June 24, 2012 - Spring Birds
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During spring migration, flocks of shorebirds are often seen along the shoreline of Lake Superior. Duluth is a good place to see some of these birds in their most colorful breeding plumage. Here’s a photo of a Dunlin that was taken at Minnesota Point in Duluth. This bird is on its way to the far northern edges of North America where it will breed on the tundra. Note the dark patch on its belly; this aids in keeping the eggs warm when the bird is nesting. (See my June 3 pictures for a more detailed explanation). In winter, Dunlin are found along the east and west coasts of the United States. When I see them in Florida, they are much less colorful. Here’s a link to a photo of a Dunlin in non-breeding plumage.
http://www.earlorfphotos.com/Birds/Birds-1/5685565_PXvJ44#!i=1921133804&k=DfdCkkJ
The shorebird flock also included several Ruddy Turnstones. These birds also nest on the high Arctic tundra. During the winter they disperse more widely than the Dunlin, being found along the coastlines of six continents. They like rocky shorelines and beaches with lots of seaweed and other debris. They get the name Turnstone from their habit of flipping stones and shells over to find food underneath. Their summer plumage includes this bold, harlequin face pattern. Here’s a link to a photo showing their much less colorful non-breeding plumage. http://www.earlorfphotos.com/Birds/Birds-5/5691214_dhZHQj#!i=350854375&k=285RS
This Semi-palmated Plover was feeding in the same area as the Dunlin and the Ruddy Turnstone. It also nests in far northern North America but avoids the tundra where most other shorebirds nest. Instead, it chooses a gravel bar along a river or pond. The nest is nothing fancy, just a shallow scrape right on the ground. The Plover’s eggs are blotched with brown so even though the nest is right out in the open, it is very difficult to see. The word Semipalmated means partial webbing of the feet.
Let’s move away from the shoreline and into a meadow where you’ll find this bird, a male Bobolink. Often you’ll hear his bubbly, tinkling song before you see him. Usually, when birds have both light and dark feathers, the light ones are on the underside. The Bobolink seems to have this backwards. His yellow “cap” always makes me smile; it looks like he’s wearing a curly blond wig. Bobolinks nest in hayfields or wet meadows across most of the northern United States and southern Canada. In winter, they make a long migration trip to southern South America.
The last bird for today is this Golden-winged Warbler. I found him along a dirt road just north of Bovey, MN. Northern Minnesota is included in a somewhat restricted breeding range for this species so he is probably here for the summer. Golden-winged Warblers are closely related to Blue-winged Warblers and the two species do interbreed. This produces some interesting hybrids which are called Brewster’s Warblers and Lawrence’s Warblers.
Shawn
on June 24, 2012Fantastic Golden-winged Warbler photo!