Tag Archives: MN North: North Shore of Lake Superior

Split Rock Lighthouse Fly-By … From the Bird’s Perspective!

Year 6

Saturday was a magical morning. My good friends Ken and Marcia invited me up to their Northwoods cabin 50+ north of Duluth for a float plane ride. Ken, my pilot, actually got his first plane before had even had a pilot’s license! This gentleman knew he wanted to fly. Given this couple’s love of the outdoors, it was natural that they chose a float plane as this allows easy access to the wilderness of northern Minnesota and NW Ontario.

This post will take you along on our ride. Each video is quite short in duration, but provides a flavor of what is like to fly the skies of the Northland. Should you ever wish a similar experience, their are licensed float plane tour operations that take-off from Sky Harbor Airport out on Minnesota Point (a birding hot spot). Here are a few photos I took which will help set the scene, followed by the videos …

Pre-Flight Check. I was smart enough to stay out of the way!

Taxing for Take-Off

Split Rock Fly-By

Searching for Moose

Hand Cranking the Plane into its Hangar

Our basic route …

Northland Skies (the movies!)

Pre-Flight Check

Taxi and Pre-Flight Check

Take-Off

Split Rock Lighthouse Coastline

Split Rock Lighthouse Fly-By 1

Split Rock Lighthouse Fly-By 2

Lake Superior Coastline (Splitrock State Park)

Heading Inland

7 Beavers Lake and Surrounding Bog Land … Looking for Moose

Landing on Cadotte Lake

Post Flight Fast Taxi

Cranking the Bird into its Nest!

Thanks Ken and Marcia … A Magical Morning!!!

Pagami Creek Wildfire Area Birding

Year 5,

The operative words this morning were snow and ice in the Pagami Creek Forest Fire Area on Tomahawk Road! There were not much of each, but definitely both were around. Backwaters, ponds and small lakes are almost frozen over. A light dusting of snow covered the ground, which may have melted by this afternoon (28F at 7:45 am).

I only saw one Spruce Grouse. In talking with the game warden I met up with near Isabella River, he mentioned that he had seen one grouse, but also two Lynx kittens! Snow buntings were definitely around, but only in small flocks of 5 to 10 birds. I did not see any other winter finches.

The Tamarack are at their golden peak. It was a great day to be out and about in the wilderness. Hopefully the winter snows will not sock in Tomahawk Road right after deer hunting concludes. I love this wilderness region, and hope to make one more trip this year in early December.

Red-Tailed Hawk Hunting an Isabella River Backwater

Snow Buntings

Oh yes … here are a few photos from yesterday … Two Harbors and along the shore.

Ore Boat Arriving Before Dawn at Two Harbors

Sunrise Snow Geese in Two Harbors

Amity Purple Finches

Black-Bellied Plover near Lakewood

Roadside Ditch Birding!

Year 5,

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