A view of multiple great blue herons in silhouette perched in trees on an island in the Mississippi River in Minneapolis

A view of 2 great blue herons perched on the edge of a brick building near their rookery on an island in the Mississippi River in Minneapolis

After a morning bike ride through a park with a view of the heron rookery on an island in the Mississippi River in Northeast Minneapolis, I returned around sunset time to get a longer look.

#birds #birdsofminnesota #heron #greatblueheron

Spring is here & migration is coming... what birds are you seeing out and about? 🐦🌱

#SpringMigration #BirdWatching #MinnesotaNature #CleanWater #CleanEnergy #Grassroots #GetOutside #NatureLovers #BirdsOfMinnesota

A downy woodpecker perched on a tree branch with a blue sky in the background looking up and to the left.

A downy woodpecker perched on a tree branch with a blue sky in the background looking up and to the right.

Something's Up

A downy woodpecker looks around before heading down to enjoy some suet from my backyard feeder.

#downeywoodpecker #birds #birdsofminnesota #freshairtherapy #mnphotographer #mnartist

Side view of a red-bellied woodpecker in flight away from a wooden suet feeder

Side view of a red-bellied woodpecker as it clings to a wooden suet feeder

Flight Path

A red-bellied woodpecker flies off after enjoying some suet from my backyard feeder.

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#birds #birdsofminnesota #freshairtherapy

A bird with a red head and brown feathers (House Finch) sits on a branch while it snows.

A House Finch tucked away in a lilac bush on a snowy day in Minnesota.

#photography #birdphotography #minnesota #birdlover #snow #winter #nature #finches #bird #birdsofminnesota #peace #naturesoothes #outdoors #snowy

Brown: It’s Christmastime, which means it’s time to count birds "As millennials enter midlife, many face one of the most insidious hazards of aging: Sudden Onset Birding, or SOB," columnist Aaron Brown writes.

🐦✨ Join the Audubon Christmas Bird Count! Volunteers help track our bird population loss—30% since 1970! Grab your binoculars! 🌲🦉

#ChristmasBirdCount #CitizenScience #GetOutside #BirdsOfMinnesota

Side view of a Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker as it clings to a wood suet feeder while snow falls around it

Comfort Food

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker
Saint Paul, Minnesota

#birds #birdsofminnesota #freshairtherapy

Side view of a Downy Woodpecker clinging to a mesh bird feeder with it's top half highlighted by a shaft of late afternoon sun

Light Snack
Downy Woodpecker - Saint Paul, Minnesota

#woodpecker #downywoodpecker #bird #birds #birdsofmn #birdsofminnesota

A profile of a horned lark as it perches on a rock with the blue of Lake Superior in the background.

Get on the Horn
Horned Lark - Grand Marais, Minnesota

#lark #hornedlark #bird #birds #birdsofmn #birdsofminnesota

A close up view of the head of a white-breasted nuthatch as it clings to the side of a finch feeder

The Eye Has It

#nuthatch #whitebreastednuthatch #bird #birds #birdsofmn #birdsofminnesota #backyardbirds

A. Ruby-throated hummingbird looking up and to the right while perched on the edge of a feeder.

Right Place, Right Time

This ruby-throated hummingbird is a regular visitor to my backyard and I happened to be on the patio with my good camera when it visited the feeder today.

#hummingbird #rubythroatedhummingbird #bird #birds #birdsofmn #birdsofminnesota #backyardbirds

Broad-Winged Hawk

#birds #birdphotos #birdsofminnesota #nature #wildlife

A female wild turkey standing in grass in front of a trailer with its young trailing behind

Young wild turkeys standing amongst some plants

Young Turks

I spotted this wild turkey and its young on a recent Sunday morning walk.

#wildturkey #wildturkeys #bird #birds #birdsofmn #birdsofminnesota #thingsyouseeonawalk

A Hairy Woodpecker clings to the bottom of a seed log feeder as a House Sparrow approaches

A Hairy woodpecker clings to the bottom of a seed log feeder as a House Sparrow perches on the top

A Hairy Woodpecker forces a House Sparrow off of a seed log feeder

A Hairy Woodpecker stands triumphant after forcing a House Sparrow off of a seed log feeder

Crowd Control

Lots of activity at the feeder as the seed log reaches its end.

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #woodpecker #hairywoodpecker #sparrow #housesparrow #backyardbirds #birdsofminnesota

A close up view of the head of Ruby, a great-horned owl.

A full body view of JR, an eastern screech owl, perched on the glove of his handler.

Who's on First?

After my trip to the National Eagle Center, it was only a short drive to the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota where I got to meet Ruby and JR, two of their ambassadors.

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #owl #owls #internationalowlcenter #birdsofminnesota

Side view of a bald eagle at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota

Side view of a bald eagle at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota

Double Eagle

Recently I made a trip to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota where I got to meet Angel and Was'aka, two of their ambassadors.

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #eagle #baldeagle #nationaleaglecenter #birdsofminnesota

A side view of a rose-breasted grosbeak as it perches on a seed log feeder.

By Any Other Name

Migration season is underway and today I was lucky enough to capture this rose-breasted grosbeak on one of my feeders.

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #grosbeak #rosebreastedgrosbeak #backyardbirds #birdsofminnesota

A white-throated sparrow foraging on the ground, seen through two pickets of a fence gate

Gatekeeper

I'd like to think this is the same white-throated sparrow that visited my yard the same time last year. But it's probably not.

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #sparrow #whitethroatedsparrow #backyardbirds #birdsofminnesota

A bright yellow colored American Goldfinch forages on the ground for seed

Ground Breaker

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #goldfinch #americangoldfinch #backyardbirds #birdsofminnesota

A Northern Cardinal perches on a squirrel buster feeder with a wood fence in the background.

Red Line

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #cardinal #northerncardinal #birdsofminnesota

Red-tailed hawk in tree

Red-tailed hawk in tree

Birdwatching is a great way for me to relieve stress. I'll be doing a lot of it over the next few years. I spied this red-tailed hawk perched in a tree near the local golf course on a walk today.

#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #hawk #redtailedhawk #birdsofminnesota #birdsofsaintpaul

Photo of a great gray owl perched in a birch tree, looking directly at the viewer

Photo of a female snowy owl sitting on top of a tan brick building

Photo of a boreal owl perched in a small tree with spruce in the background. The own is facing downward in a withdrawn pose.

An owl trifecta! I have been very lucky in the past couple of weeks to see a snowy, great gray, and boreal owl. I'm especially proud of that great gray photo!

#Birds #Owls #BirdsofMinnesota #Wildlife

Side view of the needle felted black-capped Chickadee

Front view of the needle felted black-capped Chickadee

Back view of the needle felted black-capped Chickadee

Bottom view of the needle felted black-capped Chickadee

2024's needle felted Bird ornament that I did. Now I gotta start thinking what I want to do next year. I'm thinking a Baltimore Oriole.

#needlefelted #needlefelting #needlefelt #blackcappedchickadee #chickadee #Bird #Birds #BirdsofTurtleIsland #BirdsOfNorthAmerica #BirdsofMinnesota #BirdsOfMN

Having just travelled for Thanksgiving, I saw many red-tailed hawks perched along the highway. This is a recent large painting I did of one!

Winsor and Newton watercolors, Chinese ink on cold press

#redtailedhawk #birdart #birds #birdofprey #watercolorbirds #birdpainting #birdsofminnesota #art

4 black-colored birds from my life list on Black Friday!

I use Chinese ink for black in my paintings, with Winsor and Newton watercolors.

#birds #art #birdart #birdpainting #blackbackedwoodpecker #piedcurrawong #americancrow #blackbelliedplover #ausbirds #birdsofminnesota #watercolorbirds