Birding the Greenwood Forest Fire Region (2 years post fire)

Year 10, ,

Two years ago there was a HUGE forest fire 40 miles north of Two Harbors. While it will take a long time for the pines to grow back, nature is already beginning to recover. Wednesday I drove up Lake County #2 to the McDougal Lake area, which was ground central in terms of the burn area. It was amazing to drive the back roads and see the amount of greenery that has reappeared.  While I did not find any moose, I am certain these majestic creatures are enjoying feasting on the new growth. Last month I did spy a bull moose just south of the burn area. It is also apparent that Black-Backed Woodpeckers have now very much moved into the area judging by the amount of bark stripped off burned trees. My hope is this fall will see Northern Hawk Owls establish a presence in the burn area. They are another bird which loves this burned over habitat.

My favorite sighting of the excursion was this Ruffed Grouse totally mixed up as to the season. Although he was courting his lady love, now is NOT the time to start a family (do we males wen it comes to love ever pay attention to the rules!!?)

I saw quite a few Red-Tailed Hawks hunting in the wildfire area.

Earlier in the morning I stopped to take a sunrise photograph of the Langley River. If you’re interested in seeing this river during the other seasons, browse to this post.

On the way home I birded Two Harbors to Duluth along Scenic 61. Bluebirds and Horned Larks were very much present and migrating. Guess what the bluebirds were using for bug hunting perches?!

Northstar Night Lights

Year 10

When I left for Pine Island State Forest two mornings ago, it was still quite dark and I remember remarking to myself that the stars were fantastic. Fast forward to the afternoon and I found myself thinking that photographing our cabin with the Milky Way rising behind it would be cool. However, was I in time before the core of the Milky Way drops below the horizon till next Spring? The answer was yes, but just barely.

How did I figure out the Milky Way’s location and time it would be optimal in the night sky? I used PlanIt for Photographers. Here is a screenshot of the data screen I investigated. I screenshot / data screen has a lot of data, but it told me time of night … location in sky relative to my cabin and much more. (see below my Milky Way photo)

Northstar Lake Milky Way Night Lights.

PlanIt for Photographers Data Screen

 

Northern Minnesota Morning Grouse

Year 10,

It was a grousy morning … clear skies, only 25F and a heavy frost. Molly and I had travelled over to our small cabin in the first lake of the Hudson Bay Watershed yesterday afternoon. I needed to drain and water system before the season’s cold froze everything up. This meant a refreshing dip into the lake (we pump lake water), followed by crawling under the cabin to disconnect pipes to drain the system at its low points. When we arrived at the cabin yesterday evening, the temperature was in the mid 40’s … inside and out. Obviously it was necessary to fire up the wood stove (our source of heat) quickly!

However I was allowed to play in the morning before doing my chores. For me this meant a trip deep into the Pine Island State Forest near the Canadian border. Per normal once I drove west on the local roads from Big Falls, nary a car would I see for hours. It was fun to walk within a few feet of some Spruce Grouse. These birds are notoriously dumb, and if you are lucky enough to bird somewhere that the grouse don’t get hunted much, getting close is not too difficult.

Upon getting back to Northstar Lake, a Ruffed Grouse decided it wanted equal time. This bird was enjoying some sun on my driveway. It is also a bit more touchy when it comes to humans. My forest road gets hunted, and this grouse seems to have learned to spend time on my driveway (not out on the forest road). I have seen this particular bird often.

Finally, here is an image I took at sunrise this morning in the Boreal Bog. Heavy frost was evident, and standing water had iced over.

In closing, we are going out to dinner this evening  at a local bar near Marcell tonight. They have water to do dishes *rather than me lugging it up from the lake), and we may use their bathrooms before reverting to our outhouse later tonight!