Tag Archives: MN North: Amity

Boreal Forest Bog Tour

Year 10, ,

As noted with yesterday’s post about Surf City USA on Lake Superior, the weather up here in the Northland has been horrible. During these super poor birding conditions, I often go exploring. Sometimes I find my explorations have really bad potential (like yesterday NW of Sax-Zim Bog), but occasionally I find routes where the habitat looks grand even if I don’t see many birds. Two days ago I explored over toward Aitkin and a Boreal Forest Bog Area which Kim Eckert describes in his Birder’s Guide to Minnesota. Before Sax-Zim Bog became famous, this was where folks went in search of Great Gray Owls … County 18 and Pietz’s Road. Obviously I had to first get over to the area, and my mapped route travels along Boreal Forest Bog (County Rd #8) and the Mississippi River  (Great River Road / Hwy 10). In better conditions, I suspect this could be a very good bird outing. One could shorten the drive from the Duluth area a bit by taking US #2, but I have never seen much along the stretch from Hwy 53 to Floodwood. Regardless, here is my map.

I have seen a few birds over the past week, but the pickings have been poor.

Wet Birds (Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Ruffed Grouse, Bald Eagle, Spruce Grouse)

25,294 Robbins and Mary Poppins Can’t Be Wrong!

Year 10

Mary Poppins tells the Banks children she will stay until the wind changes. American Robbins (and almost all birds) understand this fact, and during the southern migration pay attention to this rule. For over 7 days here in northern Minnesota we had very strong winds from southerly directions. However on Saturday the winds changes and blew with a strong velocity out of the Northwest. In a little under five hours at Stoney Point, Neil Gilbert reported 25,294 Robins on the move … migrating south along the lakeshore.

There is a buoy out on Lake Superior not too far from Stoney Point. Here are two screenshots of the conditions … first as reported Wednesday, and then on Saturday. Note how the wind which had been very strong in the face of the southward migration switched with a vengeance.

I was out hiking the forest near my home on Saturday afternoon. The number of birds, particularly Robins was amazing. If one knew where the Mountain Ash trees and their berries were located in the woods, it was easy to find hundreds of birds gorging themselves.

Pay attention to the wind direction and speed during migrations. You will have better birding experiences.

Couch Potato Birding

Year 10

6:45 am, 30 minutes prior to dawn, found this birding couch potato hard at work. My trailcam will alert me if any mammals visit the feeders in this pre-dawn hour. My HaikuBox (listens and alerts on specific bird song) will alert me if my owls visit and start hooting.

My job … stretch out on the couch in front of the fireplace reading a good novel. The window is 10 feet away should my devices indicate this couch potato needs to move!

However, don’t worry. This sluggard has to rally eventually. I have a volunteer work day scheduled up at Sax-Zim Bog. We will open in early December and need to get ready for you more energetic guests!