How Chickadees Survive Winter

Chickadees remain here all year long, including during the coldest of all winters. They are cute, little birds who are very curious about humans, but what is most interesting about them is that they have such an amazing ability to stay warm in below zero weather. They have to eat constantly during the day in order to restore the fat that they lose when trying to remain warm. They fluff up their feathers and roost together at night in order to fight off the cold, and they are able to conserve energy by lowering their temperatures at night. So, next time you see a chickadee at your feeder, remember to appreciate how hard they are working just to survive.

Picture from eNature.

Peregrine Falcons Fledging In Duluth

I happened to catch this post at Sam Cook's blog about the four peregrine falcon chicks that have hatched atop the Graysolon Plaza in Duluth. They are expected to fly around July first, and naturalists from Hawk Ridge will be stationed along the Lakewalk at Lake Place Park Tuesday through Saturday to show them to the public. Peregrines have adapted well to our urban landscapes in the decades following their near extinction due to DDT in the environment. The recovery of raptors since the U.S. ban on DDT has been remarkable, and seeing a perigrine in flight (or better yet a full 200+mph dive!) is something not to be missed.

I have had Merlins (another falcon - small, fast and fierce) nest in my yard and was lucky to be able to watch as they grew from awkward noisy fuzzballs to swift noisy juveniles. If you are in Duluth take the time to see the peregrines as they prepare for their first flight.

Get Your Hummingbird Feeders Ready!

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are getting closer every day.


According to the migration map at hummingbirds.net they have been sighted in Duluth on May 2, so if the weather is nice we can expect them on the North Shore any day.

(photo from here)

Be sure to clean your feeder well with hot water and a very mild bleach solution, then rinse and dry it thoroughly. You can make your own nectar with a 4 parts water to 1 part sugar solution. According to some observers they prefer cane sugar, and there is no need to add anything such as dye. Keep your feeders clean and filled and you can enjoy observing these tiny winged jewels all summer long.

Interesting Bird Sightings

Over the last couple of weeks I have had a Black-backed Woodpecker feeding on an old spruce snag in my yard. I was able to take a couple of pictures, but my camera only has a 6x optical zoom and I was not able to get closer without scaring him off.

My mom lives across the bay from me and has had a pair of Cardinals coming to her feeder. We never used to get them this far north, but they are even nesting in Grand Portage now. I will try to get some photos of them to post.

Birding is a lot of fun for me, and I have seen a few rarities around Grand Portage in the winter - the best one was a white phase Gyrfalcon about ten years ago. It was flying low over the softball field and at first I thought it was a Snowy Owl, but the head was much smaller and not round, and the wings were more pointed and tipped with black. It flew by only about thirty feet away from me and I had a great look at it.

OT and just for fun, here are a couple of photos of our puppy Maggie Maye and I getting ready to watch the Vikings.