Old Vermilion Trail Pheasant!

Year 3

Okay … I changed my mind!! Given this week’s storm, even though I had announced that I had stopped filling the feeders I maintain on Old Vermilion Trail for the winter season, I knew the 10 to 12 inches of heavy new wet stuff would make it difficult for birds to forage on the ground … thus I have kept the feeders filled this week.

Well, yesterday I was treated to nine bald eagles about one mile from the feeders feasting on roadkill, and today this female ring necked pheasant was right under the feeders enjoying sunflower spillage. Life has its rewards!

I actually had suspected this bird was around for some time. A few weeks back I saw a large flash of brownish tan as I pulled up in the car. It also appeared that something other than my two red squirrels had been foraging through the crusty snow. Today I confirmed my suspicions. The pheasant comes in to feed around 8:15 to 8:30 am (an hour after sunrise). On a bright sunny day (not many of those lately), I would expect it would appear earlier. If you wish to learn the location of the feeders, including directions and a map (15 miles north of Duluth), see this web page on my blog.

Female Ringed-Necked Pheasant
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After the Storm!

Year 3,

Over the past 48 hours we have had high winds off Lake Superior, and depending upon your elevation above the lake … anywhere from 4 to 14 inches of heavy wet snow. The rumor is that the sun will shine tomorrow, but for the moment the world is encased in heavy white sticky stuff.

Before dawn this morning I took a hike along Amity Creek. It was fun to see the roaring river (not stream) all decked out in white. The hike made me realize that I needed to spend the day outside. After first stopping out on Old Vermilion Trail to fill the bird feeders, I spent a good amount of the day driving and hiking back roads. Many streams have flooded out of their banks, and I had to repeatedly stop and inspect the roadbed (good thing for muck boots) to insure there were no washouts.

Even with this return to winter, the spring migration is slowly starting. When I found some fresh roadkill 15 miles north of Duluth, I was treated to watching nine bald eagles. All and all, it was a great day!

Amity Creek (river?!) before sunrise
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Floods … Water Over Road Many, Many Times!
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Preening After the Snow … Immature Bald Eagle
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My Own Back Yard … 100’s of Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins
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Our own Homestead this Morning!
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The Beauty of Snowmelt!

Year 3

By tomorrow drizzle and snow will return in northern Minnesota, but for the past 48 hours the weather has been gorgeous. The unseasonable warm weather (60F this afternoon) has done some major damage to our snow cover. With the quick warmup, the Northland has been transformed. Water is screaming down to Lake Superior and setting the waterfalls to roaring. Area lakes have snowmelt ponds and refreeze, which made for neat photographic conditions.

This afternoon Molly and I took a quick 25 mile bike ride to explore some area rivers and waterfalls. Even though we were within 100 yards of Lake Superior and her 36F water, the mild winds meant we biked in shorts and light tops!

Here is some of what we saw over the past 48 hours, starting with a mild Aurora Borealis display two nights ago. I love the reflections and ice. These kinds of conditions are only present for a few weeks per year.
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Some of our waterfalls, including my favorite … the Splitrock shower waterfall. This spigot only turns on for about one week each spring during runoff!

(Splitrock Shower Waterfall … Beaver River … Gooseberry River)
March-Bike-Ride-Splitrock-Shower-Waterfall March-Bike-Ride-Beaver-River-Waterfall March-Bike-Ride-Gooseberry-Falls-Molly-Rich