Vacation, Day 2: Warbler migration

 Day 2

I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. We put peaches from the tree in the high tunnel on them. Tree ripened peaches are the best!

Blueberry pancakes with peaches and maple syrup

We went down to sit on the dock for a while. The rose hips by the stairs to the lake seemed particularly red this year.

Rose hips

The water level was lower than in previous years. There was no fire ban, but summer rain had been scarce. There was a pull-tab can opener visible near the shore, which was amazing when one considers that the phase out of those dangerous and litter-producing objects began in 1975. I remember childhood warning of cut feet from walking barefoot in state parks along Lake Michigan. I put it in the trash where it belonged.

Blast from the past: A pull tab from before c. 1975

I am always amazed by the spring-loaded stems of the water lilies. The bud must not move very fast; I’ve never seen one shoot out of the water as if propelled by a rocket. That’d be something, hey?

Spring-loaded lily bud stem

We also saw a small bullfrog, based on the Amphibian and Reptile Survey of Minnesota, which says the way to tell the difference is that the ridge behind the eye wraps around the ear drum, whereas in the similar green frog, the ridge extends all the way down the back. Now you know.

Bullfrog

I was lying face-down on the dock staring into the water when I heard a disturbance on the shore. A serviceberry tree was dancing wildly among the more stately balsam and birch. All sorts of birds were after the service berries. Some birds were too heavy for the twigs of the tree. They flew from sturdier perches and grabbed berries mid-flight. Smaller birds stood on the twigs eating until another bird chased them away.

The owners of our rental cabin, Dave and Nancy, later confirmed that we were witnessing the flocking of warblers (among other species) in preparation for southward migration.

The mixed flock was fickle. Following signals known only to them, they mobbed one source of food and abandoned it for some other location, all at once.

After lunch, we sat on the deck as the flock came and went. I took a zillion pictures.

Our view from the deck

The bumblebees were busy collecting nectar and pollen from the lobelia in the flower boxes.

Bumblebee with pollen-stuffed leg baskets on lobelia

Some of the birds we could identify. Some we could not. Here’s a partial representation, along with my best guess at species:

Black and white warbler (that one was easy!)

Yellow-rumped warbler, a.k.a., butterbutt--yellow butt is brighter when it flies

Canada warbler

Chickadee hanging upside down to feed

LBJ (little brown job)--beak too thick for a finch or sparrow, I think. 

Male downy woodpecker

Female downy woodpecker

Chipping sparrow (left) with frumpy fledgling

A good picture of a distinctive bird--you'd think the identification
would pop right out of the book! But no.

A bad picture of what may be a yellow-throated warbler

Cedar waxwing--no matter how their day is going, they look like they've just been groomed.

It was an exciting birding day. Happy hour was a bust. I opened a bottle of wine, but the first glass gave me a headache and Jane heartburn. Supper was uninspired. I reheated the pizza. Later we had hot fudge sundaes.

We put together a jigsaw puzzle to pass the time between 7:00 (too early to go to bed) and 8:15 (acceptable time to go to bed).

Jigsaw du jour