For the past two weeks we had an amazing number of non stop house guests, including at various times all of my eight grandchildren. As the family tended not to get up till later in the morning, the nearby Lester River Ravine was a great birding getaway for me. It only took five minutes to reach the ravine, and I could spend quality birding time but still be home by 8:00 to 8:30 am. which was prime breakfast time. Before the Common Merganser Ducklings escaped to the big lake (Lake Superior), it was fun to watch them near the mouth of the river. These images are from ten days ago, and the youngsters were my primary focus. If I moved slowly and stayed low, Momma Merganser was willing to put up with my presence.

Common Merganser Ducklings (movie at end of images)

The Movie! (video link for email subscribers)

The same morning I was watching the mergansers, I found both a Red-Necked Grebe (somewhat rare for NE Minnesota) and an American Coot.