One bird had trouble blending into the flock today! If you have never seen a Snow Goose, the individual at the Clearwater Grille / McQuade Harbor had become quite used to people due to the restaurant traffic. I saw the goose twice today … first in the morning while birding, and then later inmthe afternoon while taking a bicycle ride. It let me get within 10 yards and never flew away.
Tag Archives: MN North: McQuade Harbor
Roadside Ditch Birding!
It does not sound glamorous … roadside ditch birding. Folks talk about taking exotic birding trips to Costa Rica or the Texas barrier islands during spring migration … and where do I bird? Ditches!
Actually my approach makes great sense and is quite productive. After days of rain, and multiple stormy weather days, the ditches hold both water and bugs. Given there is now snow on the ground to our north and west, and overnight lows routinely are down in the 20’s inland from Lake Superior, these ditches represent food to starving, migrating birds. Our weather has caught the late migrants by surprise. Our normal highs for this time of year are 53F. Lately we are lucky if a day tops out at 40F.
The other present birding advantage is starving birds let you get very, very close. While in the spring and summer I need to know habitat, all I need right now for a successful birding excursion is my bicycle which allows me to go slowly and then stop to observe.
All Roadside Ditch Birds … photographed from just a few feet distant:
Wilson’s Snipe
American Redstart (at my feet)
Yellow-Rumped Warbler (and in a pine)
Not in a ditch, but a large group for these parts … Snow Geese in Two Harbors
Superior Sunrise Biking and Birding
A sunrise on Lake Superior is fantastic. A better sunrise on Lake Superior is one experienced on a bicycle while birding. This morning I left my home at 6:30 intent on getting some exercise while at the same time keeping an eye out for wildlife.
My path was to bike up Scenic 61. On an early Saturday morning the highway is essentially a big bike path. A car might come by every ten minutes. Thus, wildlife viewing opportunities can be numerous. In addition to a large number of deer, I spied this red fox hanging out in some purple lupine, and then down on the rocks.
When I returned to the mouth of the Lester River, I hiked down into the ravine and found this Common Merganser family busily at work finding breakfast.
It was a great morning to bike and bird!