Pine Grosbeak

The pine grosbeak is a large northern finch. They live mainly in the Boreal forests in Canada, Europe and Asia. During the winter when food is not as plentiful in their northern home they will migrate south. In North America they will come down into southern Canada and the northern United States. I took these pictures in the Sax Zim bog in northern Minnesota. Usually we only see small numbers of pine grosbeak during the winter but occasionally, during severe winters up north, we will see an eruption with a large number of birds in the northern part of the state.
Pine grosbeak are primarily vegetarians. About 99% of their diet is made up of fruit buds and seeds. During the winter they are often food around fruit trees that still have hanging fruit. Since a growing grosbeak needs more protein then an adult they usually feed their young insects, that they carry in a pouch in the bottom of their mouth, along with vegetation. They also drink water or during the winter eat snow to get their needed moisture.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

In Minnesota we typically see two different species of nuthatch, the white-breasted and red-breasted. The white-breasted nuthatch is common though out the state while the smaller red-breasted nuthatch typically lives in the north eastern part of the state. Some of the northern most red-breasted nuthatch population will migrate south out of Canada in the winter in search of food, so it is possible to see them in other parts of the state during the fall and winter.
Nuthatches are woodland birds. They are often seen climbing down the trunks of trees upside down. They eat mainly insects during the warm months, many of which the glean from the bark of the trees. During the winter they switch to a diet of mainly seeds. They will even cache some during the summer and fall in preparation for winter. They are a cavity nester and will aggressively defend their nesting cavity from other birds. They will often line the whole of the cavity with tree sap which helps to prevent larger predators from entering the nest.

Red Squirrel

Red squirrels are a member of the rodent family that are found around the world. They are a tree squirrel, typically nesting in trees, so they prefer woodland habitats. They are smaller then grey squirrels and fox squirrels, the other tree squirrels that we typically see here in Minnesota, but they are noisier and more aggressive when it comes to defending their territory. They are usually found scurrying across the forest floors looking for food. They are omnivores, eating a wide variety including seeds, pine cones, acorns, fruit, bark, flower buds, insects, eggs, nestlings, and mice. They do not hibernate during the winter. Instead they survive the colder months by hording excess food during the summer into hidden caches for times when food is scarce.

Red Tailed Hawk

Probably one of the most common raptors seen through out North America is the Buteo jamaicensis, or red-tailed hawk. The red-tailed hawk is a large stocky hawk which is a member of the Buteo genus, which encompasses the soaring hawks. The typical wingspan of a red-tail is just over four feet long and average weight is about two and a half pounds. They are found through out all of North America except for extreme northern Canada and Alaska.
Red-tails have been able to adapt quite well to a variety of different habitats. This may be due in part to the fact that they hunt and eat a wide variety of prey. They are an ambush hunter. They can typically be seen perched in a favorite spot waiting for prey. When they spot something that looks like it would make a good meal they drop down and ambush the prey. Where I live we typically see many of them on light poles on the sides of highways and freeways. This is great hunting habitat for red-tails. The lack of large trees by the side of these roads enable the red-tails to fly unencumbered. The light poles make an excellent hunting perch and garbage thrown from cars attract a good supply of rodents to eat. While people have negatively impacted many different species of wildlife it is good to see that some species, like the red-tails, have not only adapted to survive in harmony with people they actually have seemed to thrive.

Water Lily

Did you know that that water lilies are not really lilies? Other then the fact that they are both plants there is no relation at all. Most water lilies belong to the family Nymphaeaceae in the order Nymphaeales where lilies belong to the Liliaceae family in the order Lilales. Water lilies are not the only non-lily lilies, day lilies and spider lilies are also not really lilies. I photographed this tropical water lily at the water gardens at the Como Zoo and Conservatory this summer.

Roseate Spoonbill

Perhaps the most unusual looking bird in North America is the roseate spoonbill. These large pink wading bird get their common name from their unique shaped beak. They use their "spoon bill" to sift for food, swinging it from side to side as they wade through the shallow water. They eat small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, amphibians, and some aquatic vegetation. The bulk of the roseate spoonbill population is found in Central and South America. In North America they are pretty much limited to the Gulf Coast.
In the United States they are found mainly in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. In the early parts of the 20th century the roseate spoonbill was hunted for its beautiful pink feathers which were used primarily for women's hats and fans. At one point the Florida population, which is the largest in the US, fell to less then 50 nesting pairs. With the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and other legislation the population has rebounded and there is now estimated to be over 1000 nesting pair in Florida. In Texas and Louisiana the roseate spoonbills nest on the ground on small coastal islands, in Florida they nest on mangrove trees. These islands nest are endangered by coastal development, oil and other contaminant spills, as well as ground based predators that can reach the islands. Leaving the Texas and Louisiana populations at risk.

Red-bellied Snake

One of the smaller snakes in Minnesota is the red-bellied snake, Storeria occipitomaculata. These harmless snakes only get to be from 8-10 inches long, compare the size to my hand in the photo below. They are a wood snake that is often prey for birds, mammals, and larger snakes. They eat worms, snails, slugs and insects.
Even though they are pretty plain looking and similar looking to the brown snake the scales on their under side are, as their name would suggest red or orange in color.

Red-shafted Northern Flicker

The northern flicker is a member of the woodpecker family that is found in North and Central America. The northern flicker has two subspecies that were once considered separate species. The red-shafted subspecies, Colaptes auratus cafer, is found in the western portions of North America. As its name suggests the feather shafts of the primary feathers are red. The red under the tail and the red moustache markings also help to distinguish it from the yellow-shafted subspecies, which is found in the eastern portion of North America. I photographed this red-shafted flicker in the Bosque del Apache NWR on our recent trip to New Mexico.

Red Saddlebags Dragonfly

The red saddlebags dragonfly is uncommon here in Minnesota. Typically we only see the black saddlebags but from time to time red saddlebags do show up, typically in the southern part of the state. They are a member of the skimmer family that is found through out the eastern portions of North America as well as parts of southern California. Saddlebags get their name from the large patches on the inner wing that some what resemble saddlebags. They are very easy to identify. I photographed this saddlebag at Bentsen State Park in South Texas.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

The red-bellied woodpecker is a common woodpecker in the eastern half of the United States. Here in Minnesota you find them mostly in the south eastern part of the state. I most often see them in the summer foraging in the trees for insects. They use their long tongue with its barbed end and their sticky saliva to catch insects and spiders. During the winter I often see them at bird feeders. They are usually feeding on the suet at the feeders but they will also eat seeds and fruit especially during the winter.

Blazing Fall Colors

Have you ever wondered why leaves change color in the fall? The simple answer is the pigments in the leaves. Leaves are the food producing part of the tree. Pigments in the leaves combine sun light, water and carbon dioxide into energy in a process called photosynthesis. The primary pigment in photosynthesis is chlorophyll, which is green. Two other pigments also help in the photosynthesis process xanthophyll, which is yellow and carotene, which is orange. In the fall, as the days become shorter, the trees quit producing chlorophyll as they prepare to hibernate. With out the abundant amount of chlorophyll that the leaves typically have through the spring and summer the yellow and orange pigments shine through. Red leaves come from anthocyanin pigments. Not all trees produce these anthocyanin pigments. It is believed that these pigments are produced to help the trees recover nutrients from the leaves before they fall off and die. That is why some years there is more or less red mixed into the fall tapestry.

Red Admiral

The red admiral, Vanessa atalanta, is a common butterfly in many parts of the world. It can be found through out most of North America except for the extreme northern portions of Canada and Alaska. They can also be found in Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand and Central America.
In the warmer portions of their range they fly all year long. In the northern portions of their range they will migrate south for the winter. This means that each year many of the young butterflies that emerge from their chrysalis' in the south will travel north to repopulate the northern portions of their range.

Vermilion Flycatcher

The vermilion flycatcher is a very popular passerine with birders but unfortunately there are very few places that you can find them in the United States. There are actually twelve different subspecies of vermilion flycatchers and that can be found from the south western United States down though Mexico, Central America and most of South America. The photo above is of a male vermilion flycatcher that I photographed in south Texas in 2010. As with many passerines the female of the species is much less colorful. The only red on the female is under the tail and it is much paler then the red on the male.

Red Columbine

Red columbine is a woodland perennial that is native to the eastern half of the United States. It is one of 60 to 70 species that is a part of the genus Aquilegia. The name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word aquila which means eagle. Most of the flowers in this genus hang down and resemble the talon of an eagle.
The bell shape of the columbine flower attracts insects that have a long proboscis, or tongue, such as butterflies. It is also good at attracting humming birds. Because of this it is often found planted in butterfly gardens.

White-faced Meadowhawk

Meadowhawks are members of the genus Sypetrum. They are a part of the skimmer family of dragonflies, which includes most of the colorful dragonflies. Meadowhawks are medium sized dragonflies that are quite common from midsummer into early fall.
Most mature male meadowhawks are red in color while the female and young males are usually gold. Several of the meadowhawk species are so similar that they can only be identified under a microscope. Fortunately the white-faced meadow hawk is the only meadowhawk with a white face. When they first emerge the white face is more of an off white color and can make it difficult to identify them but by the time that they mature, like the ones above, the white is very striking making identification fairly easy.

Are Northern Cardinals More Red in Texas?

The northern cardinal is a bird that we see here in Minnesota all year long. Even in winter the cardinals stick around giving us a little color in our world of white. So when we were down taking a tour of the King Ranch in southern Texas in 2010 we did not pay a lot of attention to the northern cardinals that we spotted. That was until our guide mentioned that the cardinals in Texas seem to be more red then in other places in the United States. This could be possible. Male northern cardinals get their red color from the carotenoid pigments in their diets. Carotenoids are organic pigments found in many plants that range from yellow to red. If a cardinal has a diet that is higher in red carotenoid pigments it may come of as a brighter color of red. Cardinals eating only yellow pigment will not turn yellow though, instead they will become a paler shade of red. So perhaps it is true that the cardinals in Texas are more red but the ones that we saw, and photographed, did not appear any different to me.

American Rubyspot

The American rubyspot is a broadwing damselfly. Its bright red metallic color makes it unmistakable. Like all the broadwinged damselflies that live in Minnesota the American rubyspot is most often found along the banks of small to medium sized rivers. I photographed this one at Riverbend Nature Center in Faribault, MN

Red-headed Woodpecker

This weekend I decided to drive over to the middle of Wisconsin to Visit the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. I try to go to Necedah a couple of times each year. The primary reason that I go is to photograph the endangered Karner blue butterfly but unfortunately I was a little late for that this year. However Necedah also has a healthy population of nesting red-headed woodpecker which I also like to photograph.

Although not endangered there are many people who are concerned about the continued existence of the red-headed woodpecker. In the past forty years their population has declined by 90%. Most of this is due to habitat loss. Red-headed woodpecker live in sparsely populated woodlands with an abundance of dead wood around. The dead wood is important because they drill holes into it for nesting cavities. They also use bored holes to cache food. Unlike many other species of woodpeckers most of their food comes from seeds or insects that they catch in flight. Since much of this food source is not available in the winter time it is important for the red-heads to cache food during the summer when it is plentiful. So as people remove dead wood because they deem it unsightly or are worried about fires, they also remove available habitat for the red-headed woodpecker. Fortunately there are still areas like Necedah where these birds can find a home I just wish that there were more places.

Reddish Egret

I can't think of a more reddish way to begin posting with Rudy Tuesday then featuring a reddish egret. These colorful waders are pretty rare here in the U.S. being found only in Florida and around the Gulf Coast. I photographed this one in Texas.