Category Archives: Year 1

Duluth Red-Headed Woodpecker

Year 1
These photographs taken a few days ago are cool for a number of reasons:
  • This may be the first time ever that a Red-Headed Woodpecker has nested in Duluth.
  • Audubon has designated the Red-Headed Woodpecker a bird of “special concern” due to a decrease in numbers … mainly due to habitat loss.
  • Ever since I was a young boy and was given the book, Song and Garden Books of North America, I have had a special place in my heart for “red”. There were about eight birds in the book which I found extremely neat, and wanted to see in my life. This woodpecker is one of those eight bird species. What are your special birds and why?
My thanks to the folks who helped me find this woodpecker (not named on purpose), and the location other than saying “Duluth” is stated in a general way to protect the nesting location.

Red-Headed Woodpecker Feeding its Young

Cover of National Geographic Book

Unbearably Good Birding: Black-Breasted Yogi

Year 1, ,

Birdcast says the bird migration is now great in northern Minnesota (see my post about how to use Birdcast), and it is! While eating lunch today, I thought … boy, that is a noisy squirrel! I checked the feeders and voila! It was the rare Black-Breasted Yogi. After a great lunch at “Chez Hoeg’s Bar and Grill” which has had fine dining for bears since 2011, I managed to get this photo of Yogi relaxing near my house after its meal.

In addition to Yogi, birding has been very good today. Some of the birds I’ve seen and photographed since sunrise when I started the day down at the Park Point Recreation Area.

Common Tern (just migrated in from points way down south Mexico or South America way)

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Pied-Billed Grebe

Blue-Winged Teal

Black Bear Welcome Home!

Year 1

I’ve often commented in this blog how I live at the edge of the Boreal Forest. The first bridge on “7 Bridges Road” is only 300 yards from the end of my driveway. Once one crosses the bridge, you now are truly in the forest stretching north to the tundra line in Canada. Given my bird feeders, more than just our feathered friends visit my yard!

While hiking next to Amity Creek this morning, I threw on the brakes. 20 yards ahead of me on the trail was this black bear. Apparently the bear was coming downhill as I was hiking up. I quickly pulled out my camera with no time to check settings managed to get this one image.

Eventually I found the bear again and took this short video. (video link for email subscribers)

Finally, guess who were directly above me when I took the video?! Yup! Here are two images I took earlier this morning of one of the owlets. It was a great reunion homecoming!