Minnesota Morning

Kandiyohi County, MN
Lake Florida

I just returned from the Land of 10,000 Lakes last night. It was a wonderful time to spend with 4 generations of family, from all over the country. The big draw was my cousin's wedding reception. This also coincided with an annual fishing trip that unites 3 generations on one outing. That tree begins with a WWII veteren, and a treasure whose value is beyond illustration on this silly weblog, my grandfather Sgt.Maj. M.W.York, USMC (Ret.)

This picture was taken sitting on the back porch of a cabin.

I can hear the rustle of the Cottonwood(Populus spp.) leaves far down the shore, getting louder and louder, announcing that a breeze is coming.

The familiar nasal-laughing "Ha....Ha" calls of a White-breasted Nuthatch(Sitta carolinensis)fill the back patio that looks toward this lake.

The incessant twittering of Chipping Sparrows(Spizella passerina)remind me, in surround sound, that residents in neighboring cabins have kept their feeders stocked with seed.

Common Loons(Gavia immer)have become close companions these few days; whether on fishing trips, or just helping me greet the mornings. Their calls, somewhat like the Aves' version of an elk bugling, stretches across the lake. As they swim, they stick their head, eyes-deep, into the water reminding me of a snorkler. They are always checking for fish I assume. Perhaps, though, they just like to look as well. That, I understand.

The Common Loon (G. immer) will then dive. They are powerful swimmers.

A few seconds pass. Then one minute, two...three, I lose track of time. How long has it been under water? It always emerges in a far different, and distant, location than I expect. One could make up a game, "Where will the loon surface." No wagering, ofcourse.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds(Archilochus colubris)resume their daily aerial dog-fighting.

Canada Geese(Branta canadensis)are very prevalent in this area. They are in such great numbers, they are often considered a nuisance out here. I wonder how Canada Geese consider Human Beings(Homo sapien)?

The incredibly aerodynamic Barn Swallow(Hirundo rustica)will perch on the the dock occasionally. Even so, it continues its quizzing, questioning chatter that always ends with an insect-like bleat.

I watch a pair of White-Breasted Nuthatches forage down, up, and upside-down the trunk and branches of this impressively large Cottonwood tree. The birds probe the deep crevices in the bark looking for insects. All the while giving their nasal "Ha.....Ha" call. It is almost as if they are bragging to me, "Ha..., look, we can defy gravity a second way as well. We can walk up a vertical tree trunk. Ha...,what can you do?"

I can watch.

The most well known and perhaps "patriotic", on this contintent atleast, of the family of thrushes(Family Turdidae)hops along the grass nearby. Silent this morning, the American Robin(Turdus migratorius)adds to the palette of color.

Cottonwood seeds float by as if a child across the lake blew the largest tufts of dandelion seeds he has seen. The spherical fluffs float by on that gentle lake breeze.

A female American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla)allows her tiny presence to be known to me, fanning her tail while perched is a unique behavior shared by the genus of redstarts Myioborus.

It is a good morning, indeed.