Turtle sunning season is here

As usual, weather has been varied in April, with most birds, mammals, reptiles and humans seeming to enjoy the nice days much more than the gloomy, windy, cold, nasty ones. On the morning of the 27th there was a small amount of ice in the birdbath; the next day it was 91 degrees.

Turtles have been sunning on the island on warm days since April 4, but they are short on space. The park department was going to add some logs for turtle sunning and bird perching, but I think they inadvertently removed some with their tree removal. I need to remind them of their plan to add logs, which they said last year would be easy and affordable, even with the drastic budget cuts they and many other government entities are dealing with.

The usual resident Canada Geese have a nest in the usual spot on the east end of the island and have been on the nest since at least April 5. This is the third year for the pair. Other Canada Geese have been to the lake on occasion in April, which works out as long as they stay away from the island.
From two to five Pied-billed Grebes are on the lake every few days, and eight to 10 Blue-winged Teal on some occasions. One Spotted Sandpiper made at least a one-day visit on the 19th.

I saw a Green Heron on the shore one evening and have seen Great Blue Herons and Egrets flying over the neighborhood, but not landing. As those who memorize my columns know, this year and last year we have had fewer varieties of shorebirds and waterfowl than usual, at least so far.

Most other normal, early spring, park birds have arrived or stayed through April including Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Goldfinches, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Eastern Phoebes and Flickers.
Some Yellow-rumped Warblers have been around the pine grove area for the last third of the month and one Black and White Warbler was with them on one occasion. Also in that area is a flock of White-throated Sparrows. We usually have some in the yard, but this year I saw only one, one time, early in the month, and then found the flock in the park, boycotting the backyard.

In the middle of the month, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were in the pine grove area. I think there were three; there were at least two, a male and a female. At least one female has remained in that area the rest of the month. The sapsuckers are between the size of a Hairy Woodpecker and a Flicker, and are members of the woodpecker family. They don't really have much of a yellow belly, just a difficult-to-see yellow wash. They are very handsome birds with red on the top of the head. The male also has extensive red under the beak. The upper body of the birds is black and white with more white than most medium-sized woodpeckers.

A first in the park, at least for me, were Eastern Bluebirds on the 17th, in the area just east of the ball fields. There were at least two. I was doing Earth Day litter pickup and did not have my binoculars, but there was no doubt they were Bluebirds. This is another case where, if the esteemed publisher provided me with an assistant, I could carry my binoculars, and the assistant could carry fresh coffee for me and do the actual litter pickup, while I looked for birds and looked important. I returned to the area—with binoculars—after the pick-up but I did not see the Bluebirds and have not seen them again.

The 17th was also the first day this year for Dragonflies in the park. They were large with blue and yellow coloring. I am going to try to go on some guided dragonfly walks this summer and learn more about them.

I saw a Cooper's Hawk in the park on April 10 and have had some more reports of a hawk taking birds just west of the park. The freeway birding has been OK. I had a great close-up view of a Red-tail Hawk on I-94 just east of the Mississippi River bridge in the middle of the month. I was not driving so I could concentrate on the hawk, another reason I should have an assistant, maybe a full staff.

After a two-year absence, I have again found chickens in the neighborhood. Not at the same house as last time, but not far away, and a few more chickens. They seemed happy and healthy. As a bird watcher, I feel it is my duty to report chicken sightings.

I mentioned some birding festivals in my March column but I didn't give any contact information, so here it is. The Great River Birding Festival is May 14, 15 and 16, around the Lake Pepin area of the Mississippi River. The toll-free phone number is 1-877-525-3248 and the Website is www.mississippi-river.org. The Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds is May 21-23; the phone is 1-800-542-3992 and the website is www.visitdetroitlakes.com. These are both well-run events that I have been to several times.

Last weekend, I attended the Salt Lake (Minn.) birding weekend as I usually do. The weather was nice, but very windy, as the area often is in spring (or most any other time). I saw 50 (or 51) species but I just go to enjoy nature and people, not to compete for the most birds. As a whole, the group of about 50-60 people saw 129 species in one day, up a little from last year. One young man saw 119 of the 129 species total and had an accurate description of where he located each one so that others could look for the birds the next day. The young man turned out to be a local high school senior (most people thought he was older) who lived in the area and spends much of his spare time locating habitats and birding them. The regulars were impressed and happy to see interest by a young person. There were not many young people in the group (one of the event's founders, Doctor Walter Breckenridge, died last year at 100) but there is a great exchange of knowledge and ideas between the young and the old participants. Since I report on chicken sightings, I should also report that we were served chicken at the Sons of Norway hall that evening.

If you find a sick, injured or orphaned animal this spring, I recommend that you contact the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, which has outstanding facilities and staff. They took in over 7,000 wild patients last year! Contact them at 651-486-WILD, or at www.wildlife-rehab.org.

Comments and observations are always welcome. Send them to me, in care of the Southside Pride. Thank you.