Pilated Woodpecker

While out for an early morning walk, I noticed large pieces of wood falling from a tree.  After closer inspection, I found this Pilated Woodpecker hammering away on a tree.  

You can see she has made quite a large hole in the tree.  She pulled out many grubs in the ten minutes I stood and watched her.  

How to tell this is a female, the male Pilated has a red "moustache" just under their eye and along the top of the beak.

The next morning while walking again, I found what I assume is the same female in about the same area getting breakfast.  I sat at a nearby picnic table and waited over 20 minutes for her to come on the side of the dead tree by me.  Unfortunately this was as close as she got.  As this dead tree had become hollow, it made quite a racket when she was hammering on it.

A Blue Jay in a Sycamore tree.

I was thrilled this spring when this very special visitor showed up many times at my birdfeeder.   It is a beautiful male Indigo Bunting.  I was so happy to capture a photo of him.

Cedar Waxwings

While out for a walk on a crisp spring morning, I happened to stumble upon a small tree, no more than 18 feet tall loaded with Cedar Waxwings.  As the temperature was not much over 40 degrees, they were all basking in the warm early morning light.  I am not sure what type of tree they were in as it had no leaves, only these blooms on it.  The waxwings were really enjoying eating all the buds.  Waxwings usually feed on berries, especially from the Cedar tree, hence their name, they will also eat insects caught as they fly.

Many people feel this is one of the most beautiful of all birds.  They can be found in northern North America for breeding and then go to Panama for the winters.  The last few years, I have seen them year round in the midwest.  They will be seen in flocks.  Their population is on the rise in Illinois.

One of the birds eating on the tree buds.  You can see a bit of the red
"wax" markings on his wing.  This mark is actually a cuticle type casing similar to what a new feather grows in around.   Only the adult waxwings will have these.

A small portion of the tree the Waxwings were in.  I believe there are thirteen birds in this shot.  Can you find them all?

Summer Tanager

This is the male Summer Tanager. His brilliant red really stands out in the green leaves. He is the only completely red bird in North America. The tanager is a songbird who is a member of the cardinal genus of birds. The female tanager is yellow with olive-brown markings on her wings.

They live in wooded areas, especially ones containing oak trees. They are not often seen and tend to stay in the upper branches of trees.

Summer Tanagers love to eat bees and wasps. They will eat the larvae or the adults. They will rub the adult bee or wasp on a branch before eating to remove the stinger. Smart birds!

Wood Ducks

Early one spring morning I captured this pair of Wood Ducks foraging for food in a small inlet. Wood Ducks are usually very shy and at the first glance of you they are gone. Lucky for me this pair was not alarmed I was in the area.

The male's markings are stunning. His brilliant red eye really stands out.  An amazing fact : the male Wood Duck will lose all his gorgeous markings after the nesting season.  He will become the muddy brown color of the female.  He will still keep his red bill and the eye will also be a way tell him from the female.

Spring Highlights

This beautiful Blue Jay showed up on Easter morning.  

I came upon the fungus growing on a dead tree branch.  The colors in the early morning sun were amazing.

A baby Kildeer no more than a week old.  Cute little guy!

Apple blossoms.

An Osprey after just grabbing a Bluegill.

A Yellow Warbler catching insects.

An eagle's nest near my home.  I was quite a distance away, but you can see both parents and both eaglets.  One of the parents is feeding the youngsters a fish dinner.

While doing yardwork, I found a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that had just emerged from his chrysalis and was drying his wings.

A Visit to Horicon Marsh - Post #2

More photos of nature found at Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin........

Forster's Tern soaring over the marsh in search of small fish.  They were fun to watch .  When they spotted something, they would stop and hover above waiting for the right moment to dive into the water.

I think this is a Savannah Sparrow, if not then a Song Sparrow but it is missing the dark spot on the center of it's breast and the chest is such a bright white.  It is so hard to tell with sparrows as they all look so close to me.

Although not the sharpest of shots, I wanted to show this hawk to you.  It is a Northern  Harrier or as the locals in the area call it, a Swamp Hawk.  He was soaring over the marshes and nearby grassy patches looking for lunch.  He was easy to tell from the Red-tailed Hawks we seen by the bright white wings with black tips.

A visit to the marsh is not complete without seeing a Sandhill Crane.  They were abundant and very vocal.  This one  seen another pair flying too close to his location and was throwing his head back and making a rattling sound.  It was very loud and was amazing to see him doing.  The rattling and squawking of the cranes can be heard all over the marsh.

The beautiful feathers of the male Northern Shoveler duck.

The Forster's Tern right after he dove into the water and caught a small fish.

A female Red-winged Blackbird.

A Green Heron.  The birding club checklist said these were uncommon in the marsh.  We were  surprised  to find him.

When I first seen these ducks, I thought it was two female teal.  I kept watching them and took some shots.  I was surprised to find these are a pair of Gadwall ducks.  The male is the one in the rear.  Most male ducks have attractive feathers,  this type is rather subdued.

Muskrats are abundant and it's not surprising as they eat cattails roots.    Cattails are everywhere you look  in the marsh!

A pair of Blue-winged Teal in the early morning light.

A pair of  Ring-necked ducks.  

 Visit Horicon Marsh if you ever get the chance.  I can't wait to go back and see what other treasures it holds!

A Visit to Horicon Marsh - Post #1

I spent a beautiful spring day at Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin. I was amazed at how many different species of birds I found. Below is a sample of some of the photos I took. 

Birds were everywhere I looked. Although there were the common Canada geese, Mallard ducks and red-winged blackbirds, there was so much more. I will definitely go back again as what you find, changes all the time.

The male Cowbird doing a little dance trying to win the female's affection.  She was not interested a flew off shortly after I took this shot.

This is a Yellow-rumped Warbler.  He is a "Myrtle" variety.    They have  the white under the throat.  He is passing through on his way to the Rockies for breeding.

A male Redhead duck. 

This is a Black-Crowned Night Heron.  Usually these birds are only found at night and will hide in thick vegetation during the day. 

This is another Yellow-rumped warbler with different black chest markings.  I believe he is still a "Myrtle" variety.

A Great Blue Heron landing on a muskrat house.

Two more Night Herons searching for food.

This was my favorite shot of the Night Herons.  I like his deep ruby colored eyes.

A pair of Blue-winged Teal.  They were quite abundant the day we were there.

Close-up of the male Blue-winged Teal.

A male Ruddy duck.  Their tail feathers often stick straight up in the air, but I wasn't able to catch his that way as he kept diving for food.  His blue bill and rust sides were a stunning combination.

One of two white pelicans I seen.  The knob on its bill is a sign he is a mature bird.  That knob will fall off after breeding season.

A Barn Swallow posing for his picture.  I took advantage of him sitting still and got this shot.  He let me get about five feet away from him.

This is a Pied-billed Grebe.  A tiny sized diver that feeds on fish.

A Palm Warbler.  He is of the "Yellow" variety.  Males and females look  similar.  They are ground loving birds that love marshes and bogs.


Watch for the next post with more photos from the marsh!  I have much more to share.