Meet Me at Lester River!

Year 9,

Lester River has finally turned on! Our huge snowfalls and rains meant the river flow has been extremely high this spring / summer, but with August approaching the current speed has finally fallen to late summer velocities. The end result is food may finally be more easily found within the river … for fishing and bug eating birds. This morning when the sun rose high enough in the sky to start kissing the ravine’s river bottom (about 7:30 am), feeding got real busy.

One wants to bird on the “non lake” side … not the mouth of the river on the Lake Superior side of the highway. If traffic is difficult, use the Lakewalk tunnel to safely pass under the road. Your birding should be two fold. First use the overlooks and viewpoints next to the ravine to scope things out. I quickly determined three young kingfisher chicks were demanding to be fed, and the local cedar waxwing population was ambusing bugs from tree tops and branches. Activity slowed down by 9 am.

Cedar Waxwing’s

Belted Kingfisher

Hooded Merganser (female w/o much of a hood … perhaps a juvenile)

A Merlin Surveys the Area and Scouts for Breakfast at Stoney Point

The Chardonnays of Summer!

Year 9

The Chardonnays of Summer! Some folks prefer the sweet elixir from freshly bloomed Bee Balm, while others sit ten yards away (camera in hand) and drink a chilled glass of wine with just a hint of vanilla taste if its aged with oak!

It’s my favorite time of year when I sit in the garden a bit before sunset and enjoy life! Should this option not be available to you, an early morning visit to the Hartley Nature Center and their wildflower garden is most relaxing. Stand in the middle of the flowers which grow to over six feet in height and enjoy hummingbird visits. The bees will not sting you … just move slowly.

My Happy Hour Friend! (female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird)

Enjoying some other flavors!

On Location

Seriously, there is no Northland flower better than red bee balm at attracting hummingbirds. It is a perennial and will come back year after year. My hummers ignore all other choices once the bee balm is in blossom.

Broad-Winged Hawk Juveniles!

Year 9,

This morning up in Sax-Zim Bog it was all about “juveniles”. Youngsters are either already fledged and flying, but still demanding to be fed … or their first foray away from the nest will be real soon. This younger Broad-Winged Hawk Chick was still on the nest.

Meanwhile about ten yards away the older sibling was branching, but not yet flying.

A pair of Sandhill Cranes were hanging out on Cranberry Road. I took a few photos, but then turned around and left them alone. I suspected a colt was near.

Finally when I returned home and was getting ready for my bicycle ride, I scared two Flickers out of my garden while descending the stairs. I think the one on the left is the juvenile, and it was getting lessons on finding food from Dad.