Tuesday Night Radar

As predicted, the front now moving through Minnesota and Wisconsin is bringing behind it northerly winds and apparently lots of birds. In the radar image from 10:30 CST the radar returns in most of Minnesota, the Dakotas and Nebraska look like the kinds of returns we see in the spring. Should be birds moving all night.



What's in your backyard?

"Ricebird", "Skunk Bird", Bobolink

This is the view we often get of a bobolink if we're lucky. Maybe even a look at one sitting in a low shrub out in the middle of a prairie. Males are easy to ID from a distance because of their unique color pattern. The white on the back gave it the name "skunk bird" years ago. The huge flocks that were found out in grain fields as they migrated to South America gave it the name "ricebird" but nowadays we know it as the Bobolink.


Every once in a while we are lucky to net one or two on their breeding territories, especially if we are able to put a net up near a males favorite perch. This summer we have handled 3 or 4 and they are strikingly beautiful in the hand. They are a member of the Blackbird family (Icteridae) and, like many grassland birds, are showing a serious decline in their numbers.


They are a true neotropical migrant and make a long journey from the prairies of the Great Plains to the pampas of South America and back every year. Their fidelity to their breeding territory is amazing. A male banded by my friend Mark in 2008 was caught in 2009 on the same little hill in a grassland almost exactly one year to the day of its first capture.



A wonderful bird to both see and hear every spring in the prairies of Minnesota.

Windy, Hot and Buggy

Weather once again got in the way of catching lots of birds on Saturday. The winds were quite strong for using nets and in the places where the wind was blocked the mosquitoes were aggressive. In spite of these trials and tribulations I did handle a couple of nice individuals.



Young Northern Cardinals are easy to age due to the overall plumage seen and the dark bill. Some young male birds can be sexed if they have any red feathers starting to molt in on their body but this individual showed no red.



I don't know the sex of this bird but I do believe it may have been from a later or possibly second brood to still have this dark bill although you can see the edges beginning to lighten.



The first Ovenbird of the fall migration was the last bird caught for the day. I really like these birds for their crisp plumage and long legs (makes banding easy!).

I did have a funny thing happen during banding with a flycatcher we caught. While checking one of the nets we found a Traill's Flycatcher in one and as we extracted it the bird seemed stressed and possibly in trouble. Not moving, eyes closed, etc.. We got it out and took it back to the banding table where we gave it a bit of water and decided we would release it without banding so as not to stress it any more. Well as soon as I opened my hand the little faker jumped out and flew off as strong as any normal healthy bird would. I think I got fooled by a bird "playing possum"! The even funnier part is that we went to check the nets again and there was the little faker in the net closest to the banding table. This time the bird got his band and we got our data!

Next chance to band will be next weekend and the weather is supposed to cool by then. Hopefully the warblers being reported up north will make their way down here.

Warblers 2-Common Residents of Minnesota

Below are pictures of a few of the more common species out of the 32 types of warblers found in Minnesota. Species like the American Redstart and the Yellow Warbler are found across most of the state. Other species are only seen in migration around my location so it is exciting to await their visits in May and September. This year was an especially poor year for the spring warbler migration. However it appears that numbers on the breeding grounds were normal so we suspect the warbler waves just overflew us on their way north. Spring weather patterns may have had something to do with this.


The Yellow Warbler is usually abundant around wetlands and other bodies of water. The scientific name of this bird , D. petechia, uses the same Latin root as the medical term for a rash. This refers to the rusty red streaking on the birds chest.


A less seen warbler that we were lucky enough to catch last May is the Blackburnian Warbler. Often seen high up in the canopy this female was caught as she was skulking through some low shrubs near a wetland. The female is not as bright as the male but is beautiful none the less.


A common breeding species locally is the American Redstart. It is probably one of the easiest species to identify by sound because of its harsh call. Usually this is a species that is not hard to find even when other birds are hiding.


The gray head and bright eye-ring are the key to identifying this Nashville Warbler. One of the earlier spring migrants, it is also one of the first returning migrants in the fall. Late August is already seeing this species in good numbers.


Often seen migrating at the same time as the Nashville is the Tennessee Warbler. This can be a tough bird to age and sex while banding because of the overall less vibrant fall coloration. When this species moves through an area it is often the most numerous bird around. At one banding session we caught 18 Tennessee Warblers in just 3 hours.

As a group, warblers are one of the most sought after birds on any spring excursion. Lots of birders will talk of a 15 or 20+ warbler day in May in Minnesota. The fall can provide just as much variety but it takes a bit more effort and skill to ID these "confusing fall warblers".

Warblers 1 Male vs Female

Roger Tory Peterson didn't call fall warblers confusing for nothing. As these colorful birds head south for the winter we get to see them in a plumage that is often much more drab than in the spring. To top it off, in many species males and females wear different looks even in the breeding season. Below are two examples of spring warblers that show a sexual dimorphism that is especially important to understand in the autumn. First fall males can sometimes look like adult females and can be a real challenge.


This spring male Black and White Warbler is certainly striking with its bold feather pattern. Easy to distinguish even at a distance.


This spring female Black and White Warbler still sports the basic feather pattern of the male but is much less bright and bold in her markings.


A familiar warbler of the wetlands is the Common Yellowthroat. The males are just gorgeous and easy to ID. However its mate is different enough that it might be thought to be a different species altogether.


This female Common Yellowthroat is built for hiding in the cattails and willows, not for displaying to the neighbors.

With young of the year moving through, fall banding requires paying attention to detail and sometimes the willingness to say "I don't know".

Pictures from this Summer - Sparrows

I'm trying to catch up on posting the photos from all of the banding I did this spring and summer and I thought I'd do it a few photos at a time. This post will center on sparrows, those little brown birds that most people don't notice or even know exist.


The Song Sparrow is one of the most common sparrows in the area. It's call is a real harbinger of spring and they are just beautiful up close.


This summer saw me band more Savannah Sparrows than I ever have before (which was a grand total of - none). Thanks to having access to an open field north of Duluth for a couple of days I got to know this species pretty well. The subtle beauty of this birds is something to see.


A sparrow that I hear much more than I see is the Field Sparrow. The "ping pong ball" call is one of the easier calls for a new birder to learn. The overall plain coloration of the bird with that bright pink bill is an eye opener for lots of first time viewers.


Finally, a true sparrow of the grasslands in Minnesota. The Clay-colored Sparrow is surprisingly abundant in local areas. A soft, low buzzing call can be overlooked if you're not careful.

Lots of people I talk to are surprised to find out that Minnesota has 19 species of sparrow that can be found regularly in the state. However, these birds are under the pressure of loss of grassland habitat just like other species that are losing their habitat. Check out a local hay field or pasture and you might be amazed at what you find.

Migration Picks Up Behind Storm Front

With a large storm front moving ahead of cold air moving in from the north, radar is showing what appears to be significant movement in the Dakotas and Nebraska. Birds are probably taking advantage of the southward air flow. Movement ahead of the front is affected by the winds out of the south bringing in the warm, humid air that is causing these storms to fire up.



There should be new migrants showing up in yards Tuesday morning.

As Summer Fades, Migrants Appear

After a long summer of not getting out much and obviously not posting anything here, yesterday was the first banding session of the fall where we had a number of obvious migrants moving through the area. This Canada Warbler was just one of 5 warbler species we banded.

The morning started off like a bad B-horror movie with thick fog everywhere. For banding though that's not so bad. It means there is little if any wind and the birds tend to stay lower in the vegetation. We hoped for a good day and we got it.



A feisty Rose-breasted Grosbeak always leads to an arguement over who gets to take it out of the net. This female was everything a grosbeak is supposed to be like - loud, mean and looking for any opportunity to try and draw blood. She is beautiful though. The bright yellow underwings almost glowed.



One of my favorite fall warblers is the Chestnut-sided Warbler because it looks like a completely different bird than the ones we saw in May. This one kept flashing it's tail while we took pictures before letting her go.

All in all it was a very busy day. We started the session a little before 0800 and didn't finish up until 1330. The last run of the nets brought 18 birds into the station at once so lunch was a bit later than normal.

The totals are as follows:

Tennessee Warbler - 6
American Redstart - 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1
Nashville Warbler - 1
American Goldfinch - 16
Black-capped Chickadee - 10
Canada Warbler - 1
Eastern Wood Peewee - 1
House Wren - 1
Indigo Bunting - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 4
Gray Catbird - 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1
American Robin - 1 (missing it's left foot)

Total species = 14
Total Individuals = 47

A busy, busy day...