Nobody is dancing around the May Pole in northern Minnesota. On the first day of May, winter continues to resink its grip. A bit up the Lake Superior shore from Duluth over a foot of snow fell two days ago. Thankfully we did not get whacked. This morning the strong winds out over Lake Superior directed me to head inland. Deep in the Boreal Forest I found some courting in progress. As you look at the pictures of Tom Turkey there are a number of oddities …

• Snow on the ground on May 1st … more expected tonight and tomorrow.
• Turkeys in the northern Minnesota Boreal Forest. I do not think of a turkey as a forest bird, and they used to be a rare sighting in these parts. Over the past two days I have seen turkeys five times, but three times in a deep forest location. These birds have dramatically expanded their range over the past ten years, and into habitat not traditionally associated with turkeys. I understand turkeys are almost becoming a “pest bird” in suburbs of large cities.

I also found my first shore bird of the season yesterday afternoon, just not down on Park Point. The sand spit jutting out into Lake Superior and which forms the Duluth harbor is still covered in ice. Thus, smart shorebirds head inland while migrating north. This Greater Yellowlegs was hanging out at the Forest Hill Cemetery Pond.

Oh yes … Molly and I got “beared” last night. Yogi knocked down four feeders. The bent pipe has a one inch diameter. Thus, Yogi is not lacking for strength. The bummer is I never got to see the bruin, who decided to attack our feeders in the middle of the night. Often we get to watch the destruction in progress, but last night our final visitor before my bed time was a skunk underneath the feeders.