Birding up here in the Boreal Forest of northern Minnesota has changed since I was a young boy. Back in the mid 1960’s I loved watching huge flocks of Evening Grosbeaks and Red Crossbills visit our family bird feeders. Both birds are now almost unheard of within the city limits of Duluth, and are even hard to find up at Sax-Zim Bog. Here is an excellent article about Evening Grosbeaks from BirdSource.Org.
While some of the birds I loved to watch are now a difficult find, this morning I found Bluebirds within Duluth city proper for the second time this spring … an unheard of experience and a first for me. While leaving Hartley Nature Center after a birding hike this morning, I heard Bluebird song, and I found not one, but two males singing next to the nature center. The other bird which has now become almost common here at the Head of the Lakes are cardinals. The cardinals which visit my own feeders now brave our fierce winters. Neither bird was even seen back in the 60’s. Both of these species have extended their territories northward. (read Audubon Article on climate change)
