Tag Archives: MN South: Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

Green Heron Day!

Year 7,

Yesterday was a great day … another successful eye treatment which continues to prevent my going blind, and a fantastic dawn visit to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. If you live in the NW Twin Cities this refuge MUST be on your bucket list. It is approximately 25 miles north of Elk River, and there a great trails and the Prairie’s Edge Wildlife Drive.

I utilized the wildlife drive yesterday morning, and although most of the grassland birds have already migrated south, the number of water birds was amazing. In addition, the water levels are down in the wetlands which really congregated the fishing birds. I don’t think I have ever seen so many Great Herons. I lost track of the numbers.

I really liked all the dead snags and their shapes.

Green Herons

While Pelicans

Bald Eagle (there was a pair of Bald Eagles trying to catch Cormorants)

I also found this image on my camera from a trip to the Joyce Estate one week ago. This Common Merganser Family was quite wet due to the morning fog. They never saw me till they swam within 5 yards.

Spending a sunrise on the wildlife drive was heavenly. I felt so blessed to have my eyesight and to be able to watch nature. Even better, not another person used the dirt road for the two hours I was birding. It was all mine! Upon getting back to my daughter’s house, my wife and I took our four grandchildren who live in Plymouth bicycle riding. The day ended with frozen pizza and a glass of Chardonnay back in Duluth. Life is good!

Whooping Cranes!

Year 5, ,

According to the International Crane Foundation there are only 594 Whooping Cranes alive in the wild. Thus, when I knew I would be down in the Twin Cities, and two cranes had been often seen in the Minnesota Valley Nation Wildlife Refuge, I visited a bit after sunrise. While it took a while, I finally found the two Whoopers way across Rice Lake. While this photograph is poor due to the distance, I was just thrilled to see perhaps one of the rarest birds in the world. In the second photo there is also a Greater White-Fronted Goose in the foreground … another unusual bird for Minnesota.

The cranes were not the only large white birds present. Great Egrets are gathering on Rice Lake to feed heavily before starting their southern migration. It was fun to watch the dance of the egrets, a bird I rarely get to see in northern Minnesota.

Finally, on the way out of the area as I started my drive back to Duluth I stopped at Flying Clouds Fields in Eden Prairie. Blue Grosbeaks have extended their range to the north, and I struck pay dirt and saw this bird which would never be at home in the Boreal forest!

On the way driving down to the Minneapolis area, I also stumbled across this Sandhill Crane family intent on crossing the road, which leads one to ask the age old question … Why did the Sandhill Crane cross the road?

Video of the Great Egrets on Rice Lake

Birds With Long Legs!

Year 5, , ,

Over the past three days I seem to have acquired the urge to watch birds with long legs! There has been some method to my madness as during the first two days of the period I was down in the Minneapolis area, and I wanted to see some Great Egrets … a bird which is quite rare in NE Minnesota. Thus, I focused upon wetlands at sunrise, and I was rewarded with being able to watch six different Great Egrets. Arriving at these wetlands before 6 am insures that even though I was birding in a major metropolitan area, I had the trails to myself. This fact insures other folks do not scare the birds I seek, and just maximizes my enjoyment. However, I have found even on urban trails, if one finds “non popular” trails you are rewarded with more bird sightings. Given herons and egrets spook easily, this rule is important. My two wetland areas were the “Plymouth Wetlands” (series of ponds in off Zachary Lane north of Schmidt Lake Road) and Wood Lake Nature Center.

I actually did visit the Plymouth wetlands again in mid afternoon. While the time of day is not great for photography, I was rewarded with watching this Great Egret fish.

On the way home to Duluth I swung up to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge … once again arriving around 6 am. It was interesting to visit earlier in the season as the marsh grass is not grown up yet. My major fun was watching some Sandhill Cranes from very close. Eventually I had to leave Wildlife Drive due to a prairie grass burn which was about to start that morning.

When I got home to Duluth I was amazed to find a temperature of 87F at my home. However, Lake Superior took over within a few hours and the winds shifted from the SW to blowing out of the NE off the big lake. In 45 minutes the temperature dropped from 87F to 45F! I figured no bird in their right mind would fight the strong wind and the migration northward would stop immediately. Thus I drove down to Park Point and found a lot of Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderlings dancing in the waves … trying to eat. These birds are on their way up to the Arctic, but stopped in Duluth right now. Here are a few of the Ruddy Turnstones. Thus my day ended with some short legged shore birds!