Tag Archives: MN North: North Shore of Lake Superior

Live Long and Prosper!

Year 6,

Trekkies will recognize this phrase. Apparently Merlins are fans of Spock. Sorry Kirk.

However if you are a “tweety bird”, the phrase is most inappropriate as this young merlin demonstrated shortly after sunrise this morning.

Eventually the Merlins moved out into the morning sun for some good morning stretches.

Finally, the Kingfisher kids have fledged at the mouth of the Lester River. Thus, there is lots of fishing going on between the London Road and RR Bridges. Here is a photo of Mom watching the young.

Now it’s off to Tromso, Norway tomorrow morning.

North Shore Merlin Fledglings

Year 6,

If you have the time and inclination, a visit to where Brighton Beach Road exits back up to Scenic 61 is worth a drive shortly after sunrise. You will meet the world famous Merlin quadruplets.

A Pair of Merlins

Look Overhead … It’s Merlin Mom!

Begging to the Left … Begging to the Right

It’s not a Foot, It’s a Talon!

Merlin Video (direct link)

Ma and Pa Merlin at Sunrise (video)

Year 6

Ma and Pa Merlin were trying their best to ignore the call of the their hungry kids just after sunrise this morning! If you are a parent, you understand. Children DEMAND their breakfast immediately upon waking! Sleeping in is NOT an option. Both parents started hunting shortly after I took the video included with this post.

Over the past ten days or so, I have known there had to be a pair of Merlins nesting somewhere near the mouth of the Lester River. I had seen then hunting on multiple occasions. Yesterday while out on my daily bike ride I heard the chicks twice at the same location (out and back ride up Scenic 61). This morning I returned and found the family.

Merlins Greeting the Morning Sun

Watching Something Fly Overhead (a Bald Eagle?)

Merlins Starting to Hunt

Individual Portraits

The Merlins of Lester River (video)