Easter at Millenium Park

Female Downy Woodpecker

 I got a late start this morning but wanted to swing by Millenium Park as it has been quite a while since I last visited. I started down by the boat ramp and was instantly assaulted by the sounds of blackbirds, song sparrows, and chickadees. It was quite the welcome. I enjoyed seeing the goldfinches back in their summer plumage and noted a few new spring arrivals, like the brown-headed cowbird and tree swallows.

I was trying to stay away from large groups of dog walkers when this beautiful female downy flew into a tree right in front of me. I had time to raise my camera and get off three shots before she decided that it was time to find another tree. I like to think maybe it was the dogs that scared her, but my proximity probably didn't help. It was great to see her so close, even if for a moment. I had a similar encounter with a pair of white-breasted nuthatches, though that time it was only my presence that they were uncomfortable with.

Male Robins fighting

Down in the Saw Mill Brook, a pair of Mallards were mating and by the bridge over the brook two male robins were having a turf war trying to decide who got the best real estate. It is always nice to remember that Robins aren't native to lawns. Also present were starlings, blue jays, pigeons, a mockingbird, a tufted titmouse, anda singing Carolina wren. I was able to find a few fly over Canada geese, a couple of red-tailed hawks, and what could only have been a calling killdeer.

Walking further along the path, the beaver work becomes quite striking. Most of the trees that once lined the walk have since been felled. The good thing though is that the beaver pond is now a waterfowl favorite with its woody wetlands. This pool today had mallards, black ducks, green-winged teals (American), and my best find of the day, a pair of American Wigeons! Wigeons have remained elusive for me in the Bay State, so it was fun to watch them feed and preen. I had thought that I saw a wigeon at Chestnut Hill Reservoir, but after looking back at pictures it was a hybrid mallard x black duck that had a similar green head patch (the same patch is also evident on green-winged teals).

American Wigeons

The increased birdsong in and of itself was a lot of fun too. I kept my eyes and years on alert for pine warblers and phoebes which should be returning soon as well. By far the most common song (if not most common bird too...) was that of the song sparrow, who has earned its name. It was interesting to observe the plumage variation, some with crisp breast streaks, and a bird had such broad smudgy streaks that I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't a fox sparrow. But having so many singing song sparrows made me decide to try to make an actual movie, not just pair an audio recording and pictures. The song sparrow starts with three introductory notes followed by a more variable section that include many other notes and trills. The variety of song from one individual to the next is striking. In this video there is still a fair amount of background noise from the running water of Saw Mill Brook that make it sound a little underwater. While I love birdsong for the pure auditory joy of it, watching a bird sing gives the song some extra gravitas by showing how much effort they pour into their songs.