Tag Archives: MN North: Greenwood Forest Fire Area

Last Migration Wave

Year 9

Up on Stony River Forest Road this morning I am now seeing flocks of Snow Buntings. I know from previous years that when I start to see flocks of snow buntings, the Fall songbird migration is over. Snow Buntings will also be the first songbirds I see northbound next season, as early as February. The Arctic Ocean is a long ways away … thus last arriving and first leaving. There will still be raptor migrations stretching into the winter. Here are some of the dates I personally look to see the early owl migrants:

  • Thanksgiving: Northern Hawk Owls
  • December 1st: Snowy Owls
  • January 15th: Boreal Owls

Obviously it is very possible to see any of these owls prior to my dates, but from a practical standpoint this is when these birds appear in northeast Minnesota. On rare occasions, both Boreal and Northern Hawk Owls nest in my area. I actually was privileged to find a Northern Hawk Owl nest and watch it through the Spring into early Summer five years ago. As a fyi, never ask me for an owl’s nesting location (and often even just a hunting location). These birds get loved to death.

From this morning, a nice male Spruce Grouse.

ChicagoLand Sax-Zim Bog Birding Presentations (by me!)

Background, Year 9

Coming soon to a ChicagoLand Birding Club … me! Yup, this November I will be the guest presenter at two of the Chicago area’s birding clubs: the DuPage Birding Club and the Kane County Audubon Society. Attending is free, and I have donated my time. My primary topic will be Sax-Zim Bog which is where I am a volunteer naturalist. In lieu of the fee often paid to presenters both clubs have graciously agreed to make a donation to the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog! Here are the basic presentation details:

  • Wednesday,  November 9th at 7 pm
    • Kane County Audubon – St. Charles, Illinois
    • Details (follow link)
  • Thursday, November 10th at 7 pm
  • Presentation Outline
    • For both nights … via Google Docs
    • Not all sections will receive equal time and emphasis

While the majority of my presentation will focus upon Sax-Zim Bog, I will briefly touch on some of my other favorite winter birding locations for that individual who wants to be far from the madding crowd … such as the Stony River Forest Road (image taken early this morning just after sunrise).

And of course the star of Sax-Zim Bog … our year round native, the Great Gray Owl!

For those who want to see some of my own bird images, I invite you to take a look at a few of my own photo albums.

 

Stony River Forest Road Bike Ride

Year 9,

When a south wind was blowing warmly, I knew I had to enjoy one of the last mild afternoon in Northwoods. I drove up to Stony River Forest Road, and parked eight miles in along a the dirt road … and biked from that point. The colors and birding were great. I decided to take photographs and videos to better demonstrate how the firebreak constructed for last year’s Greenwood Forest Fire has helped nature’s rebirth. One now finds a 20 mile long 100 / 125 yard never ending meadow / bog next to the road … and wildlife loves it!

The Starting Location for my Ride (8 miles from the nearest paved road)

Two Short Videos … my ride (video links for email subscribers: one | two)

A Spruce Grouse with whom I had a stare-down!

While driving home, I always swing through Two Harbor’s Lakeview Cemetery. One will often find migrating geese and songbirds. In addition to lots of Canada Geese, I found four Cackling Geese and one Snow Goose yesterday. Both bird species had been pushed west off their normal migration paths by strong winds. Here is a breeding map from Cornell for Snow Geese which I further annotated to also include the Cackling Goose. As you may see, the recent goose migration arrivals come from the Arctic Ocean.

Cackling Goose (not a Canada Goose … much smaller and a different physique)

Snow Goose