Tag Archives: MN North: Two Harbors

Ross vs Snow Goose

Year 9

I found four white geese in Two Harbors this morning. I suspected the really white goose with a stubbier beak was a Ross’s Goose, which turned out to be correct. While on first glance the birds appear identical, pay particular attention to the beak which has a different shape. A Snow Goose’s bill also has a “grin” to it.

Here is today’s Ross’s Goose, and a better photograph from a few days ago of some Snow Geese.  The Ross is almost a bit smaller and stockier. The “South Dakota Birder” has a great page focused upon identification.

Ross’s Goose (from this morning)

Snow Goose (light blue morph from a few days ago)

Snow Birds Out, Arctic Birds In!

Year 9

The town of Two Harbors closed their RV Campground for the season two days ago … The Snowbirds moved out (humans heading south) and the Arctic Birds moved in (migrating Snow Geese, Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings). The campground has plenty of food sources, and the birds were just waiting for the pesky humans to leave!

Actually the campground and Two Harbors Information Center have one other benefit for bird watchers … they are right smack dab on a migration barrier. In other words as birds migrate south along the North Shore of Lake Superior, they fly into points which stick out into the lake. Good birding. Take a look at my annotated screenshot.

Here are a few images taken yesterday afternoon. In total I found 10 Snow Geese, which is a HUGE number of these birds to find along Lake Superior. One would see 1,000’s during migration 600 miles to my west.

Snow Goose Altercation / Fight!

More Snow Geese (notice the different morphs / coloration)

Lapland Longspur Watching Out for Merlins

Finding Seeds in a Parking Lot’s Pavement

First Snow Bunting of the Season!

Stony River Forest Road Bike Ride

Year 9,

When a south wind was blowing warmly, I knew I had to enjoy one of the last mild afternoon in Northwoods. I drove up to Stony River Forest Road, and parked eight miles in along a the dirt road … and biked from that point. The colors and birding were great. I decided to take photographs and videos to better demonstrate how the firebreak constructed for last year’s Greenwood Forest Fire has helped nature’s rebirth. One now finds a 20 mile long 100 / 125 yard never ending meadow / bog next to the road … and wildlife loves it!

The Starting Location for my Ride (8 miles from the nearest paved road)

Two Short Videos … my ride (video links for email subscribers: one | two)

A Spruce Grouse with whom I had a stare-down!

While driving home, I always swing through Two Harbor’s Lakeview Cemetery. One will often find migrating geese and songbirds. In addition to lots of Canada Geese, I found four Cackling Geese and one Snow Goose yesterday. Both bird species had been pushed west off their normal migration paths by strong winds. Here is a breeding map from Cornell for Snow Geese which I further annotated to also include the Cackling Goose. As you may see, the recent goose migration arrivals come from the Arctic Ocean.

Cackling Goose (not a Canada Goose … much smaller and a different physique)

Snow Goose