Tag Archives: MN North: Mouth of the Lester River

Amity Creek Birding

Year 5,

I live across the road from Amity Creek. The local birding habitat is mixed pine and deciduous forest. Our home is about 1/2 mile above Lake Superior and the end result is the migration often stops off in our yard both due to excellent habitat (my cleared yard is tall grasses and perennials) the proximity to the big lake … a migration route northward, and my six bird feeders which I keep filled all year round. While black bears are a problem (they knocked down three feeders within the past week), it is worth my becoming an expert bird feeder repairman.

Over the past few days, I have been experiencing a HUGE sparrow migration. The ground is often covered with over a 100 sparrows at once … many working their way north to their tundra breeding grounds.

White-Crowned and American Tree Sparrows

In addition, these locals have arrived back and are found in my yard. White-Necked Sparrows, Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers, and Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks. The woodpecker starts drumming each morning shortly after 5 am … looking for love!

Finally, the smelt are entering the Lester River. A few Common Loons are always having breakfast each morning at sunrise. The mouth of the river is an easy walk from my house. It is nice to have all the birds back in the Northland. The warbler and shore bird migration is just beginning.

Boreal Bonanza!

Year 5, ,

Home! Texas was great, but I love the Boreal forests of northern Minnesota … and the lakes! As I got closer and closer to Duluth, I became increasingly excited. Between our tour and the birth of our fifth grandson, Molly and I had been gone for over five weeks. Before even getting home, I went birding!

The melt waters have filled the North Shore rivers of Lake Superior to the brim with rushing water. This runoff causes the fish which have been staging for a spring spawning run to enter the streams and rivers. The mouth of the Lester River is only 800 yards from my house and it was a duck lovers delight. I saw 36 Common Loon and 12 Great Horned Grebe in just a few minutes. In addition, small inland ponds were filled with diving ducks which eat food other than fish!

Finally, my own yard is being invaded my migrants. Have to love spring migration!

Great Horned Grebe

Blue-Winged Teal

Bufflehead

Ring-Necked Ducks

Yellow-Shafted Flicker

Pine Warbler (1st warbler of the year!)

Merlin (part of a duo patrolling the Lester River … song birds beware)

Arctic Riviera Long Tailed Duck!

Year 5

Yesterday’s 25 to 30 mph wind fell to about 15 mph today … with plenty of sunshine. In short, even though the temperature was only 33F, I bicycled up the shore of Lake Superior to McQuade Harbor. I do NOT want to know the chill factor, but suffice it to say during the first half of my ride there were nice white caps out on the big lake and I was cold.

Thankfully, every ride has a turning point. Instead of slogging at a 10 to 11 mph speed into the wind, I turned and flew home … never below 15 mph, and often as high as 20 mph. When I reached my uphill turn at Lester River I spied a duck landing on the water. I decided to dismount and check out what quacker had landed at the mouth of the river. Am I ever glad I got off my bike and checked out the duck. A lone Long Tailed Duck, normally found on the Arctic Ocean, decided to take a break from its northward migration. Although given my cycling clothes I was definitely not dressed for hanging out in the wide open getting blasted by the wind, I figured watching a Long Tailed Duck from a distance of often less than ten yards might be a once in a life time experience!

Here are my images:

A soon to be wet duck!

Immediately after … escaping to a new ice berg!

Swimming

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Long Tailed Duck Imitating a Penguin!