Category Archives: Year 9

Spruce Grouse in a Spruce

Year 9

Moose were not the only wildlife I saw yesterday. This birding season continues to be amazingly good in terms of seeing Spruce Grouse (normally very hard to find). Yesterday I saw two Spruce Grouse, and unlike on other birding outings, I scared these birds on purpose. While I am not anti-hunting, I knew there were some grouse hunters about two miles behind me on Stony River Forest Road, and I did not want the spruce I had found getting plugged.

Amazingly this particular Spruce Grouse did NOT want to be scared. In the first image I am only three feet from the bird, and it would not spook / fly.

Finally by my jogging towards the bird I convinced it to fly up into a nearby spruce tree. I took a few more images (see below), and once again had to walk within three feet to convince the bird to fly DEEP into the forest. Go figure?? You can tell the grouse is watching me!

This morning I checked berries and crabapples. While I did not expect to find many birds yet at my favorite “fruit haunts” going up the shore from my house into Two Harbors, and inland, I was very curious to learn the status of this year’s Mountain Ash and Ornamental Crabapple crop. The answer is unlike last year when a late frost killed much of the fruit, we have a great crop in 2022. Thus, soon it will be time to find birds migrating south into my area with the goal of eating fruit this winter!

Bull Moose x 2: Greenwood Forest Fire Area

Year 9

Bull Moose Times 2! While forest fires are tragic, a fire brings rebirth to the forest. These two bull moose were enjoying fresh greens this morning in the Greenwood Forest Fire Burn Area, or were they looking for Lady Moose?! We men … eat first and then love, or vice versa?! LOL! (as a fyi … late September through October are when Moose are interested in love)

Cabin 2022: It’s a Wrap!

Year 9,

Molly and I just returned from two nights at our small Northwoods cabin not to far south of the Canadian border. Temperatures were forecast to reach the 20’s each night, and I knew that meant it was time to pull the water system out of the lake, and get the boat out of the water. We pump water directly from our lake, NorthStar Lake, which is the first lake of the Hudson Bay Watershed. Yup, it would be possible to canoe downhill all the way from out lake north to the big bay and then the Arctic Ocean. We bring drinking water in portable containers, but Northstar’s clean spring fed H2O is perfect for everything else. Pulling the water system and perfectly draining it is required because water in pipes or the pump freezes … then expands … and then breaks whatever within it is contained. We still visit from this point on, even through the winter months, but the wood stove and outhouse become very important! I was glad to get everything out of the lake by October 1st. The water is getting rather chilly when one has to spend significant time in same. Two mornings ago I took these photographs 15 minutes after sunrise. You can see my view from inside, and then one is looking the other way in the “great room” (Kitchen, Dining, Living Area).

I also had some fun with this image and video! (link for email subscribers … 15 second’s of a wood stove)

Given all my chores that needed to be done, I obviously could not go birding at sunrise. Instead, I took a break around mid day to explore some roads which were new to me. I was surprised to find amazing numbers of Black-Billed Magpies. I think I stumbled upon their southern migration near the western edge of the boreal forest.