Tag Archives: MN North: NorthStar Lake Region

Lady Slippers, Lupines & Wile E. Coyote

Year 6,

It is gorgeous here in northern Minnesota, and as noted previously, it is time to get out in the countryside and enjoy the wild flowers. The lupine are now blooming even on the shores of Lake Superior. This morning while doing some “Grampa scouting” I watched this Coyote looking for breakfast. Yesterday’s rain meant the forest and fields are sopping wet, which one can tell by looking at the wolf’s fur!

Wile E. Coyote at Stoney Point

Sunrise yesterday morning found me cycling the Suomi Hills. The Showy Ladyslippers are coming into their own. Taking a bike ride will insert you into this explosion of color! If you want to see thousands of Lady Slippers, follow these directions:

  • Drive Mn #38 north from Grand Rapids
  • Drive west on Itasca Cty #48 and park at Suomi Lutheran Church. By parking at the hill you avoid the hills I included in my bike ride!  🙂
  • Bike 10 miles round trip from the church to a wetlands and back. At five miles out you will get to the wetlands are on both sides of the highway. You will see thousands of ladyslippers during the two miles leading up to the wetlands. There are lots of other wildflowers. Roses and Daisies are at their peak.

Showy Ladyslippers

The View of Lupines from my own Dining Room (the Grandkids and Greg G. love the rocking horse!)

Grampa Scouting Definition: A gent of 63 years old whose two oldest grandchildren will be visiting next week. Both kids have expressed a desire to go birding with Grampa. I know a successful birding excursion is somewhat short on the birding side, and ends with doughnuts. I was at Stoney Point looking for a merlin’s nest.

Common Loons of Northstar Lake

Year 6

I started the day at 2 am photographing the Milky Way over my Northwoods camera. It was a beautiful night and the starts were glorious.

As the sun rose I decided to take an early morning kayak paddle. However, my loons have totally ignored me all summer indicated my presence was most definitely not desired. I have to assume their chicks hatched last night, and I was now an intruder. As a fyi, I was kayaking through the middle of the lake and was over 200 yards from shore. Obviously I do not want to upset the new parents, thus for the time being my kayak paddles will take a different direction from my cabin.

Last night … the loons were totally unconcerned about my presence

This morning … Uff Dah!

Strange Cabin Bird Bedfellows

Year 6

Another cabin season has started, and we are at our small northwoods cabin near the Canadian border. We are north of the Laurentian Divide. Thus, our water flows up to Hudson’s Bay. Given ice-out was only a little over two weeks ago, the water is very cold, and the birds seem to be a bit behind in starting their nests.

Two of my favorite Northstar Lake birds are Bald Eagles and Common Loons. We have a pair or each species which nest within 600 yards of the cabin. Surprisingly, even through loons fear eagles, the loons always nest right underneath the white pine where the eagles call home … thus strange bedfellows. This is our 30th summer season, and this odd nesting arrangement has been present every year.

Bald Eagle on Northstar Lake

Common Loon (and tons of black flies)

In this second photo, I finally realized after all these years that the loon’s neck band does not completely circle its neck. One is always learning something new!