Sept. 30, 2018 - North Shore Birds

Two weeks ago, Diana and I made our annual fall trip to Minnesota’s North Shore. I didn’t have a lot of success seeing birds this year but here are some that I managed to photograph. Black-capped Chickadees are always cute subjects. This one tucked itself into some leaves at the top of a branch.

ChickadeeBlackcappedLakeCountyRoad20180916

I think Red-breasted Nuthatches molt into their new set of feathers at this time of year because they look especially nice right now. This one was climbing up a tree outside our cabin. Its head is tucked in, giving it a very rounded look.

NuthatchRedbreastedmaleLakeCountyRoad20180916

At Taconite Harbor, this female Downy Woodpecker landed on a small tree and surveyed the area.

WoodpeckerDownyfemaleSawtoothRoadnearTaconiteHarborCookCounty20180915

Warblers have started migrating south but there were still many to be seen. This male American Redstart was at Palisade Head in Lake County.

RedstartAmericanmalePalisadeHeadLakeCounty20180918

Orange-crowned Warblers are very plain looking. Two identifying features are the dark line through the eye and the yellow feathers under the tail. This bird was photographed on Park Hill Road near the resort where we stay.

WarblerOrangecrownedParkHillRoadLakeCounty20180916

Tennessee Warblers are another plain looking species. Like the Orange-crowned, they have a dark line through the eye but there is also a light stripe above the eye. They have a light-colored belly and white feathers under the tail. I saw this bird on Sawtooth Road in Cook County.

WarblerTennesseeSawtoothRoadnearTaconiteHarborCookCounty20180915

This bird had me stumped. With its gray head, yellow body, and big white eye ring it looked like a Nashville Warbler. But Nashville Warblers don’t have black stripes on their heads. They do have a reddish patch on the top of the head, but it is usually hidden. I sent this photo to two of my birding friends and they agreed it must be a Nashville. It either has odd plumage or could be a hybrid (mated with a different species of warbler).

WarblerNashvillehybridoddplumageParkHillRoadLakeCounty20180916