Tag Archives: MN North: McQuade Harbor

17 Spruce Grouse! (and a Red Morph Screech Owl!)

Did I forget to mention the Phainopepla … in northern Minnesota, not in the Desert southwest of Arizona??! (first ever sighting in Minnesota). Yesterday was a day of birding I will not forgetĀ  for a looonnnnng time.

I had been birding well north of Two Harbors where I saw 17 Spruce Grouse, including a flock of ten birds! When I got back into cell phone coverage area there was a voicemail from my wife, who definitely is NOT a birder. She was bicycling up the North Shore when she noticed a lot of folks near McQuade Harbor with cameras and binoculars. She stopped to ask what they were seeing, and voila! … A Red Morph Screech Owl, and a Phainopepla.
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In the afternoon I in turn went cycling over to McQuade Harbor and was rewarding with better views of the Phainopepla! What the heck is a bird from the desert southwest doing on the shores of Lake Superior?! The Phainopepla was just up the shore (about 20 yards) in the trees by the shut-down motel near McQuade Harbor.

The Red-Morph Screech Owl


The Spruce Grouse (video link for email subscribers)


The Phainopepla (near Duluth, Minnesota … not Tucson)

Ice Road Aurora Borealis

While not the best part of the Northern Lights display from last night, this pic does show the “Ice Road” on which I was parked last night on a frozen lake north of Two Harbors. I turned on my car’s parking lights to illuminate the scene. The temperature was minus 25F at the time!

Ice Road Aurora Borealis in Northern Minnesota

Additional Photos of last night’s Northern Lights Display

Two Hours Later at McQuade Harbor … 20 minutes before sunrise. Some fishermen get ready for the morning fish!

Poor Richard’s Almanac: Snow Soon!

Sorry folks, but winter is coming soon to the Northland! One way I measure how soon snow will be in our future is when Snow Buntings arrive from the tundra near the Arctic Ocean. While I have seen other birds this fall that may have nested that far north, those birds also use more southern habitat in Canada. Snow Buntings are truly a very northern bird. Get those shovels ready. (range map courtesy of the Cornell School of Ornithology)
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My apologies to Ben Franklin and his “Poor Richard’s Almanac“, however I am named “Richard” and my birds help me predict the seasons. There will be snow soon!
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I also had a lifer for me at Forest Hill Cemetery yesterday afternoon. I decided to see if the Soras were still around (there were), and spied a Swamp Sparrow. Like the Soras, Swamp Sparrows like to hide out in the reeds. This individual gave me nice views.