Tag Archives: MN North: Forest Hill Cemetery

Duck Pond Birds

Year 8

I know I’ve written this before, but it’s worth repeating. Birds attract birds, and during migration the end result may be some very nice birding. Per normal I make an almost daily stop at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth Hunter’s Park neighborhood. The resident domestic geese, and almost tame wild mallards at the duck pond attract all kinds of other birds. During migration the cast of characters changes daily.

This morning I was pleased to spy a male Hooded Merganser. This duck is one of my favorites, and is very beautiful.

Over the past two weeks, each of these birds made an appearance at the duck pond, and I am finally getting around to including them in  blog post. Better yet, these birds tend to arrive in very small groups. When they are in larger flocks, it can be very hard to get close. I was within 15 yards of the American Coot. While I have seen huge rafts of Coots with hundreds of birds, just one duck taking alarm means viewing options are very limited.

Hooded Merganser

Today’s Sora Pic (yup … they are still around)

From earlier in the week …

Ring-Necked Duck

American Coot

Double Crested Cormorant

Poor Richard’s Almanac: Snow Soon!

Year 8,
Sorry folks, but winter is coming soon to the Northland! One way I measure how soon snow will be in our future is when Snow Buntings arrive from the tundra near the Arctic Ocean. While I have seen other birds this fall that may have nested that far north, those birds also use more southern habitat in Canada. Snow Buntings are truly a very northern bird. Get those shovels ready. (range map courtesy of the Cornell School of Ornithology)
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My apologies to Ben Franklin and his “Poor Richard’s Almanac“, however I am named “Richard” and my birds help me predict the seasons. There will be snow soon!
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I also had a lifer for me at Forest Hill Cemetery yesterday afternoon. I decided to see if the Soras were still around (there were), and spied a Swamp Sparrow. Like the Soras, Swamp Sparrows like to hide out in the reeds. This individual gave me nice views.

Cemetery Soras!

Year 8

The last two days have been fantastic. The sun is back and the birds are migrating. As always, I spend a lot of time at cemeteries. It’s great to visit for birding and not for a “six feet under” permanent  lodging!

While Soras are not a threatened species, like the Rusty Blackbirds I also saw at Forest Hill Cemetery, sightings are equally rare. Soras hang out in reeds and rarely show themselves. Soras are normally heard, but not seen. Thus it was a thrill to watch two soras in the sunshine feeding yesterday afternoon. Enjoy!

Two, not One!

Individual Pics

Sora … the Movie (video link for email subscribers)