Pasque Flowers Are Blooming Spring Is Here

The Pasque Flowers are up and blooming.  They are my for sure signal that winter has passed and spring has commenced.

I took this picture yesterday, though there was no sun. 

It is always good to see these large hairy flowers push out of the recently frozen ground and open up to be pollinated by the first bees of spring.

Bluebirds, Robins, And Worms

 The Bluebirds and Robins have returned in great numbers.  I took these pictures the last two days. 

It is always a great pleasure to hear the Bluebirds singing when they return in the spring.  This beautiful male was flying from one nestbox to another trying to decide which was the best location to attract the perfect female.

The blue of these birds is very welcome after so little color all winter.

Male Robins have also returned and seem to be everywhere out on lawns and in fields.  They are looking for food after their long migration north.

They especially like worms, who come to the surface of the ground after the long winter.  But the worms do not go willingly, and put up a bit of a struggle, as seen in the pictures below.

 The worms mostly lose these contests, and the Robins get refueled and ready for their nesting season.

As the female Robins arrive over the next few weeks, mates will be chosen, and nesting will begin.

In the meantime, worms should beware of hungry Robins.

Groundhog Collects Nesting Material

 This morning at Springbrook Nature Center a fat Groundhog was busy collecting leaves and grass to line her nest in preparation for her babies that she will be giving birth to soon.

Hibernation was definately over on this warm and sunny day.  She was finding materials that had been dried out by the sun on the south side of her small hill.

 This groundhog would place her lower jaw down on the ground and, with her mouth open, push forward picking up all the leaves and grass in her mouth.  Then she would look around and disappear down one of her den's holes.  A few minutes after she would be back and repeat the process. 

She continued for the entire 90 minutes I watched her, and was still busy when I left.

 Sometimes she would stop while deep in the brush and look all around for a few minutes, then return to her task of preparing her nest for her babies.

Around four babies will arrive in the next couple of weeks as green things start growing. 

Purple Finches Arrive With First Winter Storm

 There were several Purple Finches at my bird feeders this morning.  The first ones this year, and just in time for the first big snowstorm of this new winter.

This male was waiting for an open space on the feeder. He soon was eating seed as can be seen below.

The females do not have the purple-cranberry color, but are distinctive with the white line over the eye, as can be seen in the picture at the bottom.

Yellowlegs Shorebirds Migrating South

 Most shorebirds have already migrated through Minnesota on their southward journey, but this Greater Yellowlegs was near the shore of the Mississippi River yesterday and allowed me a fairly close approach. It is usually difficult to get close to these birds.

This bird seemed to be resting, eating, and preening its feathers as it prepared for the next leg of its migration to the southern coasts of the United States or somewhere in Central America.

Yellowlegs nest in Canada, so we only get to see them during migration

 Here is a picture with a female Mallard Duck in the foreground for size comparison. The long bill and fairly large size differentiate this from a Lesser Yellowlegs, which also migrate down the Mississippi Migration Flyway.

The bright yellow legs are distinctive in these birds.

Here this bird is looking for food, and in the next picture is seen grabbing something only it can see under the water.

 I didn't see anything wiggling in its mouth when it came back up, so it must have eaten it while under water.  With ducks and gulls all around it, food seen in its mouth would bring other birds eager for a meal.

After eating a little, and resting, then preening, as seen in the picture below, this bird flew off to another spot for more food and rest.

Next spring it will make the return flight to Canada, passing through this same area looking for food and rest to give it the resources it needs to fly thousands of miles to its breeding grounds.

Solar Eclipse At Springbrook Nature Center

 Yesterday in the late afternoon a partial eclipse of the sun occurred all across North America. It was a perfectly clear day and easy to see.  I took these pictures at Springbrook Nature Center at about 6 PM as the sun was setting.

With this eclipse and the total eclipse of the moon earlier this month, it has been a rare sky focused time.

In this picture the sun was dissappearing into the trees of Springbrook as it set, with the partial eclipse still obvious.

The moon moving between the earth and the sun causes this eclipse, but the moon can not be seen, since the sun is lighting its other side.

Mallards and Wood Ducks at Springbrook to Migrate Soon

 Ducks at Springbrook Nature Center are getting ready to migrate.  It is easy to see the Mallards and Wood Ducks in the wetlands off the boardwalks right now, as they spend most of their time eating.

This male Wood Duck is one of the most colorful ducks in North America and and is easily seen from the boardwalk.

 The female Wood Ducks are much less colorful, but almost always together with the males at this time of year.

The Wood Ducks are usually at the edges of the wetlands, and a bit more secretive than other ducks.

 The Mallards are common and easy to get close to.  This pair were within a few yards of the boardwalk, and taking a rest from their busy eating schedule.

As you can see below, their time is mostly spent eating plants that can be reached just under the surface of the water.  Bottoms Up!