Tag Archives: MN North: Lakewood

Birds that Hide from the Wind!

Essentially that would be all birds. Over the past two days winds swung to being out of the south with gusts over 40 mph. The remaining migration came to a screeching halt, and birds that were in the area tried to forage and feed in areas protected from the wind.

Yesterday I had to go down and back to the Twin Cities for an appointment, and I made certain to leave long before sunrise such that I could circle in to Minneapolis from the Northwest. This allowed me to visit the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. I made two circuits of Wildlife Drive, and the ONLY place I found songbirds was where they could hide somewhat from the wind.

Wind Blown Bluebird

I also found some lazy Sandhill Cranes which even after 10 am had not made their escape to the local farm fields for foraging.

This morning I was north of Two Harbors exploring some new back roads. I was looking for nice bog areas which should be great spots once the owl season is upon us. This Bald Eagle was kind enough to take off in front of some spruce … rather that busy deciduous trees.

Now Arriving on Track 9 from Hudson’s Bay and Points North!

What is unusual about this bird species? (not the individual, but the type of bird, a Rough-Legged Hawk) I watched this hawk hunt early yesterday morning just north of Duluth during its migration down from the Hudson Bay / Arctic region. Scroll down beneath this image for the answer to my question.


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If I am not mistaken there are only three raptor species (other than owls) in North America that have feathers down right to their talons … Rough-Legged Hawks, Ferruginous Hawks, and Golden Eagles. These birds breed in locations where even in the summer, snow and extremely cold temperatures are not unheard occurrences. Thus, all three species have evolved to have feathers down to their talons to keep warm. The above image shows feathers very much reaching down to the talons.

If I am lucky this individual will stick around hunting near my house for approximately the next month. I have seen this bird two days in a row, and the habitat it has chosen is great for hunting small mammals. However, when the snow covers the ground the hawk will move south (most hawks are not able to hunt effectively through the snow).

Hanging Out and Take-Off

Merlin by Bicycle

Even though it reached 90F yesterday, I took a bike ride up the shore to the Talmedge River and back. As always I packed my camera and monopod (see my setup).  While I am not out strictly birding on my daily rides, one never knows what I will see along the shores of Lake Superior. Yesterday it was a juvenile Merlin who was screaming “feed me” to its parents. For those of you in Duluth, the location was 300 yards this side of the Northern Town Homes. There is a nice grove of pine trees and a small stream … good habitat for Merlins. I suspect over the next two weeks I will have more sightings as the youngsters scream for their breakfast or supper at the very tops of the pines.

In addition, here are a few more images from the past few days. Sightings of hawks are increasing as parents have hungry youngsters to feed. In general this is an excellent time for birding. Use your ears as recently fledged youngsters are screaming to be fed.

Broad-Winged Hawk (hunting)

Spotted Sandpiper