Category Archives: Year 5

Sunrise on a small pond. Fledged!

Year 5

I returned to my small pond at sunrise this morning. I wanted to visit my Green Heron kids, but also decided to focus upon some other birds. The Belted Kingfisher twins are also now learning to hunt. Although at times they give up and just demand food from Mom and Dad. Sound familiar?!

Belted Kingfisher (the young female first politely asks her parents for breakfast, then demands breakfast, and is ultimately ignored … moved to another tree and starting the process all over again of screaming for food!)

Cedar Waxwing

Green Heron Chicks at Sunrise

Learning to Fish (hang on for dear life … can’t fly or swim!)

Shadow Dancing (Green Heron Adult)

Belted Kingfisher Videos (preening and fishing)

Angry Birds / Green Heron Chicks … The Movie!

Year 5

Eight days ago I found a Green Heron nest with its five chicks. I have patiently been waiting for the chicks to fledge. Today was the day! I arrived shortly after sunup, and rather than clumped together in the nest against the early morning chill, all five Green Heron chicks were clustered out in the open together enjoying the morning sun. Fledged!

At this point the chicks can not fly, but their wing aided leaps are rather comical. I hope you enjoy this sequence of feeding photographs. The parents when they flew in to feed were mobbed within inches of their life. Chicks is a relative term, and the young birds are close to the size of their parents. Remember, you may press or click upon any image to view at full size / resolution.

You will find three videos after the still images, including a feeding.

Green Heron Chicks … enjoying the early morning sun

Mom arrives … mob her!

Feeding in progress

Mom planing her escape

Where did breakfast go? (chicks can not fly yet)

Calm reigns again  … at least till the next feeding … all five chicks

Green Heron Chicks … Mom arrives to feed the young

Dinner call … Mom is outside of the image area

Early morning preen

Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Map (interactive)

Background, Year 5

It may be the middle of Summer, but before we realize it, the cold North Wind will blow and the snows will come. Many birders will want to visit the Arctic Riviera and enjoy some winter birding just north of Duluth in Sax-Zim Bog.

There are many ways to plan your visit in search of winter birds including the Great Gray Owl. I serve as a volunteer naturalist at the small one room cabin / Welcome Center found in the middle of the Bog. The Welcome Center is run by the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog, a 501(c) non profit dedicated to protecting the bog and its habitat / wildlife. Their web site has a section on planning your visit, including a downloadable pdf map.

Realizing how many birders use Google Maps on their smart phones, I have built a Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Map which works in conjunction with Google Maps.

  • Add Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Map to Google Maps
    • Make certain you are first signed in to your Google account
    • No app or software install necessary
    • One time setup, but may repeat process if map gets lost or unpinned
  • Version 1.3 created on July 26th, 2018

INSTRUCTIONS          SCREEN SHOTS          INSTRUCTIONS

Follow this process any time AFTER you click upon the link given above to add the Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding module to Google Maps. This will always bring the map/module back to the forefront. This assumes you are logged in to your Google account.

Step #1: Go to “Google Maps”. Press the “Drop Down Menu”

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Step #2: Press “Your Places:

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Step #3: Drag screen to display “MAPS”

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Step #4: Press “Maps”

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Step #5: Press “Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Map

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Step #6: Explore map options. Learn more information.

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Step #7: Navigation to return to Google Maps screen.

Step #8: You’re finished! Repeat process if map is lost.

I would like to thank Elliot Nelson from Michigan State University who built a similar winter birding map for the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan (add Upper Peninsula map), and pointed me to the right tools to create the Sax-Zim Bog Google Maps add-in.