headed Blackbirds, first of the year Barn Swallows, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson's Phalarope and a Sora Rail. Very cool.

This next week will bring a mix of weather with a report of possible snow. There's word we could still move into the number 3 spot for snowiest winter on record. I'm going to take this week off for phenology predictions and go download the video I shot of the prairie burn we did today. Stay tuned for that if any turned out.

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Call for Submissions to I and the bird

The current edition of I and the bird, which is number 147, is over at Madras Ramblings. I'll be hosting the 148th I and the bird on April 28th. Submissions need to be sent to me by April 26th. Send me a link to your website that features a cool story, photos, poems, etc of or about recent bird activity and you'll be included in the next edition. You can contact me at kirkmona (at) yahoo (dot) com. ~Kirk

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Have you seen Bird Banding?

A number of friends appear in this nice Three Rivers Park District video about Bird Banding. It explains a bit about the process. If you've never seen a bird banding demonstration before you owe it to yourself to check it out.

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Monday Phenology: April 18, 2011

I'm not sure it qualifies as phenology but there seems to be a cold going around and I caught it at the beginning of last week. I was feeling almost better this morning at 6:23 AM when the sun arose this morning. It set again at 8:02 PM. There was 13 hours, 38 minutes and 25 seconds of sunlight. For the first time this week we gained less than three minutes of sunlight. We're now only gaining 2 minutes and 58 seconds per day but there's still two hours left to gain by the solstice.

Here's the weekly phonology roundup.

Monday I was sick in bed all day. This seemed fitting as it was also the first 70° F day of the year. I missed the whole thing. Pat reported Red-breasted Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks and Field Sparrows down in Wabasha. Lynda spotted a Winter Wren at Dodge Nature Center.

Tuesday I headed back into work and saw the first of the year Brown-headed Cowbird at work. I'm glad I paused to check out the cowbird as seconds later a Barred Owl flew right over my head chased by a pair of crows. A few larger lakes iced-out this day and I saw my first Ring-necked Duck in area ponds.

Wednesday, all remaining lakes iced out by the beginning of the day. I saw my first Green and Blue Winged Teal in a newly opened lake. On a hike to check on the lakes at the nature center my co-worker Paul and I spotted the first Myrtle Warblers of the year. I also got a very interesting report from Everett that he saw a flock of 200 Common Loons flying over his house in Marine on St. Croix! Wow!

Thursday, the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers returned to nature center and I also spotted a beautiful male Northern Shoveler and a first of the year Great Egret.

Friday it got much colder in anticipation of snow coming. I noticed the red maple flowers were falling from the trees in the wind. The White Oaks still have last year's leaves.

Saturday morning I woke up in La Crosse, Wisconsin visiting family. The inch or so of snow on the ground was not really welcome at this point in the spring. It was all gone by Sunday and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers I watched continued building their cavity nests as though nothing had happened. On the way back to the Twin Cities the Mississippi river was surprisingly quiet. I spotted three White Pelicans along the entire length.

This Week:
The word of the week is snow. I can't believe I just typed that sentence. We have more snow on the way. Models vary but there could be somewhere around 4 new inches of snow on the ground this week. Numbers of birds will increase over the week and some of the earliest wild flowers will be in bloom by the end of the week. I still haven't seen any Louisiana Waterthrush around but I expect some are already here. Keep your eyes open. They tend to show up around the same time as the Myrtle Warblers. The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on Friday night but isn't expected to be a bright show. If you want to try to see them the best time to look is after midnight.

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Monday Phenology: April 11, 2011

The sun rose this morning at 6:36 AM and I have rarely been so spiteful of a being awake for sunrise. I came down with a bad cold last night and barely slept. Hello Mr. Sun. I did manage to get back into bed and fall asleep in the middle of the day missing out on more awesome weather. Thirteen hours, seventeen minutes and eighteen seconds after sunrise the sun will set at 7:53 PM. as I mentioned last week, we transitioned into 13 hours of sunlight back on Wednesday. Coincidentally, our first 60° temp reading of the year was the very next day. We're still gaining over three minutes of daylight per day but not for long. While we're still gaining sunlight the amount we're gaining decrease each day now. By next Sunday we'll be gaining less than three minutes per day. Don't worry sun lovers, the days will still continue to get longer until the summer solstice. We'll even hit our first 14 hours of sun day by the end of this month.

Phenology sightings were almost too much to keep up with this week. Check out the day by day account.


Monday I had the luck of teaching an insects class in the cold. I use the term loosely compared to the cold of the winter but it was still a challenge to find insects given the temperature. Bluebirds and phoebes flying around are a pretty good indication some food must be out there. Still, it seemed like this year the birds came to check out their territory and then headed back to food sources (probably the river.) When I took my group outside I did find some kind of diptera flying around and three different species of moths in the maple sap. I didn't have time to key out the exact species. This was also the first day I saw Mallards in the small pond near the main building at work. It is finally opened up enough for them to check it out. Juncos are still around. Osprey arrived at their nest in Bayport on the St. Croix river. Reports of Sapsuckers continued to come in from across the metro. Not first of the year sightings but certainly a sign spring was to come on full speed this week. This was also the day we pulled all of the maple taps from the trees as the trees have started to bloom and stopped producing sap.

Tuesday I watched a female American Kestrel catch a vole on the side of the road on my way home from work. That afternoon we also heard the first Western Chorus Frogs singing. I saw John in Carver County reported the first Northern Flickers I've heard of this spring. Kathy from Brooklyn Park reported a Golden-crowned Kinglet at the Old Cedar Bridge. Chris in Monticello reported the first Swainson's Thrushes of the year.

Wednesday was gorgeous and the first of the year Fox Sparrows showed up at work as they migrated north. They were feeding under the feeders along with a Junco. We also caught sight of our Eastern Phoebes doing some preliminary nest building on our phoebe web cam. I'll post a link to the feed once we have the bugs worked out. I think our computer is getting old and not too happy about being on 24 hours a day to monitor the nest. First of the year wood frogs came out at the nature center and many other locations around the metro. I heard them calling and even found a handful of them on the forest floor. While it wasn't on me, we did get our first of the year wood tick while on a hike and a group I was with saw the first of the year Hermit Thrush at the nature center. The first report of a yellow-rumped (myrtle) warbler came in from John who saw them at the Landscape Arboretum along with ruby and golden-crowned kinglets.

Thursday: How many times can I use the work gorgeous and wonderful this week? Thursday was out first 60° dayof the year. We saw our first mourning cloak butterfly out and about. Interestingly, Dan Tallman spotted his first mourning cloak on the very same day. Isaac reported the first bats of the season at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. I did some clearing of winter cover in the garden and discovered poppies and stone crop already pushing up from the ground.

Friday:
More birds showed up at work. The Tree Swallows are back and Turkey Vultures are flying overhead. First of the year Spring Peepers joined in with the other frogs by the end of the day. Kids found the first fiddleheads from Interrupted Fern just barely poking up through the soil. Another group of kids flushed several first of the year Northern Flickers from the prairie.

On Saturday I took girl scouts on some long hikes with the threat of rain present in the distance. We stayed dry and saw some great sights. At a campfire ring we found at least four first of the year Garter Snakes emerging from their hibernaculum. We also found many, many wood ticks. We checked on the Bald Eagle nest on our property as well. One bird was on the nest while the other flew around the area or perched nearby. Saturday also saw multiple reports of pasque flowers blooming around the metro. Common Loons are also entering the area as Tom reports seeing 16 of them on Lake Hiawatha in Minneapolis!

Sunday, it felt positively tropical in Minnesota after the overnight thunderstorm left us with warm weather and increased humidity. I noticed the Osprey have returned to the intersection of 169 and Hwy 62. I drove through the area twice that day and they were present both times. They were probably wondering what happened to their awesome nest site atop the super high highway lights. The nest was removed (along with the entire lighting tower) after the end of last nesting season. (I got late word that while this is last year's female, it is NOT the same male as last year. No one is sure where he flew off to.) I saw a Groundhog out and about on the side of the highway as well. All week people passed on reports of Brown-headed Cowbirds showing up around the metro. I haven't seen or heard them yet out at work but it is only a matter of time. Alex reports a Rusty Blackbird at Dodge Nature Center. Ron Refsnider who bird bands at Springbrook nature center in Fridley caught a migrating Swamp Sparrow and that's the first report of that species I've seen for the metro.

This Week:

Watch for Goldfinches, some are getting a lot of their yellow color by this week. Lakes don't stand a chance with the warm weather and will ice-out some time this week. As stated above, loons are in the area and they will start to arrive on territorial lakes this week as they open up. More migrants are on the way in terms of new species as well as just overall numbers of birds. Get ready, it's going to be another great week. I just hope this cold doesn't keep me inside!

~Kirk

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First Phoebe Visits to the Nest

Captured this short video on April 6th of one of the first visits to the nest by the Eastern Phoebes. Looks like they will reuse last year's nest. We'll be monitoring the nest via video all spring and I'll update people on nesting progress. Stay tuned.

~Kirk

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Monday Phenology: April 4, 2011

The sun rose this morning in St. Paul at 6:48 AM not that you could tell though through the thick clouds. By the afternoon the sun came out and it turned into a sunny day. The sun set at 7:44 PM giving us 12 hours, 55 minutes and 43 seconds of daylight. Since we're gaining three minutes a day, that means on Wednesday we'll for the first time have 13 hours of daylight. Incredible to think we just crossed the 12 hour mark back on March 21.

This past week was an exciting week for phenology!

Monday, the first Eastern Phoebe returned to the nature center and we quickly turned on our nest camera. We're already streaming data to Cornell so we can capture first nesting behavior should they choose to re-use the same site as previous years. A Barred Owl showed up at the building Monday and was there all the way through Thursday. It sat in the same spot in a tree just 20 feet from a window as it watched for mice on their way to raid our bird feeder seed storage area. Also on Monday, fellow Naturalist Paul Smithson heard the first Chorus Frog of the year in Stillwater on Monday evening. Common Mergansers were reported at Lake Byllesby in Dakota County but no reports in the metro. Art in Chisago heard an Eastern Meadowlark in an saw Common Grackles as well. Neither species is being seen widely at this point.

Tuesday, Carol in Golden Valley reported Wood Ducks on Basset Creek.

Wednesday, the Mississippi River was supposed to crest at 1:00 PM but it actually crested earlier in the morning. While technically at "major flood" stage the city is very well prepared and the flooding wasn't serious. On my way, to work I noticed that the Ring-billed Gulls have returned to Har-Mar shopping center. Maybe not the same as the swallows returning to Capistrano but phenology none the less. Down in Carver County, John reports Canada Geese, Mallards, Canvasbacks, Lesser Scaups, Ring-necked Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, Trumpeter Swans, Redheads, American Coots, Wood Duck, Gadwall and good numbers of Rusty and Brewer's Blackbirds. Great sightings!

Thursday, I noticed Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers in small ponds on the way home from work. They have been spotted earlier along the rivers but are now starting to move inland as ponds begin to open up. I was thinking Loons should be close behind when I saw a report from Rochester. Gael reported the first Common Loon I have heard of this season. Since they need lots of open water to take off we don't typically see them until ice out. They often arrive the exact day the ice disappears off lakes. On the same drive home I got a wonderful look at my first of the year (for Minnesota) Turkey Vulture feeding on a small animal on the side of the road.

Friday, Kirk in Rochester reported a flock of Cormorants (double crested I assume) on Silver Lake. This is the first report I've seen of cormorants. John in Carver County sent in some eary reports of American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Great Egret, and Herring Gulls. Expect more of these to show up around the metro next week.

Saturday, Elizabeth in Hugo reported a Belted Kingfisher. and Sunday were nice days. I headed down to Curtis Field in Falcon Heights to play with my son and a Killdeer circled overhead much of the time while Black-capped Chickadees checked out possible nesting sites including an old Bluebird house. John in Carver County again turned in great reports, a Western Meadowlark and a Bonaparte's Gull. For sure first of the year reports for both. Fellow Naturalist Paul Smithson went for a walk along the St. Croix in Stillwater on Saturday and saw both a Common Loon and Great Egret.

Sunday, Deanne reported the first Yellow-bellied Sap Sucker of the year in here yard in Burnsville. Sapsuckers tend to show up at the same time as the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds so this was an early bird. Most of the Ruby-throated hummingbirds are still south of Missouri. Dan Tallman spotted another Common Loon at Lake Byllesby as well as a Red-breasted Merganser. There was also a report of Ruddy Ducks in Carver County. Tim reported good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis as well. While there he spotted the first of the year Black-crowned Night Heron and Hermit Thrushes in the Robert's Bird Sanctuary. Those were the first reports of both species in the Metro.

This week:
Watch for Bufflehead coming to local ponds and lakes. I've seen only a hand full of reports from just south of the metro but their numbers should increase this week. With them will come increased numbers of other waterfowl. April is World Astronomy month so get out there this first week of April and enjoy the night sky. You can download the free program Stellarium to have your own virtual planetarium. You can get an exact view of what will be in the sky every night. Watch for smaller lakes to be completely ice free by the end of the week with temperatures in the mid 50 degrees all week. Deeper, colder lakes will hold ice longer but even they won't be much match for the warmer weather. It shouldn't get below freezing all week, even at night.

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