Tag Archives: MN North: Canosia Wildlife Area

Osprey First Flight!

Year 5,

Yesterday at sunrise magic happened. Over the past week I have been monitoring three Osprey nests in the Canosia State Wildlife Area. Each nest has two chicks, all of whom seemed ready to fledge.  On the way to the nest#1, I thought I might not even be able to see anything. The temperature was 44F with thick ground fog, but one mile before I reaching my destination the fog dissipated and the sun came out.

For the first 20 minutes I could only see one parent, which sat at the edge of the nest and screamed its greeting out into the morning. At this point, given some warming rays were finally touching the next, both chicks stood up, stretched, and tested their new flight wings. When the chick in back tested its wings, it lost its grip on the nest and rose to a height of four feet, quickly returned to the safety of its home! Such are first flights.

Osprey First Flight and Landing

Testing Flight Wings … Osprey Chick #1

On the way home I stopped by a local pond and discovered my first migrating Greater Yellowlegs on its way south. Interestingly enough, I did not know Yellowlegs eat minnows. I always thought they just consumed bugs. I guess not!

Canosia State Wildlife Area Sneetches!

Year 5

Over the past few days I have been swamping at sunrise. I have learned many facts:

  1. Standing in a swamp at sunrise is not for the faint of heart
  2. Flies come out 90 minutes after sunup … when the day starts to warm up
  3. Great Blue Heron chicks look like Sneetches!

I was actually amazed to find both the Great Blue Heron and Osprey chicks still on their nests. These two birds return to the Canosia State Wildlife Area about the first week of May. Thus I was surprised to find them still on next on August 1st.

Anyone, here are my Sneetch images. I was only able to spend ten minutes on site at the rookery. The flies drove me away.

Canosia State Wildlife Area Great Blue Heron Chicks (term used loosely … they’re big!)

Thankfully, the two Osprey nests are not as deep in the swamp which means fewer flies. My bug repellent worked well for mosquitoes. The second nest is actually in the bucket of an old steam shovel. Mike Mulligan would be pleased!

Parent Calling Out

Breakfast Time (for one chick only)

Testing Flight Wings

Sunrise Entry (and an Osprey!)

Year 5,

Last night I noticed the Fuldaborg, a Saltie out of the Netherlands would be arriving off the Duluth harbor around 5 am to pick up a cargo of grain. Knowing this was 15 minutes before sunrise, I thought the colors would be perfect … a sunrise entry at Canal Park on Lake Superior. Old Gitche Gumee did not fail me! For you Duluthians, listen closely between 5 and 35 seconds of the video. You will be able to hear the bells in the old Central School Clock Tower striking 5:00 a.m.!

In order to be in position out on the pier in time for the Fuldaborg’s arrival, I had to leave home at 4:15 am, getting up at 4:00 am. As long as I was already awake this early I visited some Ospreys I know in the area. One gave me a nice wing flapping performance. In short it was a great morning. When I returned home at 9:00 am, I had already been gone for five hours!

I can almost hear the Osprey saying … Did you see me nail that landing!