Pied-billed Grebe

On 28 September 2018, Erika and I discovered an immature Pied-billed Grebe on a Northfield lake, Striped sides of the head are typical of many juvenile grebes. Pied-billed Grebes retain remnants of these stripes until late winter, even after the grebe molts into its first definitive plumage. You can see this individual’s black bill ring beginning to become evident. Click here to see a photo of an adult.

Cedar Waxwing

Erika and I photographed this Cedar Waxwing in the Carleton College arboretum on 22 September 2018. Although waxwings will flycatch for insect prey, these birds are one of the few North American birds specialized for eating fruit. Indeed, this individual feasted on the cedar berries for which the bird is named. Waxwings get nutrients from the fruit pulp and pass the fruit seeds onto the surrounding countryside (Witmer et al. 2014). Eating fruit has also caused waxwing numbers to increase, as people plant ornamental fruit trees in ever-expanding suburban sprawl. Waxwings may also benefit from recent regulation of agricultural pesticides.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Lincoln’s Sparrows breed in the Northwoods across Alaska and Canada, south to the northern tier of eastern states and into the Rocky Mountains. Due to their boreal range, their preference for dense shrubs, and their general shyness, Lincoln’s Sparrows are poorly studied. They winter from the southern United States to northern Central America. Erika and I found this individual in the Carleton College arboretum on 22 September 2018.The Lincoln’s Sparrow was first scientifically described by Audubon in 1833. The bird was named for Thomas Lincoln, an independently wealthy Maine farmer. Lincoln accompanied Audubon on a collecting trip to Labrador, which is where they found the sparrow.

Double-crested Cormorant

Erika and I found several Double-crested Cormorants at the Wood Lake Nature Center near Minneapolis on 21 September 2018. This species is the most widespread and most common of the six North American cormorants. Double-crested Cormorants often perch with their wings spread. This behavior probably helps to dry out their plumage. On the other hand, wet feathers may aide in a cormorant’s ability to dive. Wing spreading may have a role in temperature regulation (Dorr et al. 2014). Not all cormorant species show wing spreading behavior.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

We photographed this female Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, one of Minneapolis/St Paul’s many “suburbs.” 21 September seems like a relatively late date. Most of these grosbeaks are by now well on their way to southern Mexico to northern South America. The uneven wear of the tail feathers suggests that this bird is an adult. All of the feathers of a young bird would be freshly molted.

Hooded Merganser

Erika and I found a young Hooded Merganser at the Wood Lake Nature Center in greater Minneapolis on 21 September 2018. If nothing else, this image is a study in camouflage. Although relatively small and surrounded by city, the nature center provides ideal merganser habitat—marshland surrounded by woodlands.

Blue-headed Vireo

On 14 September 2018, I banded this Blue-headed Vireo. These vireos breed across Canada and in the eastern United State and winter in the southeastern United States, eastern Mexico and northern Central America. Little or nothing seems to be known about this bird’s physiology that favors such a northern winter distribution. Blue-headed Vireos appear to be increasing in numbers as abandoned fields revert to forests.

Blue-headed Vireos slowly move about forest branches as they snatch insects from leaves and twigs. Facilitating this foraging strategy, these vireos have relatively week jaw adductor muscles. This anatomy allows them to rapidly snatch their prey, often in flight (Morton and James 2014).

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are exceptional among the difficult-to-identify species in the genus, Empidonax. Unlike the others, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are easily identified by their unique yellow plumage. They are common enough migrants from the northern forests towards Central America, but they are small and camouflaged. Each spring and fall, I band a few—this one on 11 September 2018. In the hand, capturing their color proves to be difficult. I think I came close in this image.

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfishers are often wary birds to photograph. They are infamous for their eating fish, which they catch near the water surface. Kingfishers usually require clear water in which to hunt.  They use the white spots between the bill and their eye to aim at their prey. As they hit the water, however, their eyes are closed. They plunge headfirst into the water, but do not usually submerge. Kingfishers prefer small fish. After returning to their perches, the birds often pound their prey. This action aligns the fish so that the prey is swallowed head-first and may also remove sharp fish spines. Belted Kingfishers also take other prey like mollusks, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, and berries (Kelly et al. 2009).

Blackburnian Warbler

As Confusing Fall Warblers go, Blackburnian Warblers, with their dark cheeks and relatively bright yellow throats and eye-stripes, are fairly striking. Blackburnians used to be in the genus Dendroica. Recent DNA studies conclude that all the Dendroica are closely related to redstarts, Setophaga. Due to taxonomic rules that the first name for a species has priority, all the Dendroica are now merged into Setophaga. Other warblers, Wilsonia and Parula, have also joined Setophaga. By whatever name, Blackburnian Warblers breed from western Canada to the Maritime Provinces. They also nest in northern Minnesota and the northeastern tier of the United States. From New England they breed south through the mountains to Georgia. They winter in Central and South America.