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.
It’s not often you get to watch a Bald Eagle take off from above, but during today’s bicycle ride I suddenly spied an eagle sitting on a small cliff overlooking Lake Superior. Thankfully I was above the eagle and I knew given the wind, the geology of this cliff, and my location our nation’s bird would have to take off towards me … giving me a unique vantage point.
Now a pause for a few birding photography comments. One reason I really like super zoom cameras is that this kind of camera easily fits in my bicycle front handlebar bag. Remember, you can never take the picture if you don’t have the camera with you!
In addition, continuous high speed mode means the sequence of seven images took place over the course of 1/2 second. If you are taking wildlife photographs, you need to use your highest burst / continuous mode for all photographs you take. While all the pictures are good, numbers 4 and 5 are my favorites.
Happy 4th of July!!!
Bald Eagle Take-Off on a North Shore Lake Superior Cliff
37F … clouds and occasional slushy snow … 15 mph winds out of the NE.
In short, yesterday afternoon’s weather did little to encourage me to take my daily bike ride up the shore of Lake Superior! However, being addicted to exercise and grumbling all the way, I walked down the outside stairs to the garage and mounted my bike.
Man alive, boy am I thrilled I took my ride! In an hour’s cycling I saw well over 30 Rough-Legged Hawks, including this individual which was doing what I have named “Headwind Deflection Hunting”. This kind of hunting goes like this:
Migrate down from the Arctic
Find the largest freshwater lake in the world
Migrate with the wind down the shore
Occasionally turn into the wind, and use the headwind pushed up off the 20 foot cliff to hover in place w/o expending any effort
Dive and eat mouse
Resume migration
It is amazing how many hawks I saw hunting in this manner. What a treat to get off my bike (of course I had my camera … need you ask), and watch this bird hunt for five minutes.
A few days earlier up in Two Harbors, Minnesota I observed ring-billed gulls hunting food in a similar manner. By flying into a stiff wind, and stalling out next to a berry covered bush, the gulls were able to eat the fruit. One enterprising individual even managed to crash land on purpose in the shrub. Gull’s webbed feet are not made for tree or shrub perching. I did not even know gulls ate berries off trees.
Both examples show why one should try to be truly observant while birding. During bad weather conditions I learned how birds adapt. In each case I suspect I was watching adult birds. Juveniles would need to be taught how to use a strong wind.
Finally, here is one more early winter photograph. Normally a few snow geese migrate through our area, pushed off their more westerly migration paths over to Lake Superior. This fall, one may easily find a few snow geese interspersed with almost every flock of Canada Geese.
