Secrets of the City

If they were blackish and a little smaller than mallards, I think they were mudhens.

We saw them too. Mudhens, eh? Pretty cool.

And I know you keithpille. Another Morris grad on MNSpeak? rock on.

Yeah, black, smallish, white beaks? This is one of the times of the year that you see mudhens on Calhoun.

I dont find mudhens very loon like. Theyre small and coal dust black.

Mergansers are fairly loon like, and duckish at the same time.

There were some that were duckish sized but sort of had a fauxhawk thing going on. Kanye is very influential in the aquatic fowl world apparently.

There were two types, and I do think the smaller were these mudhens. The others though…

My mudhen diagnosis comes from my father-in-law, from my asking, “so, what are those birds there?” I don’t think I’d know a mudhen from a merganser… although “merganser” is pretty fun to say.

And hey, kc! Who else from Morris is around here?

You may have seen my namesake, the coomon coot. I often see them on the water near Stately Moffitt Manor.

Paging BirdChick!

Coots, huh? I’ve seen those birds around city lakes. Mergansers look a lot different. Mudhens look kind of like coots.

Have there been any urban eagle sitings? Seems like there were a few around, but haven’t heard mention in a year or so. Maybe people are used to them.

I see a bald eagle now and then at my place.

Have there been any urban eagle sitings?

I see eagles near the Weisman and at the Minnehaha Falls dog park really, really often. Like, often enough that you almost stop noticing.

“Ellison, Bachmann spar over ‘psycho talk’”

Too bad there’s not a Comments section on this story in the Strib. Would be highly entertaining.

Last summer I saw an Eagle in the little strip of Nokomis park between Edgewater and W Nokomis parkway. basically right across from Fat Lorenzo’s Pizza. He swooped down and tried to grab a squirrel twice but the squirrel escaped. Was very cool, it happened like 75 feet from me!

I hear Ellison and Bachmann had to end their sparring to team up against an eagle attack.

You’re lucky to see it. Eagles eat a lot of garbage and carrion.

Mudhens are coots.

I live by a large river. I see a lot of eagles over our yard.

I always seem to see eagles/hawks on lights along the highways.

Those are probably red-tailed hawks you see on the highway lights, johnathan. One of the most common raptors in U.S.

You can also see kestrels on the highways, too. Some states add nesting boxes for them behind highway signs. They can hover over one spot like a hummingbird while they hunt — very pretty little bird. It’s in the falcon family, I believe.

Oh right, I’ve seen bald eagles at that dog park. I don’t go there often, so I’m still impressed by them.

The other day a friend saw a turkey buzzard land outside his window, on a high floor of a DT Mpls building.

And yesterday I found bright blue feathers and bones in my backyard. That bluejay had been picked clean.

I have spotted a Bald Eagle over Medicine Lake on many occasions.

My most interesting MN bird sighting, though, was an American Bittern waving in the reeds while canoeing on a river on the North Shore with my son 2 summers ago. Like this:

http://www.butler-bremer.com/web/kladage/American%20Bittern%2008.jpg

Last fall I saw a bald eagle chowing down on top of a telephone pole in the Uptown Lunds parking lot.

“And yesterday I found bright blue feathers and bones in my backyard.”

You’ve been hexed.

I don’t know who you pissed off, but I don’t wanna get near you.

Any botanical will be able to sell you a hoodoo to get rid of that hex. Usually it’ll be some incense or oil. A few bucks, the problem is taken care of.

If it’s hoodoo. It might be Santeria. You might have to fly in some priests from Miami and New Orleans.

That’s gonna be expensive.

I’d start with Florida Water. Usually that will clear up just about anything.

Those are probably red-tailed hawks you see on the highway lights, johnathan. One of the most common raptors in U.S. You can also see kestrels on the highways, too. Some states add nesting boxes for them behind highway signs. They can hover over one spot like a hummingbird while they hunt — very pretty little bird. It’s in the falcon family, I believe.

Cooper’s Hawks would be another good guess. They are also very common.

There is some kind of hawk’s nest across the street from our cafeteria at work in NE.

You might have to sacrifice an animal to offset the other one. Not a dog or a cat, either, maybe a capybara or coatimundi. They sell those at PetSmart

According to birdchick’s hubby (she’s out of town), it may have been a coot. Does this look familiar: http://animal.discovery.com/guides/wild-birds/a-c/american-coot.html

Like max and the common loon, it has red eyes.

Geez, a hex?!?! Crud!!!! Thank you for your tips, and please offer any other advice or tips!

For now, I’ll get myself Santeria-certified on the internet, and will pour special oil and Florida water on the spot.

Now I’m worried about the bunny or squirrel skeleton that was in a corner of my yard after my first winter in this house. I was grossed out and didn’t look in that corner for a year, and the bones were gone. At the time I was relieved.

Possibly eaten by a hungry Chupacabra. They prefer goats, of course, but will nosh on squirrel when nothing else is available.

You seem so nice, Jane. Odd that it would happen to you.

It usually happens to guys like Max and Bob who have a long list of enemies.

My years of battling supernatural creatures has made me some enemies, yes, but somebody has to stand between the forces of darkness and innocents.

The Chupacabra also has red eyes. I’m told it is the last thing its victims see before they are torn to shreds.

That, and the re-elect Michele Bachmann button it always wears.

Being nice is just my internet persona.

I can’t believe I’ve had a hex this whole time. It really explains a lot. The feathers, the bones, the flashing red lights (= eyes) at night, the creeping charlie…

Still, I’m banking on that Santeria certification. I think that will do the trick!

“The Chupacabra also has red eyes. I’m told it is the last thing its victims see before they are torn to shreds.”

So does Rahm Emanuel.

keith- sometimes a guy named Dougie D is on here, but he graduated in the 80s. He used to be a regular, but haven’t seen him recently.

Where did Dougie D go?

He left in a snit.

Did you have wildly erotic dreams, Jane?

HEY! Take it to gchat!

These are the birds I’ve seen on the lakes lately that may be what you saw, particularly due to the “fauxhawk” appearance.

Red-breased Merganser, male (Cedar Lake)

Hooded Mergansers, female & male (I’ve seen them in Richfield and on Lake Calhoun this spring)

There have been loons on Cedar Lake

And the Merganser it is!

MnSpeak detectives, our work here is done.

Was it the red-breasted or hooded merganser? I’ve only seen the red-breasted one once this year, would love to see more!

What is the flight velocity of an unladen Merganser?

Is that a Tufted Titmouse in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?

No one loves the merganser who brings bad news.

“Was it the red-breasted”

What kind of person do you think I am?