Tag Archives: MN South: Medicine Lake

Spring North Bike Tour … Working our way South! (Apr. 1-3)

Molly and I are working our way south to start our bike tour. We will reach our starting point southwest of Dallas soon and start our 1,500 to 2,000 mile self-supported bicycle tour by swinging farther south by bike to the Texas Hill Country. During our travels southward I am taking a few training bike rides. These two birds were photographed along the Luce Line Trail in Minnesota.

I just discovered that a well known birder / ornithologist will be starting a similar trip to ours in a few days, but using a car and camping. Bruce Beehler will follow spring north over the course of 100 days while chasing the bird migration up the Mississippi River. It will be fun to learn what he sees via car vs Molly and me on bicycles. His efforts may be followed via the American Bird Conservancy at http://www.abcbirds.org/nwts/index.html

My trip diary may be found via this URL:

Red-Tailed Hawk

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Challenging One’s Own Reflection!

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Days 170 to 172: Minneapolis Meanderings

The family went down to Minneapolis for the weekend to cheer on my wife’s first time competing in a triathlon. However, the bird project must go on! Time was brief for getting outside to hike and bird, but I still found some neat photo opportunities.

Day 170: Wood Ducks at Dusk
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Day 171: Great Egret
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Day 172: Barn Swallows
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The Finisher!
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Day 088: Magnificent Mate Wanted!

Easter Morning dawned crystal clear after yesterday’s rain, and thus I took an early birding / photography walk which started shortly after sunrise. The birds in the Medicine Lake Wetlands were extremely happy and busy about the business of finding a mate! As brunch was not till 10:00 am, I hiked for three hours. Here’s the list of birds I saw … of which many you will find photographs below:

  • Bluebirds
  • Buffleheads
  • Blue Jays
  • Canadian Geese
  • Cardinals
  • Chickadees
  • Cedar Waxwings
  • Coots
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Great Horned Owl
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Mallards
  • Mourning Doves
  • Osprey
  • Red Breasted Nuthatches
  • Red Merganser
  • Red-Shafted Flicker
  • Red-Winged Blackbirds
  • Robins
  • Seagulls
  • Snowy Egret
  • Song Sparrows
  • Tree Swallows
  • Wood Ducks

Perhaps the most amazing site of the morning was when a bluebird attacked a tree swallow which was trying to take over the bird house. They ended up “wrestling” and “pecking” just a a few feet away from me. I was so surprised and startled I missed the photo opportunity!

Red-Winged Blackbird Displaying!
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Tree Swallows
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Red-Shafted Flicker
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Wood Ducks Looking for a Mate
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Red Breasted Mergansers (Wood Ducks in the background)
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Eastern Bluebirds
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Buffleheads Taking Flight
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