Category Archives: Year 5

Pagami Creek Wildfire Area Birding

Year 5,

The operative words this morning were snow and ice in the Pagami Creek Forest Fire Area on Tomahawk Road! There were not much of each, but definitely both were around. Backwaters, ponds and small lakes are almost frozen over. A light dusting of snow covered the ground, which may have melted by this afternoon (28F at 7:45 am).

I only saw one Spruce Grouse. In talking with the game warden I met up with near Isabella River, he mentioned that he had seen one grouse, but also two Lynx kittens! Snow buntings were definitely around, but only in small flocks of 5 to 10 birds. I did not see any other winter finches.

The Tamarack are at their golden peak. It was a great day to be out and about in the wilderness. Hopefully the winter snows will not sock in Tomahawk Road right after deer hunting concludes. I love this wilderness region, and hope to make one more trip this year in early December.

Red-Tailed Hawk Hunting an Isabella River Backwater

Snow Buntings

Oh yes … here are a few photos from yesterday … Two Harbors and along the shore.

Ore Boat Arriving Before Dawn at Two Harbors

Sunrise Snow Geese in Two Harbors

Amity Purple Finches

Black-Bellied Plover near Lakewood

Merlin on the Hunt!

Year 5

I was down on Park Point before the sun rose this morning. At first birding was slow, but when the golden orb’s rays finally began to provide some warmth the birds appeared. Apparently the songbirds had spent the night deep in some thick cedar trees. I suspect the branches kept them both warmer and shielded from the strong SW wind.

Most of the song birds did not venture far from the cedars. The SW wind made migration unwise, and the Merlin which was hanging around made a decision to forage near heavy cover a life extending wise decision.

Merlin in search of songbirds

Yellow-Rumped Warbler giving a Bronx cheer to Mr. Merlin

Hermit Thrush

Friends Don’t Let Birds Fly Drunk!

Year 5, ,

It is the season for drunk birds. We’ve had cold weather including snow and significantly sub freezing temperatures. The end result is the Mountain Ash berries when birds eat them tend to ferment in their gullets. As a young boy I would watch drunk Evening Grosbeaks in our yard. Today I found drunk Robins. Hundreds, if not thousands of Robins were migrating down the North Shore of Lake Superior. At the mouth of the French River there was an extremely popular Mountain Ash tree. Here are a few images:

Underneath the tree I found this Swainson’s Thrush. As first I thought it was picking up sloppy seconds (berries knocked off the tree by all the Robins). However the thrush proved me wrong by finding a nice juicy grub.

My morning actually started up at Sax-Zim Bog. While the Tamarack Pine needles were golden, the birds were not in evidence except these few wild turkeys.

McDavitt Crossing

Wild Turkeys

The rest of the “fall color” photographs are from my own yard and were taken yesterday afternoon. It was a gloomy day, but I finally got some bright clouds.

Blue Jay … White Throated Sparrow … White Crowned Sparrow … Dark Eyed Junco … Fox Sparrow