Topsy-Turvy Spring

Yet again, a lack of posting correlates to a lack of inactivity. The past few months have been--by my quiet, cozy standards--crazy, but I have managed a fair bit of local birding. Here's a short review of spring's end and summer's beginning.

Project Feeder Watch 2022-2023 Wrap-up

After several disappointing counting dates, spring migration gave my second season onboard PFW an uplifting conclusion. Highlights included four northern flickers in the yard at once and a swamp sparrow which reoccurred for several days and allowed me to get some close shots. I also had a glimpse of a yellow-rumped warbler grabbing suet (a first at my birdfeeders, so far as I've seen) and had more fun interactions with the cottontails.

Park Priorities

One of my main goals for 2023 is to fill up the illustrated checklist for Chahinkapa Park. Many common species (such as crow and common grackle) were not depicted. It's nice to not stress over birds which are harder to track down. On that note, I've heard sora calling twice from the river reeds and am hoping to spot and get a shot of them soon. Wish me luck.

More goings on at the birdfeeders

PFW may have ended with April but May had more backyard action. I was yet to see a rose-breasted grosbeak at my feeder, but on the 18th, I had six at once! Baltimore orioles teased with appearances in the shrubs and tree branches for a few days before moving in on the orange slices on offer--to feed baltimore orioles was my big bird-feeding goal for the spring, so that was cool to see. Last but not least, I'm happy to host a nesting pair of house wrens again.

Otherwise

Due to a tire exploding and mangling the front-end of my vehicle, my big plan for an Arizona road trip has been delayed indefinitely. But really, my disappointment was offset by knowing it could have been much worse. No injury, just an excuse for good exercise, local birding and car shopping.

In other nature-related news, I've started a messy little wildflower/butterfly garden in the backyard. As I have no prior gardening experience, I am winging it. I purchased a few plants from greenhouses after scattering lots of wildflower seed mix (which the migrating sparrows enjoyed greatly). A lot of stuff has started to sprout and grow in the sweltering start to summer.

Ending Winter!

It turns out that spring does exist. The snow has finally started to melt, and with the rising temperatures of the past few days has come a flurry of birds. Juncos are raving, lone gulls are soaring over town and, to me best of all, the grackles are trickling back! It has been refreshing to see so many birds about the neighborhood after a streak of very quiet Project FeederWatch weekends.

With weather no longer an excuse, I've gone out to play with the R6 and check out the local bird activity. Last weekend, I hung out at the park where the chickadees and juncos were sampling birdfeed placed between the main ponds.

I was very pleased with the autofocus of the R6 which, as it should, functioned quickly and accurately in spite of the busy backgrounds. It really did well in finding birds amid branches. I trudged through the snow-covered river to try and get some shots of a resting flock of Canada geese, but the range was a bit much for the 100-500mm.

This morning I swung by the local sunflower plant to photograph the rock pigeons at sunrise but was having some lens (inexperience) difficulties with the 800mm and decided to walk down to the fairgrounds to see what was around. I was getting annoyed at plunging through ankle- to knee-deep snow, but I'm glad I went through it, for when I reached the popular fishing spot at the back of the fairgrounds, I spotted a river otter rolling around in the snow. The otter was on the far side of the river, so again a bit long for the 100-500, but it was fun just to watch, and after a little while, the otter slipped into an open spot of ice.

I was sat in a small clearing with trees and brush to either side. The chickadees were completely unphased by my presence, as was a hermit thrush which landed on the snow but a few feet from me. I was also happy to get some okay shots of a ruby-crowned kinglet flitting about the branches. These shots were all taken with the 2x extender coupled with the 100-500. Between the extender, clouded lighting and shooting at 6400 ISO, there was a noticeable drop in sharpness, but the auto focus continued to perform quite well, almost always locking onto the kinglet in point mode even when there were branches between us. Next time I'm using the extender in similar conditions, I will have to experiment with different ISOs to see what I can get away with.

The seven-day forecast calls for sun, rain and of course a slight chance of snow, but as the birds continue to return, I look forward to getting out more and more and continuing to learn the R6.

Endless Winter

The last few weeks have been quite interesting. After a visit to the Twin Cities to see family, stock up on Jones Soda and watch some hockey, I came down with a stomach virus and felt the sickest I ever had in my life. Before the virus struck in full force, I had made up my mind to go in on an R6 and to build a whole new kit around it. Unfortunately, my order was delivered when I was at the height of my sickness, and it would take a few days before I even dared to open the boxes and start setting up the camera.

Not only will this be my first time shooting mirrorless, it's also my first time using proper zoom and prime lenses. While the P900 and P1000 had great zoom capability, the lack of sharpness and, most importantly, the inability of those cameras to take halfway decent pictures at even 400+ ISO was getting too frustrating. Sure, they could snap a sharp photo, but it was really challenging if conditions weren't ideal. Considering I prefer to stalk and shoot, I wasn't getting as many good pictures as I wanted. Now, I'm a birder before a photographer. I definitely enjoy taking and looking at pictures, but I've mostly been using cameras as tools to see birds, record observations and assist with identification. How much that will change now that I've invested into some higher quality gear, I'm not sure.

Thus far, I've taken the R6 no further than my backyard and have taken just a few dozen pictures, the goal being building muscle memory so I can more quickly and accurately hit the dials and buttons I need and seeing how I like the camera settings I've gone with. I didn't realize until putting the files on my PC that I had been shooting in JPG unintentionally. Glad I'm getting these kinks out before spring migration.

The question remains: will spring really come? I've experienced colder and snowier winters, but the potentially record-breaking consistency of the 2022-23 winter has felt a bit much, and with another snowstorm looming in next week's forecast, most people around here are just sick of winter. I'm certainly growing excited to get out in some nicer weather and really try the R6 and to start seeing migrating sparrows, waterfowl and warblers. Hopefully we can ease into a smooth melt and avoid the flooding.

Blizzard Birding

A surprisingly mild January has led to a more typically chilly February. As a blizzard swept through the southeast corner of the state this afternoon, I zipped myself into some winter coveralls and headed for the park. I was hoping to grab some photos of some common year-round species (blue jays, downy woodpeckers, rock pigeons, and collared-doves) but wasn't really enjoying the mix of wind and glare and ended up turning around not far into the park and heading home.

Next time I think I'll choose an easier day to see the birds. In the meantime, I'll entertain myself with the birds and other visitors to the backyard feeders.

Two Pileated Woodpeckers and Sax-Zim

 Well, this has been an interesting week. With frigid temperatures and winter storms sweeping across much of the country, I decided to delay my holiday travels by a few days, but an additional delay came in the form of some minor car issues. These were swiftly taken care of by my favorite auto shop in town. All the delays did, however, give me a chance to sneak in some ProjectFeederWatching.

Snowfall tends to bring lots of life to the feeders, and on the twenty-fifth, I was gifted with the appearance of not one, but two pileated woodpeckers.

Eventually, I made it to the cities for art-viewing, game-playing, gift-swapping and family chilling. It was a quick but good time. My time in the cities would come to end early this morning as I set off for Sax-Zim Bog in search of lifers.

I arrived at Sax-Zim as a glow began to grow within the clouded skies overhead. From the visitor center parking area, I struck out on the short Gray Jay Way trail, and not a few hundred feet later I turned back to a treetop filled with lifers.

Bohemian waxwings scattered around a few evening grosbeaks. An awesome start. I walked to the trail's looping conclusion where feeders were hung from several trees, and before I even got there I came across another lifer.

It was interesting to observe the Canada jays at the feeders in comparison to the raucous, crested blue jays I'm used to seeing snagging peanuts from my own feeders. The Canada jays were curious and cute with small, shy vocalizations, and they fed with me sat a few feet away. The black-capped chickadees and a couple of spunky red squirrels were also present, and a little cloud of redpolls filled a nearby tree for a short pitstop.

But black-capped aren't the only chickadee inhabiting the bog, and a little patience rewarded me with the appearance of a boreal chickadee. A bunch of pine warblers also appeared to feed--a species I haven't seen since I visited Kodiak Island in 2019.

My timing was good. As I started back on the Gray Jay Way, I passed near a dozen birders going to the feeders. I paused at the back of the welcome center to grab some pictures of the evening grosbeaks, American goldfinches, woodpeckers, etc.

My original plan was to drive around the bog a while, but with the sun well up, the roads getting busier, and my eyes already tired, I decided to start working my way southwest. On the way home, I made some quick stops at the Shingobee Recreation Area (where I would have been skunked if not for a noisy blue jay early on my lap of the trails) and Red Bridge Park in Park Rapids. Now, I'm tired. Melee is on. And Jones Soda requires drinking. 2022 has been a fun, comparatively quiet year of birding, but big plans loom for 2023. Here's to a good year and to the birds.