Yesterday morning I “did the ponds.” These small bodies of water are great birding opportunities. Better yet, if the ponds have small islands to make wildlife feel safe, even better. Quite often cemeteries will have ponds. The best ponds do NOT have manicured lawns next to them. Tall grasses and wetlands are the best. In Duluth I often visit Forest Hill and Sunrise Cemeteries. In addition, Sam’s Club has a nice pond opposite its car service area. One final advantage of urban ponds, the wildlife is often accustomed to people which makes getting close much, much easier.

Pond Pics … A Otter, Kingfisher (female) and Green Heron

After a day at the ponds, I was out hiking before sunrise at 5:30 this morning. My local Red-Eyed Vireos started screeching in alarm and thus I was rewarded with finding two owlets.