Yesterday I went out birding after church … ignoring the heavy fog warnings. I wanted to pull three birdsong listening stations off the trails before the rains started once more. As with the day before, find a bit of open water and one fill find some waterfowl.
Canosia Wildlife Preserve … Small Lake
Hooded Mergansers
Soon the trails in the Duluth area will be snow and ice free, but such was not the case yesterday as I dealt with 1/2 foot of sloppy snow / slush.
Yesterday morning the sun actually shone bright, in short it was not “dreich” (read definition from the BBC)! I left the house at 7:00 am on an “open water quest”. I reasoned if I found open water, I might find birds migrating back to the Northland. Just when it appeared my quest would be a failure … all the lakes and ponds were still iced shut with zero “black ice” … I checked the Rice Lake outlet. Current at the lake’s outlet created a small area of open water, and waterfowl were there aplenty!
One of the species in greatest abundance were Trumpeter Swans, and love was in the air (or at least on the water)!
A lone Canada Goose inspected some feeding swans
Although Rice Lake is not a suitable breeding pond, A Trumpeter Swan asks the Canada Swan to move along! Swans and Geese don’t get along.
Apparently this duo is a couple!
Trumpeter Swans Mating
Was it as good for you as it was for me?!
Hanging our together a short time later …
As I have noted, winter continues to linger in the Northwoods here in Minnesota, specifically the Greenwood Creek Boreal Forest. Here is another version of Sunday night at the Movies … the Moose Video is from my TrailCam, but the Mink was an “in person” event from a few days ago. I enjoyed watching this small, but fierce predator hunt for food.
Mr. Moose … near my feeders (video link for blog subscribers)
And the Mink Movie (video link for blog subscribers)