North Dakota in the rear view mirror

Not much chance of getting hit by a Falcon or a Thunderbird. 

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Traffic was so light, we were the traffic. 

Traffic was so light, we were the traffic. 

I love blanket flowers. 

I love blanket flowers. 

And loggerhead shrikes even if they are hunting and trespassing. 

And loggerhead shrikes even if they are hunting and trespassing. 

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Chase Lake

That's me taking an unintended selfie in Nort Dakota. 

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Birders looking at pelicans. Last year, there were 17,000 pelican nests at Chase Lake.

Birders looking at pelicans. Last year, there were 17,000 pelican nests at Chase Lake.

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Baby killdeer.

They come in two styles. Cute. 

They come in two styles. Cute. 

And cuter. 

And cuter. 

We tend to overlook the beauty in the commonplace. Shame on us. What a lovely bird the American robin is. 

We tend to overlook the beauty in the commonplace. Shame on us. What a lovely bird the American robin is. 

Sax-Zim Bog

All photos taken by Peter Trueblood. 

Great gray owl

Great gray owl

Snowy owl

Snowy owl

Northern hawk owl

Northern hawk owl

And again. 

And again. 

Gray jay. 

Gray jay. 

Boreal chickadee. 

Boreal chickadee. 

And a boreal chickadee. 

And a boreal chickadee. 

And three shots of a lovely pine grosbeak. 

And three shots of a lovely pine grosbeak. 

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Fawning

I took this photo. Fawns have a great impact on me when I see one. I saw "Bambi" when I was a mere snot-nosed boy. 

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Bryce Gaudian sent this photo of true cowbirds. 

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A red-headed woodpecker and a scarlet tanager visited our feeders. Such happenings are the reason the word "wow" was coined. 

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Birds and mudbugs

Norm Emerson of St. James sent this photo of a common nighthawk.

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Paul Godtland saw and photographed these. 

Red knots

Red knots

A magnolia warbler. 

A magnolia warbler. 

An eastern towhee.  I still occasionally call it by its old name, the rufous-sided towhee. I hope it doesn't mind. 

An eastern towhee.  I still occasionally call it by its old name, the rufous-sided towhee. I hope it doesn't mind. 

And a crayfish, crawdad, crawfish or mudbug. 

And a crayfish, crawdad, crawfish or mudbug. 

An important food in Louisiana. Not in Minnesota. We have lutefisk. 

An important food in Louisiana. Not in Minnesota. We have lutefisk. 

A chipping white-throated cedar thrasher.

Joyce Street of Hesper, Iowa, sent these two photos. 

A chipping sparrow. 

A chipping sparrow. 

And a white-throated sparrow. 

And a white-throated sparrow. 

And Bob Guenther of Alden took these two.

A cedar waxwing. 

A cedar waxwing. 

And a brown thrasher. 

And a brown thrasher. 

Baby cardinals

Neil and Barb Lang sent these photos of nestling cardinals. 

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Joyce Street snapped a photo of a white-lined sphinx moth. 

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Oh, the gall!

 

Daniel Otten sent this photo of maple bladder galls caused by mites. The damage to a tree is generally cosmetic. The galls turn from green to red to black.


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Purple martins  

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One nest had seven eggs. I hope they all become flying purple martins one day. 

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Western tanager

Bob Hargis had this western tanager enter his home. It was caught and released unharmed. 

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Photo by Greg and Terry Tellier. 

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Pileated woodpeckers. Photo by Kent Gernander. 

The male has a red "moustache." The female has a black one. 

The male has a red "moustache." The female has a black one.