May 6, 2013

The Yardbirds of April

A Photographic Retrospective

Hermit Thrush Even by Minnesota standards, April 2013 was brutal. According to the National Weather Service, it was the coldest April here since 1975 (13th coldest on record) and 3rd snowiest ever.^[1] The birds believe it. Below are my favorite photos from the month. All were shot through windows from the comfortable warmth inside of my house.

The arrival of a new lightweight tripod for my camera happily coincided with the delayed migration caused by the inclement weather. Fox Sparrows, Common Redpolls, Dark-eyed Juncos and Pine Siskins were present in the yard until the last few days of the month. None of these species breed this far south. Typically they would be farther north than the Twin Cities long before the beginning of April.

(Click on any thumbnail below to view a larger image and to access the album. Click on the first thumbnail to start at the beginning, where you can click or swipe through all images.)

I was able to photograph the following species in our yard during the month: American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Tree-sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Common Redpoll and Pine Siskin.

The following species were present but not photographed: American Crow, Mourning Dove, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Song Sparrow, House Finch, Wild Turkey and American White Pelican.

Three of the northerly breeders mentioned earlier have left (Pine Siskins are still here), but at least three new species during this first week of May have arrived to take their place: Lincoln’s Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow and Chipping Sparrow.