Category Archives: Year 13

Spring (?) Birding … Ice and Owls!

Year 13, ,

The calendar might claim we are well into spring … whether you like to count either the first day of meteorological spring (March 1st) or astronomical spring (March 21st) as when the season arrives. Here in the Northland, we know better than to be fooled by either of those two dates. In the forests inland from Lake Superior, snow is still deep on the ground. Area lakes have not started to ice out, with only very small areas of open water where currents rule. In short, we continue to earn our nick name, the Arctic Riviera!

Here is a Snowy Owl I photographed yesterday evening. It was actually one of two Snowy Owls I saw at the traditional Snowy Owl wintering grounds here at the Head of the Lakes. Our visitors seem in no hurry to migrate north to the Arctic. Given this year’s Snowy Owls which are visiting our region are almost certainly only one or two years old, and given Snowy Owls do not breed till they reach three or four years of age, these local birds do not have hormones screaming at them to fly north!

Snowy Owl on April 8th

On the “spring migrant front”, the early birds which have returned to our area may be regretting their early plane ticket. I think this Great Blue Heron does not look very happy. It had found a very small spot of open water next to a beaver mound, but I doubt it was catching any fish. When I checked on the bird a second time after one hour had passed, it had not moved an inch. Where would it move, the pocket of open water was only 15 years in length.

These Canada Geese only had open water in the harbor because the US Coast Guard Cutter Spar and broken ice!

Now we venture up to the northern edges of Duluth and the Canosia Wildlife Preserve. These wetlands are a great birding spot, but the trails and ponds are still socked in with snow and ice. These turkey’s were courting and I particularly enjoyed this “Smokey Gray” morph turkey. Here is what the National Wild Turkey Federation says about this color:

“Its mutation is based on the fact that it has no brown pigments within its feathers. Coloration varies, but white is typically the dominant tone with black and dark gray contrasting tones, especially on the back, wings and tail feathers.”

Finally, I zipped up to Sax-Zim Bog where I found lots of incoming Northern Harriers and Rough-Legged Hawks which were returning to the Sub-Arctic.

Eventually Spring will come, but not today (snow in the forecast).

 

White Fang, A Northwoods White Wolf

Year 13

I remember as a boy being fascinated while reading Jack London’s, Call of the Wild and White Fang (published 1906). These two books were often marketed within one single hardbound book, and that is in fact how I was introduced to the Northwoods. Now years later, after just turning 70 years old I like to think a timber wolf which I have named “White Fang” lives in the Greenwood Creek Forest and Bog. Actually, I know that a white wolf lives in Greenwood! Ever since last summer I have been catching glimpses of the wolf via my trailcams. White Fang decided to put in an appearance at the Canada Lynx’s Scent Bush (see recent post with video).

White Fang – The Movie! (video link for blog email subscribers)

If you have read the book, White Fang, you may remember the wolves battle a “she lynx”, A Canada Lynx female protecting her young. If not, perhaps you would like to read Jack London’s Book? If is on 99 cents for the Kindle version via Amazon.

In closing … White Fang, one of the Greenwood Lynx and the Jack London 1906 Cover Art.

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Do You Know your Oropendolas!

Year 13

What the heck is an Oropendola?!  A very large bird … raven sized that you might see in Costa Rica. In addition, my thanks to Janet, a faithful reader of this site who contacted me to point out I had my Oropendolas mixed up in my Bird Colony in the Sky post!  Given our 2nd winter storm in three days up here in northern Minnesota, its seemed a good time to correct my posts from “a warmer world”!

Here are the two types of Oropendolas

The real Chestnut-Headed Oropendola

My mis ID’d Montezuma Oropendola (now correct)

One thing that is fun about visiting Costa Rica is there are SO MANY bird species. It’s amazing I don’t make more mistakes. For instance … here are a lot of green birds, that look very similar. Their sizes are not too different, and the birds tend to use the same habitat. I actually saw all three of these parrots/parakeets within 100 yards of each other in the same Dry Creek Bed Habitat (read prior post about the habitat)

Orange-Chinned Parakeet

Orange-Fronted Parakeet

White-Fronted Amazon Parrot

One final aside, did you know you may actually find monk parakeets … flocks of escapees living as far north year round in the Chicago area? Uff Dah! Perhaps someday I will photograph a parakeet and Snowy Owl at the same time here on the Arctic Riviera? I think not.