All posts by richardhoeg@gmail.com

SD National Grasslands Birding: Onida Marsh

Year 13

It may seem strange to lead off my SD National Grasslands trip with a post about the Onida Marsh (located at the crossroads of the town with the same name), but this marsh has amazing shorebirds and waterfowl, and at this time of year (June 1st) the reeds have not yet grown up to obscure the birds. In addition most of the birds have either not nested, or have just nested … thus the males are still singing out. Finally, the town of Onida is only 30 miles from Pierre which serves as my headquarters for exploring the grasslands.

Most Minnesota birders come to the grasslands to see the Burrowing Owls, and thus tend to visit in later July when the owlets have hatched. However, my goal is to enjoy all the grassland birds which means June 1st is an excellent time to visit. Onida is a great first stop if a person is working their way west from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin or Illinois.

Regardless, yesterday morning’s first birding stop of this trip was great fun, and very successful. However, I do tend to bird the marsh from Onida Road / 185th Street due to all the farm semi truck traffic.

Onida Marsh American Avocet

American Avocet & Black-Necked Stilt

Black-Necked Stilt

Yellow-Headed Blackbird (courting and gritting)

Red Visits Amity Creek & Gardens

Year 13

A red-headed woodpecker visited my yard for over 45 minutes yesterday afternoon. This species is very rare in NE Minnesota. Hopefully “red” has a mate near by and is thinking of drilling out a nest hole. Each summer, we have one or two nesting redheads in the region. It would be fun to have the birds select my yard (video of red for blog subscribers)

The Birding Photography Snob!

Year 13, ,

Quoting myself from back in 2018: (read prior post)

In 1964 when I was eight years old my parents gave me my first birding books, National Geographic’s “Song and Garden Birds of North America” and “Water, Prey and Game Birds of North America”. Over the years with moves to college, a wedding and our first home, and now our return to Duluth, these two books have remained with me through every move (most books have not survived). I know that based upon what I saw in those books, my love of certain birds (and not others) were shaped … While others try to pad birding lists, I swoon over certain birds and ignore others!

The American Redstart was one of those swoonable birds. I had a deep desire to see this pretty little reddish orange and black warbler. Back in 1990 Molly and I purchased a small Minnesota cabin which is close to the Canadian border. It took a few years after that purchase till I realized our land was swarming with Redstarts starting each year with the last week of May. Here are just two images I took yesterday afternoon of one of my “snob birds”? Do you have a snob bird?

And the cover image of “the” book!

Actually the last few days have been most excellent, and not just for my “snob birds”. Over the past few days I have seen eight moose! These poor Moose family wanted nothing to do with me. I definitely pulled my car over and let the moose family run away from me. The calves look very young.

My local loons of Northstar Lake are getting ready to nest near my cabin, and yesterday morning I spent quality time by kayak with the lovely couple. Contrast my local loons nesting on or about June 1st, but down in the Twin Cities loon chicks are already hatching. Northstar Lake is 200 miles north of the northern Twin Cities and a dramatic difference in habitat.

Finally, Toomey-Williams Forest Road near Big Falls finally opened after a long winter and very wet spring. The raptors are busy setting up housekeeping and hunting (Broad-Winged Hawk)