Every birder has observed hummingbirds darting among flowers to feed on sugary flower nectar, but hummingbirds eat tiny insects and spiders too. Sugary liquids like flower nectar and tree sap along with protein-rich insects that include gnats and aphids play important roles in hummingbirds' diet, according to Zach Hutchinson, a community naturalist with Audubon Rockies. And while there are many factors that affect what a hummingbird eats, ranging from its species to where it is located and what foods are available, it's helpful to understand that a hummingbird's diet can also evolve during the season. 

Learning to identify birds by their songs is not an easy process for many people, and to associate a bird with its song, it's always best to have the chance to see the bird singing. That's not an easy prospect in the field, and it can take considerable time, but now you can utilize a great resource that provides videos of birds singing – broken into groups of a dozen Western species, a dozen Eastern birds, and 10 species found across the continent – 34 in all – courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and All About Birds. This is especially helpful now that birds are settling in on nesting territories and singing to attract mates and announce their territorial claim. 

It is always impressive to experience the dramatic change between the Great Plains of Dakota and the Northwoods of Minnesota, and at the peak of the green season it is always exciting to experience both during the same day. That's exactly what I did Wednesday, and again Thursday, as I drove from prairie and wetlands complex to-and-fro the woodlands and lakes country – leaving Northern Pintails, Eared Grebes, and Swainson's Hawks behind to appreciate the Wood Ducks, Common Loons, Trumpeter Swans, and Great Blue Herons of lakes country. 

Prized for their quality optics, Zeiss uses carefully selected high-definition (HD) glass to provide the basis for the especially well-balanced optical system used in Zeiss Conquest HDX 8x42 Binoculars. The premium optics provide maximized edge-to-edge resolution, more than 90 percent light transmission, and exceptional color fidelity. Zeiss binoculars are famous for their premium optics, and the Conquest HDX 8x24s provide birders with a field of view of 384 feet at 1,000 yards, along with a close focus distance of just 6½ feet. 

Take advantage of the Summer Sale now at Hike Footwear for natural comfort and foot alignment for birding and everyday use. Designed to support the way your feet were meant to move, these extra-comfortable shoes are built with a wide toe area, a zero-drop platform, and lightweight flexible construction that promotes natural alignment and reduces pressure on your feet, knees, hips, and back. Plus they deliver all-day comfort for women and men, whether you are walking, working, training, traveling, birding, or exploring the great outdoors.

Winner of the Wild Bird Feeding Institute's "Birding Product of the Year," the Squirrel Buster Evolution Feeder is the newest addition to the extensive line of Squirrel Buster feeders. The new Evolution Feeder is designed to be truly squirrel-proof with Brome's patented technology that automatically closes the feeder's shroud to prevent access to seeds when a squirrel climbs on the feeder. Squirrel Buster feeders pay for themselves when squirrels can no longer steal bird seeds, and the Evolution comes with a Lifetime Care guarantee, which is true for all Brome products.

Birders recently established 7 First State Records that include a Lesser Frigatebird in Ohio, a European Storm Petrel offshore from Cape May, New Jersey; a Red-faced Warbler in Florida, a Fork-tailed Flycatcher in New Mexico and another in the District of Columbia, a Roseate Tern in Illinois, and a Connecticut Warbler in Oregon! The Ohio record was only the Seventh North American Record of a Lesser Frigatebird, which actually followed the Sixth North American Record Lesser Frigatebird that was sighted a couple days earlier offshore in southern California. There are many more records to report, along with Asian species sighted in western and northern-most Alaska. 

One of 5 species of frigatebirds found worldwide, the Lesser Frigatebird is relatively small among the frigatebirds, as its name implies. The species is primarily found in the southwest Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean with offshore waters of northern Australia being a center point in their distribution between South Pacific islands and the coast of East Africa. In the Western Hemisphere, a Lesser Frigatebird is considered an extremely rare vagrant, and in the United States, only 5 records of the species existed – until last month!

You almost always hear me say that I photograph during mid-morning or my preferred late-afternoon to evening period – when the sun is lower in the sky so shadows are mostly eliminated when you have the sun at your back. That’s when lighting will be best for almost all photography. But last year I found that when photographing loons on lake water, overhead sunlight doesn’t take much away from the photos, and sometimes, you don’t have the time or option to pick the best time with the best lighting. 

That was the case last Thursday when light clouds shaded the sun during our preferred morning photo session period from 9 to 11am, but as cloud cover to the north began to break up about 11, my friend Andy and I grabbed our gear and headed for his dock on Little Pelican Lake, where Craig appeared halfway across the lake with his extra-comfy loon pontoon. Andy and Craig planned the photo session for me the night before at a roaring birthday party for our friend Linda, and with the promise of sunshine breaking through soon, we checked the bay to the north. The first loon appeared amid surface water reflecting dark-gray and light gray with no sunlight to brighten the loon’s plumage. But the loon stayed almost submerged with only the top of its back and its head and beak poking above the water’s surface, then dived and repeated its low-profile behavior quite a distance away, so we moved on. 

Just as the clouds began to break up in earnest, a second loon surfaced in a second area of the lake, and although the bird was better lighted, the water was still pretty gray. Even so, I enjoyed taking the first pontoon-based photos of the season, including a series of photos as the loon raised up and flapped. Moments thereafter the sky changed dramatically as it reflected bright blue and white against the mostly calm surface of the lake. Craig repositioned the pontoon slowly as I watched the sunlight and water color improve every foot of the way, and just before getting into the perfect position, the loon was illuminated beautifully, and that’s when the accommodating Common Loon rose up and performed a second wing flap, this time surrounded by especially pretty light-blue to white water on this exceptional Minnesota lake – Bingo! 

During the photo episode, which included some swimming and preening, it was quite remarkable to see how rapidly the light and sky changed the colors of the reflections of blue sky and white clouds on the water – and then the action erupted! I was already focused on the bird, so it was easy to follow through to take the photo series. The difference with other photos I take was that the sun was almost directly overhead, which usually creates a deep shadow on the underside of the bird. In this case, the underside of the loon was immersed in water, and the top side was beautifully bright. The one thing I noticed was that the red eye didn’t show well under the overhead light, but well-enough considering the plumage colors and the reflected light on the loon’s black bill. 

It was a nice to have the chance to get on the water, enjoyed among friends that consider this a part of our summer events – a true birding event – and when we settled back a moment, and took in the larger view of where we were, we realized the loon led us back to the waterfront just offshore from Andy’s home – what a beautiful setting the first days of June, with as many shades of green in the woods as there were shades of blue in the water and sky, all mixed with summer bird songs to emphasize the grandeur of Minnesota lakes country. 

                        Article and Photographs by Paul Konrad

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