This coming Friday, October 22nd, between the hours of 12 noon and 3 pm, I will be at Duluth Studio Market in Lakeside to answer your winter birding questions. This neat little store features local artisans and authors. Thus, I will be happy to autograph one of my children’s book. Given its MEA in Minnesota and school is out of session, bring the kids. I would love to also answer their bird questions.
The sun came out very briefly yesterday afternoon. I thought about going birding, but decided perhaps sitting upon my own deck was a better idea. A few weeks ago, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker started proclaiming my yard as its domain, but I had not been able to get a decent photograph. Well … if you wait long enough, success will often be achieved.
Here is “Red” and his cousin, “Scarlet” (a female). See below the images for the “heart anniversary story”.
Why an anniversary bird, you may ask? Friday will be the exact one year anniversary of my collapsing while trail running due to a misshapen heart valve. After five heart operations, and five additional procedures, I am back loving my time in the woods. Last week I resumed trail running. This Friday on the anniversary of my brush with death, and at the midpoint of my run, I will stop and sit down on the ground for 5+ minutes (by my choice) in the forest. I plan on reflecting how glorious it is to be alive. Last year, my Garmin recorded me on the ground for over 30 minutes (not by my choice). My medical team says I’m lucky to be alive.
Two weeks ago I was the featured survivor and talked prior to the Northland’s American Heart Association’s “heart walk”. I was interviewed by both the local NBC and CBS TV affiliates. If interested, hear my story in their words, not mine (video link for email subscribers).
A major update has been implemented to the Minnesota Birding News Service (not an app anymore, but an online news service). Via this free service which I created two years ago and maintain for the Minnesota birding community, you are automatically informed (with a short synopsis of the new content) when any birding service from these categories posts new content:
Mn Bird Areas
Mn Bird Blogs
Mn Bird Orgs
USA Bird Blogs
USA Bird Orgs
Int’l Birding
Anyone already using the service should delete their content and download / install the OPML with today’s date (October 1, 2021).
For those of you who already have the service installed, there was a major change in Facebook’s format. Failure to replace your feeds will result in them failing to provide updates, if that in fact has not already happened.
