Tag Archives: MN North: Amity

Planning Your Migration Birding: BirdCast and HaikuBox

Background, Year 10

The southern migration has started. The bug eating birds are exiting the Northwoods. No matter where you live in North America, it is possible to discover / learn what to expect in terms of the migration. For my purposes I am focusing upon northern Minnesota which equates to the Duluth area and St. Louis County. However, you can use the same approach for wherever you call home or are located.

BirdCast: Use this tool from the Cornell School of Ornithology (and others) on your computer or mobile device to learn what is happening in terms of migration over the next few days. Remember, a wind pushing birds in their desired direction, just like a tailwind on a bicycle, means more birds will be moving. We all like to use less energy to move the same distance. See my full review of BirdCast with annotated screenshots.

Here are two screenshots from BirdCast taken this Saturday morning, August 26th for the migration that occurred last night, and for two days hence when the winds will once again be out of the North for Duluth … located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.

I also mention HaikuBox may be used to figure out what is migrating. Read my full review of HaikuBox, but remember this small box identifies the birds singing in your yard in real time and saves that data. As I mentioned in my full review, anyone may obtain a free HaikuBox account for use on a computer or mobile device and view the data from public HaikuBoxes across the United States and Canada. (Link to my own HaikuBox Data Stream)

The way to use HaikuBox for migration information is easy. Use the map on their website (Listen.Haikubox.Com) and pick Haikuboxes north of your own location and bookmark them. At any time, you may then visit those Haikuboxes and discover what ACTUAL birds are visiting the geographic locations in question.

Thus, I have chosen and bookmarked for my purposes and account four Haikuboxes … one in Grand Marais, Minnesota … two on the Gunflint Trail … and one box on Lake Winnipeg.

A Screenshot of the HaikuBox Map for my Region

Using one’s free Haikubox Account … on a PC or Mobile Device … check what’s happening for a given period

One final item in closing out this post. In my full review I talk about how I had purchased my own HaikuBox. However, a college classmate of mine, Jim Ancona, who is also a techie and a retired software engineer built the equivalent of his own Haikubox … a Do It Yourself (DIY) project. The cost is less that what I spent, and the result is similar! Read how Jim built his own bird listening device:

Here is a screenshot from Jim’s area and his Birdsong Device.

Finally a special callout to another one of my buddies, and I am throwing the gauntlet down. Paul with your amazing Wood Duck Drop monitoring tech, I totally expect you to follow in Jim’s footsteps!

Great Horned Owl Update

Year 10

FuzzBall and Junior are doing fine, and hunting the Thimbleberry Patch! I had a fun time yesterday afternoon in the fog and light drizzle visiting the juvenile owls. I found the pair rather quickly when one of the first trees I checked had all kinds of white wash underneath it … extremely fresh! After first eating a few thimbleberries, I walked 50 yards away from the white pine, turned and took these photographs. Quite frankly the two young Great Gray Owls did not look happy with the weather. From my vantage point I thought being near Lake Superior was fantastic. 180 miles to the south at my daughter’s house in Plymouth, Minnesota the temperature was 98F and very humid. Hearing this really made me appreciate my 66F with strong winds of the big lake.

Owlet / Juvenile #1

Owlet / Juvenile #2

They were perched about 8 yards from each other.

Amity Food Birding Bazaar

Year 10

There is lots of food in the forest next to Amity Creek, and my local birds are happy. Here are just a few of the yummy treats awaiting birds in the area. In addition to lots of insects, here are just a few of the bazaar’s offerings:

  • Mountain Maple Seeds (small helicopter seed)
  • My Bird Feeders (corn, sunflowers and suet)
  • Nectar from Perennials
  • Raspberries
  • Thimbleberries

However, food may carry a price. My local Great Horned Owls are hunting the fruit patches for birds and small mammals, while a couple of different species of hawks cruise the neighborhood including my bird feeders and pick off the unwary bird. At the end of this post I will document and show what bird feeders I use (and why) in the eternal battle vs. the pesky gray squirrel.

The Owls above the Berry Patch (I snack on berries during owl hikes)

Mountain Maple Seeds (female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak)

Nectar (Chardonnay not shown!)

Seeds and Insects (Red-Headed Woodpecker Family!! Ten years ago I needed to drive 175 miles south to see Red-Headed Woodpeckers. 5 years ago I had to drive 45 miles. The past 3 years I needed to drive 5+ miles, and today I hiked under 1/2 mile from my home!!!)

Bird Feeders

I keep my feeders up year round. This does cause problems in the spring and fall when my local black bear population decides to visit, but throughout the rest of the year my BIG problem are gray squirrels. These pesty mammals chew through everything. My problems included:

  • Squirrels gnaw through wood or composite suet feeders within 2 weeks.
  • Squirrels manage to eat suet cakes in the basic cage … or almost any other suet feeder. My locals gnaw the edges where they can reach suet cakes, and either eat directly or consume what falls upon the ground.

I never thought I would spend almost $100 on a suet feeder, but this feeder from Brome which is made of metal works perfectly. The metal cage slides down and protects the suet if a squirrel visits. A small tray catches any spilled suet from birds. Amazingly, this has led to many different species using the suet feeder. They are able to land on the feeder and eat the leftovers found in the small tray. Finally, I have save so much money because I purchase much less suet, and have less spillage that the $100 is a bargain.

For Sunflower seeds I use the SquirelSolution200. Similar to the Brome Suet Feeder, if a squirrel visits a metal cage slides down to protect the feeding holes. My children had bought me the Yankee Flipper which spins a squirrel off using centrifugal force, but keeping a feeder’s battery charged in Minnesota’s winters was very problematic. However, it was great fun to see the squirrels become astronauts!

All of Brome’s feeders are available via Amazon, but a Google Search found me outdoor stores in this region with better prices.

My feeders are very active year around. During the summer all the parent birds stop by with their kids and teach them the basics of Feeders 101. It’s kind of funny to watch larger birds like Blue Jays and Crows stand in my platform feeder next to a parent, and beg for food. Eventually after a few days they learn that they can eat the seeds or corn directly!