Tag Archives: MN North: Canal Park

Lake Superior Moonset!

Not many people can say when they arrive back at their house at 9:15 am that they’ve already been out for 4 hours! However, such was the case for me, and my morning. Awakening shortly before 5 am I realized there would be a beautiful moonset down at Canal Park. I jumped quickly out of bed, threw on some clothes, grabbed a Diet Coke and I was off a few minutes after 5 am. These three images were the result! In addition, it was fun to talk with the early morning fishermen on the South Pier. The smelt are running along Park Point, and with it the larger salmon and lake trout … which brings out both the fishermen and diving birds.

After Canal Park I drove north to the Rossini Road Wilderness. The clear skies and good light deserted me, but I still had fun watching all the ducks, increasing amount of shorebirds and one river otter … everyone was intent on catching breakfast. These two stops took me the noted four hours … back at home by 9:15 am for a late breakfast!

Moonset at Canal Park in Duluth Minnesota (Aerial Bridge)
Aerial-Bridge-Moonset-3 Aerial-Bridge-Moonset-2 Aerial-Bridge-Moonset-1

———-

Rossini Road Bufflehead
Bufflehead-1

Dumb Luck Birding: Ivory Gull

As many of you know, an Ivory Gull has been hanging around Duluth, Minnesota for two weeks. On the second day it was present, I was privileged to view and photograph the bird including some neat flight images.

I had a few minutes before a business meeting this morning and I decided to stop by Canal Park. Not a single bird was in sight when I arrived. Suddenly I spied motion directly above my head. At that point, the rarest bird in the lower 48 lands ten feet away from me and proceeds to walk even closer. Apparently I was standing next to an offering of fish which I had not noticed, but the Ivory Gull knew the fish was on the pier.

Sometimes it just pays to be lucky! LOL!

———-

Ivory Gull Photographs
Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-11 Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-12 Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-10

Ivory Gull at Canal Park!

Only an Ivory Gull could consider Duluth, Minnesota a warm southern vacation spot. The birding world is all excited, including me about this bird. Ivory Gulls normally hang out on Arctic pack ice, and are almost never seen in the continental United States.

Yesterday morning I was down at Canal Park and along with 35 of my best birding buddies, saw and photographed the Ivory Gull!

Ivory Gull
Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-02 Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-05 Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-07
———-

The visitor from the Arctic pack ice is NOT impressed with the locals ability to land on ice. This Ivory Gull judge gave the local from Duluth a two … kind of reminds you of the East German judges in the Olympics!
Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-08 Y3-M01-Ivory-Gull-09

———-

Range Map from WhatBird.Com
Ivory-Gull-Range-Map