The Other Hartley Park!

Year 13,

Most folks bird Hartley Park by parking at the Nature Center Parking Lot, and then walking the trails that lead way from the Center towards the pond, wetlands, and creek, but do you bird the other “Hartley Park?” Two years ago the park and the City of Duluth created storm runoff ponds which you may see “off to the right” as you drive down into the park. Two years have now been enough time for the ponds to develop … with wetlands and mud / grass flats. In addition, the park and city have cleared the underbrush and and overgrown small trees across Woodland Avenue from “park central”. The remaining white pines and deciduous trees are perfect hunting and nesting platforms for raptors. Take a walk in this area and note all the snags and cavities found within this area.

Found immediately below is a Strava record of this morning’s walk. I park on the first street past Hartley Park (Northfield Street) … directly across from the Woodland playing fields. The route hiked starts on a trail which is signed directly across from the Northfield / Woodland Avenue Intersection. My right turn during the hike was onto the well marked Duluth Traverse Trail which descends down to the Woodland Avenue immediately next to the park entrance road. In total I only walked 7/10 of mile with 80 feet of elevation change … as measured by STRAVA. Yesterday’s Barred Owl was hunting at 9:00 am in the Snag area, and finally flew into the old growth area where I assume it has a nest. There is no other reason for a Barred Owl to be hunting at 9:00 am other than hungry owlets.

It would be a longer hike to walk the ponds, but this morning’s drizzle did not encourage me to add that onto my walk!

A Splash of Color at the Greenwood Creek Birdfeeders!

Year 13

I normally do not post images of the birdfeeders, but with migration in full swing and NE Minnesota experiencing the second dreary, foggy, damp day in a row … color is in order! Mind you there is not a single person who is complaining about the wet weather. The heavy rains have been just “what the doctor ordered” to combat the nearby Stewart Trail Forest Fire. Hopefully some of my friends will be able to return to their homes today, and discover the fire fighters were able to save their houses. Prayers requested.

On to Greenwood Creek. These photographs and the video were taken two days ago on Sunday morning. As of Sunday all of my trailcams and listening stations are now in their deep summer locations. Perhaps we could finally even get some spring like weather?

Pay particular attention to the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak images. I for one never knew this bird specie had “rose coloring” on the underpart of its flight feathers near the body. Stop action photography is necessary!

Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, Purple Finches & Blue Jays

Greenwood Creek Birdfeeders … The Movie! (video link for email subscribers)

Missing the Obvious

Year 13

Sometimes a person just misses the obvious! In the past three days two bird species have let me know that I need to pay closer attention to habitat and my local environment. My first example involves a family of Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. This couple is drilling a nest hole within a few feet of the end of my driveway. Okay, cool, but it is obvious that the same species of birds used the exact same tree for nesting last year. Thus, the question, how could I have not heard all the drilling during construction, and then demands of the young woodpeckers?

Now we move on to the Barred Owl family featured in today’s post. In spite of the heavy fog and mist I went birding this morning. For years I have been trying to find a Barred Owl nest in the Duluth area (tree cavity or broken snag top). I think this morning I finally figured out a great spot for further research. The clue was spotting a Barred Owl hunting three hours after sunrise which screams owlets near by. When the owl finally disappeared into a grove of trees after 20 minutes, I realized it was in perfect habitat. While, I had searched very near this location, I had previously dismissed the spot “the owl chose”. Now I need to redouble my efforts before the leaves pop out.

Barred Owl on its Late Morning Hunt