Tag Archives: MN North: North Shore of Lake Superior

Pagami Creek Wildfire Area Birding

Year 5,

The operative words this morning were snow and ice in the Pagami Creek Forest Fire Area on Tomahawk Road! There were not much of each, but definitely both were around. Backwaters, ponds and small lakes are almost frozen over. A light dusting of snow covered the ground, which may have melted by this afternoon (28F at 7:45 am).

I only saw one Spruce Grouse. In talking with the game warden I met up with near Isabella River, he mentioned that he had seen one grouse, but also two Lynx kittens! Snow buntings were definitely around, but only in small flocks of 5 to 10 birds. I did not see any other winter finches.

The Tamarack are at their golden peak. It was a great day to be out and about in the wilderness. Hopefully the winter snows will not sock in Tomahawk Road right after deer hunting concludes. I love this wilderness region, and hope to make one more trip this year in early December.

Red-Tailed Hawk Hunting an Isabella River Backwater

Snow Buntings

Oh yes … here are a few photos from yesterday … Two Harbors and along the shore.

Ore Boat Arriving Before Dawn at Two Harbors

Sunrise Snow Geese in Two Harbors

Amity Purple Finches

Black-Bellied Plover near Lakewood

Roadside Ditch Birding!

Year 5,

It does not sound glamorous … roadside ditch birding. Folks talk about taking exotic birding trips to Costa Rica or the Texas barrier islands during spring migration … and where do I bird? Ditches!

Actually my approach makes great sense and is quite productive. After days of rain, and multiple stormy weather days, the ditches hold both water and bugs. Given there is now snow on the ground to our north and west, and overnight lows routinely are down in the 20’s inland from Lake Superior, these ditches represent food to starving, migrating birds. Our weather has caught the late migrants by surprise. Our normal highs for this time of year are 53F. Lately we are lucky if a day tops out at 40F.

The other present birding advantage is starving birds let you get very, very close. While in the spring and summer I need to know habitat, all I need right now for a successful birding excursion is my bicycle which allows me to go slowly and then stop to observe.

All Roadside Ditch Birds … photographed from just a few feet distant:

Wilson’s Snipe

American Redstart (at my feet)

Yellow-Rumped Warbler (and in a pine)

Not in a ditch, but a large group for these parts … Snow Geese in Two Harbors

North American Frito Bandido Bird

Year 5,

Everyone likes to photograph mature Bald Eagles, but I think the birds under three years old look cool! Till that age Bald Eagles do not acquire their white heads and tails. A few of us locally know these juveniles as the “Frido Bandido Bird”. If I have to explain why, you obviously are not a child of the sixties!

Birding continues excellent here along the North Shore of Lake Superior. The skies are clear; the air is cold, and the owls are everywhere. After 4 to 5 years of not seeing a single Boreal Owl (not just me, everyone), I have found a Boreal every day for the past 3 days. As much as it is fun to watch the Boreals, a few Northern Saw-Whets have reappeared. I personally think they are much more handsome than the Boreals.

A Boreal Owl with somewhat open eyes!

My normal snoozin view!

A Northern Saw-Whet Owl

I also went looking for Pine Grosbeaks today. I found a small flock on a rural road with lots of small crab apples, but as I started to take photographs the local snow plow came by for the first time in weeks … scared all the birds away. Sigh!

Oh yeah … the sunrises continue to be glorious over the Lake Superior Ice Fields!