Tag Archives: MN North: North Shore of Lake Superior

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!

Snow Storm Raptors

Year 5,

It was not worth checking out most of my owling grounds today. Any smart owl was in the deep woods due to the presence of this Bald Eagle.

Yesterday was a good day north of Duluth. After many days of high winds, the air calmed which I knew would make for easier birding. Remember, Great Gray Owls hunt by listening for voles and mice running underneath the snow. High winds make it very hard to hear anything. I found this owl hunting very near my house!

Finally I found this Boreal Owl sleeping before sunset along the North Shore of Lake Superior!