The Magnificent Merlin … Boreal Forest Falcon.

Year 10

Sometimes you get lucky in terms birding. Read on …

I am with my entire family on the very remote NW side of Lake Vermilion … all my kids, their spouses and my 7 grandchildren. Thus, Grampa / Dad is limited in terms of birding opportunities. We have an entire small great resort to ourselves for seven days! We are staying at Vintage Vermilion

While sitting on the dock yesterday morning I heard a Merlin crying out very near to us. I told everyone that the call was from a Boreal Forest falcon. Both my daughter and oldest son chimed in that they had heard the bird throughout the previous night. They are in two different cabins with their respective families.

Anyhow I grab my binoculars, my Bluetooth speaker and play a couple of Merlin calls. Oh my, it was like a dam burst. Within seconds Momma Merlin screamed back at me. A couple of minutes later I located their nest in a tall white pine.

Sometimes you get lucky! Happy 4th everyone!

Boreal Forest Merlin

Our Local Common Loons

Four Months of FuzzBall and Friends!

Year 10

I lied! I said no more posts before heading to Lake Vermilion, but it is now four months that I have watched FuzzBall and family. I first found the nest location during a blizzard back in early March. Although I had taken a huge number of hikes in the dark listening to the evening hoot, it was when during a snowstorm I went outside on my deck and realized I could hear the Great Horned Owl parents hooting back and forth during the blizzard. The owls had to be nesting very near my house or I would not have been able to hear them over the howling wind. I took these images the next morning when the storm lessened up considerably.

Last night  I had intended to just rest on the couch and then watch with Molly an episode of Alone. After all, I had been up before dawn … birded the Wisconsin Grasslands … took a 12 mile bike ride and am still even recovering from Lyme disease, but noooooo! While stretched out on the couch I kept hearing a few crows giving grief to my owl friends (remember, I speak crow). I decided the nice evening light demanded that I take an evening hike and attempt to find FuzzBall.

After a one mile walk, I did in fact find one of the two owlets (plus two other trees with new whitewash). Here are last night’s efforts.

The star of the show … the sun would set within five minutes.

Short video of the owlet (video link for email subscribers)