Eared Grebe

The eared grebe is one of those birds that makes and amazing transformation each year. In the winter they are a fairly unremarkable black and white but when breading season approaches they become a beautiful rust and black color with vibrant red eyes. Although they are found in western portions of Minnesota I have only seen them hear during migration. Most of my pictures of them are from Montana where we see them in Yellowstone or one of the wild life refuges that we often stop at. These grebes were photographed at Bowdoin NWR.

Reflection that Almost Was Not

Though it is hard to believe now the Canada goose was at one time in peril. These large geese nest in Canada and the northern United States and migrate to the southern United States for the winter. Because of too much hunting and habitat loss the Canada goose populations were dwindling. Several subspecies were on the brink of extinction. Fortunately changes in hunting regulations and changes in the law helped protect the remaining population and they have since rebounded to the point where many states now have to work to control the population.

Harlequin

The harlequin is a duck of the far north. They breed in quick moving rivers and streams in places like Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland, Greenland and western Russia. They are named after Harlequin in Commedia del'arte, a character that was typically very colorfully dressed.
During the winter they typically migrate to the coastal seas. In North America most of the eastern population winters in the coastal waters of Maine. For about three years we had this male harlequin who came down and wintered in the open waters of the Mississippi River. Harlequins are diving ducks that eat fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects. So he spent his winter days diving for fish while many people where able to get a look at a bird that they had never seen before.

Reflectioned Majesty

Here in Minnesota we have a healthy population of bald eagles. All of out 10,000 plus lakes and our rivers are a good source of food and habitat for these large birds. It is the winter though, when the true show begins. As the lakes and rivers begin to freeze the eagles congregate around the few remaining areas of open water. Trees that line the shore become perches for numerous eagles and more still sit on the ice at the edge of the water waiting to find their next meal.

Western Grebe

The western grebe is the largest grebe in North America. They breed on freshwater wetlands in the western half of North America. In the winter they typically migrate to the coastal waters of the west coast of North America. They are fish eaters that usually catch their prey by diving under the water. I photographed this grebe at the Bosque del Apache in New Mexico last November.

Mallard

The mallard duck is probably one of, if not the most, common and well known ducks. They are found through out much of the northern hemisphere, including North America, Europe and Asia. They are a dabbling duck which means that they are usually found in shallow wetlands where they can be seen dipping their heads under the water to eat aquatic vegetation and invertebrates. The mallard has been introduced into many areas that it is not native to and in some cases, such as the Hawaiian Duck, it has evolved over time to be classified as a different species.

Wood Duck

One of the most colorful ducks that we see here in Minnesota is the wood duck. Actually it is only the male wood duck that is colorful. As with many other species of ducks the female is much less flamboyant then the male. One of the interesting thing about wood ducks is that they are cavity nesters. While most ducks nest on the ground the wood duck will nest in a tree cavity or nesting box, usually close to the water. This can sometimes be a challenge for the young ducks that leave the nest usually only a day after being born and often have to take a big leap to get down from the nest.

Common Loon

If you have visited this blog before you probably have noticed that during the summer one of the things that I photograph often are common loons. I am fortunate that common loons tend to nest in the area that I live. They are the state bird here in Minnesota. Though they are not the most colorful bird I think that they are attractive and very photogenic.

Pied-billed Grebe

Do you know what type of bird this is? Many non-birders that I have asked have guessed that it was some type of a duck. However contrary to popular belief not all small waterfowl are ducks. This is in fact a pied-billed grebe, the most widely distributed species of grebes in North America. Grebes differ from ducks in a number of ways but probably the most obvious is their feet. Ducks have webbed feet where grebes have lobed toes that aid them in swimming. Grebes are somewhat similar to loons and in fact they were once part of the same family. However with modern testing there was enough difference between loons and grebes that grebes were given a family of their own, Podicipedidae. There are 22 different species of grebes that are separated into 6 genus. The pied-billed grebe is the only living member of the genus Podilymbus.

Ring-Necked Duck

The ringed-neck duck is one of the birds that reminds me that many species were originally named by hunters. Looking at them I would have been more likely to call them ring-billed ducks because of the unique markings on their beaks. So why ring-necked.
Its not something that you see often out in the wild while they are swimming. Often they have their heads sort of tucked into their bodies so you can not see their necks, like in the first photo. However once in a while they stretch out their necks and then you can see the lighting band on the neck, as in the photo above. The neck ring is much more obvious when you have a dead duck laying at your feet, or so I am told. So as hunters killed these ducks they named them ring-necked because to them it was an obvious field marking.

Painted Turtle

The painted turtle is the most common turtle found in North America. One of the main reasons is because of their ability to live in areas that have been disturbed by people. Turtle eggs and young are very vulnerable to predation but adult turtles, with their hard shell, have very few predators to worry about. In the wild turtles can live over 50 years but unfortunately many do not make it to that age because of cars.
Although they breath air through their lungs, like we do, they are mostly aquatic creatures. Painted turtles spend most of their life in the water. With their webbed feet turtles are excellent swimmers and spend much of their time hunting aquatic insects, fish, frogs and crustaceans. Since they are omnivores they also eat algae and other aquatic vegetation. The smaller males usually only leave the water to sun. Since they can not regulate their own body temperature they need to sit out in the sun to warm themselves up. Usually their sunning spot is close to the water in case a quick escape is necessary. The larger females also sun but will also leave the water around the beginning of summer to dig a nest and lay their eggs. These are usually the turtles that are hit by cars, especially on dirt roads where they may be digging the nest.

Frozen Minnehaha Falls

I decided to get an early start to taking photographs this year so I headed over to the Minnehaha falls over the holidays. Usually the falls are completely frozen over by this time of the year but since the weather has been so warm this winter there was quite a bit of open water. Minnehaha Falls is a 53-foot waterfall located in South Minneapolis. It is located on the Minnehaha Creek not far from where it empties into the Mississippi River. The creek begins at Lake Minnetonka west of the Twin Cities and winds 22 miles through Minneapolis and several south western suburbs before ending at the Mississippi.
The falls is the centerpiece of the 193 acre Minnehaha Park. Typically access to the bottom of the falls is closed during the winter because the stairs leading down become filled with snow. However since we have had very little snow fall so far this winter, and most of what did fall has melted, I was able to make it down to get down to the bottom of the falls to take some of these shots.

Wetlands

What is a wetland? In general terms a wetland is habitat where the soil is saturated with water on or just below the surface and is covered with vegetation that is adapted to the wet conditions. Here in Minnesota we have several different types of wetlands, including bogs, marshes, swamps, potholes, wet meadows and seasonal wetlands.
Unfortunately wetlands have typically been thought of as wasted land and have been drained or filled for development. Here in Minnesota over fifty percent of our wetlands have been lost. This is not only unfortunate it is also stupid and potentially disastrous. Wetland are vital to the health of our planet and to the continued existence of many species including our own. Wetlands help to prevent erosion and can help minimise flooding. Wetlands can filter out pollutants from the water and help to recharge the ground water that we use for drinking and growing crops. Wetlands also provide vital habitat for fish and other wildlife, including 43% of the endangered or threatened species in The United States. Fortunately many people have released the importance of wetlands and are working to protect or even restore them. You can help by finding out which politicians support environmental issues in your area then support them and vote for them. After all a tax cut is not so great if there is no planet left for you to enjoy it on.

Wilson's Phalarope

The Wilson's phalarope is a shorebird that breeds in the Northern Prairie Pothole Region of North America. It is a migratory species that migrates down to South America for the winter. In breeding they are found in clear shallow wetlands. It is the female phalarope which is larger and more brightly colored. She is the one in charge. She will choose her mate and territory and will defend that territory. Shortly after she lays her eggs she will begin to migrate south leaving the male to incubate the eggs and care for the young. While migrating back to South America they will often stop at bodies of salt water where they will forage for food by swimming in a tight circle. This forms a small whirlpool which helps to bring aquatic insects and crustaceans to the surface.

Bald Eagles

Bald eagles are opportunistic feeders. They will eat whatever is the easiest. A lot of what they eat is carrion, since it is pretty easy to catch dead stuff, but their primary food source is fish. Eagles are divided into several different groups. Bald eagles belong to the Sea or Fish Eagle group. These are eagles that have special adaptions that help them to fish These include featherless scaled legs that they can dip into the water thus keeping their feathers relatively dry, and a large hooked beak designed to rip through tough fish scales.