Tag Archives: MN North: Canosia Wildlife Area

A Trip to the Beaver Pond!

Year 7,

Ever want to find a bird and animal hot spot? Find a nice pond without a manicured lawn around it. Here in northern Minnesota I know of quite a few beaver ponds, and sunrise this morning found me hiking into said pond via a snowmobile trail. Now realizing most of you may not have wilderness like me at your beck and call, then search out a golf course or cemetery with a pond. These small bodies of water generate lots of food which means nature on display. Here’s a few photographs from this morning’s excursion …

Green-Winged Teal (one of my favorite ducks … beautiful color)

Beaver! (what else would you expect at a beaver pond)

Osprey (with a Great Blue Heron flying in the background)

Porcupine (seen along my hike in … not at the pond)

And from a golf course pond yesterday afternoon …

Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers “a fighting”

Tree Swallows (love the metallic blue)

Finally … another owl image. I took this photograph yesterday morning. One key item to point out with wildlife photography, often less is more! While I could have zoomed in quite a bit more for a close-up of the siblings, it makes for a much more interesting and artistic image to have the full, rather unique tree bough in the photograph.

Ospreys Mating: Canosia Wildlife Mgmt Area

Year 7

Some time it pays to be lucky! However, you make your own luck. I know from previous springs that a certain Osprey nest in an old steam shovel bucket is the preferred nesting site in the Duluth area. This nest always has ospreys on it first, and this spring was no exception. What makes this nest special? Proximity to both Fish and Rice Lake in the Canosia State Wildlife Management Area, or in other words … plentiful food.

Three mornings ago while visiting an old nest, I noticed a male looking for a mate. Yesterday when I visited mid morning, I thought I was in for a boring non eventful session. While there was an osprey sitting on the nest, it was hunkered down against the strong NW wind. The temperatures was cold for April 21st (28F) with a windchill. The lakes in the area were still ice bound. I didn’t expect much. After watching the Osprey take off and circle out of sight, I decided it was time to go home. However at the last moment I caught sight of two Ospreys far off in the distance. I changed my mind about leaving and walked back to a good nest viewing spot. I knew it was worth waiting. Four years ago had watched four osprey fight over this nest on a similar morning. After all in addition to easy food, how many nests are built in Mike Mulligan’s Steam Shovel?!

Wow! Uff Dah! I saw these two Osprey mate. Their total time on the nest together was less than five minutes. The mating was over in a few seconds. Thankfully I was prepared and had my camera pointed at the nest.  Here is the sequence of 15 photographs.

Waiting for Godot (or an Osprey thinking it should have used the new online bird dating app from eBird!)

How about tonight dear? Let me think about it …

You’re going to watch? with a camera??!

The approach …

Ospreys Mating

All done … just a second or two

I’m tired … need to rest!!!

Was it as good for you as it was for me, dear?

Lady Osprey by her lonesome. After about ten seconds of resting, the male Osprey flew off to a dead snag about 300 yards distant. I watched the two birds for about another fifteen minutes. Neither moved an inch. I went home!

Steam Shovel Sally

Year 6,

Birds nest in unusual places, and “Steam Shovel Sally” is a prime example of that fact. Yesterday morning was “Birding with Grampa”, and Sally performed and exceeded  my expectations. When one takes young children birding (at their request) it is important to have fun, and not spend a long time in the field. I figured “Steam Shovel Sally” would appeal given the location of the nest (at the top of an antiquated old steam shovel). Ospreys are cool big birds, and Sally flew around for us several times … stooping into the nest. We topped off our birding excursion with breakfast at McDonalds and a Merlin landing only 30 feet from us while that falcon hunted at the mouth of the Lester River.

Right now I am waiting to hear sounds from my grandkids, then its off to look for our local beaver. I am including one more image of my young American Kestrel from one of last week’s birding trips. I finally had the opportunity to process the photograph.