Category Archives: Year 5

Summer’s Last Yodel!

Year 5

The Common Loons of Northstar Lake will soon leave for warmer southern climates. However, after an entire summer of swimming and fishing with little flying, our loons are now making frequent flights to strengthen muscles in preparation for migration. For some reason, all of these short flights seem to mean a huge increase in yodeling frequency, both while in flight and on the water.  Over the course of the past few days I frequently kayaked out onto the lake to see if I could capture a take-off or landing, which is basically a controlled crash. Loons which land on wet blacktop (for instance mall parking lots) are not able to get re airborne. They need a runway.

Last Yodel and Take-Off of the Common Loon

And the resulting splash stream!

Sax-Zim Bog Barn Swallow Dance

Year 5

I arrived in Sax-Zim Bog shortly after sunrise this morning. It was a cool, clear, crisp morning (45F) with ground fog. I checked some normal haunts first on McDavitt and Admiral Roads … including a shore hike into the woods on the South Logging Road, but not many birds were present.

After a hike on the Warren Nelson boardwalk yielded a completely silent forest and no bird sightings, I decided a change of approach was necessary. I exited the Bog and visited the farm fields a bit south of the Welcome Center. Jackpot. I quickly found hawk families hunting, and the treat of the morning was when a flock of Barn Swallows paused their southward migration to have breakfast within yards of me. If a bird is hungry enough, they will ignore your presence. Such was the case and I had the unique experience of watching hundreds of Barn Swallows often from only a distance of a few yards.

This first bird did its best to imitate the stare of a Great Gray Owl. It almost fooled me!

Some of my other favorite pics … good time!

Flock on a Fence

Individual on a Fence Post

For those of you planning a trip to the Bog, remember to add my Sax-Zim Bog Google Winter Birding Map to your mobile device (no install necessary … just an easy map configuration to access)

Lake Superior Warbler Fallout

Year 5

Yesterday the weather was bad, until it turned nasty! Through the morning string winds blew out of the Northeast with drizzle and fog rolling in off Lake Superior. Apparently some of the last warblers to migrate south took advantage of the North wind and rode it down to the Duluth area. When I thought the weather was abating a bit, I drove to the Park Point Recreation Area to look for shorebirds. The continuing drizzle quickly convinced me to end my beach hike and return to the car. The surfers in their wet suits did not seem to mind the weather.

For some reason I decided to drive over to the boat launch located on the harbor side. As I rolled down the window, the wind and rain picked up and suddenly a major squall started. I was about to head home when I suddenly I noticed hundreds of warblers taking refuge in two cedar trees and some shrubs next to the harbor. It was hard to get any photographs. Although I did get out of the car, I had to keep a towel over my camera. Here are the few images I was able to capture. It was a fun, but nasty experience. I also saw lots of hummingbirds, but photographing them in the rain was impossible.

A few other comments. The squall must have really been nasty. This afternoon, 24 hours post squall I found four dead Tennessee Warblers in a one mile stretch during my afternoon bike ride. In addition, although both the Tennessee and Nashville were first ID’d in the volunteer state, neither of these birds ever nests anywhere near that state.

Almost all of these images are of immature or female birds. Note the water on the leaves.

Tennessee Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-Rumped Warbler