Tag Archives: MN North: Minnesota Point

Brown Thrasher Nest Building

Year 7

The strong winds out of the Northeast have finally abated, and this afternoon’s temperature will actually reach 70’s … even next to Lake Superior. The combination of some warmth plus rain and fog over the past two days has created a bug explosion. Trees are finally blossoming here in the Northland, and birds know that means FOOD! Yes, the migrants who like to eat bugs are finally appearing here at the “head of the lakes”. Over the next few days as we approach June 1st, the final “returnees” will reach the Boreal Forest. Believe it or not, once these birds arrive our first southern departures will be only six weeks away. Upland Sandpipers are some of the first birds to head south for their wintering grounds in South America. Folks often joke here in Duluth that if you blink, you miss summer!

Regardless, this morning down on Park Point (Minnesota Point) I had the unique privilege of watching two Brown Thrashers building their nest. These thrashers are one cool bird, or in this case two cool birds. They have an “evil eye” which is set off by their great singing. Normally, I only see thrashers high atop trees in the spring … singing for a mate. When I find them on the ground, they spook very easily. Thus, watching from only ten yards distance was a treat, and I now know where they nest is located! (Learn more about Brown Thrashers … Cornell School of Ornithology)

Brown Thrashers Building a Nest

The thrashers weren’t the only birds I photographed this morning …

Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher

Chestnut Side Warbler

Indigo Bunting

Ain’t late spring grand?! Summer will soon be here.

Blue Bill Birding Photobomb!

Year 7, ,

Here I am … a hard working photographer out at sunrise, and some “reject” insists on photo bombing my work!

Greater Scaup / Blue Bill … with some unknown joker in the foreground.

This was actually my third birding stop of the morning. I left the house at 5:40 am for the short hike to my “owling grounds”. Sunrise here in Northeastern Minnesota was 5:37 am this morning. If a person wants to see other than sleeping owls, you need to be out with the sun. By the time I arrived at the nesting area (5:50 am), the sun was just starting the kiss the tops of the taller white pines. Today I will feature Ma and Pa Great Horned Owl. For the next twenty minutes after I arrived this duo put on a great display for me. Actually, they actively attacked and defended their owlets against the sunrise crow attack. However, by 6:20 everything had settled down … the crows had departed and owls were starting to snooze.

Given how deep the parents perch within white pines, I can only surmise that the youngsters don’t have the same “warming effect” yet from their feathers. At sunrsie the triplets (yes … in fact all three owl chicks survived!) are always out in the open to catch the warming rays of the sun. It was 39F at sunrise this morning. The owlets don’t tend to perch in deeper cover till much later in the morning. Obviously this makes them easy targets for crows which is why the parents are always on the lookout.

Ma Great Horned Owl (truly the first golden light of the morning)

Pa Great Horned Owl

Ma and Pa in a White Pine (click upon to view full sized … both parent owls are present … this pair is very difficult to find once they embed themselves in deep cover … move one foot in either direction and the parents disappear from view)

One of the Owlets (much later in the morning)

Finally I hiked the five ponds at the Lester Golf Course. I keep hoping to see some warblers, but new arriving migrants were few and far between … just the tree swallows pairing up to raise some new families.

Winter Storm in Progress

Year 6

It’s nasty outside … high winds and lots of snow. The ships out on Lake Superior are very aware of this fact! I took this screenshot about ten minutes ago using my marine app which tracks shipping throughout the world. Enjoy the storm. (use the Harbor Lookout web site to access Duluth Harbor webcams at Canal Park)

The ships out on Lake Superior are hiding this morning from the wind, waves … and thus the buildup of ice. (Wednesday, Nov. 27th at 7:30 am). Normally not a single freighter would take a route through the big lake against the northern shore.