Tag Archives: MN North: Hartley Nature Center

Attack of the Bug Snatchers!

Year 11,

The leading edge of the “bug snatching birds” is here! Our leaves next to Lake Superior are finally leafing out, and with it … bugs! I have some favorite spots in the early season for bug snatchers … warblers and grassland birds. All the photos is this post were taken over the past few days.

For warblers, I love Hartley Creek which is only a few feet away from the Hartley Nature Center parking area. No matter where you live, consider these key aspects of this warbler hotspot … protected from with wind with running water, but not to strong a current. After cold nights, by mid morning there will often be a bug hatch. The insects remain in the creek bed area, out of the wind. Migrating warblers figure this out, and they are hungry!

Yellow Warbler

American Redstart

Black & White Warbler

Pileated Woodpecker (a year round resident, but still eating Hartley bugs!)

My other spot, primary for grassland birds is NW Wisconsin near Lake Superior (check my Mn. Birding Locations page … although Wisconsin … learn about the meadows and wetlands). Unlike in NE Minnesota where southerly winds come across Lake Superior (and get cold), these same winds still bring their warmth up from southern regions. The end result is NW Wisconsin “turns on” from a birding vantage point before NE Minnesota because the warmth equates to earlier bug hatches.

Killdeer

Solitary Sandpiper (using a very small farm pond … find the water)

Frankly Scarlet, I Don’t Give a #!*#

Year 9,

As they say in life, it’s good to be skilled, but it’s better to be lucky!

I scored a Scarlet Tanager near Hartley Nature Center early this morning! It often let me stand only a few feet away. I took a couple hundred pics (have only processed a few)!! Believe it or not I was up by the exit to Woodland Avenue ready to take a right turn when I spotted the bird standing on the curb. I illegally parked and blocked the exit from the park for over ten minutes, but not a single car came by. It is good to bird early in the morning when the rest of the world is at rest. LOL

Hartley Park Exit Scarlet Tanager (video link for email subscribers)

I did next swing through Forest Hill Cemetery where a bug hatch by the second pond resulted in large numbers of warblers, including this Cape May Warbler.

A short update on the owls … all is fine. The youngest owlet took its first flight last night. Thus, the nest is now empty. As the owls are now flying around, visiting involves more effort, but I had fun watching the family at 6 am this morning. Post coming soon.

Warbler Reprise

Year 9

I decided the warbler action at Hartley Nature Center was so fantastic yesterday, that a few hours after returning home and posting my Wowing Warblers entry on this blog, I had to go back. The little fluffballs of color did  not disappoint. In fact I would be at Hartley this morning if there did not appear to be the threat of impending rain.

Regardless, I scored species 9 and 10 of warblers for the day … once again with the small birds flitting within inches of me. Surprisingly, the species seemed to vary based upon whether I sat upstream or downstream of the culvert under the hiking path (a distance of only ten yards). Anyhow, enjoy.

The new species … Black & White Warbler | Magnolia Warbler

And more the same as in the morning …

American Redstart

Chestnut-Sided Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Yellow Warbler