The Beauty of Remote Birding!

Year 3

Some folks may wonder why I enjoy an unsuccessful birding expedition. The answer is easy. While it might make better birding sense to travel over to the Sax-Zim Bog where although not crowded, I would have more eyes helping me spot rare winter birds, that is often not my choice. This morning, as the temperature bottomed out at -16F (-26.67C) I explored the wilderness region inland from Lake Superior and northwest of Two Harbors. My primary road was, and is in fact about the only road that splits this remote forest, Rossini Road.

Take a look at my two photographs. The first image was taken before I turned inland about 20 minutes before sunrise near the Talmadge River on Lake Superior. The second picture was taken along Rossini Road. For most of my 70 mile drive, I saw no one. Life is good, and beautiful!

Sea Smoke Pre-Dawn Light
SeaSmoke-Sunrise

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Rossini Road Flocked Pines
Rossini-Road-Flocked-Pines

Northern Shrike: I Eat Tweety Birds for Breakfast!

Year 3

Yup, that’s what Northern Shrikes do! After catching said bird, a shrike will sometimes impale the songbird on barbed wire to store its catch for a later meal. Ouch! May not sound nice, but it’s Mother Nature at work.

Found this Northern Shrike twice today  at the exact same spot on Scenic 61 about 1/2 mile north of the Lakewood Pumping Station. Work the tops of the pine trees on the lake side from the Northern Shores Townhomes to the Inn on Gitche Gumee. The shrike would tend to perch of the very tops of the pines, and then dive bomb to the trees lower down below the cliff’s edge. I assume it was attacking songbirds. I saw the bird immediately after church around 12:00 noon, and I took this photo at 4:00 pm … same exact stretch of shoreline. Thus, there is pretty good chance it will be around in the same area on Monday morning.

Y3-M01-Northern-Shrike-1 Y3-M01-Northern-Shrike-2

Crab Apple Rock Candy at -15F!

Year 3

What could be better to eat than Crab Apple Rock Candy at -15F? If you are a Pine Grosbeak, or a Bohemian Waxwing, the answer to the question is “nothing”! However, since I could not find the waxwings this morning, and the pine grosbeaks made themselves available in the early morning light, they became the subject of today’s photoshoot. The images were taken early this morning while the rest of the American Birding World was down at Canal Park chasing the Ivory Gull. Location is the Riley Road Crap Apple trees in rural Duluth.

I do NOT want my picture taken! Backside!
Y3-M01Crab-Apple-Rock-Candy-Pine-Grosbeaks-2-Back

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See … your caught me with my mouth full!
Y3-M01Crab-Apple-Rock-Candy-Pine-Grosbeaks-3-Back

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Breakfast for Pine Grosbeaks
Y3-M01Crab-Apple-Rock-Candy-Pine-Grosbeaks-5 Y3-M01Crab-Apple-Rock-Candy-Pine-Grosbeaks-4

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Where’s Waldo? (try to count the Pine Grosbeaks in the photo!)
Y3-M01Crab-Apple-Rock-Candy-Pine-Grosbeaks-1-Trio