Welcome to the start of 365 Days of Birds 10th Anniversary Year! Unlike Year #1 when I did a 365 Day Photography Project about birds, for my anniversary year I will have a different themed hashtag for each month. Thus, anyone may participate with their photos, but any image should be taken during the month in question (learn more).
For January 2024 the hashtag is #365Birds01White
With the January theme in mind, I drove north to the Greenwood Forest Fire region starting an hour before sunrise. While there are no guarantees, nature was cooperative!
Great Gray Owl Hunting Just Before Sunrise (frosted white pine trees)
Whyte Road After Sunrise (white should be obvious!)
Unlike today (bad weather), yesterday was drop dead gorgeous … calm winds and crystal blue skies in the afternoon. I took advantage of the situation and drove up to the Greenwood Lake region. Roughly speaking, the abandoned RR tracks immediately south of Greenwood Lake divide the forest fire burn area from boreal bog which did not burn. I love going up to this area because I get to hang out in the burn area and find wildlife (difficult) that is reclaiming the burned out habitat (it is 2.25 years since the fire), and then drop just a few miles south into boreal bog country! Last year by the end of December over 50 inches of snow was on the ground. This year in an unheard of occurrence, we have zero snow giving me amazing access to the backcountry (I want snow).
I was hoping to re-find the Northern Hawk Owl I found last Friday, but I was defeated in that effort. Instead the Black-Backed Woodpeckers (another bird species that loves recently burned habitat) were out in force.
Black-Backed Woodpeckers (listen for their tap, tap, tapping to find)
2 different woodpeckers that working opposite sides of Lake County Hwy #2. If you walk any distance off the road (which I do) be prepared to get ashes on your closes!
After some happy time with the Black-Backs I drove south to Greenwood Creek (GPS Location). As noted last year it would have been an almost impossible snowshoe into the Greenwood Creek Bog. This year it was a pleasant stroll along a dirt road / trail. If you want to take the same hike look for two small red flags a just south of Greenwood Creek near a highway bend. There actually is a parking area just off the highway. The roundtrip hike is two miles, and is very easy (sometimes very wet).
Here are a few images and a video of the bog from my hike
A Spruce Grouse in a Spruce!
And some Greenwood Creek Bog images / videos from my mobile phone.
The Bog
Greenwood Creek Bog … The Movie! (video link for email subscribers)
Someone else likes this Bog … a TrailCam setup
If you’ve stuck with me this long, here is a birding treat. Although I did not re-find the Northern Hawk Owl, my initial sighting was between 1.7 and 2.0 miles north of Sand River. The owl spent most of its time of the west side of Lake County #2. Good luck, and if you find the NHO, please let me know. Thank you.
A world without color! It seems as if at least once a week since the Fall bird migration started, I have visited the Greenwood Forest Fire Burn Area (Minnesota Public Radio News Link). It has been a little over two years since the wildfire, which means nature is already recovering. Two of the first bird species that often move into a burn area are Black Backed Woodpeckers, and Northern Hawk Owls. I have been looking for both species.
Northern Minnesota’s boreal forest is at the southern edge of the vast boreal forest stretching north to the tundra line in Canada. Thus, we are often not a “hot” spot for these bird species that love freshly burned out regions. However, the woodpeckers are all over the place in the Greenwood Burn Area, and I had been hoping I would eventually find a Northern Hawk Owl this Fall. Jackpot this morning in the fog!
This image shows the Hawk Owl perched at the top of a burned out spruce. My hope is now a second Hawk Owl of the opposite sex will show up this winter to make for some “owl love” and nesting!
And two close-ups taken taken in the freezing fog this morning. There might not have been any color but I was thrilled with the find!
In case anyone wonders given how many folks are visiting Sax-Zim Bog right now, I was by my lonesome this morning well north of Two Harbors … not even other cars from non birders!
