This post will begin a series of entries to my blog about “Grassland Birds”! It is time to get out in the countryside and enjoy summer, the grassland birds, and explosion of colors. The Black-Eyed Susans are starting to blossom, and the grassland birds are having their young. Nature is providing a feast for the eyes.
With respect to the Black-Eyed Susans I have two favorite spots both of which should be visited early in the morning. The first is just south of Sax-Zim Bog. MacArthur Road which is just west of the Cloquet River Bridge on County 8 already has flowers in full bloom. Here are the Google Maps GPS Coordinates for the turn onto MacArthur Road (County #868) off County #8. I love this dirt road for its varied habitat … forest, farms and wetlands. While the Black-Eyed Susans are in full bloom on MacArthur Road, soon my focus on these flowers will shift to near Gowan, Minnesota (just east of Floodwood). Visit very early in the morning when the skies are clear, but ground fog is present. There are thousands and thousands of Black-Eyed Susans along the pipeline right of way. The pipeline company obviously planted the flowers. Here is a post from last summer which will help you understand why an early morning trip should be in your plans.
Did I mention Sax-Zim Bog Bluebirds? Yup! In over 10 years as a volunteer naturalist in the Bog I have never seen bluebirds, until this week. My apologies that the images aren’t as good as I would like. The bluebirds forced me to photograph them while looking directly into the sun … lousy for photographs.
If you decide to cruise the backroads both for wild flowers and birds, pay attention to any freshly mowed hay (and hay bales). Birds understand that freshly mowed hay means easier eating. Bugs find it now much harder to hide in the tall grasses, as the grasses are no longer tall! In addition to hay bales, check out cows! Bessie can provide a nice bug hunting platform for birds seeking bugs. Although the birds in these images aren’t very exotic (starlings), I enjoyed their hunting activity!
Bluebirds in the Bog (Just north of Dart Road on Cty. #201 area)
Cow Hunting Platforms for Starlings
these are all very sweet images! and i love the cows and starlings. thanks for getting out there and sharing all this beauty
Bluebirds in the bogs? Beautiful. I’m more of a harsh-songed Red-winged Blackbird perched on a cat-tail swaying in the breeze kinda-guy, but the Starlings picking bugs off the backs of cows? Nice.