Author Archives: Josh

A Blurry Photo Can Be The Most Revealing

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These days I am nearly a single dad as Melissa is busy putting the finishing touches on her school’s musical production of the Little Mermaid.  So I put a lot of miles on the vehicle as I race around dropping kids off and picking them up.  Today was no different except that when I was heading home after picking up both kids from daycare/school I was driving extra fast because one of my pint-sized passengers was desperate to relieve a full bladder.  Wouldn’t you know that this was the time that I caught sight off a huge hawk perched in a lone, bare tree.  I think Evan briefly forgot about his biological predicament as he shouted, “I see it! I see it!”  Only two miles from home, we hatched a plan that we would hurry to the house and I would grab the camera while Evan did what he needed to do.  Then we’d hop back in the car and race back to the hawk.  The dogs would have to wait just a little longer to get their relief.

The hawk was still there, and I snapped some pics.  I had to do a full zoom and the windshield and falling snow were interfering with the camera’s ability to focus automatically.  Needless to say I was frustrated and only got the blurry photo you see.

Once we were home again, I combed the field guide to ID this raptor.  Nothing matched what we saw.  I had an idea.  Last night I had just “liked” the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union Facebook page.  People can upload their bird photos to share good sightings and get ID help, so I uploaded my blurry shot with a plea for help.  As I impatiently waited for a reply, a couple of my friends saw my post, unbeknownst to me, and commented on it.  One of my wise guy friends, Allen, commented, “This hawk is male.”  Another friend, Jeff, said it appeared to be a yearling Red-tailed Hawk. I thought that seemed like very specific knowledge.  Knowing the guy, I figured he either really knew his stuff or he was just making up a BS answer.  I was leaning toward the latter because I didn’t know him to be a bird guy.  A couple hours later the moderator of the MOU FB page commented that he/she agreed with Jeff!

Jeff was ecstatic and called me up to celebrate his official Facebook confirmation.  It turns out that he’s always had a love of raptors and that he used to go birding with his family.  I learned from Jeff that Red-tailed Hawks have white feathers in their first year. I learned something new about a friend (and Red-tailed Hawks) because of this blurry photograph. It seems that there are secret birders everywhere.  That’s what I love about birding.  Finding cool birds is half the fun; the other, perhaps better half is sharing that joy with others.

Duck Dynasty

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These birders were happy, happy, happy today.  For not planning on going birding, we stumbled across a hidden treasure.  After church we went to St. Cloud so that Melissa could pick up some supplies for Willmar Middle School’s upcoming production of The Little Mermaid.    Birding wasn’t even in the plans.  In fact, Evan must have complained about being bored at least 75 times on the car ride there.  We trekked through places like Crafts Direct and Party City.  These places were visually stimulating and ripe for tactile exploration.  The boredom issue never came up again.  On the contrary, we were exhausted from telling two kids to put things back and to stop touching things.

As we drove between stores, we started to see Mallards flying here and there.  After all, the Mississippi River runs right through St. Cloud, and where there’s water, there are birds.  Evan and I got excited over every Mallard and Bald Eagle we saw.  After we had finished Melissa’s errands, she surprised us by saying that we should grab a treat from McDonald’s and try to find a road down by the river to see some ducks.  She wanted this to be a fun outing for us guys too. Isn’t she great? Thankfully I had my camera along since I used it to record Marin’s singing program at church earlier.

We made our way toward the river and right by Apollo High School I noticed Mallards seeming to land in the northeast corner of the football field.  What? There must be water.  We did some maneuvering with the vehicle and discovered the ducks were actually landing in a small ditch with cattails right by Highway 15.  I found a place to park at an empty lot right near the ditch.  We saw many, many ducks whiz by, and I made horrible attempts at flight photography.  Here is a sample of what we saw.

What are they landing in?!?

I was compelled to get out of the vehicle and walk through two feet of snow with just shoes to take a closer look.  Aha! Open water!

And then I looked and saw more Mallards than I’ve ever seen…

After seeing all these ducks and flushing a couple hundred with my presence, I went back to the car to get Evan.  I carried him through the snow so he could witness it for himself.  I don’t remember his exact words, but he was excited!  We got back into the car and  watched the ducks on the top of the bank a little longer.  As I photographed birds and made more miserable attempts at flight photography, Melissa and the kids were entertained by this bully drake Mallard who was chasing other ducks, pulling out tail feathers, and just being a regular grouch.

It was quite a treat to see Mallards in the snow.  Even better was seeing so many of them! It was absolutely crazy, and I’m sure it is an experience that our family won’t forget.  Evan kept saying on the way home, “That was awesome!”  Yes, Evan, it was.  Who needs the Mississippi when you have a ditch?

From the Vault: Ruffed Grouse and the Team – 2009

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After last week’s blog interview with my dad and his official work with several species of grouse, I remembered having shot some footage in 2009 of Ruffed Grouse males on display. Melissa did a great job editing this footage many years ago into the 3-minute clip below. I think you’ll find the bird behavior fascinating.

I think you might also find the human aspect of this fascinating too, especially if you’ve been reading the blog. The setting of this video is my wife’s parents’ house in northern Minnesota in late April or early May. We, along with my parents, were there to celebrate our niece Mya’s 2nd birthday. I want you to watch/listen for two things: 1) About halfway through you will hear Evan’s tiny 2-year-old voice ask, “Is dat Mourning Dove?” and 2) You will see a shot of Grandpa Rick holding Evan on his lap as we are watching Ruffed Grouse out the window – a wonderful shot that foretells our adventures today as the Team.

Can anyone identify the bird that makes a loud chirping sound in the beginning of the video?  You can even see the bird, but it is too far away to ID.  I have identified one of the other bird sounds on the video as the Red-Breasted Nuthatch.

The GBBC – Care to Join Us?

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This weekend we will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count – a global bird watching project organized by the National Audobon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  It is similar to the annual Christmas Bird Count sponsored by the National Audobon Society since 1900, but for this count you do not have to leave the house.  It is easy to do with kids.  Here is what you need to know:

What: Count the number of each species you see in your yard and submit your results to the Great Backyard Bird Count.

How: Get a printable data sheet here to record bird species and numbers.  When the count starts you then create an account at this same website to submit your results.

Who: Anyone! Novice, expert, young, old, busy, not-so-busy.

When: Friday, February 15th through Monday, February 18th.  You can pick one or all of those days for your observation.  You can even choose the time of day and length of time – even if it’s just 15 minutes.  It is very flexible!

Where: Your own yard!

Why: Scientists and bird enthusiasts need help in tracking the movements of birds.  It is just too broad for any one person or organization to track. Here are some specific questions that can be answered by the collection of this data:

  • How is the weather affecting bird movements?
  • Are there any “irruptive” species, meaning species that shows up in large numbers some years and not others?
  • How do migration patterns compare with the previous years?
  • Are diseases like West Nile impacting populations in certain regions?
  • What kind of species diversity is there in cities compared with rural areas?

Are you interested and want more information? Go directly to the Great Backyard Bird Count website.

Not a birder? I bet you know someone who watches birds, like a parent, grandparent or neighbor who would love to have you over.  Call them up, bring over a box of donuts, and drink some coffee while you count birds for the sake of science.  Birds are a great excuse to go visit loved ones.  So go for it – I promise you’ll have fun.

Evan and I would love to know if you’re joining us – let us know in the comment section.

April Will Be Epic!

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Look what I got in the mail today!  Shooting a Wild Turkey is a bucket-list item for me, and now I have the opportunity to make that a reality.  It just so happens that my friend, Terry, has nearly a hundred turkeys running around on his land, and he has given me permission to hunt .  More than that, Terry has ground-blinds set up all over his property with turkey decoys.  He told me to bring a good book and a gun.  He also said Evan, who will be 6, will be the perfect age to sit in the blind and listen and look for turkeys.

Minnesota has eight consecutive turkey seasons in the spring that are each 5 days long. The first season starts April 17th.  To hunt in the first four seasons, you need to have your name drawn in the turkey license lottery.  You can hunt the last four seasons by buying a tag over-the-counter as long as there are still permits available. As you can see, my name was drawn for season B, the second season, which is a Monday through Friday.  I don’t work on Monday, and I may have to take an extra day off to get my bird.  I might be pulling Evan out of school for a day so he can share in this adventure.  I’m excited for this opportunity.  If I see a big, strutting tom, though, I will have a huge dilemma as to whether I should reach for my Canon or my Benelli (12 gauge).

April is also going to be a memorable month because the Team has a huge birding adventure planned.  It’s such a top-secret affair that only a handful of people know about it right now.  In fact, even Evan has no clue it’s going to happen.  For now I’ll just tell you that state lines will be crossed and that Evan and I will be missing some school. So be prepared for some great stories in just two months.  I can’t wait to write them, and I really can’t wait to live them with Evan!

Look Who the Blizzard Blew In!

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Whew!  Evan’s Eurasian Collared Dove is still alive! (More Than Just A Name) It’s been absent from the yard for nearly two weeks after being a regular since summer, and we were getting worried that it had died.  After all, we had a pair of them for several months, which turned into one bird in the last two months.  This morning we are in the midst of a blizzard.  In fact, we are spending the day  holed up in the house as all church services in Willmar were canceled.  It’s a good day for drinking coffee and monitoring the birds. Can you tell that it’s cold and windy outside?

To give you a sense of this bird’s size, here is a shot where I am not zoomed in.  Do you see it in the middle of the picture and how its size compares to the Common Redpolls on the feeder?

Here’s a shot of the feeding frenzy that happens here daily – blizzard or not.

And add a splash of color in this whiteout, and you have a good bird-watching day! (From reading the blog, can you identify all three species in this shot?)

Answers: Male Northern Cardinal, Male Dark-Eyed Junco (Slate-Colored), and two House Sparrows

 

Meet My Dad – The Wildlife Biologist and Birder

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In this blog post I have interviewed my dad, Rick Wallestad, about his history with birds – both official work as a wildlife biologist for the Montana Department of Fish and Game in the 1970s and his unofficial work as an emerging birder like Evan and me.  Whether you know him or he’s a complete stranger to you, I think you will find the following interview with my dad to be a fascinating read.  If you are a pure birder and have no connection to us personally, there is some great “bird stuff” in here.  If you’ve known him in any capacity, then you will now have a more in-depth knowledge of his story.  I was familiar with several of his answers, but I also learned a lot of new things in doing this project.  It was important for me to document and preserve this information for Evan’s sake.  A secondary goal would be that you would find this to be an enjoyable read.

How did your interest in birds begin?

As a young boy in Rolette, North Dakota, my buddy Joey Fox and I would scout out any nest we found to see what kind of eggs were there, and how many. It’s just something we did often.

What are the facts of your education and employment history with the Montana Department of Fish and Game? Editor’s Note: This state department is now called the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

I got my B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Minnesota in 1966. While there I worked one year for the Fisheries Department, reading fish scales to determine the age of the fish. Then I spent one quarter at the Cloquet Research Center assisting a research student trapping and radio-tagging snowshoe hares.  I spent another summer at Cloquet assisting a PhD student researching Ruffed Grouse broods using radio telemetry, also. These telemetry projects were some of the first in the country. My adviser, Dr. William Marshall, was a pioneer in the development of radio telemetry. As a result of this experience in telemetry, it paved the way to get a job in Montana studying the effects of DDT on Blue Grouse in western Montana.

I attended graduate school at Montana State University, studying habitat requirements and movements of Sage Grouse hens and their broods. Upon completion of my M.S. degree in Wildlife Management in 1970, I went to work for the Montana Fish and Game Department as a research biologist studying effects of sagebrush removal on the Sage Grouse.  Editor’s Note: “Sage Grouse” in Rick’s responses refer to the Greater Sage Grouse.  In the 1990s it was determined that sage grouse found in the Gunnison Basin of southwest Colorado were a distinct species.  Nearly identical looking but 2/3 the size of the Greater, it is called the Gunnison Sage Grouse. During that three-year period that I was a research biologist, I published five articles on Sage Grouse in the Journal of Wildlife Management and one technical bulletin titled “Life History and Habitat Requirements of Sage Grouse in Central Montana” published in 1975 (pictured at right).  I also worked as a management biologist in Broadus, Montana for three years and managed four Wildlife Management Areas around Sidney, Montana for three years.

You mentioned working in Cloquet, Minnesota studying the Ruffed Grouse.  Did you work with Gordon Gullion, arguably the foremost authority on the Ruffed Grouse?

He was there and I visited with him a lot, but I was working for Geoff Godfrey who was a graduate student of Bill Marshall. Gordy was permanent staff and also worked under Bill Marshall because Cloquet was a year-round research station for the University.

How did you capture Ruffed Grouse?

We captured them with a clover-leaf trap. It was chicken wire arranged like a 4-leaf clover. Each circle of the clover was about 4-feet in diameter. There were two leads of 18-inch high chicken wire, each 100-feet long stretched out into the swamps. Since Ruffed Grouse broods travel by walking, the hen would walk up to the this 100-foot section of chicken wire and being blocked, would lead her brood along it until they walked right around one of the clover circles at the end and were then funneled into the trap.

What are some fun or interesting facts you can tell us about the Greater Sage Grouse?

It’s one of the few birds that is totally dependent on sage brush for survival. Without sage brush there would be no Sage Grouse. The entire overall 10-year study, a cooperative study with the Bureau of Land Management, was instrumental in stopping the practice of spraying sage brush.

On the strutting ground (breeding ground) with 20 or more males, only one or two males will do the breeding. The average clutch size for a yearling bird is 5-6 eggs, and for 2+ years is 7-8 eggs. Most Sage Grouse hens nest within 1-2 miles of the strutting ground.

Editor’s Note: All photos of Greater Sage-Grouse and Sharp-Tailed Grouse on this post, with the exception of the photo of the radio-tagged Greater Sage Grouse taken from Rick’s aforementioned technical bulletin, are courtesy of Bob Martinka, a former colleague of Rick at the Montana Department of Fish and Game.  Bob has graciously allowed me to use these photos.  He has his own bird blog at BirdManBob, and his amazing bird photography can be viewed at his Flickr Photo Site. Thanks, Bob!

Describe how you captured Greater Sage Grouse.

We would catch them on the strutting ground using cannon nets which were set with explosive charges. The two 100-foot cannon nets running parallel were set about 40 feet apart. These would cover the main part of the strutting ground, which was identified by the droppings and feathers. When a big group of males assembled and were strutting, a cluster of hens would come onto the ground. The net charges would be deployed and the nets would spread out overlapping each other, floating down on the grouse, holding them to the ground. (Google cannon nets to see some pictures. You can also Google clover-leaf traps to get an idea, even though the ones we found were fish traps.)

Another method of catching Sage Grouse hens was to drive through sage brush areas. When we saw a hen with a brood, Dr. Bob Eng would get out and whistle like a chick which would draw the hen in. Then with a telescoping noose pole, which would extend from 6 feet to 20 feet with a noose on the end, the noose would be slipped over the hen’s head and tightened just enough to bring the hen in so it could be fixed with a leg band and a radio tracking device.

 

 

What kind of expert advice do you have in locating and viewing Greater Sage Grouse?

They can be located by driving through sagebrush country, but they are hard to see because they are brown and blend in to the surroundings. Bob Eng would spot them by looking for the eye. They can also be found by listening for the sound of the birds as they are strutting in the early morning, often for a distance of about a half mile.

The distribution of Sage Grouse is found only where there is sage brush. It would be in the west…Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, Wyoming, eastern Colorado, parts of Nevada and New Mexico.

 

 

How do you locate a strutting ground for Sage Grouse?

Contact a biologist in any of those states’ fish and wildlife departments to ask the location of a strutting ground. 

 

Besides your extensive studies of the Greater Sage Grouse, what other official duties did you have to perform regarding birds?

We did roadside crowing counts for Ring-Necked Pheasants, strutting ground surveys for Sage Grouse, and dancing ground surveys for Sharp-Tailed Grouse.

 

What fun or interesting facts can you tell us about the Sharp-Tailed Grouse?

I’ve had very little experience with “sharptails.” Their grounds are called “dancing grounds” compared to “strutting grounds” for Sage Grouse. They are usually located on the top of a hill. I experienced seeing some of these in grassland areas like Kenny Simonsen’s ranch near Sidney, Montana. There are generally not as many males on the dancing grounds, maybe 6 to 15 per ground.

 

Do you have any fun or interesting bird stories you can share from your days with the Montana Department of Fish and Game?

I was contacted by some birders one spring who had never seen Sage Grouse, and I took them out to a strutting ground. I was able to drive into the middle of the strutting ground with Sage Grouse strutting on all sides of the truck. They were very thrilled because it was another bird on their life list.

We referred to birds in two ways: game birds and “dickie” birds – small songbirds.

What is your favorite bird of all time? Why?

The Western Meadowlark because of the beautiful song, and it reminds me of the prairie where I grew up.

What is the “best” bird you have ever seen? Why?

The Trumpeter Swan because of the rarity of it. As I recall, the only place I’ve ever seen one is in Saunders Bay on Pelican Lake near Orr, Minnesota.

What are your target birds in 2013 that you want to add to your life list?

I’d like to identify all the warblers on our farm in northern Minnesota.

Give us an update on your birding in Arizona. Seeing other snowbirds does not count.

We saw a Red-Tailed Hawk near Maricopa and Common Egrets near Gila Bend. In Oak Creek we saw a large blue bird that we haven’t identified yet. We also saw a bird high up in a tree that had an incredibly beautiful song, but we also haven’t identified it.

What are your impressions of Evan’s birding abilities, and what lasting birding advice can you give him?

Evan’s abilities are amazing in the way he can pick out minor differences in birds. It has been impressive to see his powers of observation.  His enthusiasm is contagious. As far as giving him advice, I’d say I’ve learned a lot from this 5-year-old, and it has encouraged my interest in birding.

To see what Rick is talking about regarding Evan’s “powers of observation” read More Than Just a Name.

If you want to see an amazing Ruffed Grouse video that I shot that includes male grouse on display and Evan as a 2-year old birder with Grandpa Rick, stop by the blog next Saturday.  I couldn’t believe this video that I shot four years ago and how it foretells the adventures we’re having today!

Some Fun Bird Pics for your Wednesday Morning

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This is just a quick photo post to highlight more of the diversity that we’ve had this year in our first winter of feeding the birds.  When I went on my “Big Day” of birding from inside the living room on Saturday, I captured photos of nearly all of the regular species that visit us.  However, there were a couple of absences that day.  One of those was the Northern Cardinal which was photographed extensively Sunday.  If you haven’t seen this amazing bird, go to the Home page and scroll down a couple of posts.

The Blue Jay finally showed up today.  He used to be here regularly, and earlier in the winter there used to be several.  Lately the one jay has been elusive.  Even today I saw him for just a flash.

The Blue Jay is very commonplace, but its beauty is undeniable – even if they can be jerks at the feeder.

I am very excited to show you these next photos.  The first is the male Oregon Junco. The second is the female. On Saturday I showed a slightly blurry, close-cropped photo of the female.  As I said before, this has been one of my prize birds all winter.  We are at the very eastern edge of its winter range, and I haven’t seen it around my feeder much.  I was super excited to make this discovery about a month ago by first seeing the female.  In the last week or so, the male has started coming!

And, I know I showed several images of the Hoary Redpoll in Saturday’s post, but I am captivated by this bird because it is such a rarity and travels so far to us.  In the last week, we seem to have several mixed in the Common Redpoll flocks at our house.  Plus, I used to doubt whether I’d actually seen one when I first blogged about it a couple weeks ago.  The photos prove it a certainty and have erased all doubt.

The only other regular yard bird that’s missing is one that I’m dying to show you – Evan’s Eurasian Collared Dove.  It is magnificently large and its back story is very special to me in regards to Evan becoming a birder.  I’m worried, though.  We used to have a pair that regularly came by.  For the last few weeks, just one has shown up, and now it has been a week since we’ve seen that one.  I’ll watch the feeders.  You watch the blog.  Hopefully we see him.