A real loon and a wild turkey spotted

BY JOHN KARRIGAN

Lots of events and birds in April and a few notable non-events this year.
The ice went out on April 5, one day later than last year. In 2002, ice went out April 13, one day later than in 2001. I do not have ice out dates for 2003 or 2004. Those might be in my March notes.

The big park sighting in my opinion was a Common Loon on April 9, a Sunday morning. I managed to go to the park for six days straight after that and five more days including April 27 without another Loon sighting. This is my first Loon at Powderhorn. Over the years, people have reported what they thought were Loons to me various times. Through direct viewing or descriptions, the birds have turned out to be diving ducks (usually of the Merganser family, or a species of Grebe, a diving, duck-like bird). This doesn’t mean there has never been a Loon on Powderhorn before, just that I haven’t seen it or heard about it. The Loon was silent while I was watching. I had good looks at the bird from every direction, including the breast and belly and saw it successfully catch fish.

A Pied-billed Grebe (not the species that is sometimes mistaken for Loons) has been on (and under) the water since April 7. I think this is the same Grebe that visits most springs and falls, sometimes joined this and other years by three or four others. It was still there, fishing successfully today. The usual pair (I think) of Canada Geese is back, for the fifth year, with a nest on the east end of the island. Four other Canada Geese are usually on the lake also, and seem to co-exist with the resident pair so far. Of course, the Mallards and Wood Ducks are back for the season and there were short visits by migrating Blue-winged Teal, Bufflehead Ducks, and an American Coot. I have not seen any shorebirds, Herons or Egrets on the lake this year, though they are in the area, as usual.
The turtles have emerged to sun on the east end of the island on nice days. I think I have seen all three resident species. I will be able to get better looks when they sun on the mainland. Songbirds at the park include White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Eastern Phoebes, Flickers, Song Sparrows, Goldfinches, Robins and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, all usual for this time of year. I have not seen any warblers in the park or neighborhood so far this year. Usually, Yellow-rumped Warblers would be here by now. They just arrived in western Minnesota.

Cooper’s Hawks were flying and calling in various parts of the park in mid-month. I think there were three of them. Peregrine Falcons were flying over the neighborhood. Jeff Lee sent an informative letter (see Letters to the Editor on page 2) about a pair of Kestrels nesting on 10th Avenue. I have not had a chance to see them yet.

Another predator is the kite-eating tree north of the top of the long flight of stairs. It has trapped at least two colorful innocent kites in the prime of their youth.
Some butterflies, dragonflies and other insects, such as ants and worms, have reappeared with many more to come, though I have not seen any bats looking for insects yet.

Not far from the neighborhood, a Wild Turkey was in an alley just west of Portland Avenue on April 9.

There should be more interesting arrivals and migrants in May.
Spring also brings out groups of people of various ages, shapes and sizes from day care centers and group homes to enjoy the park and nature that we are lucky to have in our midst.

I missed the park Earth Day cleanup because I was on the western Minnesota-Madison-Marietta-Salt Lake bird trip. The weather was great. People found about 119 species of birds, of which I saw 45, along with a few mammals, insects (including ticks—up close, on me) and amphibians. There were birds from about every group, though fewer shore birds and warblers than usual. Western Meadowlarks were almost everywhere, singing beautifully and looking beautiful. But the high point for almost everyone was one White-faced Ibis, a very rare bird in the upper Midwest. The Ibis is a long-legged, long-billed shorebird, about 2 feet tall, with a 3-foot wingspan and quite colorful. It does not really have a white face, but a red face and red eyes with a white border around the face. It cooperated nicely, staying in a partially flooded farm field with other shore and water birds while 30 or more people at a time watched and studied it from the adjacent section road, through their binoculars and scopes. When examining the Ibis, people found other unusual birds in and near the temporary pond, such as a Green-winged Teal and several American Golden Plovers.

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