June 5, 2011 - More Migrant Birds

Baltimore Orioles have arrived back at our home in northern Minnesota. This is a male showing off his stunning plumage. This species was named after the black and orange colors in the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore. We have at least three of these brilliantly adorned males coming to our feeders

OrioleBaltimoremaleDunningLake20110514

Here is a female Baltimore Oriole. She is also black and orange, but just more muted in the color of her feathers. First-year males look a lot like females so we have a few orioles that could be either one.

OrioleBaltimorefemaleDunningLake20110520

This is a Sora that I photographed in the Twin Cities area, at Falcon Heights Community Park. They are in the rail family. Soras are found over most of Canada and the northern two-thirds of the United States. If you are near a marshy area you might hear their call, a descending whinny. Among the rails, the bill length determines what kind of food they eat. Rails with longer bills are able to probe deeply in the mud for prey items, but the Sora, with its short bill, takes more food off the surface of the mud flats. This one just caught a leech.

SoraFalconHeightsCommunityPark20110507

Most people are familiar with the widespread Red-winged Blackbird, but the Yellow-headed Blackbird is also a summer visitor to our area. This is a male. The female looks quite different, with her mostly brown plumage. Their preferred nesting habitat is cattail swamps, just like Red-winged Blackbirds. Many people consider the song of the Yellow-headed Blackbird to be the worst sounding of all the North American songbirds. I have seen it described as a “high pitched, raspy, honking gurgle”. Once you hear it you’re not likely to forget it.

BlackbirdYellowheadedmaleCohassetItascaCounty20110513

The Red-eyed Vireo is a common bird in our forests but often difficult to see because it tends to stay high and hidden in the foliage. That can be maddening, because they sing constantly all day throughout the summer. You know they are around but you can’t see them. Red-eyed Vireos nest over most of Canada and the United States except the southwest. During winter they migrate to Central and South America.

VireoRedeyedDunningLake20110527

This male Scarlet Tanager really caught my eye when he appeared in our yard. There’s no mistaking this bird with his bright red body and black wings. Then I was really pleased to see another male and then a female. The female also has dark wings but her body is yellow instead of red. We watched as one male chased the other around the yard. He then perched below the female and did his courting display; lowering his wings and showing off his bright red back.

TanagerScarletmaleDunningLake20110527