Tundra Swans

 Last weekend I made my third trip down to southern Minnesota to photograph tundra swans. Each year tundra swans migrate from their breeding grounds up in Alaska and northern Canada down to the Atlantic or Pacific coasts of the southern United States. A large population, numbering in the thousands, stop over on the Mississippi River in Southern Minnesota to fill up on tubers, roots, of the arrowhead plant before heading east to the Carolina Coast.

 The migration here usually starts at the beginning of November but when I traveled down to the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge on the first week of November there were very few swans to photograph, and most were in the middle of the river. The second weekend in November, which is typically when the most swans are in the area, was a little better but still there were not many swans in the water by the overlook. The problem was that the weather was so mild with temps in the 60s to 70s that the swans put off migrating. Finally a dip in the temps brought enough swans down on the third weekend that some finally were with in photo range.

Since each trip was about a two and a half hour drive each way I found other subjects to photograph on the trips where the swans were not around. There are usually a lot of bald eagles on the river this time of year. This one had almost completely molted into its mature adults feathers. With the little bit of black still on the head and tails I would estimate its age at six to seven yeas old. Besides fishing in the river the eagles will also go after the small ducks that are also migrating south. In a few weeks most of the river may be frozen, the swans and ducks will be on their way south to their wintering grounds, and the bald eagles that remain will congregate in spots where the river stays open.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all of my friends in the US. This handsome fellow is Othello. He is one of our education eagles at The Raptor Center.

Bald Eagle

 The bald eagle is one of the largest raptors in North America. They are one of two species of eagles found on the continent but they are the only eagle that is unique to North America. This is one reason that it is fitting that the bald eagle is the symbol of the United States. The bald portion of the name bald eagle comes from the old English word balde which meant white. When the word balde fell out of use it was shortened to bald eagle.

 The bald eagle is a type of sea or fish eagle. The feathers on the legs of sea eagles stops at the top of their legs and the lower portion of the legs and feet are covered with scales. Sea eagles are designed to pluck fish from the water, which is why bald eagles are typically found around water. Although fish are a main part of the bald eagles diet, they are opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever prey is easiest to obtain. This often leads to a lot of scavenging.

Immature bald eagles do not look very much like their parents. They start out life with dark feathers on their heads and tails, black beaks and brown eyes. When they get to about five years old they begin to change. As they molt over the next 2 or 3 years some of the dark feathers that are lost from the head and tail will be replaced with white feathers. The beak will begin to change from black to gray to pale yellow. Finally after a few years it will end up the bright yellow. The eyes also gradually change from brown to bright yellow. The three birds in this post represent the three different stages. The bottom photo is an immature bird probably around 3 or 4 years old. It has not yet begun to change. The middle picture is a bird in transition between immature and adult. It is probably about 5 to 7 years old. The top photo is a mature bird that could be anywhere from around 8 or older. In the wild a bald eagle does well if it makes it to 25 years old.

Unfortunate!

 As an environmentalist I am happy that small steps have been made to transition our energy needs to cleaner sustainable sources. New sources like wind, solar and wave technologies lessen our dependency on sources like coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear. These older technologies pollute the environment and can be very dangerous.

Unfortunately good intentions can sometimes have bad side effects. That has been the case with wind energy. A study by the Us Fish and Wildlife Service reports that at least 85 golden and bald eagles were killed at wind farms between 1997 and 2012. That may not sound like a huge number over 5 years, however the study relied mainly on volunteered reports of fatalities by the wind energy companies. So it is possible the number may be much higher. The study also did not include all US wind farms. The Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area in California was not included in the study. It is located in an area with a high population of golden eagles and may be responsible for as many deaths as reported in the study every year.

 

Most of the concern is about eagles but other types of raptors also collide with windmills. Raptors typically watch the ground when they fly because they are looking for food. By the time they notice the structure it is too late as the blades which can be spinning in excess of 150 mph create wind currents that can suck the birds in. Most of the deaths happen at older facilities. While the UFAWS report has sparked awareness on this issue from concerned citizens a 1 million dollar fine that was recently levied against a wind energy company in Montana has gotten the attention of the wind industry. Some Wind energy companies now hire people to do impact studies before building new farms. Unfortunately the best location for wind farms are often great habitat for eagles. Other technologies, such as radar that can turn of turbines when it detects an eagle in the area, are also helping us to create a cleaner environment while minimizing our impact on eagles and other birds of prey.

Happy Independence Day

For all of my friends living in the United States.

Target Field

 I am not much of a sports fan. I usually have better things to do, other then an occasional football game. It does not help that most of the professional men's sports teams around have not been able to get the job done when it comes to the big game. The exception to this is the Twins who have won two World Series. That is probably why they got a new stadium a couple of years ago.

Today is opening day at Target Field, the home of the Twins. Since I am not much of a baseball fan I had never been to the new stadium. However as part of the opening day festivities two of our eagles from The Raptor Center will be at the game to help with the National Anthem. I went along earlier this week to take some pics of a practice session. I have to admit that it was kind of cool being down on the field. Pi our immature bald eagle, first pic, was not faced by all of the preparations that were going on around us. Max, our big female in the lower pic, decided to pass on a homer dog and went for the rat choice instead. In just a minute the game will begin so I need to check out the show to see how my friends do. 

Winter is Eagle Time

Winter is eagle time in south east Minnesota. Minnesota has the largest population of nesting eagles in the lower 48 states. During the winter eagles from around the state and eagles that have migrated south congregate at the few spots where they can find open water. Most of these locations are along the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota. During the winter we also get a population of golden eagles that migrate down from northern Canada and spend the winter in southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin. Since they are not fish eaters the golden eagles are usually not found right along the river but they do like the rolling hills that are in the area adjacent to the river. Often time it is possible to see both species in the same area. Since bald eagles do not get their white heads and tails until they are 5 to 6 years old, it can be a challenge to distinguish the golden eagle from the immature bald eagle. In this photo we have one of each. Can you tell which is which?

Bald Eagles

Minnesota has the second largest population of nesting bald eagles in the United States, only Alaska has more. The main reason for this is because Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, actually we have 11,842. Although bald eagles are opportunistic and will eat which ever food is the easiest to get, including roadkill, they are a member of a group of eagles called sea or fish eagles. The feathers on sea/fish eagles stop at the top of their leg revealing a scaled leg that is designed for dipping into the water to catch fish. So where there is a lot of water and fish there are usually bald eagles not too far away. At this time of the year most of the lakes and rivers here in Minnesota are frozen over. Many Minnesotans enjoy ice fishing but the ice makes it difficult for the eagles to get to the fish. So during the winter the eagles will congregate around the few places that there is still open water. One of the more popular spots for the eagles to winter is along the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota between the towns of Red Wing and Wabasha. It is often possible to view hundreds of eagles by driving the scenic highway 61 between the two cities. This photo was taken at Colvill Park in Red Wing, MN.   

Bald Eagle Reflection

Minnesota has the highest population of nesting bald eagles of any state in the lower 48 states of the US. The best time to photograph bald eagles is during the winter. During the warmer months of the year the eagles are spread out across the state, typically near to on of our many lakes or rivers. During the winter eagles congregate in large numbers around the few places where they can find open water. Probably the best place to find groups of wintering eagles is along the Mississippi River from Redwing, MN to Wabasha, MN. Highway 61 follows the river and there are several good spots to pull of the road and get some nice pics. The wintering eagles are what really got me started in photographing wildlife so they always have a special place in my heart.

The Day After

 

This morning, after a lot of rich old white guys spent billions of dollars, Barack Obama is once again our future president. I am very happy with the election results. Here in Minnesota two bad amendments to our state constitution were defeated as well as a good number of Tea Party whakos. Since the environment is very important to me I support candidates that are pro environment and Tea Party people are not on that list. I think that this picture of Phoenix is the perfect picture to post on a morning like this. Congratulations President Obama and congratulations USA.

Food Fight

 Bald eagles are opportunistic feeders. This means that they will choose which ever meal is the easiest. To put it into human terms bald eagles would be fast food junkies. Often it is easier to steal food then it is to have to catch your own. Bald eagles will frequently steal fish from osprey that are hunting in the same area. Bald eagles will also steal food from other bald eagles, which can be a little bit more dangerous. I watched 4 eagles, one was not in this shot, fight over this fish for several minutes. Each eagle seemed to have its change to grab the fish and then another eagle would force them to drop it. Eventually one of the adults grabbed the fish and flew off with it over the frozen lake. That bird got the dinner but I was the one that got the show. Considering how much I like fish I think that I got the much better end of the deal.

This weekend I headed south down the Mississippi River to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN. The center was celebrating the five year anniversary of their beautiful facility located on the banks of the river. They began back in 1989 as a group of volunteers, called EagleWatch Inc, that pointed out eagles to visitors from a outdoor observation deck on the river. In 2000 they moved to a storefront in Wabasha and took in two educational eagles Harriet and Angel (below).

In 2003 Columbia an immature female was added to the line up. In September of 2007 the National Eagle Center moved to the new 15,000 foot facility. A year later Donald, the center's Golden Eagle, came to join them from California. The final educational ambassador was tiny Was'aka, a six pound male that came from Florida. All of these birds came from rehabilitation facilities and can not be released back into the wild. To celebrate this weekend they also had Native American hoop dancing, chainsaw art demonstrations, a bird show from a Tennessee bird organization, as well as their normal educational programs and displays. The weather was beautiful and it looks like everyone was having a great time. The only thing missing was the cake, but as a diabetic I did not really miss watching everyone else pig out on sugar.  

Pi

This handsome fellow is Pi. Pi is one of our education birds at The Raptor Center. He may look a bit different then many of the bald eagles that you have seen before. That is because Pi is just beginning to become an adult. Bald eagles do not reach maturity until they are around 5 years old. While they are immature they look quite different. Their feather are mostly brown, although some do get a mottling of white feathers on their wings and/or chest. Immature eagles also have a dark silvery beaks and brown eyes. PI is about 4 years old. With this years molt he has begun to get his adult plumage. This process usually takes 2 or 3 molts to complete and since they molt each feather only once a year the entire process will take a couple of years or more.

Bald Eagle