Great Blue Herons are much bigger than Wood Ducks! This would seem like an obvious statement, but these beautiful ducks found themselves pushed out of house and home shortly after sunrise this morning! However, what is a smaller bird supposed to do when a Great Blue Heron decides to take over you nesting box as a platform?! The answer to the question is … wait!
Ma & Pa Wood Ducks checking out the interloper!
The Exit!
Awaiting the Heron’s departure
The Great Blue Heron on the hunt
Spring has arrived to the Northland, and a string of warm weather has trees budding and bugs starting to hatch. The birds are aware of this fact, and today the Western Waterfront Trail was finally a good place to hike! Flocks of Yellow-Rumped Warblers and Yellow Warblers made their presence known … in addition to many other birds. On warm days for the next 7+ days it should be fun to watch the warblers migrate through the region. I personally like parking at the end of 63rd Avenue West, and hiking the trail in both directions. The more traditional approach for the Duluth Audubon Walks is to park near the Munger Inn and walk Indian Point Campground.
Featured in order:
During the earlier stages of the migration here in northern Minnesota, it seems as if spending times in the wetlands yields more birds. Thus, over the past few days I have visited both the Roy Johnson Wetlands near Cloverland, Wisconsin … and the Big Bog north of Upper Red Lake, Minnesota. My final wetland visit was northwest of Floodwood while driving home last evening where I saw my first ever wolverine (on the forest edge near the wetlands).
I think I gave this White Pelican a few extra hours of life. Stumbling across this bird on the shores of Upper Red Lake, I scared up two bald eagles and this pelican … which I first thought was dead. I am rather certain it had just been taken down by the eagles. The pelican’s wings looked really messed up and it was collapsed on the shore when I first found it.
Over near Cloverland, I had fun watching some Greater Yellowlegs and Barn Swallows near a small pond. A few Barn Swallows seemed to actually do some “shore fishing” for bugs.
Finally, here is my first photograph (a bit fuzzy) of a Northern Harrier. I love watching them hunt, but they are extremely difficult to both get near and capture an image.
