Red-Headed Woodpecker Week!

Year 10,

I had not expected this week to be Red-Headed Woodpecker Week, but these gorgeous scarlet headed birds made the decision for me. When Sunday morning dawned sunny and clear, I decided I had to get out birding before the long drive back north to Duluth from Milwaukee. Via earlier research that same weekend, I had discovered a delightful birding area … with Red-Headed Woodpeckers, Donges Bay Gorge Natural Area. This small park just north of Milwaukee was extremely birdy, and during migration due to its location right on the Lake Michigan Flyway, birds must irrupt! Better, yet … as a small, less popular park I had the region essentially to myself (make sure you hike Wendy’s Trail right next to the gorge).

Yesterday I continued Red-Headed Woodpecker Week. Due to a quick medical appointment down in the Twin Cities, I made a round trip south Tuesday. In Bethel a bit north of the metropolitan area I have grown to love the Fish Lake Nature Trails. Years ago the Cedar Creek Ecosystem which borders and includes the trails became my “go to” place to find these woodpeckers. The University of Minnesota manages the area, and has ongoing research. Anyhow, yesterday morning the research crew was having University of Minnesota students out to the area, and early in the morning I had a great conversation about the Red-Headed Woodpecker Recovery Project with one of the top researchers. He was extremely interested in my knowledge of where Red-Headed Woodpeckers nesting holes are located in the Northland, and we plan to follow up with each other. The Duluth area is really pushing the limit of this woodpecker’s range.

In closing … some photographs from the past few days.

Pikaboost and Camera Reviews

Background, Year 10

Many, many people have asked me in person or via messages over the past few weeks when I will be posting my Pikaboost eBike and Dekco Security Camera (used as a trail cam) Reviews. The answer is soon.

  • Update April 27, 2024: My Pikaboost is finally shipping. Kickstarter Campaigns for new products often never succeed. It appears Pikaboost is a success but over one year late. I will post a review after I use Pikaboost. (As promised here is my full Pikaboost Review.)

In terms of Dekco, my cameras arrived a few days ago. My evaluation starts in earnest when I get home from a family wedding tomorrow. I had become dissatisfied with trailcams for monitoring what was visiting my feeders. Cold outdoor temperatures in the Northwoods (my home area) meant I was constantly changing out batteries. When I altered my searches from trailcams to security cameras I was able to find products that run off standard electrical cords, and connected to my home wifi while being outdoor resilient.

In terms of PikaBoost, I am a Kickstarter Booster of the simple eBike conversion kit project. My conversion kit should arrive in October, and assuming the snows don’t come too early this fall, I will perform my evaluation in November.

Planning Your Migration Birding: BirdCast and HaikuBox

Background, Year 10

The southern migration has started. The bug eating birds are exiting the Northwoods. No matter where you live in North America, it is possible to discover / learn what to expect in terms of the migration. For my purposes I am focusing upon northern Minnesota which equates to the Duluth area and St. Louis County. However, you can use the same approach for wherever you call home or are located.

BirdCast: Use this tool from the Cornell School of Ornithology (and others) on your computer or mobile device to learn what is happening in terms of migration over the next few days. Remember, a wind pushing birds in their desired direction, just like a tailwind on a bicycle, means more birds will be moving. We all like to use less energy to move the same distance. See my full review of BirdCast with annotated screenshots.

Here are two screenshots from BirdCast taken this Saturday morning, August 26th for the migration that occurred last night, and for two days hence when the winds will once again be out of the North for Duluth … located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.

I also mention HaikuBox may be used to figure out what is migrating. Read my full review of HaikuBox, but remember this small box identifies the birds singing in your yard in real time and saves that data. As I mentioned in my full review, anyone may obtain a free HaikuBox account for use on a computer or mobile device and view the data from public HaikuBoxes across the United States and Canada. (Link to my own HaikuBox Data Stream)

The way to use HaikuBox for migration information is easy. Use the map on their website (Listen.Haikubox.Com) and pick Haikuboxes north of your own location and bookmark them. At any time, you may then visit those Haikuboxes and discover what ACTUAL birds are visiting the geographic locations in question.

Thus, I have chosen and bookmarked for my purposes and account four Haikuboxes … one in Grand Marais, Minnesota … two on the Gunflint Trail … and one box on Lake Winnipeg.

A Screenshot of the HaikuBox Map for my Region

Using one’s free Haikubox Account … on a PC or Mobile Device … check what’s happening for a given period

One final item in closing out this post. In my full review I talk about how I had purchased my own HaikuBox. However, a college classmate of mine, Jim Ancona, who is also a techie and a retired software engineer built the equivalent of his own Haikubox … a Do It Yourself (DIY) project. The cost is less that what I spent, and the result is similar! Read how Jim built his own bird listening device:

Here is a screenshot from Jim’s area and his Birdsong Device.

Finally a special callout to another one of my buddies, and I am throwing the gauntlet down. Paul with your amazing Wood Duck Drop monitoring tech, I totally expect you to follow in Jim’s footsteps!