Tag Archives: MN North: Duluth

Fighting Grosbeaks of Sax-Zim Bog (Evening and Pine)

Year 10,

Folks might think just watching the Snowy Owl hunt yesterday would have been enough drama for one day, but nope! When the day dawned sunny and calm, I decided after taking care of my chores and a workout, I needed to get outside. According to the weather forecast we were experiencing a day of calm blue skies between winter storms. Thus, my first plan of the day was to visit Sax-Zim Bog. While the number of winter human visitors can now be a bit overwhelming in the Bog, I hoped the storms would limit sightings of the human persuasion. Additionally the prior night’s cold temperatures should make birds more hungry and therefore easier to find.

My prime Sax-Zim Bog entertainment was watching the grosbeaks. Pine Grosbeaks will start to migrate back north within two weeks, and even though some Evening Grosbeaks nest in northern Minnesota, most will fly north to Canada’s boreal forests. Without further adieu, the Battling Grosbeaks of Sax-Zim Bog.

Okay … I lied … one final comment. It was intriguing to see that while Pine Grosbeaks fought other Pine Grosbeaks, and Evening Grosbeaks also battled amongst themselves, there was nary an interspecies conflict. I suspect the male hormones in advance of mating are now starting to flow freely.

An Innocent (??) Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeaks Fight Sequence

Can’t We All Be Friends?

Battling Pine Grosbeaks

And one more image from yesterday’s Snowy Owl Event … seconds before liftoff!

Arctic Mound Snowy Owl Take-Off

Year 9

The Duluth area is often called by its nickname, the Arctic Riviera. While some folks might think this nickname comes from the extremely cold temperatures we experience on some winter nights when the mercury drops to -30F (-30F = -34C), the real reason is the Arctic birds which find our region a warm winter playground! This afternoon I had the privilege of watching while a Snowy Owl hunted extremely close by. I captured this sequence of images when the owl took off for a perch directly behind me. Quite frankly, I did not exist in the owl’s world … just the search for mice, voles, rabbits or whatever would be its dinner tonight. The Snowy started its flight 40 yards distant, but flew within 10 yards of me at eye level. Quite frankly, my heart was pumping!!

Arctic Mound Snowy Owl Take-Off

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No Noose for the Duluth Mongoose!

Year 10,

Strange title? Yup, but it you are a child of the 1960’s you might remember this catchy phrase because my home town had the ONLY mongoose in the United States. Citizens of Duluth lobbied hard both the Secretary of the Interior, Mo Udall, and Senator Hubert Humphrey in an attempt to save our mongoose, Mr. Magoo! This small mammal had arrived illegally in America via an Indian sailor on a grain vessel. Given mongooses (mongeese??) reproduce rapidly and kill small birds and other rodents, the American government did not want any mongooses in the U.S.A.

Fast forward many years and this morning I watched a mongoose search for breakfast in Hawaii’s Lava Tree State Park. Anyhow, I am happy to tell you that citizens’ of Duluth’s efforts were successful and Mr. Magoo was saved. I hope you enjoy my images and video … and a blast back to the past. Our mayor at the time, George Johnson, was invited to appear on the TV Show, “To Tell the Truth”. His part of the episode about Mr. Magoo starts at the 8 minute mark of the YouTube Video (video link for email subscribers). My media is below the YouTube video of “To Tell the Truth”

Lava Tree State Park Mongoose (video link for email subscribers)