Tag Archives: Migrating Ducks

Sandhill Cranes Invade by the Thousands

During the recent sandhill crane migration I had the opportunity to photograph them throughout the day flying away from their roost in the morning, feeding in nearby cornfields, and then returning at night. The day started off hours before sunrise to find just the right place to watch and take pictures from. The problem was where exactly was this spot? I hadn’t been to this area before and all I had was a map indicating a parking place to watch sandhill cranes. Fortunately there was another adventurer with me who had been in the area and had a bit of an idea of at least where the parking spot would be. We found the parking space which was filled with several other vehicles. This must be the place and there appeared to be a trail so all we had to do was follow that to the cranes right? As it turned out all of those other vehicles were hunters and were off in the woods already. And the trail? It definitely didn’t lead to the cranes.

Being dark out we followed the trail by flashlight and thought it was the right direction as we could hear thousands of sandhill cranes calling and we seemed to be getting closer. After some time on the trail, in the dark, we began to hear squishing sounds only to point the flashlight down and realize where walking through swamps. Every direction we turned to get out of the water led to more water but the cranes sounds really close so we kept trudging through. By this time daylight was beginning to show but there still was not much light as a heavy fog enveloped the area making it difficult to see far enough to know which direction to go. Finally I took out my phone and brought up a satellite map to see what to do next. Our hope of seeing the cranes near their roosting sight disappeared as the realization of needing to head back the way we came took over because there was nothing but more and more water ahead of us. Feeling a little defeated we made our way back to the car to see what we should do next with all of this fog.

Cranes flying in the heavy fog

Acres and acres of corn fields surrounded Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge which is where we were hoping to catch a glimpse of the thousands of cranes that stop on their migration south next. But the fog made it nearly impossible to see much and had no indication of disappearing anytime soon. We decided to try driving around some of the area farms and see if there’s anything to look at. Have any of the cranes made their way to the fields yet? After driving for a little while just ahead of us we caught a glimpse of a flock of cranes flying towards corn fields. That was all the encouragement we needed to continue our search. It took a little more time but eventually there was a field with several sandhill cranes feasting away. Pulling off of the road we grabbed cameras and began taking shot after shot as more and more cranes continue to land in this field. Hundreds of them showed up as the fog finally decided to relent revealing more cranes than I could have imagined all looking for food so they can continue their migration.

Cranes out in a cornfield gorging in preparation for their up coming flight

Over the next 45 minutes or so cranes came in and left again until all of them had moved on to other fields. Back in the car in search of other crane covered corn fields. This went on for the next couple of hours until the need for food became to great a distraction from watching and photographing cranes. After a nice stop to re-fuel, the rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Sherburne which has several trails and numerous service roads which can be hiked for a portion of the year.  Eventually the sunlight began dimming and it was time to return to a crane viewing area for the evening barrage of cranes coming in to roost.

A pair of cranes in flight

Getting back to the parking area for sandhill crane viewing there were once again several cars but this time also several people just standing and watching or photographing as the cranes flew overhead. Finally some confirmation that the point is to watch the cranes from this parking place. We were informed many flocks of cranes have already passed by and it was unknown how many more would still be coming. A few minutes later answered that question as one flock after another continued to fly overhead in route to their evening resting place. Hundreds and hundreds kept going over calling to one another along the way. It was an amazing sight to see and hear thousands of cranes converging into one area. Overall they estimated over 11,000 cranes at the refuge this year.

Wave after wave the Sandhill Cranes return from a day of gorging in nearby cornfields

Ducks, Ducks, and More Water Fowl

Over the last few weeks I’ve been able to get out and photograph several different types of ducks and other waterfowl as they begin their migration north. Fortunately for me there has been limited areas of open water so these ducks have had to congregate into these areas making it a little easier to photograph. There have been thirteen different ducks that I’ve photographed this spring. Out of those, six are types I’ve never seen before so that’s pretty good success in my book. The top photo is a pair of wood ducks searching for a place to build their nest.  (Click on each image below to view a larger version of it.)

A pair of Mallard drakes                  Canadian Geese

In these next two pictures are the most common types of waterfowl in my area which include mallards and Canadian geese. Mallards can have some great colors but are seen all the time during the summer making them less interesting. Canadian geese are a pretty bird with their combination of brown, black, and white colors but they are kind of annoying with their constant honking.

Great Blue Heron                  A pair of Blue Winged Teal

The first image on the left is not really a waterfowl, but a bird that spends a lot of time in the shallow waters. This Great Blue Heron took me several attempts to get nice photos of because I would continually scare it away as I approached the thawing creek without knowing it was there. Finally on the third time going to the area I saw it before it took off and stopped. After awhile it didn’t seem to care that I was there so I could get close enough for some nice photos. In the second picture is a pair of blue winged teals which I’ve photographed a number of times before.

Green Winged Teal                  Ring Neck drake

During one of my outings I came across this duck on the left above which I have never seen before. Upon getting home and doing a little research I found out this was a green winged teal. A very pretty duck which would have been nice to get closer to for better photos. Not this time I guess. The duck above on the left is a ring neck duck which I’ve seen and photographed a couple of times. A fun duck to watch.

A pair of Bufflehead ducks                   Red Head duck

Above on the left are a pair of bufflehead ducks. Another duck which I had not yet seen so it was nice to add these to my collection. Fortunately I saw several of these during a weeks time span. On the right above is a read head duck which was mixed in with a flock of lessor scaups below on the left. These I’ve seen a number of different times during the spring and fall migration. They are very distinctive to pick out in a flock of ducks due to their red heads.

Lesser Scaup ducks                   Hooded Merganser drake taking off

Getting ready to fly away on the right photo above is a hooded merganser. These are another fairly common duck in central Minnesota. Moving to the pictures below, the one of the left is a red breasted merganser and the common loon on the right. Both of these are new to my photo collection and I’ve never seen a red breasted merganser before so that was fun. Very interesting and pretty ducks. While loons have been visible from time to time I’ve never actually taken a lot of time to watch them up close. They are fun to sit and watch with a binoculars or spotting scope (or in my case a zoom lens) for awhile as they fish, preen, and maintain their territory. With any luck I’ll be able to get out more this spring and observe more fowl as they prepare for the summer.

Red Breasted Merganser                    Loon on take off

Grebe Fun

These grebes may not be the most colorful of fowl but they are certainly an agile and active bird making for some entertaining bird watching.  They’re almost always in motion weather they’re diving under water making the observer guess where they’ll surface next or preening their feathers providing a show to those watching. If there’s a flock of ducks around, there’s probably a grebe or two in the mix as well.

Contortionist Grebe

Spending some time sitting quietly will bring these birds a little closer so you can watch as they contort into positions that appear quite uncomfortable or even a little painful. These birds can amaze the observer with how they can fluff their feathers in an effort to dry them further after diving. It almost looks as though they are just out playing around in the water.

Fluffing feathers

From time to time I would watch as a grebe spread its wings while swimming. Is this a simple act of drying them after spending time underwater, using them as a sail to move across the surface of a pond, or do they think they’re flying while swimming? A fun grebe game perhaps.

Flying on water

At other times a grebe would begin flapping its little wings so hard water would begin flying everywhere. Again I wondered why it would do this. Is it taking a shower this way or just playing around and motor boating? Maybe it’s showing off for other ducks around it. Either way it provided some interesting entertainment.

Splish splash a grebes taken a bath

It wasn’t until I saw one of these grebes surface with a fish in its mouth that I realized what they eat. Often ducks dive for aquatic plants so that’s what I thought these were doing. They eat so fast it can be hard to tell what’s in their mouths. Fortunately cameras can photograph rather quickly allowing me to capture the photo below confirming that they eat fish. A grebe is certainly an interesting bird to watch for awhile if the opportunity presents itself. By the way, I believe these are Pied billed Grebes however their distinctive bill color is missing during the migration.

Catching a fish for dinner

The Ducks are Migrating

While out on a hike recently I noticed this small pond full of ducks. Watching for a few minutes I could see a few different types of beautiful ducks but I had to keep going as rain was near and I didn’t really want to get wet. A few days later I got up just before sunrise and headed to this lake to watch these ducks.

A crisp morning with some fog

As the morning went on I was amazed at the diversity of ducks in this little pond on a beautiful crisp day. While walking from my car to the pond there was frost on the grass and some fog in valleys which was burning off quickly under the warming sun. A perfect morning for enjoying the outdoors in my book.

Ringneck Ducks

After settling in next to a tree, the ducks began moving around the lake but seemed to always keep an eye on me. The morning started with me sitting in front of the tree trying to keep still waiting for them to come closer. After awhile I decided to move next to the tree instead of in front of it and ducks began to come closer but still far enough away to prevent close up pictures like the Ringneck ducks in the photo above.

Trumpeter Swan grazing the top of the water

While enjoying the great spring morning I could hear a Trumpeter Swan calling off in the distance. Eventually it flew closer and around the pond. Having watched these birds I was pretty sure it was going to make a pass somewhere on this pond if not land in the pond so I kept an eye on it and had the camera ready. The difficult part about preparing for the swan was trying to also keep on eye on the ducks and their position. Soon this Trumpeter turned and headed for the pond allowing me to shoot away. When looking over the photos this one caught my attention because of how close the wing feathers are to the water and the light reflecting off of the water onto its wings.

Redhead ducks swimming with the Ringneck ducks

As the morning continued a beaver would swim around appearing as if it was chasing these ducks which worked great for me because these ducks would forget about me for a few moments and come closer. Another type of duck called Redhead moved to the area of the pond closer to me and allowed me to watch them for a little while until the beaver left the area they wanted to be. They were interesting to watch as at time they would fly in circles around the lake and fly into a tree for a few minutes before returning to the water. Also at this time wind was increasing taking away the reflective water from earlier.

A pair of woodducks

After awhile I began watching some birds as they fluttered around me and even over the water. As I continued to do this I noticed some ducks coming closer as my attention was elsewhere like these Wood Ducks in the photo above. This was interesting to me as in other locations keeping still and as hidden as possible brought the ducks closer allowing for more detailed photos. As they seemed to get more comfortable with my presence I would slowly move the camera back in their direction and begin photographing them.

Hooded Mergansers

These male and female Hooded Mergansers eventually made there way closer to me providing a little entertainment as there was one male and seven females giving this group a little different dynamic from the traditional pair of ducks. It was fun as they stayed near me for a little while as they dove for food, chased each other around, and preened. Eventually they flew off to another area leaving me relaxed and satisfied with my time watching them.

Green Winged Teal

The first ducks to venture close to me were Green Wing Teals as they scoured the shoreline for food. These ducks have an amazing array of colors which become more iridescent as the light changes while they’re swimming around, however, the best colors show up as their wings are spread showing off a light teal and bright green spot on each wing. During the morning I did hear Loons calling in the distances along with Sandhill Cranes but they did not venture close enough to watch. It was a very surprising morning at this little pond with how much diversity of ducks and birds hanging around making it difficult to leave. Hopefully there will be another opportunity to go back.

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