D is for Dickcissel

Dickcissel

Dickcissel is one of my favorite grassland birds. They come to central South Dakota every year to breed out on the prairie. However, they are not present here very long. Dickcissels arrive in late may and depart before the end of July. While they are here, though, they are very noticeable-- calling out "Dick... Dickcissel... Cissel" from any available perch. They are the perfect bird to represent the letter D.

C is for Cardinal

Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis

I have to admit it. I did give some thought to selecting catbird, chat, chickadee, coot, cowbird, crane, crossbill, crow or curlew to represent the letter C. But I knew you would all have my head if I chose anything but the Northern Cardinal. And did you notice that both parts of its scientific name also start with C?

B is for Bobolink

Bobolink

There are many bird names starting with B, but none are as much fun to say as Bobolink. Say it a few times: "Bobolink... Bobolink... Bobolink..."

A is for Avocet

American Avocet

"I am proud to represent all my fellow American Avocets in bringing you the letter, A."

ABC Birds

Ring-billed Gull speculating on its place in the alphabet

"Bill's going to do an alphabetical list of birds.
I can't wait to find out if I am listed under R for Ring-billed, or under G for Gull."

I spend a great deal of time listing and alphabetizing bird names and bird images. So, I was wondering what would happen if I tried to come up with 26 birds to represent the 26 letters of the alphabet. These are all going to be birds that I have photographed in the United States. My friend the Ring-billed Gull is already speculating where he is going to come in. Maybe you are wondering what I am going to do for X! Well, check back every day and you will find out!

Lady Scaup

Female Greater Scaup

scaup, n. any of various northern wild ducks related to the Canvasback and Redhead.

Yesterday I found this charming female Greater Scaup on Capitol Lake in Pierre.

A Black Duck

American Black Duck

This afternoon there was an American Black Duck on Capitol Lake in Pierre. American Black Ducks are common on the Atlantic Coast, but they are unusual here in central South Dakota. This is only the second time I have ever seen one out here. This duck posed for a while with some female Mallards for some great comparisons.



American Black Duck (left) and female Mallard (right)

American Black Ducks are not really black. However, they are much darker than female Mallards with which they can sometimes be confused. The key to separating black ducks from Mallards is the bill color. Note the uniform yellow bill of this American Black Duck, and the black-spotted, orange bills of the female Mallards.  



(Left to right) female Mallard, male Common Merganser, female Mallard,
and American Black Duck



Thank Him Today

Wild Turkey

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart."

Psalm 9:1 (NIV)

"Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness,

which causeth through us thanksgiving to God."

2 Corinthians 9:11 (KJV)

Hurry Up! Tomorrow Is Thanksgiving!

Wild Turkeys in a hurry!

"Hurry! It's almost Thanksgiving." Yes, that is very likely what most of us are thinking right now. Either we have houses to clean and food to prepare; or we have bags to pack and miles and miles to travel by noon tomorrow. So... how about if we all slow down right now and reflect on these words from the Bible:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation , by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

My Ears Are Short

Male Short-eared Owl in central South Dakota

Short-eared Owls commonly spend the winter hunting for small mammals in the grasslands of the central Great Plains. I have heard of a few sightings already in western Iowa, but so far none in South Dakota. Now that we have had our first blast of winter, I imagine they will show up soon. I am going to keep my eyes open for these beautiful and mysterious birds starting today. In looking at some of my old photos, and consulting some reference works, I was surprised at how easy it is to tell the males from the females. The females are described as, "darker and buffier." Notice how much paler the male appears in this photo, especially in the face. And can you see the "ears" on the female? That is about as visible as they get. Short-eared, indeed!



Female Short-eared Owl in central South Dakota



Oregon Returns

"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco

The seven inches of snow we had on Saturday caused an increase of activity at my feeders. Included among the newcomers was a Dark-eyed Junco of the Oregon sub-species. We see thousands and thousands of Dark-eyed Juncos in central South Dakota every winter. Most of them are of the Slate-colored variety, but we do sometimes see a few White-winged, Pink-sided and Oregon Juncos as well. My mother always called Dark-eyed Juncos, "Snowbirds," and I like that name myself. These little fellows certainly do love the snow. I am glad to have them around to brighten the winter landscape.

It Snowed!

Backyard feeders this morning at 7:00 A.M.

The weatherman said it was going to snow. Yet, when I went to bed last night after the Ten O'clock News, there was no snow falling and I wondered if the weatherman knew shat he was talking about. Well, this morning at 7:00 when I stepped out into the darkness of my backyard, this is what I saw! About six inches of snow covers everything back there! I will venture out there in a few minutes to see what birds are around and to brush off and re-fill the feeders as necessary. I will let you know later what I see in this first winter wonderland of the year here in Pierre.

The Redpolls Are Coming!

Common Redpolls at my feeder - March 2009

Reports of Common Redpolls have been coming in from North Dakota and Minnesota for the past few weeks. Yesterday I read my first-of-the-fall report of Common Redpolls in South Dakota. A gentleman saw a flock of 15 or 20 redpolls in some birch trees on the campus of South Dakota State University, about 200 miles east of here. This likely means that the winter fast approaching us could be a "redpoll winter" like the winter of 2008-2009. That year large flocks of Common Redpolls wandered around South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska nearly all winter. In January and February of 2009, I observed several flocks of redpolls out in the country in harvested sunflower fields. But for me, the culmination of the last "redpoll winter" was in mid-March when the two Common Redpolls pictured here visited my backyard feeder. I hope they come back this winter. I have plenty of sunflower seeds waiting for them. 



Common Redpoll giving me the eye - March 2009



Fill Those Feeders!

A White-breasted Nuthatch grabs a sunflower seed

"Hey, everybody! It's time get out there and fill up your feeders. All the birds in your neighborhood... especially my fellow White-breasted Nuthatches... will be ever so grateful."

Gulling Again

Immature Great Black-backed Gull
Missouri River in Pierre, South Dakota

It's been a while since I have posted to this blog. That's because it's been a while since I have had time to look for any birds. However, earlier this week I heard there was an immature Great Black-backed Gull right here in Pierre. I just had to go have a look for myself. Sure enough, I found the bird without any difficulty. Great Black-backed Gulls are birds of the Atlantic seacoast. They really don't have any business showing up on the Missouri River in the middle of South Dakota, but every year or two one will make its way out here. These are the largest of all the gulls in North America, measuring about 30 inches in length. As you can see from the photo below, that makes them almost the size of a Canada Goose. Oh, the pleasures of gulling in central South Dakota! You never know what will turn up next.  



Immature Great Black-backed Gull with Canada Goose