Category Archives: Year 9

Suomi Hills Sweetness! (Wildflowers and the Kingbird Family)

Year 9

Each of the last two days found me taking a bicycle ride on Suomi Hills backroad … Itasca County 48. As I have repeatedly noted in this blog over the past several weeks, it is wildflower heaven in the countryside right now. Here are just a few of the wildflowers I saw including hundreds of Minnesota’s State Flower, the Showy Lady Slipper. You will also find an image of the “ghost slipper”! The White Lady Slipper is much more rare, but when you see hundreds of Showys, a Ghost will slip into their midst! I realize many of my readers do not “hang out” in northern Minnesota … thus here is a neat tool for identifying the wildflowers in other parts of the Gopher State.

Underneath the wildflower images are pics of the Eastern Kingbird family. For three years now, kingbirds have nested in a 110 year old logging railroad trestle that snakes across one end of Northstar Lake. I kayaked over from my cabin to visit the young family.

Showy Lady Slippers (including Ghost Lady Slipper)

Black-Eyed Susans and Daisies

Indian Paintbrush

Wild Roses

Eastern Kingbird Family

Delivering a Dragon Fly

Dad is involved with rearing the chicks

Sometimes all children need a “firm word”!

And Yet More Grassland Birds

Year 9,

As I have noted in many posts over the past week or so … it’s heavenly out in the countryside between the wildflowers and birds. If you have the opportunity, drive Scenic 61 between Duluth and Stony Point. The Lupine are at their peak. Purple will rule the day, and I am not even a fan of Prince! 🙂

One early morning stop is the intersection of Stebner and Martin Road. Two Broad-Winged Hawks were sitting within yards of each other … which implies there has to be a nest in the vicinity. The big dead tree upon which one hawk was perched starts an area which was logged a few years back. The logging company left a decent number of deadheads, snags and other trees. This area (Google Maps link) will only get better for birding in the months and years ahead. If you visit, then drive further on Martin Road to Lavaque Road (next intersection in about one mile). Turn right and go visit Steam Shovel Sally (on left about one mile along the road). Finally, notice the American Goldfinch which photobombed the last Broad-Winged Hawk image! A few minutes later I saw a flock of goldfinches take a very large detour around the hawk.

Broad-Winged Hawk

For the past month I have attempted many times to get both good views, and photographs of Meadowlarks. Their melodious song is a beautiful part of driving Wisconsin 13 towards Cloverland. Take any back dirt road, and enjoy their song. I like Windy Lane.

Eastern Meadowlark

Tree Swallow

Aesop’s Fables: The Owls and the Stupid Birder

Year 9

For four years I have watched a pair of Great Horned Owls as they successfully raise their young near my home on the north side of Duluth. I took this pic of one of the owlets shortly after 6 am this morning, deep in the forest including its thick undergrowth.

I think the owl’s gaze is saying … you are not the most intelligent birder! Why that gaze by the owl in wonderment? In short, this morning I lost a very expensive pair of binoculars. How did I lose the binocs? Well, the undergrowth including the young buckthorn trees scratched my legs BIG time and to a lesser extent my arms. Given the heart valve I had replaced 18 months ago, I take blood thinner medication. Any scratches or cuts bleed profusely. The medication stops my blood from quickly clotting.

Eventually I noticed that not only was blood getting all over my legs (shorts were a bad idea), but I was now also getting blood all over my clothes (Molly would not be happy with me). Thus, I stopped to put on many Band-Aids (always carry some). My mistake was putting down my camera and binoculars while I was putting on the bandaids. At least I picked up the camera once again, but not the binoculars. I searched hard for the binoculars, but no dice.

The Moral of the Story: Recovering heart patients who are on blood thinner should not wear shorts while hiking off trail in the woods, or at least wear cotton knee socks (I have same). Molly told me the true moral is to just pick up your binoculars, and not be a forgetful old guy.

This was the first of the owlets I found this morning … before I lost my binoculars. I needed the binocs to confirm there was an owl up high in the crook of the tree.