Tag Archives: MN North: Old Vermilion Trail

Days 340 & 341: The Birds of Frostbite Falls

Year 1,

The gloom of yesteryear (the past three weeks) is kaput. A cold high pressure system has come down from the Arctic, and night time temperatures are falling to below -10F (and colder) once you get a few miles away from Lake Superior. These cold temperatures mean bright sunny days with very little moisture in the air … given the sun does not rise too high in the sky in late December, photo conditions are excellent.

Frostbite Falls … a fictitious Minnesota location made famous by Rocky and Bullwinkle! The birds of Frostbite Falls still need to eat; thus one will find them in the normal haunts. If the conditions are real cold, birds will delay foraging for their breakfast till the thermal warmth of the sun raises the temperature a bit.

Finally, on the other end of the day, our area lives up to the term, Frostbite Falls. The lights of the Mesabi Miner are seen off the Duluth Ship Canal … Midnight Arrival!

Day 340: Pine Siskins on the Vermilion Trail
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Day 341: Sunrise Mallards on Lake Superior
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Midnight Arrival
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Day 328: Sunshine! (and some birds)

Background

After ten, count them … ten days of gloom, clouds, fog and rain … some sun finally reappeared on Day 328 of my project (Wednesday, December 17, 2014). I was almost giddy with excited at 6 am when I looked outside and saw the moon and stars. Could it be true? Were the skies clear.

With trepidation I waited the almost two hours till the expected sunrise. Would the skies stay clear? Yes! Thus, I bring you the photobombing Common Redpolls of Old Vermilion Trail … in the sun (look for the second bird in the photo!).

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