April 30, 2017 - Birds "Up North"

Bird migration is in full swing here in Minnesota. Last Thursday, I went to our lake home in northern Minnesota. The last two miles of the trip are along an old gravel mining road. For some reason that road was alive with birds. Hermit Thrushes outnumbered all the other species feeding on the road. I was surprised because it seems a little early for them. We get three different kinds of thrushes during migration (Hermit, Swainson’s, and Gray-cheeked) but the rusty colored tail tells me this is a Hermit Thrush.

ThrushHermitDunningLakeminingroadItascaCounty20170427

Also along the road I saw this male Pileated Woodpecker fly to a large ant mound. It proceeded to rip into the mound and I am assuming he was eating the ants.

WoodpeckerPileatedmaleeatingantsDunningLakeminingroadItascaCounty20170427

Here’s a closer view showing the dirt flying as the woodpecker went after the ants.

WoodpeckerPileatedmaleeatingantsDunningLakeminingroadItascaCounty20170427

This photo is a little blurry but it shows a protective device that birds have. Notice that the woodpecker’s eye looks white. Birds have an extra eyelid called a nictitating membrane. In a situation like this, with dirt flying all around, this extra eyelid keeps dirt out of the bird’s eye but it is usually transparent enough that the bird can still see what it is doing.

WoodpeckerPileatedmaleeatingantsDunningLakeminingroadItascaCounty20170427

We had snow on the ground when I got up Friday. We also had a flock of about 35 Dark-eyed Juncos foraging in our yard. This one was much lighter in color than the rest. I think it’s one of the subspecies that is usually found in the western United States. My guess is that it is a Pink-sided Junco.

JuncoDarkeyedPinksidedmaybeDunningLakeItascaCounty20170428

This photo was actually taken a week ago. This pair of Buffleheads was on a small pond by our driveway. I am always pleased when I can get a decent flight shot of ducks.

BuffleheadmaleandfemaleflightPondourDrivewayDunningLakeItascaCounty20170423