The birds are back! Molly and I had a delightful four days at our small Northwoods cabin … taking long bicycle rides and enjoying the wilderness we so love. In my case, each morning started with birdsong long before sunrise. Two mornings ago I looked out the bedroom window and realized a great sunrise was in the offing. What followed was a delightful day both on and off the lake, but never more than a few hundred yards from our cabin.

If you are a web visitor from the Destination Duluth Facebook site, use the Northern Lights Viewing link in the blog menubar to access all the Aurora Borealis tools!

NorthStar Lake Sunrise

Looking for a good mate! (American Redstart and Red-Eyed Vireo)

Drumming for Women! (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker)

The Common Loons are back (fishing with one’s significant other!)

America the Beautiful … one of our Bald Eagles at sunset

Not all birding excursions are successful. Yesterday’s outing was a perfect example of this fact … including gas station cuisine. Let me frame the scenario. Early in the morning I drove from Duluth to Northstar Lake where my family owns a small cabin. My goals for the day were to turn on the water system, monitor the bird nest I have been watching this spring, and finally catch a forecasted Northern Lights.

Wading into the cold spring fed lake, I soon had the water system working for another summer. Now it was time to check out the nest. Unfortunately my feathered friends were a no show. However, I saw lots of other birds and luxuriated in the fact of driving almost 50 miles on paved wilderness roads without seeing another car.

My birding kept me away from the cabin over the extended dinner hour. Thus, early on during the drive home I stopped at a gas station to get some food. In northern Minnesota where I was birding, the gas station was my only dinner option. Thus, I enjoyed two steam warmed cheeseburgers with questionable meat, and a banana … a true gourmet meal.

Later that night my Aurora Borealis display fizzled while the temperature outside dropped overnight to 27F (unheated cabin). In short, it was a great time up in the remote parts of my region. Here are two photographs I did take … a flock of Trumpeter Swans landing near sundown and the night sky outside my cabin at 1:00 am. Life is good!

The greenish glow across the lake in the Milky Way photograph is another cabin’s security light reflecting off the new spring green leaves.

Was amazed this morning to find a flock of 12 magpies near Marcell, Minnesota. Although there are a few farms a couple miles to the west, this area is noted for being Boreal Forest. As the wind has been out of the south for the past few days, it is unlikely this flock was blown off course while migrating. Last Fall I saw one magpie in the same area while hiking the woods. Thus, I am wondering if these are local birds which are extending their range.

I did submit an eBird report. Although I don’t submit eBird lists often, here are my reports.

Molly and I also had some fun biking to the Lost 40 … this area has 300 to 400 year old white and red pines, and was only saved from being logged early in the 1900’s due to a surveying error.