There is something wrong with that title! After all, Horned Larks are a bird specie which prefer open fields and tundra.  However during the magic of migration, if you learn to “think like a bird”, one often finds birds in unusual places. Here in NE Minnesota, we live in the Boreal Forest, but lots of birds which prefer wide open spaces get “pushed by NW winds” to the shores of Lake Superior. These birds are not very adept at finding food in the forest, and therefore when they reach towns along the North Shore with open areas / fields … Eureka!

I found these Horned Larks this morning in the Two Harbors cemetery … some habitat that was some of the first open spaces that these birds had seen in quite a few miles! In about two weeks the Two Harbors golf course because a gem of a birding location. Once it closes to golfers for the season, its combination of ponds, tall grasses in the rough, and cover (adjacent to the Boreal Forest) makes for some great hikes.

A few years ago, the Bohemian Waxwing was my nemesis bird. No matter how many fruit trees I checked during the winter, nary a Bohemian. These waxwings are a sub-Arctic bird which often “winter” in the Duluth area. Large flocks of Bohemians have now started to appear in the Two Harbors area. This morning I found a flock of over 400 birds eating berries for breakfast near the Dairy Queen in Two Harbors, followed by a flight across town to hang out in some pines. After the storm it was great fun to enjoy some sunshine and beautiful birds.

On the way home I avoided the expressway and took the slow road, Scenic 61. I had to stop at the Sucker River crossing. This is why. Never take a fast road when a slow road is available! It was a glorious day to be alive! By 1 pm the temperature soared to 25F and I hit the ski trails.

Yes, Lake Superior and its North Shore are often referred to as the Arctic Riviera. This morning I walked out to the end of the Two Harbors breakwater and was blasted by the north wind. Open water is disappearing fast, and soon our end of the lake will be locked in from Minnesota across to Wisconsin. When you see the ice flows and small bergs you’ll understand our nickname, and why Arctic birds like the Long-Tailed Duck consider our environs a good place to hang out for the winter. They feel at home!

Two Harbors Light … I stood there to take photographs. The ducks were restricted to the open water leads. The breakwater is coated with thick ice. If the wind had been stronger, I would not have felt safe being out at the light.

Long-Tailed Ducks

Long Tails