Many Hepatica blooming in Forestville.  The cool weather is slowing the wildflower bloom season. 

 

 Brown Creeper.  A small bird that uses it's curved beak to probe under the bark for insects, insect eggs.  Has an odd habit of starting low on a tree and goin up in a spiral.

 PELICANS, WHITEWATER VALLEY.  PELICANS, WITH THIER 9 FOOT WINGSPAN, ARE TRULY MAJESTIC IN FLIGHT.  It took us 12 years of effort (and some luck) to get this shot.

 

 

 Yellow-rumped Warbler, front & back.  The Warbler family is made up of small, colorful birds that migrate from Central and South America to nest in North America.  The Yellow-rumped is often the first of this family to arrive in Minnesota.  We photographed these yesterday.

 Eastern Meadowlark, Old Iron mines south of S.V. 

 Bobbie found this nesting owl.  At least one young in nest.  Not sure if it is a Great Horned or Long-eared.

Moonrise April 16,2022.
 

 Turkey Vultures sitting out the high winds.

 Photographed a butterfly we have never seen before, a Compton Tortoiseshell.  I think it is a butterfly that is common farther north, but uncommon here.

 HEPATICA, THE FIRST OF THE WOODLAND WILDFLOWERS ARE BLOOMING.

 

 Golden-crowned Kinglet(top), and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  Kinglet's are smaller than a wren and we had a nice group in our Maple trees Sunday.  Notice that the Golden-crowned has an insect in its beak.

 Peregrine Falcon guarding the entrance to their cave nest on a high cliff in the Whitewater.

 Killdeer.

 More Ducks arrive.  Shoveler and Blue-winged Teal.