I have repeatedly stated in the winter, find the food source and find birds. Quite often this means bird feeders, but in Duluth the largest bird feeder may not be obvious to most folks, Canal Park. Once the shipping season ends (January 22nd this past shipping season), and the Coast Guard allows the harbor ice to form, Goldeneyes head for Canal Park. Because of water current, the shipping canal remains open and ice free for 2 to 5 weeks after the harbor ices. Both our native mussels and zebra mussels find the sides of the shipping canal a perfect space to live, and the Goldeneyes now pushed out of the harbor congregate in the Canal … Duluth’s largest bird feeder. This morning I saw well over 200 “eyes” feeding in the canal.

As more ice accumulates on Lake Superior, the mouths of North Shore streams, and the breakwaters in Two Harbors and Grand Marais are excellent “bird feeders”. In addition to Goldeneyes, Long Tailed Ducks also winter on Lake Superior and may occasionally be found. Both duck species love mussels. Finally, these two kinds of ducks are quite beautiful in terms of plumage. I plan repeat visits to Canal Park in the late afternoon when the sun shines almost directly down the canal for close-ups. If you make this visit, park behind the Paulucci Building and then walk over to the canal (path behind building). You MUST hide below the canal wall and then extremely slowly inch your way up by a light post for camouflage (I don’t stand up straight). Goldeneyes spook extremely easily.

Canal Park Goldeneyes