I know I always enjoyed eating at the Clearwater Grill right next to McQuade Harbor. Well, this morning 200+ Bohemian Waxwings showed they agreed with me. The birds were on both sides on Scenic 61, in the pine and fruit trees.
Oh yes … a touch colder birding in NE Minnesota. In Hawaii two days ago it was 78F. Only 90 degrees colder this morning. Twas -12F when I left my house!
These sea turtles were definitely NOT next to Lake Superior! Seen four days ago on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii.
Did I forget to mention the Phainopepla … in northern Minnesota, not in the Desert southwest of Arizona??! (first ever sighting in Minnesota). Yesterday was a day of birding I will not forget for a looonnnnng time.
I had been birding well north of Two Harbors where I saw 17 Spruce Grouse, including a flock of ten birds! When I got back into cell phone coverage area there was a voicemail from my wife, who definitely is NOT a birder. She was bicycling up the North Shore when she noticed a lot of folks near McQuade Harbor with cameras and binoculars. She stopped to ask what they were seeing, and voila! … A Red Morph Screech Owl, and a Phainopepla.
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In the afternoon I in turn went cycling over to McQuade Harbor and was rewarding with better views of the Phainopepla! What the heck is a bird from the desert southwest doing on the shores of Lake Superior?! The Phainopepla was just up the shore (about 20 yards) in the trees by the shut-down motel near McQuade Harbor.
The Red-Morph Screech Owl
The Spruce Grouse (video link for email subscribers)
The Phainopepla (near Duluth, Minnesota … not Tucson)
While not the best part of the Northern Lights display from last night, this pic does show the “Ice Road” on which I was parked last night on a frozen lake north of Two Harbors. I turned on my car’s parking lights to illuminate the scene. The temperature was minus 25F at the time!
Ice Road Aurora Borealis in Northern Minnesota
Additional Photos of last night’s Northern Lights Display
Two Hours Later at McQuade Harbor … 20 minutes before sunrise. Some fishermen get ready for the morning fish!
