Red Tail Hawk #2 (Buteo jamaicensis)

Seagull

Some people consider them "flying rats", but I've always been a fan of seagulls. Maybe it's the result of reading "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" at a young age.

Blue Jay #2 (Cyanocitta cristata)

Como Zoo Crane

Como Zoo crane... at least I think it's a crane. This is a picture that I took at the zoo with the kids without really paying attention to what it was.

Ring-necked Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus

The male Ring-Necked Pheasant is hard to confuse with any other bird. All adult males have green iridescent heads with large areas of red, unfeathered skin around the eyes. And of course, they have the distinctive white ring around their necks. The female pheasant can be confused with several species of grouse, except it typically has a longer, pointed tail and bare, unfeathered legs.

The Ring-Necked Pheasant is not native to North America. Instead, it was introduced to this country from Asia in the 1800's. Since then it as successfully spread across most of the northern and western United States.

The Ring-Necked Pheasant is a popular game bird in Minnesota. There is an organization in Minnesota (and many states) called "Pheasants Forever." It is dedicated to the support and conservation of wild spaces so that the bird can continue to be hunted in its natural habitat.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis

Common Loon - Gavia immer

The Common Loon or "Great Northern Diver" is the Minnesota State Bird. It is easily recognized by its distinctive coloring, white stripes and flecks on black plumage as well as its long, black bill. It is larger than a duck, but smaller than a goose, averaging around 10 lbs in weight.

Minnesota has so many loons because it has so many lakes. Loons, built to dive, are more at home on water than on land. Unlike most birds, they have solid bones, not hollow bones. This extra weight allows them to dive deeply into lakes, up to 250 feet, but also makes it harder for them to fly. Its commonly know that loons only inhabit larger lakes because they require so much take off space to achieve flight. The loon has to run up to 500 feet across the water, madly flapping it wings, until it can finally take off.

Another distinctive feature of the loon is its red eyes. This coloring helps them see better while underwater. The catch most of their prey (suckers, perch, panfish and other small fish), while diving. They can stay underwater hunting up to 5 minutes at time.

Loons have four sounds they make, a tremolo, a hoot, a yodel and a wail. The wail is the soon most commonly associated with loons. It is a long, hollow mournful sound that lasts several seconds.

Because their primary home is on the water, loons have few natural enemies. Young loons might be attacked by large fish, eagles or hawks; but once a loon achieves adulthood, it is relative safe from predators. Loons live to be up to 30 years old.

Humans are the biggest risk to loons. Speedboats have been known to accidentally run down loon parents and young. Mercury and lead poisoning is also a serious problem, and the Minnesota DNR monitors loon populations for these substances.

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

The American Crow is one of the few creatures that not only survives, but thrives on the boundaries of civilized areas. The crow is found throughout Minnesota, the United States and Canada. It is omnivorous, which means that it will eat just about anything. It is commonly seen eating roadkill or carrion.

The crow will also hunt small mice, frogs and snakes, as well as raiding bird feeders, garbage cans, pet food containers and public dumps.

Crows build large nests made of sticks in trees, usually in oak trees. Three to six eggs are laid at a time and incubated for about three weeks. Young crows are fledged after 35 days. Crows do not breed until they are at least two years old, and most do not breed until they more than four years old. Many crows stay with their parents and help them raise young in subsequent years. Crows mate and Families may include up to 15 individuals and contain crows from many years of breeding.

Crows are one of the largest victims of West Nile virus, a mosquito-born disease. It is estimated that up to 45% of the North American population of crows has died of this disease since 1999.

In the winter time, crows congregate into very large groups called roosts. These roosts can be of a hundreds or even thousands of crows. These roosts are returned to every year, over many, many years.

The crow is highly intelligent. It is the only bird to have been observed using sticks or grass as a tool to gather food.

Red Tail Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

The Red Tail Hawk is one of three species of hawk commonly referred to as the "chicken hawk" (along with the Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk). The Red-Tail Hawk has several color variations, called "morphs." The Red-Tail Hawk may be light, dark or "rufous" - a word that means reddish color plumage. The Red-Tail gets its name from its broad tail feathers, which are a deep, rusty red color.

The female Red-Tail is up to 25% larger than the male Red-Tail. Females will grow to be about 4 or 5 lbs., with a wingspan of about 4 feet. Red-Tail Hawks have amazing courtship rituals in which they will soar in wide circles. The male will dive down in a steep drop, then shoot up again at nearly as steep an angle. He will repeat this several times, then approach the female from above. The pair will then interlock talons and spiral toward the ground at rapid speed.

The Red Tail can often been found sitting on a high tree branch, tall highway sign or a light pole, 20 to 30 feet up, surveying open ground next to a highway, freeway, field or open plain. When it is doing this, it is using its excellent eyesight to watch for mice, voles or rabbits that may be scurrying in the undergrowth.

Because the Red Tail thrives on the boundaries of human habitation and highways, it has greatly expanded its distribution across North America over the last century, displacing many other hawk species in the process.

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

The bright blue feathers of the blue jay make it hard to mistake for another bird. It's frequently seen at bird feeders, bossy and chasing off any other birds before it feeds. It is an aggressive bird, known to eat the eggs and young of other bird species. But its aggression will also sometimes be to the advantage of other birds, as it is known to harass predators such as owls, hawks and cats.

The blue jay has a loud, gull-like "jeering" call, and also makes whistling and gurgling sounds. The male and female coloring is not differentiated.

While blue jays do migrate, it is believed that not all of the birds migrate every year. Some jays will migrate one year, then spend the next winter north.

Jays can be impressive mimics. Some jays will mimic the call of a hawk, perhaps to alert other creatures that a hawk is in the area. Like other corvids (a bird group including crows, rooks, magpies and ravens), jays have a flexible vocal range, including the ability to mimic parts of human speech.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

An artistic note here: I've got to attempt to make these sketches cleaner. There seem to be too many stray lines and smudges. Maybe I'll try sketching with pen?

The mallard is perhaps one of the most easily recognizable and commonly found "wild" ducks. Its habitat ranges all across North America , Europe, Asia and even Australia. It is a strongly migratory bird. For example, most of the mallards who summer in North America migrate to Mexico, South America and even the Caribbean during the winter.

The mallard and the "Muscovy" duck are thought to be the ancestors of all domestic ducks.

The male mallard, called a "drake," is unmistakable as it has a bright green head. The female mallard has brownish feathers, like most other wild ducks. Both male and female bright blue flight feathers edged in white on their wings. This patch of feathers is called the "speculum."

Like most other creatures that range from northern climates to southern climates, those found in the northern climates tend to be larger. This phenomenon is known as "Bergman's Rule". Bergman's rule also states that appendages exposed to elements (ears, noses, duck bills, etc.) also tend to be proportionally smaller in northern climates to minimize heat loss. This is also true in the mallard, with northern birds having smaller bills than southern birds.

Male and female mallards only stay in pairs until the female lays her eggs, usually in a "clutch" of 8-12 eggs. At that time, the male leaves her and she is left to raise the ducklings alone. Ducklings are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they are born and will stay with the mother for about two months before moving off on their own.

Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Once, not so long ago, it was a rare and magical event to see a bald eagle around Minnesota. Once on the endangered species list, they've bounced back well enough to be completely removed from both the "endangered" and "threatened" species. Now, it's not so rare to see a bald eagle anymore, but it's still pretty magical. These are enormous, awe inspiring birds.

Female bald eagles grow to be about 25% larger than males. In Minnesota, they can be over 14 lbs with a six or seven foot wingspan. In Alaska, where they grow largest, they can have wingspans up to 8 feet across.

Both male and female birds have the distinct white feathers on their heads, although neither one develops this coloring until after their third or fourth year. Bald eagles can leave to be up to 40 years old in the wild.

Bald eagles primarily eat fish, and so like to build large nests in areas away from human interference but close to good fishing spots. They are known to be good swimmers and will often catch a fish, then swim with it to shore if it is too large to carry off in flight.

Bald eagles are, of course, the national symbol of the United States.

Great Horned Owl 2

I wasn't exactly pleased with my first go-round on a horned owl, so here's another take. I like how the feathers and eyes turned out. The beak isn't quite right, but still, overall an improvement on the first version.

Chickadee

Woodpile Sketches - Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Once rare in suburban areas of Minnesota, the wild turkey is now quite a common site. They are, however, more often heard than seen. Turkeys have a large variety of "gobbles," "clucks," "putts," "purrs," and "yelps"that they use to declare territory, state dominance, find mates, etc. Especially in summer and fall, you can stand at the edge of the woodpile and hear turkeys calling to each other.

Male turkeys grow to be about twice the size of females. It is common for a male turkey to be around 20 or 30 lbs. The male turkey can be over three feet tall. This makes it the largest game bird in the United States.

Male turkeys have a red throat and modified "beard"of feathers that come from their chest. Both male and female have long reddish-orange to grayish-blue legs, a bluish neck and head and a dark-brown body with 5000-6000 feathers. The turkey is a surprisingly colorful bird, but most people think it is very unattractive.

Males form territories that will contain about 5 or 6 hens within them. Male turkeys display to win mates by puffing out their feathers, spreading their tail feathers and dragging their wings. This is called "strutting." When strutting, a male turkey will scratch and drum on the ground with his feet.

Some people think that the wild turkey is a ground-bound bird, but in fact, it is a very good flier. They can fly up to 50 miles per hour but usually choose to fly close to the ground for no more than about 1000 feet at a time.

Turkeys are omnivorous, and enjoy nuts, seeds, insects, worms, and grubs. They enjoy coming into suburban back yards to get birdseed that has fallen around bird feeders. However about 80% of the turkey's diet is made up of a variety of grasses.

A story commonly told about the U.S. founding fathers states that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national symbol instead of the bald eagle. That doesn't appear to be entirely accurate. Franklin, a bit of a prankster, was genuinely upset about the choice of the bald eagle for our national bird, and did mention that the turkey would be a better choice. But that appears to have only been meant as a joke, and not a serious proposal.