Tag Archives: MN North: Grand Marais

Day 336 & 337: North Shore BirdsI

Year 1

Given for the first time ever in our lives, all three children were spending Christmas with the families of their significant others, Molly and I decided to travel up the North Shore of Lake Superior and spend the night at historic Lutsen Resort (and enjoy their yummy dinner).

Althouth the weather continued gloomy, the forest was anything but lacking in beauty!

Day 336: Female Purple Finch & Christmas Creek
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Day 337: Pine Grosbeak and the Caribou Trail
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Day 141: Piping Plover (photos)

Year 1,

The Piping Plover is on the United States endangered species list. According to the Audubon Society, only 8000 individuals birds are in the wild today. Thus, when I heard it’s distinctive piping melodious call on a remote Lake Superior beach, I followed my ears and was rewarded with a very rare sight, the piping plover.

Some notes about the location and photos.  The Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula juts north into Lake Superior. It is extremely remote which is one reason Piping Plovers are able to maintain a presence (i.e. few humans). The cages in the photographs are out in the open on these remote beaches. The plovers walk into the cage and nest. The nest helps protect them from predators.

My first view of the Piping Plover
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The Piping Plover inspects a cage it uses for nesting
141-Birds-365-Piping-Plover-2 141-Birds-365-Piping-Plover-3

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A sign on the beach
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