Loggerhead shrike photographed by John Cassady.
Andy Sigler and I went up for another round of interesting bird surveys on the Praire Island Indian Community property near Redwing, Minnesota. We arrived on a Tuesday and we had made arrangements to stop by Brad Frazier’s office to say hello before we would meet him the following the morning at 5am to begin the operation. It turns out Brad was having a meeting with his staff, which has grown a bit from the year before. At various times over the next four days, several of them would act as our guides taking us to the 72 points that encompass all of the habitat types on tribal land.
Wednesday morning Brad took us out and we covered mostly grassland, much of it prairie re-creation. Another section was the savanna like area where the tribe maintains its bison herd. We covered 30 points that first day, all of which are pretty easy to access. Some coordination is necessary with the bison manager to make sure we can enter fenced in areas without risk of being gored by the large horned beasts, many of which were cows with calves. The bulls were segregated and apparently pose less of a risk to bipedal primates. (But we were told they occasionally kill the unfortunate deer that somehow manage to get inside the extensive fence but can not get out.)
The grassland birds that we enjoyed last year were back. One of my “concerns” was that as the prairie re-creation matured there would be less habitat for birds that need shorter and sparser vegetation. Two species in this category are horned lark and vesper sparrow. But they were present, as were sparrows like clay-colored, lark, grasshopper, and jillions of savannas. Last year we only had one silent dickcissel, while this year we had two very loquacious males.
We had two unexpected birds that first day. Andy spotted one loggerhead shrike perched on the top of a small tree on the edge of a field. As we watched, it flew into a small juniper tree and another flew out. Shrikes often place their nests in conifers, as the dense needles provide protection. We could not prove it, but it seems likely the pair is nesting. We will certainly know better when we return later in June.
Loggerhead shrike populations have really crashed in the Upper Midwest. One study found that survival rates of young and adult birds are not high enough to maintain current populations, which means that they will probably disappear from our landscape. The species is fecund, however, producing three to seven eggs in a brood. This at least holds out the possibility that if there were adequate grassland, perches, and food supply the bird might be able to recolonize lost ground. Loggerhead shrikes have been on the Minnesota threatened list since 1984, and there is an effort underway to consider whether the species should be upgraded to endangered.
The second unexpected bird is the blue grosbeak, heard singing in the bison territory. In some ways the status of this bird is just the opposite of the loggerhead shrike. Blue grosbeaks are a southern species that have been steadily marching northward. They are now a not unexpected summering, even breeding, bird in northeastern Illinois. Minnesota is still at the northern end of its range, but if current trends continue the grosbeak will become established in counties ever farther north.
One highlight of the surveys is the visit to the islands in the Mississippi River. “Highlight” is used advisedly, as it involves scampering out of a boat up steep banks, or splashing out of the boat to wade through deep mud.. At one point, I really needed someone to help me pull me out of the sticky morass. Then the island is covered with nettles and poison ivy that hide logs of every configuration that are littered by flooding. It is a joy, though, to be out on the water. We walk close to bald eagle nests (empty by now) and hear their families yell as they fish.
Prothonotary warbler photographed by Darlene Friedman.
The wooded islands are great habitat for prothonotary warblers. We heard several and at one point Brad wanted to see it well so we used a recording. A pair of these exquisite birds flew all around, giving us great views. Then at one other spot, we heard a cerulean warbler. Again with the recording the bird came low to take a look and Brad obtained some great photos. When we return in a few weeks, the singing levels are apt to have decreased markedly and we will probably have fewer warblers.
And one day as Andy and I walked from the hotel’s casino to its restaurant, we broke down and gambled. We inserted an entire dollar into a slot machine and discovered that we were playing a penny a game. When that fact became apparent, we both became overwhelmed by ennui at the very thought of having ninety-nine more scintillating plays to go. So we upped the ante to a quarter a play. And by golly if we did not hit a jackpot of $6.52 (not including our initial dollar investment.)! We cashed in the receipt and walked away feeling like the winners we are.
Gabe, Joel, and Andy listening to the ethereal strains of Mississippi Island music. (Photographed by Brad Frazier)
Cerulean warbler on Mississippi River island (Photographed by Brad Frazier)
Tags: bison, cerulean warbler, loggerhead shrike, prothonotary warbler