Whimbrel Sunrise Birding

Year 6

I have often espoused about the importance of catching first light for photography. I hope this post will demonstrate the importance of that fact. My target bird for this morning was an unusual migrant already heading south (yes … the southern migration has now started). A Whimbrel which breeds on the shores of Hudson Bay and the Arctic  has been calling Minnesota Point its temporary home for the last week. The tall grasses at the end of Park Point are providing a tundra like / meadow environment which this bird likes.

I left my home at sunrise (now 5:30 am) and arrived at the Park Point fields a few minutes after 6:00 am. The golden orb was only just beginning to peek over the pine trees that populate Lake Superior’s dune barrier. I took my first photos when the Whimbrel was in the full shade. Although this meant many, many blurry images, knowing that my target bird would pause every so often during its search for breakfast … I pressed the shutter and waited … one out of every series of images would normally be in focus and of a stationary bird.

Pay attention to how my photographic opportunities varied from the first rays of sun, to almost 30 minutes later when full sun was now the equation. I like the soft light of the earlier pictures, and left my Whimbrel when in my opinion the sun was getting to high in the sky (6:45 am)! Notice how the plumage color changes as I acquire more light for photography.

One final comment as we now start to head into the southern migration here in the extreme northern reaches of the United States. Unlike the northward migration in the spring, during the southern migration birds will “hang around” if they find good food sources. This gives a person the opportunity to enjoy birds for a period of time as they will not immediately “push on”.

Whimbrel at 6:08 am (love the heavy dew on the grasses)

Whimbrel at 6:10 am (now that the sun is up, the dew is hard to see)

Whimbrel at 6:23 am (early sun means shadows!)

Whimbrel at 6:26 am

Whimbrel at 6:40 am

 

Steam Shovel Sally

Year 6,

Birds nest in unusual places, and “Steam Shovel Sally” is a prime example of that fact. Yesterday morning was “Birding with Grampa”, and Sally performed and exceeded  my expectations. When one takes young children birding (at their request) it is important to have fun, and not spend a long time in the field. I figured “Steam Shovel Sally” would appeal given the location of the nest (at the top of an antiquated old steam shovel). Ospreys are cool big birds, and Sally flew around for us several times … stooping into the nest. We topped off our birding excursion with breakfast at McDonalds and a Merlin landing only 30 feet from us while that falcon hunted at the mouth of the Lester River.

Right now I am waiting to hear sounds from my grandkids, then its off to look for our local beaver. I am including one more image of my young American Kestrel from one of last week’s birding trips. I finally had the opportunity to process the photograph.

Waiting for Godot Bird

Year 6,

I am not certain who was Waiting for Godot (YouTube link), me or the Northern Flicker chicks. Over the past few days they have been screaming for their supper (hard to call it singing). Mom and Dad are starting to ignore them in an attempt to get them out of the nest hole. This is not cruel on the part of the parents, but smart. I’ve already watched as some local crows raided the nest hole one week ago and ate one of the chicks. While I took photographs of that event, they were gruesome and I decided not to post same.

Yesterday evening after supper I decided it was time to take the classic photos of the flicker chicks trying to eat a parent. It is dangerous feeding these youngsters given the sharp long beaks! This feeding took place about ten minutes before I lost my light. I had been outside watching the nest for over an hour before the parent decided to give the kids a final feed of the day.

Northern Flicker Feeding

In the first two images one of the chicks is looking for a meal, and then demanding same!

The other images tell “the rest of the story”

I also want to thank Jeannette L. for inviting me over to her beautiful country home near Brule, Wisconsin. While most of the birds were not interested in posing for the camera, we had a delightful birding excursion. Highlights for me were seeing all the Eastern Towhees and an American Bittern. This Bluebird was at the limit of my camera range. I thought it was going to fly down and feed its hatchlings, but this meal was for itself!

Bluebird

Finally, I’ll end with two duck photos from this morning’s bicycle ride. Near the end of my ride I took a brief hike off bike along the Lester River. I will admit I could not identify the Hooded Merganser juvenile till I got home with my photographs. The Common Mergansers were an easy ID, and I have been watching this family for over a week. An excellent resource for bird identification is Merlin Bird ID from Cornell University. This app takes your photograph and displays likely matches. For my juvenile hoodie this was very helpful.

If you’re still with me, this morning’s 20 mile bicycle along Lake Superior was memorable in many ways. The world is quiet and calm at 6:15 in the morning. Unfortunately my enjoyment ended in a painful manner. A hornet flew into my cycling jersey (zippered down at the neck partway down my chest to help keep me cool). I was stung multiple times on my chest before I could stop my bike and resolve the situation. Ouch.