Yellow-headed Blackbird

 Yellow-headed blackbirds are members of the Icteridae family which consists of their smaller cousin the red-winged black bird as well as bobolinks, cowbirds, grackles, meadowlarks, and orioles. They usually breed in the central and western plains region and migrate into the south western United States and Mexico for the winter. During their winter migration they often travel as part of large mixed species flocks.

 The prefered breeding habitat of the yellow-headed blackbird are cattail marshes. They often share this habitat with red-winged blackbirds. Since the yellow-heads are larger they often dominate the smaller red-winged blackbirds and take the prime nesting locations for themselves. Males will fiercely defend their breeding territory and may mate with up to eight females nesting within his territory.Nests are built by the female out of vegetation and connected to four our five stalks of cattail, reeds or other marshland vegetation.

Wilson's Phalarope

 In the world of birds if there is a difference in color between male and female it is typically the male of the species that is brighter and more colorful. The reason for this can be that the more colorful males are more appealing to females and thus more easily attract a mate, thus ensuring that their more colorful DNA is passed down. Or if the species typically nests in a more vulnerable location, such as the ground, females that can blend in better are more likely to survive, along with their eggs. Since the males do not spend much time at the nest they do not need the same camouflage

 The Wilson's phalarope is just the opposite of most birds. In this species it is the female that is more colorful. This is to be expected because it is the female that does the work of attracting a mate. So it is important that she look pretty. The male's dull plumage is also an advantage as he is the one that stays home to take care of the little ones. The female lays her eggs in a scrape in the dirt and then takes off to find a new man, leaving Mr Mom to build a nest of vegetation around the eggs. With sole custody he will raise the young on his own.

Have a happy wild Tom Turkey Thanksgiving

 Did you know that only the mature male turkey (called a tom) makes a gobble sound? Females (called hens) only cluck.

Rough-legged Hawk

The rough-legged hawk is a large buteo found throughout much of the northern hemisphere.  Hawks are classified into one of two genus, Buteo and Accipiter. Buteo hawks are often referred to as soaring hawks. They have long broad wings and short tails which help them take advantage of wind currents and thermal air. Rough-legged hawks have longer thinner wings and longer tails compared to many other buteos.

 Rough-legged hawks are circumpolar. They nest in the Arctic and tundra regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. During the winter they migrate south into The US, Central Asia and Europe. In Europe and Asia they are called the rough-legged buzzard.

 The rough-legged hawk gets its name because it is one of two species of hawks that have feathers that run down to their feet. Rough-legged hawks also have a variety of different color morphs. All of the birds in this post are rough-legged hawks but th last photo is a light morph, the middle is a dark morph and the first is a more of a mixed morph.

Pied-billed Grebe

 The pied-billed grebe is the second smallest grebe found in North America. Only the least grebe, which is only found in Texas and Mexico in North America, is smaller. Grebes are often mistaken for ducks but they differ from ducks in that they have lobed toes instead of webbed feet.

 Pie-billed grebes are not strong fliers. They are much more likely to dive under the water than they are to fly away if danger approaches.When the dive under the water they often do so by sinking straight down, much like a submarine, with their head being the last thing to submerge. Under the water they are excellent swimmers. They are able to trap water in their feathers to help control their buoyancy.

 Young pied-billed grebes usually leave the nest a day after they hatch. While they are able to swim almost immediately they typically spend most of their first week riding on one of their parents back. Immature grebes are easily identified by the striking feather patterns on their face.

Osprey

 The osprey is a bird that is in a class all its own. Literally, the osprey is the only member of the genus Pandion, which is the only genus in the family Pandionidae. So what makes the Osprey so unique? First off is the fact that they have the ability to rotate one of their toes so that they have two facing forward and two facing back. This adaptation helps them to catch fish, which is their main food source. Most species of owls have this ability but the osprey is the only diurnal raptor, active during the day, that has this unique ability. Their feet also have rough pads on the bottom which helps in grabbing slippery fish.

 Even though the osprey is the only member of its family they are not so alone. Osprey can be found on every con tenant in the world except Antarctica. They are found near water where they hunt for fish, often diving up to two feet under the surface. In the Western Hemisphere Osprey breed primarily in northern sections of North America. The breeding range includes most of Canada, the northern United States, and the Pacific Northwest. These birds migrate south to central and South America for the winter, some traveling over 2500 miles each way. Populations in Florida and the Gulf Coast typically are year round residents.

Nashville Warbler

 The Nashville warbler is a poorly named new world warbler. Rarely are these birds found near Nashville. They breed primarily in eastern Canada, the northeastern U. S. and northern Great Lakes. They winter in Mexico and northern Central America. In the spring and fall they migrate across the central United States on their way between breeding and wintering grounds. In 1811 Alexander Wilson observed one of these birds near Nashville during migration and subsequently named it the Nashville warbler.

 There is separate population of Nashville warblers that breed along the west coast. These birds were once considered a different species called the Calaveras warbler. Even though they look a little different and the western population will wag heir tail while the eastern population do not, the Calaveras is now considered a subspecies of the Nashville.

Marsh Wren

 The marsh wren is found across most of the United States and Mexico. They breed in the northern half of the US and up into Canada. They migrate down to the Gulf Coast and Mexico for the winter. They are most often seen filtering among the reeds and cattails hunting insects and spiders.

Brush-tipped Emerald

Dragonfly families can typically be distinguished by their eyes. All dragonflies have compound eyes but some families of dragonflies have eyes that are separated, like a hammerhead shark, some have large eyes that look almost like a helmet, some have eyes that connect in a single point and look like an infinity symbol. Many of the members of the emerald dragonfly family have emerald eyes. This is the face of a brush-tipped emerald, Somatochlora walshii.

The brush-tipped emerald gets its common name from the hairs on the end of its claspers. It is found in the genus Somatochlora which are the striped emeralds. Most of the Somatachlora are found in bogs and swamps making them more difficult to find. The brush-tipped is smaller than most of the other somatochlora usually under 2 inches which helps to identify it in flight, although some of the more common emeralds are around the same size. They also tend to fly fairly close to the ground rarely going above the six foot level. (Note: This dragonfly was netted and the pics were taken while it was in hand. The dragonfly was then released)

Bronze Copper

Moon

Harris Hawk

The Harris hawk is a medium sized raptor found in the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. Most of the Harris hawk's habitat is dry and desolate, so they have adapted some behaviors that are not typical to other raptors. Since their is not typically a lot of prey in their habitat, they eat primarily mammals, Harris hawks hunt in packs, like wolves or lions. Often one or two birds will chase the prey to where others are waiting in ambush. These packs usually consist of a family group of 2 to 5 birds. Since there are not many trees in many parts of their habitat Harris Hawks will often stack, with one bird perched upon the back of another.

Great Horned Owls

 The great horned owl is a common resident of forest through out most of North America and parts of South America. They are considered an edge species. This means that they prefer to nest in the woods close to open fields where they can hunt. They are primarily crepuscular, which means that they are most active at dusk and down. Like many species of owls great horned owls do not make their own nest. They usually "borrow" a hawks, herons, ravens, or crows nest or nest in a tree cavity. Sometimes, as in this case they will use a man maid object such as a nesting box.

Great horned owls are usually one of the first nesting birds here in the north. They are non-migratory so they stay on territory all year round. In January the courting begins, even though it is often between a pair that has previously mated. Once a nesting site is chosen the female lays her eggs and incubates them for 4 to 5 weeks. During this time the male's job is to bring home the bacon. After the eggs hatch the female continues to stay on the nest to keep the chicks warm until they are old enough to thermal regulate. Then both parents need to hunt to keep the hungry chicks fed. Great horns eat almost anything that they can catch. Typically where I live they eat a lot of rabbit. This pair of owls has nested in a public park here in the Twin Cities for many years, although this is the first time in this box. They are very popular with photographers and as you can see from the photo above they were quite bored with their fame and stardom. At this time of year the parents are preparing to evict the youngster soon so that they can get back to the business of producing a new clutch of chicks for me to photograph next year. 

Dragonhunter

 The dragonhunter is the largest dragonfly that we have here in the upper Midwest. It has an average length of about 3.3 inches, well short of the giant darner, which at 5 inches is the longest dragonfly in the US. The dragonhunter is beefier though. It's abdomen is so large that the tip often curls down in a J shape when they fly. They are typically found around moderate to swift flowing streams and rivers where they can live up to seven years in their larval form, called a nymph. They are fierce predators eating other large dragonflies, as well as butterflies including the toxic monarch butterfly.

Evening Grosbeak

 The evening grosbeak is a colorful member of the finch family that is found in North America. They breed in the cooler climates of Canada and the Rocky Mountains and winter through out much of the United States. They used to be considered more of a western species but in the mid 1800's they began to expand their territory eastward until by the 1920's they were found from coast to coast.

 During the winter evening grosbeaks are a frequent visitor to feeders where their large beak helps them to crack open seeds that smaller birds can not handle. Their winter diet consist mainly of seeds. However during the summer they turn to insects for the major part of their diet. They are particularly fond of caterpillars and spruce budworm larvae which they glean from trees.