Birdman: I was really raised by wolves

BY JOHN KARRIGAN

The first thing I have noticed at the park in March is the sounds, all kinds of bird sounds, even when there was lots of snow and no open water. Now at the end of the month, with almost no snow and a tiny bit of open water, the sounds and bird numbers and species have all increased.

A few Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers have been here all winter. By the end of March, a lot more of both species, along with Northern Flickers (another Woodpecker), were active in the park. There were also White-breasted Nuthatches and Brown Creepers, which sometime stay all winter, but didn’t seem to this year. The Juncos have been here all winter and have been joined by two other sparrow species, Fox Sparrows and Song Sparrows. The Juncos will be heading north soon but other types of sparrows will replace them.

Crows seem to be finding good (to them) things to eat in the melting ice and Gulls are noisily checking the lake from above, with Mallards and 2 pairs of Canada Geese wandering on the ice and land, waiting for more open water.

Robins, Cardinals and Chickadees are very active in the park and the rest of the neighborhood and a few Grackles are flying over. Some years I have seen Wood Ducks and bats by now, but not this year.

Of course there are dogs all year, but most dogs and people are enjoying the park more in mild weather, including a gaggle of Greyhounds. For a fleeting moment, I thought a family of bears had somehow wintered in the park, but after more thought, I decided the “evidence” was from very large dogs with very inconsiderate owners. It is not the dogs’ fault. I would probably enjoy the large dogs, as I enjoy almost all of the dogs in the area.

Juncos are still coming to the yard along with the year-round regulars: English Sparrows, Chickadees, Cardinals, Starlings, Pigeons, and Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. Robins and Blue Jays are back to being regulars. I saw a slow moving bee on March 26 and a cold moth on March 29. I was excited about these sightings, but then I checked and found out that’s almost exactly when I have seen them in the past.

Road birding is going well this time of year, partly because large birds usually come back first, and large birds are easier to see when you are driving. Along with Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles, there are now Turkey Vultures and Great Blue Herons.

I had a chance to stop at the Lock and Dam in Hastings late in March. There were all kinds of Bald Eagles of all ages, some fishing, some fighting (over fish), some mating (I think). Some Fishing, Some Fighting, Some Mating – that might be the makings of a country western song! I also saw my first, and so far only, Red-winged Blackbirds of the year there.

The Earth Day park clean-up falls on actual Earth Day this year (Saturday, April 22). It needs a lot of clean-up after the melting snow exposes all the junk left by inconsiderate slobs. The park staff is already working hard on this, but volunteering on Earth Day is usually fun and rewarding.

I might miss it because the Salt Lake (Minnesota) birding weekend is April 22-23 (call 320-598-3664 for information). Other upcoming Minnesota birding events are: Morris Birding Weekend, May 6-7, 1-800-248-5868; Wood Lake Bird Festival (Richfield), May 13, 612-861-9365; Great River Birding and Nature Festival (Lake Pepin area), May 12-14, 1-877-525-3248, www.mississippi-river.org/birding; Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds, May 18-21, 1-800-542-3992 Ext. 630, www.visitdetroitlakes.com. In Wisconsin: Mississippi Flyway Birding Festival (LaCrosse area), May 19-21, 608-784-2992, bkoop@audubon.org.

Clarification
For years, I have been living a lie. I always said I was born and raised in South Dakota, and had a family there, and went birding there. As some of my friends know, I was raised by a pack of wolves that ranged from Canada through northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the upper peninsula of Michigan.

I no longer want to be associated with the state that has passed Draconian laws against women and soon hopes to return to the use of capitol punishment. I have only been to South Dakota a few times when I accidentally crossed the border while birding at Salt Lake in western Minnesota.

I am deeply sorry for this prevarication. I only wanted to be accepted as a normal person.

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