Sept. 9, 2012 - Itasca County Birds

We live in Itasca County where there are lots of lightly traveled county roads. They’re really nice for birding because you can take your time and stop when you see or hear an interesting bird. Here are some of the birds I saw on a recent morning when I explored County Road 325 north of Coleraine, MN.

I stopped at a small marsh and sat there for a few minutes. Shortly, this Sora appeared and foraged along the edge of the cattails. Soras are in the rail family but they seem more willing to come out in the open than other rails. They are common in marshy areas of Canada and the northern United States.

SoraItasca32520120824

I’m sure I’ve seen more Golden-winged Warblers this summer than I have in other years. We’ve even had them in our yard which hasn’t happened for several years. The black throat and eye mask plus the yellow on the wings and head make this a pretty easy bird to identify. Fortunately, they look like this all summer and fall. However, see the next photo for a bird that confuses birders in the fall.

WarblerGoldenwingedItasca32520120824

Both of these photos show a Northern Parula, a bird included in the warbler family. The photo on the left, a first year Northern Parula, was taken the same morning as the other photos in today’s set. The photo on the right was taken in the spring, showing the fresh breeding plumage of this species. This is not the only warbler that looks much different in the fall than it does in the spring. Such variations are very frustrating for beginning birders.

ParulaNorthernSpringFallcompare

Here’s a plain-looking bird called a Warbling Vireo. It’s found all across the United States and western Canada, but unless you are a fairly serious birder you probably haven’t noticed it. In fact, most birders hear its song before they see the bird. (There’s a reason the word “warbling” is in its name.) It also stays high in the tree tops and the plain plumage is good camouflage.

VireoWarblingItasca32520120824

This Cedar Waxwing was in a flock feasting on berries along County Road 325. That’s typical of this species: they are very gregarious and berries make up a large part of their diet. At various times of the year they can be found throughout the United States and the southern half of Canada.

WaxwingCedarItasca32520120824