I should have known that yesterday would be a good birding day when one of the Great Horned Owl parents visited my yard at 3 am and hooted away for over 15 minutes. With my windows open I often awake to hooting, and then quickly fall back asleep. It is truly relaxing.

I decided if the parents were willing to visit me, I should be sociable in turn. Shortly before sunset I hiked over to the nest and the owlets were showing they were siblings who would friends forever!

Once I walked home, I thought my birding was done, but with the last light of day a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker visited one of the three prime drumming trees in my yard. In total, yesterday all of these woodpecker species took a turn at drumming on the tree. I’m getting pretty good at knowing which species is visiting based upon the syncopation  of the beat. My drumming tree visits were from:

• Downy Woodpeckers
• Hairy Woodpeckers
• Northern Flicker (seems to be a favorite catch for my owls)
• Pileated Woodpeckers
• Red-Bellied Woodpeckers
• Yellow-Bellied Woodpeckers (pictured below)

The crows attacked Mom Great Horned Owl this morning (quite a regular occurance). She seemed quited nonplussed by it all, and some of these black birds may end up being tonight’s snack for the owlets. This could be one HUGE reason why the crows always try to drive the owls out of the neighborhood (w/o success) (video link for email subscribers of the crow attack).

Mom just prior to the crow attack in a tree near the nest

Now in a distant White Pine. Mom even starts to preen, but at one point the crows get a bit too close!

The expression seems to say … you’re back?? You are a bother!

And the youngsters. Images are from yesterday evening.

Molly and I love our home and its location directly across the street from Amity Creek. When the windows are open we are able to hear the spring runoff rapids and “The Deeps” waterfall. We firmly believe in being good shepherds of the environment. Our yard is a combination of forest trees and tall grasses / wildflowers. We want to be welcome spot for the nature.

A healthy grass yard requires periodic burns, but this is something one should never conduct oneself. Given our location at the northern edge of Duluth, this past Tuesday we worked with the Duluth Fire Department (Fire Marshall: Captain Lisa Consie) and Prairie Restorations. Fire Marshall Consie insured our burn was conducted both professionally and safely. Prairie Restorations has a strong history of managing these kinds of burns and grass habitats … even for many Minnesota State Parks. Enough talk (actually writing) from me. Here are images I took during the burn (directly below the two videos). You will see Fire Marshall Consie in one of the photographs taking an active role in managing our burn. In addition note how men with automatic water pumps follow the men conducting the burns everywhere.  The water pumps were hooked up by long hoses to a water tank / reservoir back in a truck. (video links for email subscribers: Burn Vid 1 | Burn Vid 2). Folks should not be fearful of fire. If used and managed wisely it is a great tool for the environment.