Snowy Owl!

I saw my first Snowy Owl in the wild today!  It counts as both a Big Year bird for me as well as a life lister.  It was thrilling to see this great hunter of the tundra grace the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Over the last week, I had heard several reports of this owl around Artist Point, and the Grand Marais Municipal campground.  After eating lunch with some old friends, we searched both locations for the bird.  We did not find it at that time, but did talk to another avid birder, and he told us where some of the recent sightings had been.  Shortly after that, I had to go to the radio station to do my first show.

About two and a half hours later, one of my friends called me, and said he was looking at the Snowy Owl at the D.N.R. boat landing.  When my dinner break came a half hour later, I went down to see if I could find it.  After a little searching, I saw it sitting on the ground next to the harbor.  It was eating a gull, but kept a close eye on me while I took a few pictures.  I have a 60 x optical zoom on my camera, so I was able to photograph it from a distance.

130. Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) - Grand Marais Harbor, Lake Superior, MN

This is an immature Snowy Owl.  They are the most likely ones to come out of the Arctic for the winter. 

The darker bars are also an indicator of immaturity.  Adult male Snowy Owls can be almost pure white, and adult females are not as dark as the immature birds.

December 5th Birding Update

I have added one new species since my last post, number 129 in my Big Year, the Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) on Thanksgiving.  They were just around for one day, and  all four appeared to all be juveniles.

In the last few days, I have seen a lot of other birds on the Gunflint Trail.  Some of them are pictured below:

Male Pine Grosbeak

Male Pine Grosbeak

Common Redpoll

Female Pine Grosbeak

Black-capped Chickadee

Blue Jay

The Common Redpolls and Pine Grosbeaks migrate to their wintering grounds on the Gunflint Trail from their breeding ground in the Arctic.  The Blue Jays and Black-capped Chickadees are here throughout the year.

November 5th Birding Update

At the conclusion of daylight savings time, I have 128 species of birds on my Big Year list.  Many of the winter species have returned, including the Pine Grosbeak, Common Redpoll, and Hoary Redpoll.  Some more rare birds have also shown up in recent weeks, including: the Black-backed Woodpeckers, and Eastern Meadowlarks.  Here are the new species I observed between October 9th, 2017 to November 3rd, 2017:

118. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) - Superior Hiking Trail near Lutsen, MN

119. Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) - Superior Hiking Trail near Lutsen, MN

120. Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) Grand Marais, MN

121. Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) - Gunflint Lake, MN

122. Redhead (Aythya americana) - Grand Marais Harbor, Lake Superior, MN

123. Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) - Gunflint Lake, MN

124. Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) - Gunflint Lake, MN

125. American Coot (Fulica americana) - Lonely Lake, MN

126. Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) - Gunflint Lake, MN

Female Pine Grosbeak

Male Pine Grosbeaks, with a Dark-eyed Junco in the Background

127. Great-horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) - Roseville, MN

128. Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) - Gunflint Lake, MN

Eastern Meadowlark with Blue Jays

Eastern Meadowlark

Ten More Species

Since my last post, I have been birding from one side of Minnesota to the other.  I've traveled from the Gunflint Trail, to Duluth, to the Park Rapids area, Moorhead, and the Twin Cities.  I have hiked through the boreal transition forest, the hardwood forest, and the prairie in search of interesting birds.  The list below is of the next 10 species of my Birding Big Year:

108. Green Heron (Butorides virescens) - Roseville, MN

109. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) - North Shore of Lake Superior, MN

110. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) - Hawk Ridge, Duluth, MN

111. Franklin's Gull (Larus pipizcan) - Crow Wing Lakes Chain, MN

112. Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum) - Buffalo River State Park, MN

113. Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis) - Buffalo River State Park, MN

114. Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) - Moorhead, MN

115. Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) - Grand Marais, MN

116. Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) - Kadunce River Wayside, Lake Superior, MN

117. Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) - Gunflint Lake, MN

Horned Lark

Horned Lark with view of "Horns"

Red-necked Grebe and Least Sandpiper

My birding total for my Big Year is up to 107 species.  Over the summer, my numbers of new species have leveled off a bit, but the autumn migration is only weeks away.  I already have some birding trips lined up for that time, including one where I travel everywhere from the Gunflint Trail to Hawk Ridge in Duluth, to the headwaters of the Mississippi, and to the prairie preserves of far western Minnesota.  At this time, I am learning as much as I can about the species I am hoping to find; reading books, listening to calls, and watching documentaries.

Last week, I watched some documentaries on the Prairie Chicken, and a great documentary on the intelligence of crows called Murder of Crows.  This week, I am watching wonderful BBC mini-series documentary called The Life of Birds hosted by David Attenborough.  I also checked out a documentary on the Snowy Owl from our local library.

These are the two late July additions to my Big Year List
106 - Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) - Gunflint Lake, MN

107 - Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) - Grand Marais Harbor, MN

I also took a video of the Least Sandpiper.  It is located at https://vimeo.com/228618451.

There are some other birding pictures I have taken in the last few weeks below:

Canada Geese at Sunset with Sawtooth Mountains

Canada Geese in Grand Marais Harbor at Sunset

This Herring Gull is showing how well the fake owls scare away birds and other animals.  If I had my camera with me a few days ago, I could have also had a great picture of a Red Squirrel sitting on the head of the fake owl in my garden.  I learned long ago that the trick doesn't work, and the owl in my garden has become more of a decoration.

Birding on and over the Canadian Border

In the past week I went birding on the Canadian border, and took a trip into Canada.  My species total is now 105 for my Big Year.  This time of year presents the challenge of the thick foliage, and the fact that the birds aren't singing as much because most of them have had their young, and are not establishing a territory at this point.  Below are the new species that I've seen in last week:

101. Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) - Pine River, Minnesota/Ontario Border
102. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - Thunder Bay, Ontario
103. Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) - Kakabeka Falls, Ontario
104. Wild Turkey (Meleagris galloping) - Neebing, Ontario
105. American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) - Neebing, Ontario

100 Bird Species

I've reached my next goal in my Birding Big Year.  I seen 100 species since April 30, 2017.  The most recent species are listed below:

95. Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) - Gunflint Lake, MN
96. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) - Gunflint Trail, MN
97. Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) - Lonely Lake, MN
98. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) - Twin Cities, MN

99. Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) - Roseville, MN



























100. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) - Two Harbors, MN on June 12, 2017

New Personal Birding Record

My initial goal in doing another Birding Big Year was to beat my Big Year total from a few years ago.  My old record, when I was much more of a novice birder, was just 93 species in one year.  After a little more than a month, I have moved past that number.

91. Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) - Gunflint Lake, MN
92. Black-and-White Warbler (Mniotilta varia) - Gunflint Lake, MN
93. Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) - Gunflint Lake, MN
94. Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla) - Gunflint Lake, MN

My next goal for this Big Year is to reach 100 species.  I also want to add a significant number of birds this year to my life list.  The Indigo Bunting and the Nashville Warbler were both added to the life list on June 1st.

End of May Birds

I am progressing on my Big Year, having spent the last few days birding from the Grand Marais shores of Lake Superior, to the Devil's Track Canyon, to Pincushion Mountain, to Sweetheart's Bluff, to Honeymoon Bluff, to the Gunflint Trail.  I've seen many beautiful sites, and found six new species, bringing my total to 90.

85. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) - Lake Superior at Grand Marais, MN

86. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) - Lake Superior at Grand Marais, MN

87. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) - Between Pincushion Mountain and Devil's Track Canyon

88. Veery (Catharus fuscescens) - Sweetheart's Bluff, Grand Marais, MN

89. Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) - Honeymoon Bluff at Hungry Jack Lake, MN

90. Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) - Gunflint Trail, MN

To my delight, I saw a Wood Duck with a flock of Mallards in Lake Superior at Grand Marais.  I have seen Wood Ducks in the past, but that was the first time I saw one in Grand Marais.  The Wood Duck was also next to several Canada Geese, the Semipalmated Plover, and the Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Late May Birds

I have seen several new bird species since my trip to the Twin Cities earlier this month.  My birding has brought me to Grand Marais, Hungry Jack Lake, and Gunflint Lake.  If the weather holds, I plan to bird the Gunflint Trail, and the North Shore of Lake Superior in the next few days.  Here are species 80 - 84 of my Big Year:

80. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) - Grand Marais Harbor, MN
81. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) - Gunflint Lake, MN
82. Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) - Honeymoon Bluff, Hungry Jack Lake, MN
83. Northern Parula (Parula americana) - Gunflint Lake, MN
84. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) - Gunflint Lake, MN

Below are some of the other species I have photographed over the past few days:

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

Common Loon (Gavia immer) on nest by Chik-wauk Lodge and Nature Center

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

Mallard Hens (Anas platyrhynchos)

American Black Duck Hen (Anas rubripes)
You can see this is a hen because of  the olive-colored bill.  Drakes have a yellow bill.

Birding in Roseville

I was in the town of Roseville, MN last weekend, and saw a lot of birds.  Many were in Central Park, and some were around the yard of my childhood home.  A lot of the birds I observed do not even come up to where I live on the Gunflint Trail.  I added 19 new species to my Big Year list from the Twin Cities area, and have added three more from the Gunflint Trail as well.

58. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) - Roseville, MN
59. Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) - Roseville, MN
60. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)- Roseville, MN

61. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - Roseville, MN

62. Tree Sparrow (Tachycineta bicolor) - Roseville, MN
63. Hooded Merganser (Mergus serrator) Gunflint Lake (before the trip to Roseville)

64. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - Roseville, MN

65. Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) - Roseville, MN

66. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) - Roseville, MN

67. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) - Roseville, MN

68. Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) - Roseville, MN

69. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) - Roseville, MN

70. Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) - Roseville, MN

71. Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia) - Roseville, MN

72. Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) - Roseville, MN

73. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) - Roseville, MN

74. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius) - Roseville, MN

 

75. Great Egret (Ardea alba) Roseville, MN

76. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - Roseville, MN

77. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) - Roseville, MN

78. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) - Gunflint Lake, MN

79. Merlin (Falco columbarius) - Gunflint Lake, MN

The birds below are already on my Big Year List:

Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Big Day

On May 13, 2017, birders from around the world participated in a world wide Big Day.  These are the birds I recorded that day.

1. Blue Jay - 10 Birds

2. Pine Siskin - 2
3. White-throated Sparrow - 4
4. Red-winged Blackbird - 2
5. Dark-eyed Junco - 1
6. White-crowned Sparrow - 2
7. Chipping Sparrow - 5
8. American Tree Sparrow - 1

9. Purple Finch - 6

10. American Goldfinch - 1

11. Canada Warbler - 1
12. Common Grackle - 6
13. Rusty Blackbird - 2
14. American Crow - 1

15. American Black Duck - 4

16. Northern Flicker - 2
17. Ring-billed Gull - 5
18. Common Raven - 2
19. Black-capped Chickadee - 6
20. Mallard Duck - 1
21. Common Loon - 3
22. Hooded Merganser - 1
23. Herring Gull - 1
24. Pileated Woodpecker - 1

25. Bonaparte's Gull - 7

26. Common Yellowthroat - 1
27. Kestrel - 1
28. Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1
29. House Finch - 1
30. Turkey Vulture - 1 (Little Iron Lake)

All the birds above were seen around Gunflint Lake, unless otherwise noted.  The bird species below were around Grand Marais, Minnesota:

31. Canada Goose - 1

The species below are already listed above, but there were additional numbers for the Grand Marais area.

Herring Gull - 16
Ring-billed Gull - 4
American Crow - 5

I'm still working on my Big Year list.  My Big Day added 5 new entries to my Big Year:

53. Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) - Gunflint Lake, MN
54. Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) - Gunflint Lake, MN
55. Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) - Gunflint Lake, MN
56. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - Gunflint Lake, MN
57. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) - Gunflint Lake, MN