Trumpeter Swans Mating

Year 13

Yesterday morning the sun actually shone bright, in short it was not “dreich” (read definition from the BBC)! I left the house at 7:00 am on an “open water quest”. I reasoned if I found open water, I might find birds migrating back to the Northland. Just when it appeared my quest would be a failure … all the lakes and ponds were still iced shut with zero “black ice” … I checked the Rice Lake outlet. Current at the lake’s outlet created a small area of open water, and waterfowl were there aplenty!

One of the species in greatest abundance were Trumpeter Swans, and love was in the air (or at least on the water)!

A lone Canada Goose inspected some feeding swans

Although Rice Lake is not a suitable breeding pond, A Trumpeter Swan asks the Canada Swan to move along! Swans and Geese don’t get along.

Apparently this duo is a couple!

Trumpeter Swans Mating

Was it as good for you as it was for me?!

Hanging our together a short time later …

Of Men, Moose and Mink!

Year 13

As I have noted, winter continues to linger in the Northwoods here in Minnesota, specifically the Greenwood Creek Boreal Forest. Here is another version of Sunday night at the Movies … the Moose Video is from my TrailCam, but the Mink was an “in person” event from a few days ago. I enjoyed watching this small, but fierce predator hunt for food.

Mr. Moose … near my feeders (video link for blog subscribers)

And the Mink Movie (video link for blog subscribers)

Spring (?) Birding … Ice and Owls!

Year 13, ,

The calendar might claim we are well into spring … whether you like to count either the first day of meteorological spring (March 1st) or astronomical spring (March 21st) as when the season arrives. Here in the Northland, we know better than to be fooled by either of those two dates. In the forests inland from Lake Superior, snow is still deep on the ground. Area lakes have not started to ice out, with only very small areas of open water where currents rule. In short, we continue to earn our nick name, the Arctic Riviera!

Here is a Snowy Owl I photographed yesterday evening. It was actually one of two Snowy Owls I saw at the traditional Snowy Owl wintering grounds here at the Head of the Lakes. Our visitors seem in no hurry to migrate north to the Arctic. Given this year’s Snowy Owls which are visiting our region are almost certainly only one or two years old, and given Snowy Owls do not breed till they reach three or four years of age, these local birds do not have hormones screaming at them to fly north!

Snowy Owl on April 8th

On the “spring migrant front”, the early birds which have returned to our area may be regretting their early plane ticket. I think this Great Blue Heron does not look very happy. It had found a very small spot of open water next to a beaver mound, but I doubt it was catching any fish. When I checked on the bird a second time after one hour had passed, it had not moved an inch. Where would it move, the pocket of open water was only 15 years in length.

These Canada Geese only had open water in the harbor because the US Coast Guard Cutter Spar and broken ice!

Now we venture up to the northern edges of Duluth and the Canosia Wildlife Preserve. These wetlands are a great birding spot, but the trails and ponds are still socked in with snow and ice. These turkey’s were courting and I particularly enjoyed this “Smokey Gray” morph turkey. Here is what the National Wild Turkey Federation says about this color:

“Its mutation is based on the fact that it has no brown pigments within its feathers. Coloration varies, but white is typically the dominant tone with black and dark gray contrasting tones, especially on the back, wings and tail feathers.”

Finally, I zipped up to Sax-Zim Bog where I found lots of incoming Northern Harriers and Rough-Legged Hawks which were returning to the Sub-Arctic.

Eventually Spring will come, but not today (snow in the forecast).