Snow Birds … Red and Gray!

Year 6,

As noted we had another winter storm earlier this week dumping eight additional inches of snow on the Northland. With over 3 feet of snow on the ground, birds have started using bird feeders in a BIG way. Find some bird feeders, and you will find lots of birds. I photographed these snow birds during two different excursions this week.

One interesting side note is a few years ago you would never have found cardinals in the Duluth area. These were not a bird of the Boreal forest. Cardinals have been expanding their range northward, and I now have friends 1/2 the way to Two Harbors from Duluth along the shore who have these red birds in their yard.

Northern Cardinal near my own feeders (during the snow storm)

Gray Jay near the Admiral Road feeders in Sax-Zim Bog (as a fyi … Boreal Chickadees have also been seen eating peanut butter at this remote feeder in the middle of the woods)

Christmas at Glensheen

Year 6

In the early 1900’s Duluth was home to one of the largest concentrations per capita of millionaires in the United States. Between the Mining, Railroad and Lumber Barons, this town was a hopping place where fortunes were made (and occasionally lost!). On the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth you will find the mansion of one of these magnates, Glensheen (now owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth). Chester Congdon was the owner of this beautiful home on the shores of Lake Superior. A small creek, Tischer Creek, runs through the estate grounds, but as a boy growing up in Duluth I only knew the stream by its local name, Congdon Creek.

While everyone from out of town seems to know about Duluth’s HUGE harbor front holiday lights display named Bentleyville, Glensheen now hosts an equally impressive Christmas display including Park Point resident’s Marsha Hale’s famous white lights. Unlike at Bentleyville, while at Glensheen when you get cold outside, you may go inside end enjoy Duluth’s Downton Abbey Christmas Display! The mansion is truly decked out for the holidays both inside and out.

Here are some photographs I took Monday evening at Glensheen. One final note, growing up both my wife and I always wanted to live down on the shores of Gitche Gumee just like Chester Congdon. Now older, and a few years wiser, we like our home 800 yards inland on Amity Creek across from the The Deeps waterfall. We are somewhat protected from the lake’s cruel winds!  🙂

Christmas Lights at Glensheen

Outside

Inside

Molly and Rich

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A Superior Snowy!

Year 6

They’re back! Duluth / Superior Snowy Owls! Best late afternoon / evening’s entertainment in December … owling followed by Bentleyville. I will admit it was a touch cold just before sunset this evening. I spied the owl from a distance, and then found a spot to park my car. The Snowy was kind enough to sit tight while I hiked 1/3 of a mile in the -1F (-15F chill factor) conditions. The owl then let me take photographs for over five minutes before moving on to its next hunting perch. By the time I got back to the car, I was cold … but happy!

Posing for me

Snowy Owl Take-Off