Tundra Time Birding!

Year 13

The tundra birds are arriving in NE Minnesota. Yesterday I found this Snow Goose (wrong turn at Winnipeg??) which really should not be in Two Harbors on Lake Superior. Take a look at this screenshot from Audubon’s Bird Migration Explorer (a tool worth an inspection and learning). Apparently a strong NW wind must have blown this goose well off its migration path. You’ll notice how much smaller a snow goose is than the Canada Geese with which it is hanging out.

This morning I attempted to get near snow buntings, which tends to be an exercise in futility. Apparently the snow bunting is the land bird which has been recorded the closest to the North Pole! Eventually I will get close to one of these buntings. I need to find a small group of only two or three birds. Larger flocks flush when even just one bird takes alarm.

The Weekend of Gold Ends

Year 13

I just got inside after standing next to the Amity Creek Ravine and listening to my Great Horned Owls hoot their love. I stood next to the creek for over 20 minutes and while I have walked back home, the owls are still hooting! Thus … Home Owls … Cabin Owls … life is good when my friends decide both my home and cabin are excellent habitat for raising owlets. Want to listen to my owls? Use BirdWeather (free … no account required)

  • Amity Creek & Gardens – 800 yards upstream from Lake Superior … Boreal Forest at the edge of an urban area … one mile below Hawk Ridge (Private Land)
  • Northstar Lake – Boreal Forest on a deep spring-filled lake 30 miles north of Grand Rapids. The lake is the most southern lake of the Hudson Bay Watershed (Private Land)
  • BirdWeather Instructions

I get notifications send to me from both locations. While my Amity Creek Great Horned Owls were hooting, my Northstar Lake Barred Owls were also singing!

Back to Gold! The weather was most excellent this weekend. Sunny Skies, low winds and unseasonably warm. Enjoy!

The Moose Family of Greenwood Creek (video link for email subscribers)

Sunrise at Greenwood Creek (video link for email subscribers)(phone pic and video)

Cabin Time … Just the Barred Owls & Me!

Year 13,

This is my 4th trip in October to visit my small Northwoods cabin. On the 3rd trip up here last weekend I turned the water system off and pulled the intake out of the lake. Thus, on this visit I have no running water and the outhouse are “my facilities”. Thankfully this outhouse is special and was blessed a few years back by princesses and has the protection of Ninjas!

I will admit these four of my eight grandchildren are now a bit older, but I feel their efforts/blessings are still in force (outhouse in background)! After all, a cabin which now has a resident pair of Barred Owls must be special.  Ned and Nancy (the owls) always visit multiple times each night, and last night was no different. The Barred Owls set up shop in my Basswood Trees less than ten yards from my bedroom window. Given how vocal Barred Owls can be, it is hard to miss their visits!

Thankfully my cabin owls provided me a few photo opportunities during the late afternoon.

 

 

On my drive over to the cabin I also spied a Red-Tailed Hawk hunting the Wawina Bog along US Hwy 2. I have seen Red-Tails many times in the last seven days. Their migration is definitely in progress. November 1st is normally when I start seeing more big hawks and owls; thus I am enjoying this sneak preview!