Summer Wood Warblers

I did get to see a few warblers two weeks ago when we were up at Hasty Brook. There were a few yellow-rumped warblers mostly hunting insects among the thick beaked hazelnut bushes. I did take a walk along the path down on the creek level. I covered myself in DEET, put on a cap and headed down the steps. The first thing I noticed was that there was NO breeze. No air moving at all. Within seconds the mosquitoes were everywhere. If I opened my mouth they'd fly in. They were in my ears and behind my glasses. I stayed long enough to quickly scan the trees. I got several good looks at a golden-winged warbler but the branches were too thick and my camera couldn't autofocus on anything. I'm too slow at manual focus on my Canon- that's yet another thing I need to work on. It's a very birdy area down there but the bugs beat me down in very little time so I scrambled back up the steps.Back up in the breeze it didn't take me long to locate this pretty male chestnut-sided warbler. He stayed in the branches over my head, darting in and out of the shadows.
He seemed quite pleased with his beautiful self and sang for all the world to enjoy.

I did pick up on another familiar warbler song but just couldn't get my eyes on the singer. I got out my Birdjam and played the song just to confirm the song id. In a flash the singer got louder. I played the song one more time and the singer called back, this time I saw a flash of yellow down low in the brush around a birch at the edge of the clearing. I was alternating between my binoculars and camera. I'd get a glimpse of yellow, bring my camera up- nothing. Finally I got a good enough look to confirm the common yellowthroat but he just wouldn't stay out of the brush long enough for a photo. He'd pop out of the dense brush just long enough to take a look around then he'd dive back down out of sight. You can see the little speck of yellow in the brush above.

I zoomed to the spot where he would pop out and waited. Snap! Got him!

I tried out my mad pishing skilz and VOILA! The (not-so-)common yellowthroat!

So pretty and worth the wait.

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I've added a new section on my sidebar. There is a group of us (bird bloggers) going to the New River Birding and Nature Festival April 27-May 2, 2009 in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Julie Zickefoose describes her time at last year's festival here, here,and here. Mary from Mary's View tossed the idea of attending out there a while back. Mary's idea took on a life of it's own and now we are eight bird bloggers renting a cabin in the mountains of West Virginia! Some of us will attend for the whole week, some for half. It is guaranteed to be a good time. Good birding, lots of laughter and fun will fill my week. I am most excited to meet face-to-face many friends that I have "known" through blogging for the two plus years I've been at it. I'll be able to add to my Blogger Life List !

Check out the New River Birding and Nature Festival website. They have the 2009 festival information up. Think about joining us. There are all sorts of accommodations: hotels, cabins campgrounds. Read Katdoc's posts here and here. She attended the festival last year and recommends it highly.

Always Poised for Take-off

Ooops- Siskin

I had intended to post this picture in the large format but I have such trouble editing posts in Blogger. Frequently when I put a post together I put the photos I want to use into a draft in Blogger and save them. Later I add the text. The problem arises if I want to make any changes. ANY changes. For example, if I put the photos into a draft on 7/30 and then add text and want to publish on 8/01, I have to change the date under "post options" before I publish. If I forget, the new post shows up under 7/31 and not as the most recent post. Or in this case, I forgot to change the picture size under "edit html " . So here's the problem: if I go into "edit posts" to make the changes I want ALL OF MY TEXT DISAPPEARS!!!

So,

Here's my larger photo of the pine siskin.

She's so pretty.

I think it's worth seeing it in the larger format.

Thank you.

Rant over.

Pine Siskins Mixing it Up

A few weeks ago when we were last at Hasty Brook the predominant bird sighted at the feeders were goldfinches. Last weekend I bought one of those cheap thistle socks ($1.99) and brought some of my stash of niger thistle and hung it from a branch in a spruce tree. Within an hour this little bird showed up. I thought it was a Pine Siskin but couldn't get a look at any yellow and she wasn't talking! With identification help by email from Mike Hendrickson he confirmed that it was a Pine Siskin! Later that afternoon I heard the familiar call of the siskins.
Check out her slender pointed bill.

Soon there was a mob of siskins. Mike said that if there is an abundant food supply for them they will breed in northern Minnesota. According to Sibley they will feed "on buds and seeds of birches, alders, pines, and other trees. Also takes small insects." My new Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America states: "Flocks devour thistle seeds at feeders." They emptied half of this feeder in an afternoon!
The males seemed particularly feisty, jostling for position on the feeder.

The birds are a bit blurry but I liked the shadow on the sock


There is more yellow on these birds than I thought.




More siskins in motion.




MINE!!!

Chippers and Hummers

A high point of the long weekend at Hasty was a visit from Deb at Sand Creek Almanac and her sweet daughter Starflower. I hadn't seen them since last winter when Ruthie and I stopped by for a visit on our way home from the Sax-Zim Bog Festival of Birds. We spent a few hours sipping cool drinks, sitting in the shade and watching the chipmunks and pine siskins at the feeders. The chipmunks were entertaining and full of attitude.
Now you see me...
now you don't...

I was thrilled to finally see a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird stop for a sip.

Eventually the male zipped in!

Before they left we walked down the road to the bridge that crosses Hasty Brook. I got a chance to ask Deb about some wildflowers I'd seen growing along the road and creek. Fire weed, swamp milkweed and joe-pye weed. She even helped me out with the names of some of the fruit-bearing bushes- gray dogwood and service berry!

Thank you for the lupine seeds and for driving up to see Hasty Brook Deb and Starflower. Let's do that bonfire when the cool weather comes in the fall.

A New Yard Bird at Hasty Brook

WHAT!!

We got up to Hasty Brook last Thursday afternoon, set up the campsite and explored. We had some of the best hamburgers EVER on the grill outside and had just settled into the camper before dark for reading and movies as the breeze was non-existent, the humidity was high and the mosquitoes were eating us alive. Art glanced out the window down the driveway and at first thought he saw grouse walking up the drive toward the campsite. Then he sat bolt upright and hissed "turkeys!!" Either they heard him or they realized that the clearing was now inhabited by people, but they turned around and started trotting away. I quickly grabbed my camera but the photos were horrible- the camera couldn't focus through the screen. I was so disappointed at the pictures but excited to add these cool birds to the Hasty yard list! Later in the weekend when driving back to the campsite from Duluth John very quietly said "Oh, look. There's those turkeys in the tree." Huh? I made Art stop and make a u-turn, back up some more and there they were- perched in a birch! They wobbled and teetered in the branches looking like they'd fall to the ground any minute! I didn't think turkeys lived this far north in Minnesota.

Beautiful new yard bird.

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The meeting went well with the septic designer on Friday. There is a site that complies with the creek set-back where a septic system can be built. Since that site is not a good building site, the we are hopeful we will get the variance to build at our campsite. Knowing he has given us a favorable recommendation for the septic site has made us hopeful.

We're past the first hurdle.

Mama Bird is So Tired...

Hasty Brook from the Sky

Aerial view of Hasty Brook

Our purchase of ten additional acres is complete! Last winter we looked in to the county tax records to find out who owned the ten acre parcel to out south and wrote the owners asking if they were interested in selling. We receive a reply in a week stating that they were eager to sell. Part of the reason we wanted that land was that we were hoping it would give us enough room for a building site for a cabin. There is a county set-back requirement of 150 feet from the creek and as you can see, Hasty Brook curves around quite a bit making the set-back a difficulty.

Our land is the top half of this 40 acre section.

We are headed up to Hasty Brook Wednesday evening through the weekend. On Friday we will be meeting with a septic designer who will make a recommendation on where (if) we can put in a septic system. In the above photo you can see that the creek bisects the property and we have no road access to the land east of the creek. The area inside the loop of the creek in the northwest part of the photo is where we currently have our road and clearing for the camper. This is where we would like to build. Since that loop falls within the 150 foot set-back area we will have to apply for a variance. A variance hearing requires lots of paper work and no small amount of money- all with no guarantees. I'm trying not to be discouraged. Please wish us luck!

I'm anxious to see what's blooming up there. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more pictures of the ferns, trees and wildflowers and continue with my project of cataloging the flora of Hasty Brook. I'll bring along a bag of birdseed to fill the empty feeders. I've taken the feeders down the last few times we've visited because of the bear damage but it doesn't seem to take the birds long to find the buffet once the feeders are refilled and hung! We'll most likely spend one afternoon in Duluth- my favorite city. The kids always look forward to a trip to a store called The Electric Fetus. They are an independent music store that carries an incredible variety of music plus some clothes and accessories that my kids really like. I bought my last favorite CD by Emmylou Harris there. So I hope the weather is nice so we can get some work done and do some relaxing too. We'll have extra chairs around the bonfire and I make pretty good s'mores. The cooler will be stocked- Malibu Rum and OJ, iced tea, Irish whiskey. We've even been known to make fruit smoothies! So if you're in the neighborhood, stop over!

Wrensday

Just for Chuckles

Check out this link for a short video.

It cracked me up!

http://members.shaw.ca/anabw/grease.htm

It's Friday...

It must be bath day!

I'm Trying to Catch Up!

Sometimes I feel like this guy- stuffing my cheeks, trying to get everything done. It's all ready coming up on two weeks ago since Matt and Linda from Pennsylvania stopped in at Hasty Brook for a visit during their vacation. I have to say first, that I was so flattered that they wanted to see our place. Art and I waited Sunday morning, talking about the visitors to come, wondering if they'd see what we see in Hasty Brook. We don't have much in the way of amenities, a cramped camper. We wouldn't be able to invite them in, but really, to see Hasty is to be outside. When they pulled up the driveway there were greetings all around (except for the teens who slept through all of it!). Eventually we all sat in the camp chairs in the shade of the awning. It was a beautiful morning, mild temperature, low humidity and quite breezy. The mosquitoes weren't even that bad! We chatted for a few hours outside, watching the birds and butterflies. Sadly I never took a picture of Matt and Linda at Hasty. In fact the chipmunk was the ONLY picture I took that weekend. We did see both a female Red-breasted Grosbeak and a female Purple Finch. Even though I know better, I still confuse them. The Goldfinches were definitely the birds of the day. There were gobs of them hanging off the feeders.

Too soon it was time for the long "Minnesota good-bye". Up here we're known for for our looong talking, waving, "good-bye! good-bye!", waving some more, more "good-bye" until they've turned the corner out of sight! Art and I both feel we've made two good friends in Matt and Linda. They've invited us to visit if we ever get to their area and we both feel comfortable in saying that we would.

Thanks for the spitters Linda and Matt! They were gone within the day!
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On to critters around home.

Last November my sister Phyllis was having a really hard time dealing with our Mom's passing. She was terribly lonely. Phyllis and Mom would talk on the phone many, many times a day and there was a horrible gap in Phyllis' life with Mom gone that none of us were able to fill. One of her doctors suggested Phyllis get a pet. With limited vision and being mostly house-bound she decided on a kitty. Her kitty "Half Pint" became the center of her life- someone needed her.

The first week in January Phyllis was hospitalized with what we soon would find out was her brain tumor. I went to see her the morning after her admission and found her sobbing not for herself but worried about her kitty. Later that day I spoke with the surgeon who spelled out Phyllis' future to us. Knowing then in my heart that she would never go home to her kitty, I called Art and explained. That night I went to her apartment and packed up the kitty and all her food and toys and brought her home. Looking back, I think that was the best gift I could give Phyllis. Knowing that we were "babysitting" her kitty gave her much peace of mind throughout her illness.

Eventually we changed her name to "Puddy".

I wasn't sure how having this cat was going to go. I had so much to deal with and introducing a cat to a home with a dog and a house rabbit? The first night we kept the cat in Molly's room with the door shut. The next morning our dog Gidget was going nuts trying to get at the cat through the crack under the door. When I tried to carefully open the bedroom door the cat shot out. Within an hour they had sniffed each other over. No snarls, hisses or claws! Gidget was bored with the cat and went to lay down. Ok- the dog's fine, Now the rabbit. Prey animal right?

Well, here's what they think of each other:

Buddy's eyes are closed as he enjoys a good face and ear washing from Puddy!
They spend most of the day lounging on the couch together.

I've introduced many cats to many dogs over the years and have never had it go that smoothly. I honestly believe that we had help from heaven in creating this motley crew of best friend animals.

Having Puddy around every day has helped me a lot in missing Phyllis. When I look at that beautiful black kitty I have to smile and think of Mom too.

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Molly and I found this nest of about a million baby bunnehs this spring in the flower bed in the back yard. Aren't they CUTE? We watched the grow every day, making the nest wiggle and bulge. Finally the left the nest...

and ate EVERYTHING in my yard!!!

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Our rabbit Buddy is a mini-lop.

A not-so-mini mini-lop.

Molly wanted to see what he's look like with regular "up" rabbit ears.

Buddy was NOT amused.

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Isn't she a pretty Mama?

She built her nest in an old glass orange juicer that I used for feeding meal worms to the chickadees.

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Many of you know that I work in a hospital laboratory.

You've heard of digi-scoping?

You've heard of digi-bining?

Let's try digi-microscoping!!!

Fifty points to the person who can tell me what kind of white blood cell that is!

Can you see the teddy bear holding a pie?

Meeting a Sweet Blogger Friend

Last Thursday I got to meet a blogger from Erie Pennsylvania. Through reading each other's blogs over the last year or so, Linda from Erie's Argonaut found we had a few things in common. he grew up for the first years of her life in Minnesota and both of our fathers were involved in the Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota in the early 1930s. Several weeks ago she emailed and told me that she and her husband Matt were coming to Minneapolis for a work convention. They would be staying in Minneapolis for a few days, then would drive up to Duluth and then onward to northern Michigan as they vacationed on their way home. I was thrilled and quite flattered when she said that they would like to see Hasty Brook while they were in northern Minnesota! We worked out the details and happily Linda had some free time while here in town to do some quick local birding. I've always enjoyed Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden so I picked Linda up and that's where we headed.

My sense of direction notoriously poor, we wound up in a not-so-very-nice part of Minneapolis. Eventually we made it to the Garden. Armed with 30% DEET bug spray and loaded with cameras and binoculars we headed in.

The day was warm and a bit humid. The garden trails led us down along a very wooded and shady path where there was not a breeze to be had.

One of the first birds we heard was this Common Yellowthroat. We stopped for a quick picture and were immediately swallowed in a cloud of mosquitoes. Didn't they read the memo about the effectiveness of 30% DEET? I'm not kidding- the mosquitoes were in my mouth and up my nose. Poor Linda! Well, we moved along the path and caught a quick look at an Indigo Bunting. No pictures of the Bunting, just mad slapping instead.

We did make one more quick photo stop in the bog area for a patch of gorgeous Pink Lady's Slippers. Linda remembered that this is the Minnesota State Flower. I suggested we hustle along the path and head for higher ground. Maybe the air wouldn't be quite so still and the mosquitoes so thick. Linda did not object!

Birds were few but the wildflowers were thick. Any ideas on this one?

Some kind of pea? The foliage was very pretty and about waist high.

Don't know what these are either but the white ones were VERY fragrant.

A variety of (Princess) buttercup?

I liked this short round fern but couldn't identify it in my fern field guide.

A yellow flag iris- finally something I know!

I'm pretty sure this is a Silvery Checkerspot. I didn't pay attention to the undersides of the wings. That would have helped. I took this photo at an odd angle and if I look at it too long it makes me feel tippy.

I'm always so impressed at people's knowledge of dragonflies. I don't have it. I am pretty sure this is a type of damselfly. When I was little we called these sewing needles. One of my brothers told me they would sew your lips shut if you talked too much. That didn't stop me!

Linda and I didn't spend too much more time on the upper trail before we decided to call it quits. So we jumped in the car, said good-bye to the mosquitoes and headed to Starbucks for coffee and a sweet. For me this was the best part of the day. Linda and I spent over two hours talking about our families, our lives and what we believed in. I was comfortable talking to Linda- it was like talking to an old friend. This blogging thing is really quite special. We all make choices of what and how much to reveal about ourselves through our writing. I think it is possible to get a pretty good sense of the person behind the blog. Linda is a gentle woman, kind and generous. I am so happy to call her my friend.

Stop in and visit Linda at Erie's Argonaut next week and read about her vacation.

But wait- there's more...