That is a Crappie, isn't it?
After a break that was no longer than a minute, the male took off again.
Jim agreed that it had been worth the wait.

looking for Sandhill Cranes at Carlos Avery

Les picked me up at 6:30 a.m. sharp. I had barely managed to wake up with a half-cup of French roast coffee.
The sun was peeking between the clouds and the temperature was in the 40s as we arrived at Carlos Avery a little before 7.
We picked up maps at the entrance to Carlos Avery Headquarters at the north end of Zodiac Street off West Broadway/Co. Rd. 18.

Our main goal was to find Sandhill Cranes and get close enough for some good pictures. We headed east & then north to Pools 10 & 9. Very soon we were greeted by this assembly of Wood Ducks.

We found this pair of Sandhill Cranes in the west end of Pool 22. They were very cooperative subjects, probably because there was a ditch filled with water separating us. I cannot get over how regal and magnificent these birds are. I expect to make many more visits to see them.

It was still early morn- ing; that's why the birds appear colored in such golden tones.
We were fortunate to find several more pairs and individuals.
Les & I speculated that these must be breeding pairs and that those heading further north have left.
They do not appear to be particularly wary of people provided you do not approach them in a direct line. However, if you wait too long to set up your tripod and camera, you will find that they will slowly walk away from you.
By the way, the tripod leg covers I made worked very well. My hands stayed warm and the tripod, when carried, was easier on my shoulders.

One of our last sightings of Sandhill Cranes was this magnificent specimen east of Pool 26. Contrary to what most "experts" recommend, we had to shoot into the sun, but I think the back-lighting makes this bird only more striking.

Of course, we saw many other birds, such as this beautiful Ring-necked Duck.

You may recall that in a previous post (near the end of the post) I documented a Bluebird defending this same box from a pair of Tree Swallows. It looks like in the end the Tree Swallows won.

Among the other arrivals we found this White-throated Sparrow and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.

There were Blue-winged Teal in nearly every pond.

This Bluebird bid us good bye as we left Carlos Avery. It was well after noon -- the temperature must have been close to 60.

A great morning!
Next we headed to check out the Osprey platform I had previously written about.
However, after watching the nest for several minutes there appeared to be no activity.
The mutual decision was to have lunch; we ended up at a nearby bar for good & greasy hamburgers.
More about the Osprey platform in my next post.

Carlos Avery

Les & I had a good time explo- ring Carlos Avery this morn- ing. Our main goal was to get some good shots of Sandhill Cranes; we were quite successful. I'll be posting the pictures tomorrow along with those of other birds we encountered.

Brown Creeper

Not a single one all winter and now, there he was, right outside my sunroom window. Yes, the pictures are posted right side up.

Tomorrow, my friend, Les, and I are going to Carlos Avery to look for Sandhill Cranes. In the afternoon, Jim, whom I've introduced before, and I are going to see if we can get some pictures of the Osprey nest at Co. Rd. J and I-35E.

yard birds in Zimmerman, MN

These are some of the birds we photographed yesterday at my relatives' place in Zimmerman. We would have gotten many more had it not started to rain. I have not listed the birds' names since I'm sure you are familiar with all of them.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are here -- at least a few of them.

Zimmerman, MN

I spent the afternoon with my sister-in-law, Rowene, her husband, John, and son, Joe, at Zimmerman, Minnesota. Their home is on a small pond and, therefore, very attractive to birds and other wildlife. There wasn't much sun later today and eventually it started to rain -- but, we had a good time anyway taking pictures of the usual suspects: geese, Mallards, Bluebirds, Cardinals, etc. I'll be posting some of the pictures tomorrow.

more on sensor cleaning

The following is from Pixinfo:

Sensor cleaning is becoming a standard feature on modern digital SLR cameras. While the manufacturers may use different techniques to get rid of the dust from the image sensor, they all promise clean, dust free images. Do they all work equally well? Can we throw our air blower away? We have tested the four different types of sensor cleaning technologies to see which one will most likely to fulfill the expectations.

on-line birdwatching via a web cam

Don't feel like getting out of the house to watch birds? Just turn on your computer and aim a web camera. Rack up points by capturing shots of rare birds and identifying them! Check it out here.

Sandhill Cranes at Carlos Avery

This is a followup on my Carlos Avery posts of yesterday and Wednesday. There is a narrow strip of land between Pools 4 & 10; it is there I encountered this first group of Sandhill Cranes.

"When you get tired of just standing, you let out a yell!"

Preening is good!

Like runners, they like to do a lot of leg stretches.

These two were by Pool 9.

I think I'm in love with Sandhill Cranes;
I have to go back soon!

2 chickens break up rabbit fight!

Proof that birds are smarter than rabbits.

the birds at Carlos Avery

This Canada Goose was one of the first birds I saw as I visited Carlos Avery yesterday. For a description of Carlos Avery, if you are not familiar with it, take a look at Wednesday's post.

The birds are in the approximate order that I encountered them. In addition, there were several Common Loons, American Crows, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, and some hawks & swans I couldn't identify. I spent most of my time with several small groups of Sandhill Cranes between Pools 4 & 10 and at Pool 9. I'll post those pictures tomorrow.

Song Sparrow & Red-winged Blackbird at Pool 10

Ring-necked Ducks at Pools 7 & 22

Northern Shoveler in back w/Ring-necked Duck lower right

Buffleheads flying over Ring-necked Ducks

I didn't know old Coots could flap their wings so fast.

BLUE BIRD vs. TREE SWALLOWS

"I've found a house!"

"I've got to get some stuff for our nest!"

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Get out of here!!"

"Are you still here?"

"You had better scat too!"

". . . and don't come back!"

Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area

This morning was my first visit to Carlos Avery this year; the roads were opened only last Friday. I got there about 7 a.m., shortly after sun rise. In some ways it doesn't seem like spring, because there is very little green stuff around. But the birds that have arrived so far are active. I was especially excited by all the Sandhill Cranes with their distinctive cries. Many of them seemed to be paired off; it is my understanding that quite a few of them nest at Carlos Avery, particularly around Pool 26.
To help you get oriented, if you haven't been to Carlos Avery, I've marked a Google map with the Pools I'm mentioning in this post. I suggest you view the "Hybrid" version. Your best prevention from getting lost is to pick up a map near the entrance on Zodiac Street as pictured above.
The Google map covers only a portion of the total area of more than 6,000 acres, 46 miles of roads, and 23 miles of firebreaks. I have explored only a portion of it. Although there is obviously plenty of room for walking, a car is really a necessity to get about. The effort is worth it, however. You may see more species of birds here than in any one other location near the Twin Cities. Most of them are due to arrive yet; I'll be posting pictures of some of the species I shot today sometime tomorrow.