Monthly Archives: March 2016

Turkeys Gone A Courting! (video)

Year 3

Courting is in full swing at the Sax-Zim Bog. The sharp-tailed grouse dance every morning in the field just NE of the intersection of Racek and Cty #29. The turkeys strut their stuff in a field east of Overton Rd, about 300 yards south of Arkola Rd. The video is at the bottom of this post.

Make certain you arrive by sunrise or shortly thereafter. All the dancing will be over by 8:30 or 9:00 am. Even though the Spring migration has not really started, I had a fun morning in the Bog. In addition to all the birds with romance on their mind, I found a small flock of gray jays which were feeding in a marshy area mostly devoid of snow.

Turkeys Gone a Courting!
Y3-M03-Turkey-Courting-Saz-Zim-Bog-01 Y3-M03-Turkey-Courting-Saz-Zim-Bog-02 Y3-M03-Turkey-Courting-Saz-Zim-Bog-03 Y3-M03-Turkey-Courting-Saz-Zim-Bog-04 Y3-M03-Turkey-Courting-Saz-Zim-Bog-05

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Wetland Gray Jays
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The Michipicoten Opens the Duluth Shipping Season at 4 am!

Year 3,

Today is my 60th birthday, and the Michipicoten honored me with her presence shortly before 4 am as this ore boat became the first ship to arrive in the Duluth / Superior Harbor to start the 2016 shipping season. Normally I would not attempt such “long distance” photographs in the middle of the night, but the full moon gave me hope that the extra light would allow me to “stop action” of the Michipicoten while still keeping my ISO to a reasonable level.

More photos, including my dramatic 60th birthday sunrise and of course … some birds, will be added to this blog post throughout the day.

The Michipicoten steams into the Duluth Harbor!

Michipicoten-Duluth-Aerial-Bridge-02 Michipicoten-Duluth-Aerial-Bridge-04a Michipicoten-Duluth-Aerial-Bridge-04b Michipicoten-Duluth-Aerial-Bridge-06a

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Sunrise at Lester River on Lake Superior
Lester-River-Birthday-Sunrise-1 Lester-River-Birthday-Sunrise-3

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Decided to featured the often “not-respected” ring billed gull!
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Looking for Spring: Meadowlarks to Mergansers!

Year 3,

Even with the snow flurries and 30+ mph winds screaming in off Lake Superior, there is hope that spring may actually be around the corner. This morning I started with a hike out Minnesota Point, and although I enjoyed the woods and solitude, not many birds put in an appearance. Instead, I needed to find the snow melt open water of Miller Creek at 27th Avenue West by WLSSD to find waterfowl. Right in the creek itself I found hooded and common mergansers, some with love on their mind.

Spring was easier to find 175 miles further south over the weekend in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. Sunrise found Eastern Meadowlarks singing to the morning from the tops of the few trees that graced the meadows. Now if we could only get some warm weather with south winds, this migration might really get going!

Eastern Meadowlark Singing to the Sunrise (my thanks to Adam Roesch for helping me with the ID … western vs eastern)
Y3-M03-Sherburne-National-Wildlife-Refuge-Meadow-Lark-3 Y3-M03-Sherburne-National-Wildlife-Refuge-Meadow-Lark-1

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Hooded Mergansers with Love on their Minds!
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