Retired non-game wildlife biologist Pam Perry is back to talk about winter birds!
Once a month, Pam joins Staff Phenologist John Latimer on the KAXE Morning Show to collectively delight in all the wonders of Minnesota’s changing seasons.
Waxwings
John’s Jan. 9 phenology report inspired Pam to begin with a quick discussion of waxwings. As it turns out, there are only three species of waxwings worldwide, and Minnesota hosts two of them. We enjoy seeing Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings feasting on fruits throughout the state.
You'd have to travel quite a distance to find the third species of waxwing, however. This species — the Japanese Waxwing — is found in Japan and in eastern Asia.
These three species comprise an interesting offshoot of the avian family tree: they are the only extant (non-extinct) members of the family Bombycillidae. (For context, this is a remarkably small evolutionary family. For instance, if the 10,000 bird species were evenly distributed into the 249 bird families, there would be over 40 species per family.)
During the Crosby Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 30, 2023, Pam found a flock of 200 Bohemian Waxwings in the city of Ironton. She was delighted to get the chance to admire their beautiful plumage! Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings particularly enjoy crabapples.
They have an interesting flocking behavior: if startled from the tree where they are feeding, they will fly to a nearby conifer tree and all land facing in the same direction in an orderly line. Sometimes they will pass berries down the line — quite the sight to witness if you get the chance.
Bird census
Like John, Pam hasn’t seen any Common Redpolls in her area (Crow Wing County). However, she has seen large flocks of Pine Siskins (one with over 50 individuals!) and many American Goldfinches.
American Goldfinches stand out from other songbirds with their oddly timed nesting habits. While most birds begin nesting in early spring or summer, goldfinches will wait until August to raise their young.
This is because they are seedeaters and must wait for the summer’s flowers to develop and set seed to feed their growing brood. They also use thistledown to line their nests — a material in short supply in spring and early summer!
The winter flocks of goldfinches are comprised of adults and juveniles. The males have molted out of their vibrant yellow plumage, and their drab winter garb is harder to distinguish from the females and juveniles.
Crossbills
Morning Show co-host Scott Hall spotted a pair of crossbills sitting on his feeders last week. These fascinating birds have distinctive beaks that — as their name suggests — cross over one another. This beak is perfect for prying apart the scales of pinecones, their main source of food.
It is less suited for other tasks, however. Since they lack teeth to grind up their food, birds rely on their gizzards to mash their food before digestion. These gizzards must be filled with small rocks and grit, which birds harvest from shorelines, roadsides and other areas with plenty of suitable rocks.
John once watched a pair of crossbills picking up grit with their oddly shaped beaks. Instead of grabbing the rocks with the tip of their beak, like most birds would, the crossbills had to turn their heads to grab with the side of their beaks. I’d imagine it must take some time for young crossbills to develop this skill.
Red-headed Woodpeckers
For Pam, a highlight of the Crosby Christmas Bird Count was a sighting of four Red-headed Woodpeckers. These birds prefer oak savannas and are striking birds with interesting behaviors. They are quite social and will stash food and acorns in trees.
Growing up, John would see Red-headed Woodpeckers in the Grand Rapids area. He attributes this to the local cattle creating savanna-like habitat by keeping vegetation low. When the pastureland was converted to row crops, the Red-headed Woodpeckers left or died out.
There are a few areas that still harbor families of Red-headed Woodpeckers in Nothern Minnesota. Golf courses and lakeshore developments provide decent habitat with their large open areas scattered with oak trees.
Camp Ripley’s National Guard Training Center in Little Falls also hosts a large population of Red-headed Woodpeckers.
"It’s in the bombing zone, because it's been opened up and there’s frequent fire. It creates an open savanna-type habitat. The problem is, for the researchers to study them, there are areas you can’t get into because of unexploded ordnances,” Pam explained.
Other observations
While birding over the past month, Pam also spotted:
- A Rough-legged Hawk, Barred Owl and Northern Shrike during the Crosby Christmas Bird Count.
- Sharp-tailed Grouse in fields in Aitkin County, including a flock of 25 in a field of corn stubble.
- Goldfinches and American Tree Sparrows carpeting fields of sunflowers, with flocks of 100 birds moving in and out.
- Large flocks of Snow Buntings along the roads in Aitkin County (including a huge flock of 200-300 individuals).
Technology for listening to birds in winter
For me, a seasonal bummer is being unable to listen to the birds outside my window without letting all the cold air in. I asked John if he had any answers to this problem, and he turned to Pam for answers.
Pam has known people who place wireless lapel microphones near their birdfeeders to listen to the calls indoors. I’m going to give it a try, and I’ll let you know what I discover via the Season Watch Newsletter!
For more phenology, subscribe to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
