Hummingbird and Not Hummingbird!

Year 5

Summer is a great time. Some of the best birding and nature outings are only a few feet from my front door. Having observed up to five hummingbird moths and three ruby-throated hummingbirds visiting my bee balm at the same time in the early evening, I made the HUGE trip from my living room to the bee balm (about 20 yards).

Although I thought it was a pipe dream to get both species in the same image, this sequence of five photos put me in seventh heaven. A hummer showed up, and decided to drink nectar from the same blossom as the moth. Although for a moment it looked as if the hummingbird had to decide if it would share the blossom!

Bellying Up to the Bee Balm Bar!

Hummingbird Moth (White-Lined Sphinx Moth)

Before There Were Red Heads …

Year 5, ,

There were black heads! Yup, Red-Headed Woodpeckers have to wait to get their brilliant scarlet heads. When these chicks first fledge they do not win beauty contests when compared to their parents, but their day will come. I had been monitoring this woodpecker family for a few weeks, and although I never found their nest hole, I knew their haunts. I first had to wait for the Lake Superior fog to burn off this morning. 

In addition to visiting Cloverland this morning, over the past few days I have been back to the duck pong to check on my Green Heron chicks many times. As the winter migration of shore birds is beginning, I also have to keep my eyes open for new arrivals. Yesterday morning it was a few Sanderlings, and in the afternoon a Solitary Sandpiper. Birding should improve in terms of species as the winter migration gets going. The heron chicks are starting to look less dorky! No ID is necessary for the the final duck pong bird.

On this afternoon’s bike ride, my Talmedge River Belted Kingfisher was sitting it her normal spot on a tree in the fog!

Finally, Turkey Vultures can also be beautiful, particularly when one photographs them just a few minutes after sunrise (image taken during last week’s trip over to Cloverland).

Osprey First Flight!

Year 5,

Yesterday at sunrise magic happened. Over the past week I have been monitoring three Osprey nests in the Canosia State Wildlife Area. Each nest has two chicks, all of whom seemed ready to fledge.  On the way to the nest#1, I thought I might not even be able to see anything. The temperature was 44F with thick ground fog, but one mile before I reaching my destination the fog dissipated and the sun came out.

For the first 20 minutes I could only see one parent, which sat at the edge of the nest and screamed its greeting out into the morning. At this point, given some warming rays were finally touching the next, both chicks stood up, stretched, and tested their new flight wings. When the chick in back tested its wings, it lost its grip on the nest and rose to a height of four feet, quickly returned to the safety of its home! Such are first flights.

Osprey First Flight and Landing

Testing Flight Wings … Osprey Chick #1

On the way home I stopped by a local pond and discovered my first migrating Greater Yellowlegs on its way south. Interestingly enough, I did not know Yellowlegs eat minnows. I always thought they just consumed bugs. I guess not!