The first Common Nighthawk I’ve seen this spring was sleeping on a willow-tree branch when I discovered it late last week. It could be a local nester; it could be a migrant. It breeds throughout North America with the exception of high-Arctic areas. Nighthawk might be its name, but it is most active at dawn and dusk. Spring migrants are most often seen alone. In the fall, the bird become gregarious, seen in flocks of dozens or hundreds from July into September as it moves south. Listen for its “peent” call above shopping-center parking lots this summer as it hawks insects attracted by lot lamps. It’s short bill opens to a gape to sweep insects out of the air.

A quartet of Caspian Terns has been feeding in a lake near our home for the past few days. I assume they’re migrants; a few nest as far south as Leech Lake, most in this part of the continent continuing north to Canada. Caspians, the largest of the world’s terns, found on all continents except Antarctica, plunge dive for the fish they eat. The birds I was watching usually began their dive from about 30 feet above the water. They go straight in, like rocks. They recover quickly, back on the wing in a couple of seconds. This bird came up with a large fish. It struggled to get altitude once airborne. Prey fish often are swallowed on the wing. I doubt if this one went down with one swallow. (Two photos.)

The female Hooded Merganser that nested in a box near our home was on the water this morning with 12 new chicks. The group functions as one organism: the chicks do NOT stray from mother’s side. One chick remains in the nest box. It was struggling this morning to break out of its shell, as much as 12 hours behind its siblings. We’ll check again in the morning to see if it made it.

A friend told me the location of a pair of Brown Creepers building a nest. I spent yesterday morning with them, in Frontenac State Park, south of Red Wing. Brown birds working on a brown/gray tree trunk in dim light filtered through a green canopy made good color difficult for me, but my subjects were cooperative. The pair of birds made a trip to the nesting cavity — beneath a piece of bark pulled loose by a break in the tree — about once every five to 10 minutes. They brought strands of grass and what looked like fluff from thistle plants. They were working at this Sunday as well as yesterday. They stuffed a lot of material into that hole. Here is one of the color shots, and two in black and white. I told someone last week that bird photos don’t work in b&w. Well, it depends. Frontenac, by the way, was very birdy. It’s an excellent birding location during migration.�

An urban bird festival begins Wednesday in Ramsey County. This is a free six-day celebration of springtime birds, timed perfectly to match songbird migration. The Urban Bird Festival of Ramsey County includes a dozen bird walks at various locations, observations of Osprey and Bald Eagle nests, displays, demonstrations, bird banding, and a dinner with speaker. This is a come-as-you-are when-you-can event taking advantage of the wonderful bird-watching opportunities in nearby neighborhoods. Take one bird walk, take one each day (Wednesday through Monday). For times, places, and other information go to http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/parks/NaturalResources/urbanbirdfestival.htm.

The Green Heron shown here is a bird likely to be seen along lakeshores or in marshes and wetlands.

Mark your calendars now for a fun, free celebration of springtime birds, the Urban Bird Festival of Ramsey County, May 13-18, 2009. Everyone is invited to all or part of this six-day event, including kids and their families. Billed as “Where Birds and People Meet,” the festival welcomes everyone, from brand-new to experienced birders, to view the many interesting birds found in St. Paul and suburbs.

We’ve been birding near Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. From the looks of things, it’s been raining here since God was a boy. Can’t tell lake from land. There are some migrants. Ducks and coots are swimming right along the edges of US Highway 2 concrete. Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge was a destination, but we could not find open roads to take us there. Water covers everything. Here is a bird with wind problems. Can you identify it? Answer several clicks down.

American Coot

Check out the feet on this American Coot. We see coots most often in the water, feet not visible. This one had come ashore at Lake Benton a few days ago to nibble on lakeshore vegetation. Notice the lobes on its long toes. They spread the bird’s weight, allowing it to walk atop lake vegetation, lily pads for example.

The color of a Mourning Dove matches closely the colors of Red Pine bark. That explains this nest site. These is a nesting dove in each of these photos, taken this morning from two sides of a Red Pine branch extending over a neighbor’s driveway. I used a long telephoto lens. The bird is almost impossible to see unless you know exactly where to look. Can you find it?

The males of many bird species present their very best appearance during courtship. Hooded Mergansers become one of our most beautiful birds at this time. We found this courting male on a neighborhood pond Thursday afternoon. He was with two hens, one who apparently had accepted his wooing, a second who swam ashore and ran away whenever the excited male approached. He wasn’t a bit discouraged by her, displaying in courtship high gear, fluffing his headdress, puffing his neck, doing the head tipping and bobbing routine that is meant to demonstrate his fitness as a mate. Hooded Mergansers are not hard to find this time of year (small ponds in wooded areas are best places to look), but you’ve really not seen the bird until you see him courting.

A reader photographed this American Robin in her yard. It is a leucistic bird. If an albino, the bird would be totally white with bill, legs, and irises pink. They’re pink because the lack of pigment allows the red of the blood vessels to show through. If a partial albino, some of its features would be white. In leucism, the plumage is pale, normal pigmentation being diluted. On this bird you can see the faint glow of the red breast and the brown color on its head.