Tag Archives: MN North: McQuade Harbor

NE Minnesota Public Bird Feeders

Year 8

Most birders know about the public bird feeders at Sax-Zim Bog, and at Gooseberry State Park along the North Shore. There are now some new feeders which welcome your visit. If you often bird at McQuade Harbor, these bird feeders are less than a five minute drive along Scenic 61 at French River Lutheran Church on Ryan Road.  Our church is 300 yards up from the lake, and the hope is the feeders will attract birds migrating along the shores of Lake Superior. The feeders are located around back just off the parking lot near the campfire area. In warmer months bring a swimsuit and walk the short path from the campfire area to French River swimming hole! Watch out for young children. The church has an outdoor focused pre-school.

Fall / Winter 2022-23 Post Update: Hopefully Bert the Bear is now asleep. Thus, the feeders will all be up and filled by Saturday, December 3rd. Happy birding!

Map to French River Lutheran Church from McQuade Harbor

Photograph of the new feeders

Falling Down … Getting Back Up!

Year 8
When you fall down, you get back up!
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Today I took my first bicycle ride up the shore since I collapsed due to my bad heart valve. I told Molly I was going on a ride, and she asked if I wanted her to come along. I thanked Molly, but said I needed to conquer my fear on my own (I was greatly afraid of collapsing and crashing).
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While I am not out of the woods yet, and have another heart operation scheduled for April 2nd, I am doing well. However, when your last ride led to a crash due to “blackouts”, taking your first ride since getting a new valve is scary.
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Everything went fantastic, and I saw perfectly … no blackouts … no crashes. Given the 40F sunny day with light winds it was a great day to bike the shore. I both cried for joy, and then hummed the theme from Rocky.
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I was dog tired upon getting home, but it was a good tired. Oh yes, Molly was smart and decided to take a bike ride of her own. While I am certain she just wanted to get out enjoy the fantastic weather, just perhaps she also wanted to insure her husband was okay. It was nice to see her bicycle by on the other side of the road.
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Oh yes … remember I always bike with my Canon Sx70 Super Zoom camera. The Bald Eagles are migrating north. Seen during my ride today.

North Shore Reprise!

Year 7,

As you’ve heard me say (write?!) many times, find the food in the winter … find the birds. Exactly 24 hours later I refound my Ruffed Grouse and Red-Tailed Hawk in the same exact trees. The grouse will continue to use the this berry tree till the fruit is gone, and the hawk must have found good hunting. Even with raptors, winter will find them hunting from the same spots as long as prey holds out. The key is birds do not want to use any extra energy during cold winter days.

One interesting observation, unlike songbirds which tend to grab berries and pluck the entire piece of fruit off a tree, grouse pick the fruit off a tree where the stem attaches to the branch. Thus, grouse grab the stem, pluck, and then must flip the fruit into their mouth.

A bonus was finding a cooperative Rough Legged Hawk … in a secret location (LOL!)

There is a neat project that tracks Rough Legged Hawks via GPS devices. This relatively new banding technology really helps us understand birds and their breeding / migration patterns. Our hope is to band some Northern Hawk Owls us at Sax-Zim Bog with this technology this winter.

One bird’s paths over three years … It is amazing how far this hawk ranged through the Arctic.