Threatened Bird Specie: Rusty Blackbird

Year 8
I had the privilege to watch three Rusty Blackbirds forage at the Forest Hill Cemetery Pond in Duluth yesterday afternoon. The Cornell School of Ornithology rates this bird species one of the most threatened in North America. It has lost “85-99%” of its population over the last 40 years. Given it breeds near Boreal swamps, ponds and bogs in remote areas north of the Minnesota border with Canada up to Alaska, it is hard to study.
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Regardless, I was very pleased to watch a family of three very close up … a male, female and juvenile.

The Northern Birds (way north) are Coming!

Year 8

The sun finally arrived back at the Head of the Lakes, and even though the wind was not optimal for migration, after two weeks of blaaah birds decided to migrate. While working the North Shore of Lake Superior I saw hundreds of hawks and vultures trying to catch an updraft near Silver Cliffs. Upon getting back to Two Harbors, I decided to visit the Lakeview Cemetery. This cemetery is very near the lake and tends to be visiting by a significant numbers of migrating birds. As we near completion of migration here in northeastern Minnesota, there are a number of songbird flocks that migrate through the area in large numbers. These birds are:

  • Horned Larks
  • Lapland Longspurs
  • Slate-Colored Juncos
  • Snow Buntings

These species tend to be our last migrants before the arrival of birds that will actually winter in the Northland (a few juncos and buntings will stay the winter in our area). At the cemetery this morning, Horned Larks were very much in evidence. Staying in ones car and inching forward is required. Getting near the larks on foot is impossible.

A few pics from this morning … horned larks are a favorite of mine.

Simply Superior: Great Gray Owls

Year 8
Had a great time watching two Great Gray Owls this morning and then was treated to listening all about these fantastic birds and more via Wisconsin Public Radio while driving home to Duluth.
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Yup, Ben Yokel (board member of the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog) and Dudley Edmonson (another well known NE Minnesota area birder) were interviewed on Simply Superior.
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Also called out in the show by name were Frank Nicoletti for his great help in being a mentor and teaching many of us, including me, a lot about birds. The final person mentioned by name was Ryan Brady with the Wisconsin DNR. Ryan lives over near Bayfield and apparently has an amazing bird bath set-up.
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I am proud to know all four of these people. Perhaps someday I will also be famous like them!!!

As a fyi, this is a great time of year to see owls in the Bog. The youngsters / juveniles now have to fend \ hunt for themselves, and they are not yet proficient. This tends to mean the young owls are often out hunting after sunrise. One still should arrive by sunrise, and avoid windy and/or wet days.