Day 355: A Bird of Many Names!

Year 2

Anyone who has canoed in the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area) may know this bird as the “campground thief”. This delightful visitor to the Duluth area in the winter has many other names: Whiskey Jack, Canada Jay, and the more common … Grey Jay. This morning I had the pleasure of watching two jays flit from tree top to tree top about one mile in on Old Vermilion Trail (see directions / map to my public feeders on the trail).

Canada Jay / Grey Jay / Whiskey Jack / Campground Thief!
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Days 352 to 354: Under the Weather Birds

Year 2,

The title to this post is a bit misleading. I am the person under the weather with a rip-roaring case of the flu. Not wanting to venture to far from a bathroom, my birding ventures were somewhat limited. However, given I am this close to the end of my project I could not let a nasty flu defeat me. Thus, I bring you under the weather birds!

One minor comment … I discovered that I made a counting error early on in my blog posts. Thus, the correct day is now associated with these birds.

Day 352: Winter Goldfinches
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Day 354: Black Capped Chickadee trying out my new suet feeder.
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Day 351: Trumpeter Swans Winter on the Mississippi River

Year 2

I had the privilege and thrill to watch these Trumpeter Swans just after sunrise this morning on the Mississippi River a bit downstream from the Monticello Power Plant. Given these swans almost went extinct in the 1960’s due to DDT, it is hard to believe I saw hundreds of these beautiful birds! However, one would not refer to their singing as melodious, but they do sound like trumpets! The video found at the end of this post is less than 90 seconds long, and will let you experience a bit of my frozen morning! It was 0F (-16C) when I took these photos and video!

Ice Rise Over the Mississippi River
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Some Courting Behavior
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The Start of a Disagreement!

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Trumpeter Swans … The Video!