Day 094: Crex Meadows Wildlife Refuge

Although Spring has not arrived on the shores of Lake Superior (see first photograph taken at dawn this morning), a short drive 70 miles to the south yielded a glimpse of some of the birds waiting to invade northern Minnesota in a week or two when snows and ice melt a bit more. Crux Meadows is a 30,000 acre+ wildlife refuge with over 250 species of birds. The rare sedge marsh and brush prairie habitats make the area a utopia for wildlife, These photographs represent just a few of the birds we saw today.

Some nice comments about today’s birding … we saw lots of Trumpeter Swans. When I was young, they were almost extinct with only 40 breeding pairs in North America. In addition, I saw my first Common Loon of the season. This is a favorite bird of mine, and also the State Bird of Minnesota.