Live in Northland (or visiting the Duluth area)? Folks need to bird a hidden gem not known to most people named the Canosia State Wildlife Management Area. My favorite entry point is at the end of the public part of West Lismore Road (parking area and DNR trail gate). With a short round trip hike (1 mile) I can visit an active osprey nest, a huge Great Blue Heron rookery, and enjoy a large beaver dam which attracts all kinds of other birds and mammals (rookery involves some bushwacking). Keep your eyes open while driving along the Lismore Road (off Lavaque Road). The pond and surrounding woods often yield other sightings. Most years, early in the morning I find Sandhill Cranes.

Here are a few Sandhill Crane images I took at sunrise three days ago. My goal was to see if the Osprey chicks were yet making an appearance, but given they were still too tiny to really show above the edge of the nest, I spent time with the Sandhills. One photography note for these cranes. You need to take your photographs soon after sunrise. Their plumage is pretty but the light colors get blown out by bright sun later in the morning.

This was the second stop of my morning. After laying down on the ground watching the owlets this morning for an hour starting at 6:45 am with the mercury at 30F (photos coming), I needed to warm up. Thus I took a series of short hikes as I drove around and checked osprey nests. The Canosia nest is my favorite, closely followed by “Steamshovel Sally”. This nest is surrounded by wetlands and very natural. I still needed to wear a winter parka to take these photographs. Being motionless, even standing, for 30 minutes waiting for some action can sometimes be tough.

The Nest … Looking for a Good Lady Osprey!

The Favorite Tree (about 150 yards from the nest)

As noted in yesterday’s post: Battling Birds – Part 1: Tree Swallows, I hiked into the Great Blue Heron Rookery. Until the bugs drive you away (the flies, not the mosquitoes), hanging out in the swamp is amazingly fun. The sights are fantastic.

Battling Birds: Part 2!

Loosely translated this heron is saying “get away from my woman”. This was one of the few nests out of 20+ which already had an incubating female. The others had bachelors waiting for ladies to migrate in north (see video … link for email subscribers).

High Rise Apartment

Domestic Bliss

Waiting for Godot