On Sunday we drove through Murphy Hanrahan Park in Burnsville/Savage, MN, USA to try and hear or see owls. All we saw were crows, and all we heard were crows and white-breasted nuthatches.
At the Minnesota Valley National Wildlie Refuge, along Black Dog Road, just east of I 35, we saw 5 bald eagles, two of which put on an aerial mating display. At one time they dove at each other, circled each other, and finally grasped each others talons while they spiraled around each other downward, and then flew off.
Once again, at the "west end" of the small fenced-in area on the north side of Black Dog Road (this area is just east of the power plant) we encountered the northern shrike, sitting in one of the barren trees just west of the fence, right next to the road. Just west of that we saw one male common merganser sitting on the ice in the river. We've had very few sitings of bufflehead, goldeneye and mergansers this year.
There were still 13 trumpeter swans, several Canada Geese and a double-crested cormorant near the east end of Black Dog Lake, just past the east
sluice gate into the Minnesota River. We also spotted a male belted kingfisher sitting in a small sapling, right next to the road, just east of the Cedar Aveneu Bridge. We often see kingfishers near both sluice gates.
At the ponds farther east on Black Dog Road, in the open water right next to the beaver lodge, we encountered several drake mallards, and a lesser
number of hen malards. And, once again, I noted the drakes performing pair-bonding displays, during which they raisd up from the water, while they bow
their heads toward the water, and emit a high-pitched (rarely heard) whistle or "peep". The hens quacked and performed the "incitement call" (tick-a, tick-a, tick-a), which is performed by hens to get drakes that they are not pair-bonded to to keep away from the. The drakes called with a lower-pitched raeb-raeb, chased the hens, and performed the pair-bonding display and the whistle. This behavior is referred to as "pair-bonding" because it is only a bonding ritual; actual mating does occur until spring.
We did not see the usual flock of turkeys at the house near the east end of Black Dog Road, just before it intersects with the road leading to Hwy. On our way home we stopped near the intersection of Dakota Cty. 42 and Cty. 5. Turkeys roost in the trees at the southwest corner of this
intersection, right behind the Tires Plus and Walgreens stores. As we pulled into the back entrance to Tires Plus, four large tom turkeys were perusing
the parking lot, looking for food scraps from the Honey Baked Ham restaurant.
One of the toms put on a strutting and gobbling display, and while strutting
performed the rarely heard "drum", which sounds like a low rattle/hum, during which air is expelled from the air sack in its chest. The expansion of
this air sack (when filled with air) is what causes the bird to appaer as if it is fluffed up (with its chest feathers sticking out) as it extends its wings toward the ground, tucks its head into its fluffed ups chest, and fans its tail.
A tom turkey cannot gobble while it it strutting, because it must extend its neck and head to perform the gobble, which is both a "long distance"
dominance and female attracting vocalization. When females are "close" (as opposed to long distance) the toms often use strutting, and the rarely heard
"spit" (an explosive exhale of air after the bird has inhaled air to fill the air sack) and the drum (which is a slow release of air from this sack, creating a deep humming sound).
If you are interested in more Biology/behavior of North American Ducks and Geese, and Wild Turkeys, log on to my site at www.TRMichels.com. There is a ton of infromation there.
God bless and good birding,
T.R.
At the Minnesota Valley National Wildlie Refuge, along Black Dog Road, just east of I 35, we saw 5 bald eagles, two of which put on an aerial mating display. At one time they dove at each other, circled each other, and finally grasped each others talons while they spiraled around each other downward, and then flew off.
Once again, at the "west end" of the small fenced-in area on the north side of Black Dog Road (this area is just east of the power plant) we encountered the northern shrike, sitting in one of the barren trees just west of the fence, right next to the road. Just west of that we saw one male common merganser sitting on the ice in the river. We've had very few sitings of bufflehead, goldeneye and mergansers this year.
There were still 13 trumpeter swans, several Canada Geese and a double-crested cormorant near the east end of Black Dog Lake, just past the east
sluice gate into the Minnesota River. We also spotted a male belted kingfisher sitting in a small sapling, right next to the road, just east of the Cedar Aveneu Bridge. We often see kingfishers near both sluice gates.
At the ponds farther east on Black Dog Road, in the open water right next to the beaver lodge, we encountered several drake mallards, and a lesser
number of hen malards. And, once again, I noted the drakes performing pair-bonding displays, during which they raisd up from the water, while they bow
their heads toward the water, and emit a high-pitched (rarely heard) whistle or "peep". The hens quacked and performed the "incitement call" (tick-a, tick-a, tick-a), which is performed by hens to get drakes that they are not pair-bonded to to keep away from the. The drakes called with a lower-pitched raeb-raeb, chased the hens, and performed the pair-bonding display and the whistle. This behavior is referred to as "pair-bonding" because it is only a bonding ritual; actual mating does occur until spring.
We did not see the usual flock of turkeys at the house near the east end of Black Dog Road, just before it intersects with the road leading to Hwy. On our way home we stopped near the intersection of Dakota Cty. 42 and Cty. 5. Turkeys roost in the trees at the southwest corner of this
intersection, right behind the Tires Plus and Walgreens stores. As we pulled into the back entrance to Tires Plus, four large tom turkeys were perusing
the parking lot, looking for food scraps from the Honey Baked Ham restaurant.
One of the toms put on a strutting and gobbling display, and while strutting
performed the rarely heard "drum", which sounds like a low rattle/hum, during which air is expelled from the air sack in its chest. The expansion of
this air sack (when filled with air) is what causes the bird to appaer as if it is fluffed up (with its chest feathers sticking out) as it extends its wings toward the ground, tucks its head into its fluffed ups chest, and fans its tail.
A tom turkey cannot gobble while it it strutting, because it must extend its neck and head to perform the gobble, which is both a "long distance"
dominance and female attracting vocalization. When females are "close" (as opposed to long distance) the toms often use strutting, and the rarely heard
"spit" (an explosive exhale of air after the bird has inhaled air to fill the air sack) and the drum (which is a slow release of air from this sack, creating a deep humming sound).
If you are interested in more Biology/behavior of North American Ducks and Geese, and Wild Turkeys, log on to my site at www.TRMichels.com. There is a ton of infromation there.
God bless and good birding,
T.R.
