Category Archives: Year 7

Roadkill Cafe … Closed Due to Coronavirus!

Year 7

I suspect the title sounds like a crazy statement, but it’s true. Just like restaurants which are closed due to the Pandemic (at least here in Minnesota), Roadkill Cafe is closed! I actually had this discussion with another naturalist back in late March. Here in northern Minnesota, as in the rest of America, traffic on the highways is down 90% … maybe more. It stands to reason that whitetail deer, and other animals are being killed much less frequently due to this anomaly. The main scavenger birds in my region are Bald Eagles, Crows, Ravens and Turkey Vultures. For those birds accustomed to getting supper along Scenic 61 between Two Harbors and Silver Cliff (a prime collision spot) … sorry Charlie!

Oh well, all the scavengers except Turkey Vultures are here year round. The vultures are now back up north, and the cafe is closed. This morning, I was actually looking for Eastern Meadowlarks, but this vulture provided some amazing photo ops. The darn meadowlarks while numerous would not turn and face me.

Bald is Beautiful!

Turkey Vulture Video (link for email subscribers)

And one Eastern Meadowlark image … saw and heard lots of meadowlarks, but all the females must have been in the field far away from me. Not one singer would turn, and look at me … thus displaying their beautiful breasts. Sigh.

Arctic Riviera Migration Stopover

Year 7

Earlier today I post about a Kamikaze Crow which repeatedly attacked a Bald Eagle down on Park Point (Minnesota Point). The reason I had driven down to the fields is I had had heard there were some Whimbrels stopping over during their long migration up to the Arctic Ocean. Apparently the birds I saw had been blown slightly off course due to strong winds. Normally Whimbrels would migrate through Lake Huron and up to the northern reaches of Hudson Bay. However, it makes sense that they would like the fields at the end of the point … reminds them of the tundra habitat to which they are headed.

Here is a range / migration map from the Cornell School of Ornithology. Learn more about the Whimbrel via their web site. This is why I love migration; one gets to see unusual birds.

I found three Whimbrels in the midst of some Ring Billed Gulls eating bugs. When the next big south wind comes, they will continue their migration.

Kamikaze Crow Attacks Bald Eagle

Year 7

I watched a Crow attack a Bald Eagle out on Park Point this morning. I zoomed in, and pressed the shutter using burst mode a crazy number of times … hoping one angle would capture the intensity of the altercation. This is my favorite!

I suspect the crow has a nest near by because it kept up the attack for over ten minutes, and then when the eagle finally flew away but came back … it started up the attack once more.

Attack #1

Enjoying the morning sun

How audacious … it landed in MY tree

Be gone and don’t come back!

Attack #2