Birding Knowhow!

Year 12

Occasionally I feel it is necessary to post this content such that new subscribers to my blog … now in the thousands better understand the resources which may be found via 365 Days Of Birds (this website). Remember, this site is non commercial. You will never find a single pop-up advertisement, sponsored link or any other paid content. I am a failure as a “paid influencer”. LOL!

I just want folks to better understand and enjoy our feathered friends … whether it is a free PDF download of one of my owl children’s books to how one may build a BirdNET-Pi bird song listening device. The rest of this post is copied from my “Birding KnowHow” page (always found and linked via my menu system) and was current as of today’s date, November 3, 2025.

Birding Knowledge, Reviews, Evaluations and Services

Index of my Birding Reviews of Services / Products (alpha by subject)

Birding Migration Gems of the North Shore of Lake Superior

Year 12,

The last few days have been fun. Around the first of November, winds out of the North and Northwest bring unexpected pleasures to the North Shore region of Lake Superior. In short, migrating birds get pushed by strong winds against the big lake, and are feathered friends exclaim: “No way I’m heading out over that HUGE body of water!”. Instead birds meander in a southwesterly direction along the shore down towards Duluth. During this time of year, I still head inland to Sax-Zim Bog and Greenwood, but the largest number of my sightings are always within a few miles of Lake Superior.

Sunday started with the sighting I enjoyed the most … a Dark Morph Rough-Legged Hawk just after sunrise. Better yet, this species normally spooks and flushes very easily. Perhaps because I would soon be heading to church that morning, the hawk let me watch it hunt … often from distances as close as 50 yards away. However, I suspect the real reason it never flushed is the hawk was very, very hungry, and the need to feed drives all actions.

Dark Morph Rough-Legged Hawk

The next surprise was finding a Cattle Egret on a farm near the intersection of Ryan and Lismore Roads. This bird is still hanging out in this area, and my thanks to Peder Svingen for his initial sighting reports. Take a look at the range map for this bird (copyright to Cornell). The winds of migration must have blown this bird almost due west!

Western Cattle Egret

My finally sighting was a dark morph Snow Goose at the Lakeview Cemetery in Two Harbors. I had been checking the gold course, and cemetery for over one week hoping to find some snow geese. While thousands and thousands of these birds migrate south along the Red River on Minnesota’s border with the Dakotas, they are rare in NE Minnesota.

Dark Morph Snow Goose

I hope you are also enjoying the late season bird migration. The leading edge of the Arctic birds are just starting to arrive.

The Nature Conservancy Loves Greenwood … As do I, wolves & spruce grouse!

Year 12

Folks who know me understand I love an area named the Greenwood Creek Boreal Forest and Bog. Earlier this month The Nature Conservancy closed on their largest land acquisition (12,000 acres) in over one quarter of a century in Minnesota. In addition to being a financial donor to this purchase, at the Conservancy’s request I provided photos and videos which they used as part of their campaign to raise money for this project, land which abuts their 7 Beavers Project. Read more via this story from Minnesota Public Radio.

Yes, the Greenwood Creek Boreal Forest and Bog Region is an amazing and special wilderness area. It is a rare week that I don’t hike at least once deep into this area. My Greenwood Creek Birds Feeders are located just off Lake County 2. The fact that The Conservancy will be protecting the Greenwood area for generations to come thrills me.

Did I mention that the timber wolves and spruce grouse love Greenwood? Per normal yesterday morning I hiked deep into this wilderness area, swapping out simm cards in my trailcams. For the third straight week in a row, this spruce grouse was hanging out near the creek at the exact same spot (literally within feet of my other sightings).

The Movies! (video links for email subscribers … wolves … grouse)

I don’t know if timber wolves hunt and eat spruce grouse (I suspect yes), but these wolf images / videos were taken by my trailcams which is located within 50 yards of where the spruce grouse is living. This location is also where some of my better moose sightings (Return to Greenwood Blog Post from earlier this month) come from. Anyhow, the Greenwood Timber Wolves.

Yes … Greenwood is special and worth a visit. I will keep the feeders filled through next spring, and I invite you to experience the thrill and beauty of true wilderness.