‘Birding’ Category
Accipiters shake things up at winter gatherings
A sharp-shinned hawk waits patiently by the Arboretum birdfeeders recently Oh, the stress of being a good holiday host. It’s so hard for a host to relax when there are so many things to worry about: Will my guests find the place alright? Will they like the food I am serving? Will they be […]
April Showers Bring May Flowers
After this long rainy April week, May is finally here! With the month of May comes warmer temperatures, spring flowers, and increased bird activity. Average day time temperatures for Minnesota are in the 60s, while night time temperatures are in the mid-40s. We begin to see many spring flowers in the woodlands, such as bloodroot, […]
The Winter Life of Black-Capped Chickadees
After the summer bird species have migrated south for the winter, the black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus) remains present around the arboretum and a year-round favorite to many birders. Their energetic and curious behaviors make them one of my favorite species to observe. I can almost always rely on them to be active during any part […]
Grisly bird mystery
owl and jay locked in a grisly mystery This is a photo taken by Art Straub near Henderson in mid March of this year. It is a red phase eastern screech owl and a blue jay found dead together in the snow. Art said that when the photo was taken, the bodies were still warm, […]
Gustavus Birding Big Day 2010 Species List
On May 15, 2010, sixty-three Gusties went birding. Many of these adventurers were located right here in Minnesota, but others were spread out throughout the country and still others were situated on different continents. Wherever they were, they compiled a list of the birds they saw on the first annual Gustavus Birding Big Day. A […]
Early May Sparrows
If you have bird feeders at home, right now you should be looking for three birds on the ground below your feeders: White-throated Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, and Harris’s Sparrows. White-throated Sparrows began appearing under the Interpretive Center’s feeders during the last week of April. Notice the bird’s bright black-and-white striped crown with a clear yellowish […]
Spring Robins (by the hundred)
Right now is peak time for visitors to the Linnaeus Arboretum. Winged visitors, that is. For the past few days there have been several hundred, maybe even over a thousand, American Robins flying around the Interpretive Center and feeding on the leftover crabapples and cranberries. Some of these days are just downright noisy with all […]
Return of the Goldfinches
Yesterday saw an increase in birdfeeding activity at the Interpretive Center. The warmer temperatures, south winds, and increasing daylength have been noticed by our avian friends. Amidst the feeding frenzy this little guy appeared at the feeder outside my office (photo taken through screened window): This is the first American Goldfinch I have seen in […]
Winter Finches
This winter southern MN has seen an irruption (increase in number) of three winter finches: Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, and White-winged Crossbills. These species breed mostly in Canada and can be found in winter as far south as Duluth most years. Some winters, however, food sources up north become scarce, causing the birds to venture […]
47 Species in Two Days
Bird migration is progressing well through the Linnaeus Arboretum. In fact, the last two days have been nothing short of amazing in terms of both the number of species and the number of individuals. The following is a list of the species that have been observed in or from the arboretum over the past 48 […]