Leaving snowy Minnesota behind Sparky returns to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas for some birding and bird photography.
I explore Estero Llano Grande & Bentsen state parks and find some great stuff including roosting Pauraques, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Tropical Kingbird (what a great name!), Red-crowned Parrots, Gray Hawk, White-tipped Doves, Hook-billed Kite, Least Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Cinnamon Teal
It has been 35 YEARS since my first trip here and 15 years since my last visit, and I share some memories from 2008 when Ryan Marshik and I participated in the Valley Land Fund photo contest.
One of my goals is to add species to my “Photographed List,” which stands at 525 species for the ABA area (north of Mexico in North America). In this episode I add 4 new species and improve on my photos for 8 more species. I don’t find the Social Flycatcher so I do not add any Lifers to my ABA birding list.
Stay tuned for Part 2 when I rent out an entire Texas ranch for bird photography!
February 2023: Sparky makes a quick birding/bird photography trip out to “Minnesota’s tundra” of Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge and Polk County. Is there anything to be found out here at Minus-40F? YES! Snowy Owls, Greater Prairie Chickens, Snow Buntings, Gray Partridge, basking Red Fox and more! Sparky even makes a visit to Key West…but he finds NO beaches…NO bikinis…NO bars or beers.
February 2023: Wolves are not uncommon in Sax-Zim…but to see one is a very special event! In this episode Sparky runs across a semi-cooperative Timber Wolf. Plus we hike down Gray Jay Way to meet a Snowshoe Hare, find some Red Crossbills, meet volunteer Jim and find THREE signs of spring in early February. And Sparky shares the results of the Tiny Bird Art auction.
On a very cold December 19th day, a dozen intrepid birders go forth and find 35 species of birds in the Sax-Zim Christmas Bird Count 15-mile diameter circle. Winter finches were the heroes of the day, but a late afternoon Great Gray Owl (the third of the day) silently searched for voles as Sparky filmed the hunt.
October 2022: In this episode of Quick Trips with Sparky, he goes to nearby Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge near McGregor, Minnesota. He takes you along to the Observation Tower for ducks and swans at sunrise. And gets distracted by a ruffled Ruffed Grouse, who is in full courtship display…in late fall! (Learn why).
But this episode is titled, “You don’t always get what you want” because in wildlife photography you sometimes don’t get the photo you imagined before you go on your trip, but sometimes end up with other interesting photos.
It was a blast going through my 19,753 images from 2022 (15,259 on Canon R5 and 4,494 iPhone11) and finding my most memorable wildlife photos. Trips to Churchill, Manitoba, floating blind in the prairie potholes of North Dakota, Crex Meadows in Wisconsin and other parts of wild Minnesota netted some cool outdoor experiences:
Close range Hawk Owls, an adorable Saw-whet Owl, Short-eared Owls, Red Fox dens (in 2 states and 1 province!), Western Grebes performing their courtship “Rush Dance,” hunting Mink, frosty Long-eared Owls, and more.
Top Tens in several categories including “Creative Wildlife Photography,” “Wildlife Behavior,” “Animal in the Landscape,” “High Key,” “Landscape & Vernacular Architecture,” and more.
Evening Grosbeaks Galore! Winter Finches Arrive Sax-Zim Bog
Winter finches have arrived in the Sax-Zim Bog! Evening Grosbeaks are abundant with lesser amounts of Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls. Sparky goes on an early winter jaunt in the snowy Sax-Zim Bog in search of winter birds. A junco is an unexpected find at the Sisu feeders at the Zabin. We also stop by the Welcome Center and find a Pileated Woodpecker feasting on a deer rib cage. A flock of Bohemian Waxwings make a cameo along Nichols Lake Road. A side trip takes us to Mary Lou’s new garage and outdoor “birder lounge.” Sparky also shares details about the upcoming Tiny Bird Art online auction AND the BRRRRdathon-World’s Coldest Birdathon. Come on along!
This truly comprehensive Minnesota birding guide is a must for every birder and bird photographer visiting the state. It is a county-by-county guide to over 1400 birding locations and lavishly illustrated with over 180 color bird photos and nearly 100 detailed maps. An exhaustive annotated list to all 447 of Minnesota’s bird species even contains valuable field identification tips. It is easy to use and just by scanning one of the many QR codes you can access maps of specific birding locations.
—Comprehensive bird-finding guide to all 87 counties
—Completely revised Fifth Edition
—Over 1,400 locations highlighted
—Annotated List of Minnesota’s 447 bird species
—Identification tips for the trickiest field problems
—Color photos of 170 of the state’s most iconic bird species
—QR codes link directly to detailed location maps
—Checklists for Minnesota’s “non-bird” wildlife
—Seasonal maps for the best birding sites by region
—Online database with updates to keep this guide current
“Kim Eckert’s interest in birding was sparked in the Chicago area during a 10th-grade biology class – the only biology course he would ever take. He became an English major at St. John’s University in Minnesota and then taught English (with some first-year French on the side) during the 1970s. But he turned to a career in birding after moving to Duluth, Minnesota in 1977, where he served as Naturalist at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve (for a total of 20 years), taught bird identification classes for a decade, and started leading birding tours (including 30 years with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours). In 1986, he created the Minnesota Birding Weekends & Weeks program of tours throughout Minnesota and elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, which is now in its 37th season. In addition, Kim has written numerous articles for The Loon and other publications, plus Birding By Hindsight, a compilation of The Loon’s series of 70 bird ID articles, and four previous editions of A Birder’s Guide to Minnesota.
After 45 years, he still lives in Duluth…where he muses about the Great Plains, prefers not to take anything too seriously, finds joy in not knowing where he is going, reminisces about the times with Bob and Panda…and thinks about things.”
A Birder’s Guide to Minnesota
A County-by-County Guide to Over 1400 Birding Locations
April 1, 2023
Sparky Stensaas
thesparkygroup@gmail.com
