Pine Siskin

Green Jay

 The green jay is a bird that is native to tropical areas of the Americas. They are found primarily in Mexico, Central America and Northern South America. The range of the green jay extends up into the US only in south Texas. Green jays live in family units. The young adults from previous broods stick around and help their parents defend the territory. In Texas usually these offspring are kicked out of the territory after about a year. In South America offspring may stay with their parents for several years.

 

Minnesota is the 32nd state of the United States and was admitted into the US in 1858. The capital of Minnesota is St Paul. The capital building in St Paul was built between 1896 and 1905. It has the second largest unsupported marble dome in the world. The building was modeled after St Peter's Basilica in Rome, which has the largest unsupported dome. This is the third capital building for Minnesota. The first was destroyed and the second was too small.

Happy Independence Day

 

Yellow Warbler Bathing

 One of the few warblers that stays in this part of Minnesota during the summer is the yellow warbler.They breed through out much of the northern half of the US and most of Canada. During the winter they migrate as far south as Central and South America.

Yellow warblers are pretty easy to identify. While many warbler have some yellow color to them most are not as bright or yellow as the yellow warbler. This one was bathing in a small creek at the Minnesota Valley Refuge.

Tuesday Tweets

 

It seems like every year some poor birds get mixed up and end up a log way from home. Last year's special visitor was a blue grosbeak.The breeding range of the blue grosbeak does extend north into North and South Dakota so it is not so uncommon in western portions of the state but here in the Twin Cities, where we are on the eastern border with Wisconsin, it was an exciting event. People from all over the cities and other parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin came to see the rare visitor.

Welcome to Tuesday Tweets! To join in the fun just post a photo of a bird and then link it by here by using the handy dandy link below. Then make sure you visit other sites to do a little bird watching.

Damselfly Macro

 Lately I have been working on updating my Odonata presentation. I originally put it together while I was taking my MN master Naturalist program. At the end of the class we had to do what is called a Capstone Project. My project was putting together a dragonfly workshop. I put the workshop on a couple of times last year and now I have two more programs coming up, but I decided to update the presentation, since I have a lot of new pictures to work with. The photo above is a macro of a damselfly. Damselflies have eyes that are widely separated. There are some dragonflies who also have their eyes separated on their head but this is definitely not a clubtail.

Peregrine Falcon in Flight

American White Pelican

 The American white pelican is a large bird that breeds on fresh water lakes across the central part of the United States and Canada. They are mostly found in the prairie pothole region of the continent. They typically winter on the east or west coast, often in salt water marshes or lagoons. Unlike the brown pelican, the only other pelican in North America, these birds catch fish by scooping up water and fish in their large throat sack while they swim. They will often work together to heard fish into large groups which they can share.

Swan, River, Lake by David Taylor

A ripple meets the river bank
The paddling swan now passing by
He leaves his mark sparkling in the sun
His future path has yet swum.

You and the sun, and I a swan
These words a string of ripples
As I swim on, and you shine
On my future path I must go by.

These words from movements past
Or freshly now as rippled meanings
Gently flow across the mind
Made silver by your light.

No river for these ripple writ
No cygnet for a swan beget
Not any meaning in this verse
Except your shining makes
As river seek to merge with lakes.

Clouded Sulphur

 

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

 Tough to find things in nature that begin with the letter X. Thank heaven for the yellow-headed blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. The Yellow-headed black bird is a bird that is native to the marshes and prairie wetlands of the west. During the winter they migrate down to the southwestern United States and Mexico. Even though we are not really in their range here in the eastern part of Minnesota we do occasionally get them nesting this far east. It seems that this is getting to be a more common occurrence. This is not good news for the red-winged blackbirds that live in the eastern half of North America. Since the yellow-headed blackbirds are larger they will often displace the red-winged blackbirds from prime breeding spots in locations where birds share the habitat.

Tuesday Tweets

The chest-net sided warbler is a wood warbler that is found in the eastern portions of North America. They nest primarily in eastern Canada. There are also nesting populations in the North East United States, the Appalachian Mountains, and the northern Great Lakes, which includes northern Minnesota. They usually nest in deciduous forest, forming a cup nest in low tree or shrub. The chest-nut sided warbler winters in Central America where it is usually found in flocks of mixed warblers in tropical forests.

Welcome to Tuesday Tweets. To join in the fun, just post a photo of a bird on your blog then come here and enter your information in the inlinkz tool down below. Don't forget to put a link back to here on your blog and the pretty little banner photo. Then visit all of the sites that participate to see a lot of cool bird pics.   

American Emerald

The American emerald is a member of the emerald family of dragonflies. Most emeralds can be identified by their metallic green eyes, which is where the Corduliidae family gets its common name. The American emerald is a common emerald or Cordulia. They are usually found in the north eastern part of Minnesota where they like wooded lakes and pond. It can easily be identified here in Minnesota because it is the only emerald with a white ring around the base of the abdomen. I photographed this American emerald at the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. 

Spiderwort