Tag Archives: MN North: Amity

Greg Garmer … a Friend and Much More.

Year 11

Greg Garmer, who is a dear friend of mine, died in a tragic accident Sunday afternoon, but while enjoying the outdoors which he truly loved. Greg went ice skating on St. Louis Bay backwater ice, broke through the ice and drowned.

Greg was a a long time member of the Duluth Audubon / Northeastern Minnesota Birding Alliance and frequently went on sponsored outings such as the warbler walks. Greg rarely missed a chapter meeting. In addition, Greg is a retired Lutheran pastor and many Duluth churches are in a state of shock.

He was first my pastor, and but then so much more after he retired … including my birding buddy. We often spent hours in the car together as we drove to remote spots in northern Minnesota. Here Greg is looking for late migrating ducks out over a lake in the BWCA to which we had hiked.
The last time I saw Greg was a bit over one week ago. He had excitedly stopped by my home to let me know a Northern Shrike was near by. Of course I dropped everything I was doing and went to find the bird.
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Greg and I even skied the 54k American Birkebeiner together. Mary (his wife) had asked Molly and me to take him to his first and only Birkie. Mary told us Greg would be impossible to live with if he never skied a Birkie!
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Greg … these birds I saw yesterday morning are for you. Before hearing the news about Greg, I had been up at Sax-Zim Bog before sunrise. It is very appropriate that the last bird I saw in the Bog was a Northern Shrike.

Housebound Birding

Year 11, ,

50 mph wind gusts and strong rain considers even the most persistent birder like myself to hang out in the house. I didn’t even get out of bed till 6:30 am! My only social item today is to meet friends at the Pickwick Restaurant (Wikipedia Link) at 5:30 pm. This venue has been open since 1888, and my parents first took me to the Pickwick at the age of around 4 or 5 around 1960. Thus, I have been frequenting this restaurant for over 65 years. Uff Dah! If you are visiting Sax-Zim Bog or the North Shore for birding, I recommend the Pickwick.

Image from Open Table … not my own

Now some birding information. This winter is setting up to look excellent for both winter birding and owls. While the Winter Finch forecast was actually not real good, the results are indicating otherwise. 1000’s of Redpolls have been reported flying past Duluth’s Hawk Ridge over the past two days. In addition lots of Crossbills have been reported. I know all three species (Red and White-Winged Crossbills plus Redpolls) have been in my yard.

On the owl front this year is predicted to be an irruption year of birds from north of the border. The number of Boreal Owls banded at Hawk Ridge, Wolf Ridge and Whitefish Point exceeds all past counts. Expect to see some of these little guys in January. In addition, unlike last year, there are already a decent number of Snowy Owl reports. One big difference is there is snow on the ground west and north of Winnipeg to drive raptors south. Last year the extended region was snow free on the ground. I found myself hiking into the Greenwood Bog in February. There was only a dusting of white stuff on the ground when normally the snow cover should be measured in feet.

My available time this morning allowed me to catch up on bird images. First on the docket is this photo of a Woodhouse Scrub Jay which I saw at the Oracle, Arizona town park. If you are vacationing or live in Tucson, the small town of Oracle a bit north of Oro Valley is worth birding.

Woodhouse Scrub Jay (Although this jay is nor rare, it is only my second even lifetime sighting. I just don’t hang out often in the right SW dry highland habitat.)

And a few more images of last weekend’s migrating Bonaparte Gulls.

Great Horned Owl Plumage Phases or Morphs

Year 11, ,

In my post published earlier this morning I wrote about Great Horned Owl variations in plumage color … often called “phases” or “morphs”. While I’m sure most birders understand the concept, it can be helpful to see the different variations next to each other.

First in this post you have the “Desert or Southwest Phase” Great Horned Owl which I saw yesterday afternoon in the Sonoran Desert a bit north of Tucson. Here is that bird and its grayish / white feather colorations which tends to match its habitat found in the desert

Second I present the “Arctic Phase” Great Horned Owl which tends to be found in the northern Canadian Boreal Forest I saw this owl and its youngster during the June of 2023 in Alberta. This owl’s feathers are more white which helps for winter camouflage during that long season of the year.

In closing here is my own “Boreal Forest Phase” Great Horned Owl which tends to be the most common in North America, and helps the owl blend in with its forest habitat.  This bird is the female Great Horned Owl that has nested six years straight near my home in northern Minnesota. You will note this owl’s feather coloration is much more brown and gray. Note how the coloration blends with the white pine tree in which it is perched.

If you wish to reach more about the Great Horned Owl, browse to Cornell’s All About Birds web service. This link will take you to the identification page for Great Horned Owls. Regional Differences including plumage color or phases is discussed towards the bottom of the web page.