Northern Shrike

The scientific name for the Northern Shrike is Lanius excubitor. Translations from the Latin vary, but the name means Sentinal Butcher or Watchman Butcher.  In the winter, Northern Shrikes take small birds and mammals, which the shrikes often empale on thorns or barbed wire. In the summer, insects are also taken. Unlike hawks, which capture prey in their claws, shrikes use their razor-sharp bills.

On 30 November, Erika and I found this Northern Shrike perched on top of a tall, dead tree in the Minnesota River National Wildlife Refuge. These shrikes are winter visitors to Minnesota. They breed across Alaska and arctic Canada.

American White Pelican

During our 30 November stroll at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Bass Ponds, Erika and I spied an American White Pelican. These pelicans winter where the minimum January temperatures stays above 9 degrees Fahrenheit (Knopf and Evans 2004). That statisitic rules out wintering in Minnesota. Due to a mangled wing, the bird had not migrated south. White pelicans winter from California and the Gulf States, south through Mexico. We gave local wildlife rehabilitators directions to the bird. Due to logistical constraints, the bird remains unrescued.

Western Pondhawk

The second of my Washington, “target species” dragonflies that I recognized on our 14 July 2015, McLane Creek Nature Trail hike was this Western Pondhawk. This dragonfly is similar to the Eastern Pondhawk in the bottom photograph. Westerns, however, lack white ends to abdomen, which also has a slightly different shape. Pondhawks have a unique lime-green color. Males, as they age, like those in both these photos, become blue.

Western Pondhawks are common from British Columbia into Mexico. They often perch on the ground or horizontally on low or floating vegetation. Unlike their eastern cousins, Western Pondhawks prefer preying upon damselflies rather than dragonflies (Paulson). (See my 2011 post for a photo of a dragonfly-eating Eastern Pondhawk.)

Hooded Merganser

On Sunday, 30 November, Erika and I hiked in the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge from the Bass Ponds to the Old Highway 77 Bridge. On the one open pond swam about a dozen Hooded Mergansers. Because of their pale bills, I believe these birds are hens. Males have darker bills and usually have yellow irises.  The leading bird, because of her more flamboyant crest, is likely an adult. The other merganser is probably an immature. In any event, I found the different water patterns to be intriguing.

Cardinal Meadowhawk

We saw two new dragonflies during our 14 July 2015 visit to Olympia’s McLane Creek Nature Trail. I am finally getting proficient enough to be on the lookout for species not on my list. These Cardinal Meadowhawks were the first of my “target species.”  Confirming field marks included the red eyes and face along with the pale spots at the end of the thoracic stripes. These photos are of males—females are rarely seen.

Cardinal Meadowhawks are found from British Columbia into the southwestern United States. They are common west of the Cascades but tend to be less common elsewhere. They perch facing the sun, thereby reducing surface area and subsequent overheating (Kerst and Gordon).

Minnesota Bird News App

My friend Rich Hoeg has written an app so that you can keep up with Minnesota bird blogs (plus a few national and international sites).  I helped beta test the app, which works on both iOS or Android platforms. Rich has initiated a “soft launch” of his free app  Check it out. Let Rich know if you have or know of blogs he has omitted. 

Pileated Woodpecker 2

Yesterday the Pileated Woodpeckers returned to their demolition stump (see yesterday’s post). After feeding on the ground, the woodpeckers flew to the top of nearby trees to enjoy a dessert of Hackberry berries. Several times before, I witnessed this feeding behavior by Pileateds. This meal becomes quite an acrobatic act! I have also seen Red-bellied Woodpeckers feeding on Hackberries.  

Pileated Woodpecker

Yesterday Erika and I watched a male Pileated Woodpecker feeding on the ground, shredding the base of a large, dead tree in our back woods.  We noted that the woodpecker seemed to be leaning agains the trunk with its left foot, with the right planted on the ground. The bird worked on the tree for about 20 minutes.

Bull and Jackson (2011) write that Pileated Woodpeckers do occasionally forage on the ground. These authors also note that the birds play “a crucial role in many forest ecosystems.” Their roosting and nesting holes are subsequently used by many other forest birds and mammals. Pileateds also promote woodland decomposition and nutrient recycling. Finally, this woodpecker helps control harmful forest beetle populations.

McLane Creek Nature Trail Odes

On 14 July 2015, Erika and I explored the McLane Creek Nature Trail near Olympia, Washington. From our visit to this location last year, I knew the park had great dragonfly potential. We did not see many odes last year, but, we were delighted with what we found on this trip.

The most abundant dragonflies were these bluets. As I have mentioned in a few recent posts, bluets are difficult for amateurs to identify. I asked for help from two local experts. Jim Johnson replied, “Tule, Northern, and Boreal are the expected species.” Dennis Paulson wrote, “If I had to guess, I'd say high probability of [their] being Northern Bluets, which are considerably more common than Boreal in western Washington. They also have more black on the middle abdominal segments than populations east of the Cascades. They are definitely not Tule Bluets, which have even more black on the abdomen in both sexes.

The middle two photographs are of dragonflies we already found during our trip. The photo above is a Western Forktail. The photo immediately below is a Four-spotted Skimmer. I have linked their names to previous posts about each species.

In the last photograph, a female Blue-eyed Darner is ovipositing her eggs below the water in emergent vegetation. This behavior is typical for this species. This sighting was only our second of this dragonfly, the first being just a few days before, about which I recently posted.

Leucistic American Goldfinch

On 30 November 2015, a leucistic American goldfinch accompanied a small flock of normal-plumaged goldfinches to our feeders. The long contour feathers splayed across the wings are also abnormal. Although an Internet search brings up many images of leucistic goldfinches, this individual is the first that I have seen.

The wings are also intriguing. Their general black hue suggests a male. The tan wing-bars are typical of a first-year bird. Leucism causes birds or other animals to be pale or have white patches. Albinos are pure white and have pink eyes.