The call of the wild, or was it the call of a loon – or many loons – must have traveled 200 miles west-southwest to echo in my mind and lure me back to the fertile lakes and woodlands of west-central Minnesota. It happens regularly, but Thursday's time spent in the Northwoods was especially enjoyable as shared with my friends Andy and Linda aboard Andy's loon pontoon. We enjoyed insightful observations of 2 Common Loon pairs, each with 2 growing young, and in the area also observed a soaring pair of Ospreys, a nest with 3 near-fledgling Ospreys, a few groups of Trumpeter Swans, Wood Ducks, Belted Kingfishers, and Eastern Bluebirds.
There was also an Eastern Phoebe and a Chipping Sparrow in Andy's lakefront yard – but did I mention the Pileated Woodpeckers? You know I am probably most interested in photographing a Pileated Woodpecker among all the birds in the Northwoods, but while I see a Pileated almost every time I venture into Minnesota, I never get a good photo opportunity. But Thursday as I was on my way back toward Fargo, driving south of the little town of Audubon I spied 2 adult Pileated Woodpeckers perched on the same wooden pole adjacent to the road! I drove past them without concern on their part but a lot of excitement on my part. I quickly pulled into a handy driveway where I could park and because the big woodpeckers were positioned between the road and the sun it made all but silhouette photography impossible. I opted to try to walk to a point where I was between the sun and the grand Pileated Woodpeckers.
I took less than 10 steps before the first woodpecker flew southwest, and I hoped for the best as I took the second 10 steps, but that's about when the second Pileated Woodpecker flew in the same general direction. I drove to that area without another sighting, but they could have flown miles. That's par for my luck with the big Pileateds, yet the sighting of 2 adults together for some moments was a little better than my usual momentary sighting. Don't get me wrong, it was a joy to see them, and what remarkable birds they are! I did have great luck photographing the Common Loons though – adults and developing young loons with Linda and Andy; and I share favorite photos and more background information about that opportunity in the Bird Photography feature at the end of this issue.
Speaking of woodpecker photography though, locally I focused my camera on 2 adult Red-headed Woodpeckers Friday evening and on another Sunday morning with some luck at getting a couple classic photos at different locations. The cluster of Red-headed Woodpeckers and American Kestrels has me somewhat focused on that location, and I check on Charo Marsh along the way when I head southeast. Last Tuesday evening I checked back to the Drift Plain hotspot and found 2 adult pairs of Red-headed Woodpeckers, an adult with 2 fledglings, another adult with 1 fledgling, and 1 single adult that may be part of a pair or family group (10 total) – all within a 4-mile area. I was quite surprised to see a dozen American Kestrels in the same area that included 5 singles, and groups of 4 and 3. One of the kestrels was actually diving at a recently fledged Red-tailed Hawk when I first saw it. There was also a single Northern Flicker and a group of 4 flickers – possibly a family group.
The best excitement Friday evening had to be the sighting of a "dark" Merlin, suggesting it was an adult male down from Canada's boreal forest, the first of early migration that was perched just west of the Coteau escarpment, as was an American Kestrel and a Sharp-tailed Grouse. A couple more miles west of there, at Charo Marsh a new brood of 7 tiny Ruddy Ducks was actively diving for food on their own already. In addition to the many ducks at Charo, there was also a nice group of shorebirds that included 19 Long-billed Dowitchers, 7 Wilson's Phalaropes, several Killdeer, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Lesser Yellowlegs, and a Greater Yellowlegs. And to round out the drive, I spotted 2 single Common Nighthawks and a pair in flight.
New Yard Sightings: Since last week's yard report, new birds have been arriving, starting with a heavily molting male Hairy Woodpecker – a nervous woodpecker eyeing the suet feeder while clinging to the bark of the ash tree near the feeders and birdbath. It finally repositioned on the suet feeder and pecked off a large chunk of summer suet and took it up the trunk of the tree – an exciting observation considering I haven't seen a Hairy in my yard since May. Would it return? The next day it did return, followed a moment later by a female Downy Woodpecker that I thought seemed to be a recent fledgling. The male Hairy fed at the suet feeder, but the Downy foraged on the bark of the ash tree. Later that day, the 2 woodpeckers returned and essentially re-created their earlier performance.
I wasn't home Thursday, but Friday the molting male Hairy Woodpecker stopped by for suet, and a new female American Goldfinch fed on seeds on a seeding plant growing adjacent to my feeding station. In my backyard I noticed a Northern Flicker and a Mourning Dove when I was upstairs, along with American Robins. The biggest surprise of the day though was an adult female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, considered an adult by its worn plumage and gray underside plumage – she is the first female to show since May! And an hour later, another female arrived with fresher plumage that made her stand out. The second female hummingbird and molting male returned Saturday too – and daily since!
When viewing with binoculars I noticed the male that visited the nectar feeder was in the midst of a fairly heavy molt – the regular male? Or another? It became obvious it was the same bird considering its familiarity with the feeder and feeding station, and it's molt progressed daily to the point that it seemed every other feather was being replaced, even among its iridescent gorget feathers – giving the hummer a considerably mottled look.
Speaking of viewing with binoculars from my editor's desk, it seemed like a major change – like the tuning of a page – when a brightly colored Yellow Warbler suddenly appeared among the leaves of the ash tree outside my bay windows. The first warbler of August's early migration provided nice views as it moved through thin ash branches and leaves to the sumacs and back – now I'm looking forward to more warbler and other songbird sightings. Later a male American Goldfinch was working its way through one of the ash trees in my front yard while a Northern Flicker was busy with ants on the ground beneath it. In my backyard, American Robins, a young Mourning Dove, and a Northern House Wren were evident too.
The molting Hairy Woodpecker has been making daily visits without an escort, but Monday another Hairy, a molting female, followed the male to the adjacent ash tree as he chipped suet from the feeder. After the male left, the female perched above the feeder, but didn't taste the suet. The male returned for a second helping toward evening on his own, as he did Tuesday about noon. But just as new birds are arriving, an ole pal seems to have moved on – the male Orchard Oriole hasn't been seen since Friday and is presumed on his way to Mexico, Central America, or Colombia.
Well, it seems like the migration fun has just begun at my feeders, and anything can happen in the surrounding wide-open plains as birds continue to filter in from northern lands and nesting habitats for a quick stop or an extended stopover. I'm still seeing newly hatched Gadwall and Mallard broods, but most broods resemble adults now, especially since most ducks have molted into eclipse plumage and are somewhat incognito as a result – unless you are tuned into their telltale silhouettes, size differences, and subtle color variations. Continue to enjoy the changes mid-August birding opportunities present, and keep alert for new birds appearing almost every day – Good Luck!
Article and Photos by Paul Konrad
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