Tag Archives: MN South: Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

June 13, 2016Year 3MN South: Sherburne National Wildlife Refugerichardhoeg@gmail.com

Whenever I visit my kids and grandkids down south in the Twin Cities, I like to take an early morning sojourn over to the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. This excellent birding spot is only 45 minutes northwest of the Plymouth area, and on a Sunday morning when I left at 5:00 am, traffic was non-existent! There are a number of excellent hikes, but in addition I like driving slow loops of the DNR Wildlife Drive. When one arrives shortly before 6 am, the preserve is mine alone. It was only as I was leaving around 8:15 am that other folks were arriving.

The refuge is in its early Summer finest. If birds have not already paired off, they are actively seeking a mate. The prairie grass and flowers are starting to come into full bloom. Given we do not have yellow-headed blackbirds here in northeastern Minnesota, this bird was my target of opportunity. While there song would never be called melodious, the color of this bird in the early morning light is striking. I enjoyed watching many of these birds sing and enforce their territories at the Urban Pete Nelson Memorial Pool. This spot, 2.7 miles after the start of the DNR Wildlife Drive (i.e. from the spot the return loop meets the Wildlife Drive, not the highway) even has a bench and a grassy knoll. The blackbirds seemed to like the combination of some dry land and marsh.

Sherburne Yellow-Headed Blackbird

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Some Still Photos of the Yellow Headed Blackbirds

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Sandhill Crane Amongst the Blooming Prairie

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Trumpeter Swan Love

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Common Loons

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Ring Necked Duck

In Search of Spring!

May 3, 2016Year 3MN North: Rossini Road, MN South: Medicine Lake, MN South: Sherburne National Wildlife Refugerichardhoeg@gmail.com

Saturday morning I hiked in a wilderness area 25 miles north of Duluth. In the shaded areas which were protected from the afternoon sun, snow was still to be found in the deep forest. The plants were brown, and warm weather seemed an impassibility. While some Summer migrants have returned to the Northwoods, Lake Superior’s cold waters dictate many birds making the decision to stay south of our area. However, the yellow-shafted flickers had returned from their winter trip down south, and it was fun to watch them enjoy the morning sun, and sing out for a mate (see video).

Saturday afternoon, Molly and I drove 175 miles south to the Minneapolis area. In addition to visiting friends and family, we were astounded to find blossoming trees, leaves bursting out, and temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s. Lake Superior and her cold winds seemed like another world.

I had time for some birding while down south … both in a local Hennepin County Park (French Park), and a bit northwest of the Twin Cities (Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge). It was fun to see all the summer birds, listen to their song, and enjoy warm weather … shorts were the dress code of the day! Hope you enjoy the photographs.

Yellow-Shafted Flicker … Sing Out to the Morning!

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All birds below this point were found in southern Minnesota!

Bluebirds Finding a Mate

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Brown Thrasher

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Eastern Meadowlark … Sing out to Spring!

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Killdeer

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Lesser Yellowlegs

Looking for Spring: Meadowlarks to Mergansers!

March 22, 2016Year 3MN North: Duluth Harbor, MN South: Sherburne National Wildlife Refugerichardhoeg@gmail.com

Even with the snow flurries and 30+ mph winds screaming in off Lake Superior, there is hope that spring may actually be around the corner. This morning I started with a hike out Minnesota Point, and although I enjoyed the woods and solitude, not many birds put in an appearance. Instead, I needed to find the snow melt open water of Miller Creek at 27th Avenue West by WLSSD to find waterfowl. Right in the creek itself I found hooded and common mergansers, some with love on their mind.

Spring was easier to find 175 miles further south over the weekend in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. Sunrise found Eastern Meadowlarks singing to the morning from the tops of the few trees that graced the meadows. Now if we could only get some warm weather with south winds, this migration might really get going!

Eastern Meadowlark Singing to the Sunrise (my thanks to Adam Roesch for helping me with the ID … western vs eastern)