Daring bird chase scenes remembered

BY JOHN KARRIGAN

I am still waiting for the waves of warblers, or for that matter, waves of ducks and grebes we sometimes get in our park and neighborhood. I guess it is not going to happen this spring. I only saw two warbler species in the area, Yellow-rumped Warb-lers and Redstarts, and only one species of ducks, other than our regulars (Mallards and Wood Ducks)—a pair of Blue-winged Teal on the lake one day (May 23). I suppose it is a combination of several things:  wind, weather and my walks in the park, although I’ve been there almost every day so far in May. Maybe there will be some late, off-schedule migrants or a good fall migration. With that said, there are still lots of things to report.

The baby Canada Geese are generally growing fast and doing fine. The baby Mallards started appearing on the first day of May and the Wood Ducklings on May 17. Some years there are more ducklings, which could still happen this year.
As most people have noticed this is a great year for members of the wading birds family. There are Great Blue Herons (four or more at a time), Great Egrets (two or more at a time), and Black-crowned Night Herons (two or more at a time) in the park almost every day. It is hard to get a good count as they keep changing positions around the shore, the island or trees around the lake. I (and other people, too) have sometimes seen a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret standing on opposite sides of the fishing dock at the same time—fishing, naturally. But, more often, when you see them close together, a Great Blue is chasing either another Great Blue, an Egret or (less likely) a Black-crowned Night Heron. The chases occasionally involve some noise, some fancy flying, but no physical contact or harm. They are always interesting to watch.

Some more additions to my newly developed bird-chase section (soon to be a bad late night TV show based on bad police chase shows): I saw a Cooper’s Hawk land on the island on May 12. A few seconds later, a Canada Goose was viciously and successfully chasing the hawk away from its goslings and the island. On May 23, I saw an Egret chasing a Ring-billed Gull, probably over a successful or attempted fish theft. And on the same day, I saw a female Mallard burst from the water and chase a Great Blue Heron that came too close to her ducklings while it was chasing another Great Blue.

From one to a few Double-crested Cormorants are on the island or lake almost every day. A Spotted Sandpiper was around regularly from May 1 to 16; I think it has moved north now. A Red-winged Blackbird has been in the park almost all month. Sometimes in the past, one would stay for a few days, discover there were no other Red-wings and leave. This time it is staying, at least for now. It sometimes hangs out with a small group of Grackles, another member of the Blackbird family that has been scarce in the neighborhood the last few years. I saw a pair of Cedar Waxwings on May 21, and a pair of Caspian Terns on May 22. I have seen Common Terns over the lake some years, and sometimes regularly, but these are the first Caspian Terns I have seen here. Of course, as I say whenever I see terns, there were two of them, because one good tern deserves another.

Both Chimney Swifts and Barn Swallows are back but would probably be more consistent if the weather was more consistent and more flying bugs were hatching. More warm weather would also probably make the frogs happier. I hear a few on some days but not a lot and not loud enough to hear in the middle of the night from two blocks away as I do some years.

I don’t see the Cooper’s Hawks very often but I am pretty sure they are nesting in their usual tree. Time will tell if it is a successful nesting.

Barley straw bales were placed in the lake again this year, on May 22, in an effort to help clear the water, which is clearer than usual already. Another time-will-tell situation. The big blue and green dragonflies are back on nice days and I got a good look at a Black Swallowtail butterfly in mid-May. Insect watching will also get better if the weather does.

The usual suspects are in the yard, with no babies appearing yet except a baby squirrel. The White-throated Sparrows stayed until mid-May before going farther north. Mourning Doves are in the yard almost daily, which is nice because they have been scarce the last couple of years. I am pretty sure there is a Crow’s nest somewhere in the block so there should be large but clumsy baby crows in the neighborhood soon, learning how to fly and running into things as they learn.
The big news from the yard is a skunk in the middle of the night on the 21st. I did not see it, but it was somewhere very close and smelling very strong. So naturally I wandered up and down the alley looking for it, but it’s probably just as well that I didn’t find it. I have no idea if it lives nearby or was just passing through ,and I haven’t smelled it (or seen it) since.

Two legal items of note:  The city ordinance legalizing beekeeping passed on April 24. I haven’t had a chance to see if any Powderhorn people are applying for permits. And a state law was passed and signed to add state-owned and -leased buildings to the Minnesota Audubon “Lights Out” program, in which members agree to turn out lights on tall buildings during spring and fall migration periods to prevent bird collisions and fatalities.

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