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Jan 4, 2009 10:45 pm US/Central
Finding Minnesota: Watching Birds All Year
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ―
Where there are birds, you'll find Carrol Henderson and his camera; sneaking away from the subzero temperatures outside into the subtropics.
He's at the Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul inside Tropical Encounters where you can see a real live sloth along with birds from the rain forest.
"Y'know they don't necessarily just come out to greet you. You have to be willing to stand, watch, look," said Henderson. "But that's the way it is with a lot of birding. You have to put your time in, be patient. And then you'll see the birds. And the more patient you are, the quieter you are, probably the more you'll see."
Henderson is a biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Ever since he was a young boy, he's been interested with birds and flight.
But he wants people to know more than just how to identify a bird by its feather. He's written a book to help people understand the physics behind their movements.
Inside his book, titled "Birds in Flight", you'll find amazing things about just that -- birds and flight. Henderson uses photos from his travels around the world and from Minnesota.
"This was a red-tailed hawk out by Carlos Avery Wildlife Refuge right near the Twin Cities. And as you watch the bird you can tell when they kind of change their posture just prior to taking off," he said.
There are peregrine falcons near the bluffs of the Mississippi River, swans at the river in Monticello, Minn., and, of course, the state bird -- the loon -- found on every one of our 10,000 lakes.
"So whether you're traveling all the way up to Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, or Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, or out to Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area. Every one of those places will give you wonderful opportunities to see the birds," said Henderson.
Other birds can also be seen in our own backyards.
"When the hummingbird wings are going back and forth, the bone actually turns in the socket so it generates lift on the forward thrust, it generates lift on the backward thrust," described Henderson. "And it's doing this so that it can hover motionless or even go backwards, up, down, sideways, even fly upside down."
The Wright Brothers got most of their ideas about building an airplane from watching turkey vultures. Then there are the more exotic birds of the rain forest -- ones you won't find in the wild of Minnesota.
"By doing a book like this, it gives me the chance to share these experiences with people who may one day want to travel to some of these same places," said Henderson.
Or if people are unable to get there, Henderson hopes to give them a chance to see the albatross, the Andean condor and some other spectacular birds that could be found in many destinations.
"And also to appreciate the great diversity of birdlife that we have here available to enjoy right here in Minnesota," he said.
For more on some of the places that Henderson visits to bird watch, click on the links below.
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge
Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area
Como Zoo and Conservatory: Tropical Encounters
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