Golden Eagles, Two Thrushes, Two Vireos, American Black Duck, and Indigo Bunting (Species 84 - 90)

 Recently I have identified seven more species.  The first species was the golden eagle.  I saw a pair of them in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and well after the trip, identified them from I photo I took.  That is one major advantage of having a camera with a long zoom lens.

I’ve also identified two thrushes, two vireos, an American black duck, and an indigo bunting.  All of those were identified Cook County, Minnesota.

4/28/2021

84. Golden Eagle - Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Golden Eagles

5/24/2021

85. Veery - Gunflint Lake, MN

86. Philadelphia Vireo - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/27/2021

87. Red-eyed Vireo - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/31/2021

88. Swainson’s Thrush - Gunflint Lake, MN

6/9/2021

89. American Black Duck - Gunflint Lake, MN

Mallard (Left Front) and American Black Duck (Right Rear)

American Black Duck (Rear) and Three Mallards

6/17/2021

90. Indigo Bunting - Gunflint Lake, MN 

Great Warblers Today

 I had a nice birding hike this morning near Gunflint Lake.  There were some great birds singing, and I added two birds to my Big Year List:

82. Nashville Warbler - Gunflint Lake, MN

83. Magnolia Warbler - Gunflint Lake, MN

I have photographed several other birds the last few days, Here are some of my favorite photographs:

Purple Finch

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Birding in Minnesota and North Dakota - Species 35 - 81

 I have been a busy birder since my last post.  In that time, I have birded everywhere from the Gunflint Trail to the headwaters of the Mississippi, to the prairie, to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the North Dakota Badlands.  Here are the new species for my Big Year list:

4/21/2021

35. American Woodcock - Gunflint Lake, MN

4/23/2021

36. Winter Wren - Gunflint Lake, MN

4/24/2021

37. Chipping Sparrow - Gunflint Lake, MN

4/26/2021

38. Rock Pigeon - Hawley, MN

39. House Sparrow - North Dakota

40. American White Pelican ~Medina, ND

41. Lesser Scaup - Crystal Springs, ND (Prairie Potholes/Sloughs)

42. Double-crested Cormorant - Crystal Springs Rest Area, ND

43. Franklin’s Gull - Bismarck, ND

44. Northern Flicker - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

45. European Starling - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

46. American Kestrel - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

47. Wild Turkey - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

48. Black-billed Magpie - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

4/27/2021

49. Mourning Dove - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

50. Great Horned Owl - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

51. Western Meadowlark - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

52. Ferruginous Hawk - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

53. Ring-necked Pheasant - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

54. Killdeer - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)

4/29/2021

55. Wood Duck - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (North Unit)

56. Barn Swallow - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (North Unit)

57. Belted Kingfisher- Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (North Unit)

58. Northern Harrier - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (North Unit)

59. Mountain Bluebird - Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (North Unit)

4/30/2021

60. Great Blue Heron - Crystal Springs, ND

5/1/2021

61. Eastern Phoebe - Nevis, MN

62. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Nevis, MN

63. Swamp Sparrow - Nevis, MN

64. Eastern Whip-poor-will - Nevis, MN

5/2/2021

65. Blue Jay - Nevis, MN

5/3/2021

66. Palm Warbler - Nevis, MN

67. Caspian Tern - Nevis, MN

5/5/2021

68. Golden-crowned Kinglet - Gunflint Lake, MN

69. Northern Saw-whet Owl - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/6/2021

70. Common Yellowthroat - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/8/2021

71. American Goldfinch - Gunflint Lake, MN

72. Common Goldeneye - Gunflint Lake, MN

73. Red-tailed Hawk - Round Lake Road, Cook County, MN

5/12/2021

74. Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/13/2021

75. Black-and-white Warbler - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/14/2021

76. Ovenbird - Gunflint Lake, MN

77. Chestnut-sided Warbler - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/15/2021

78. Pine Siskin - Gunflint Lake, MN

79. Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Gunflint Lake, MN

5/16/2021

80. Long-tailed Duck - Lake Superior, Grand Marais, MN

5/17/2021

81. Black-throated Green Warbler - Gunflint Lake, MN

Hairy Woodpecker and Three Sparrows - Species 31 - 34

 I added four species to my Big Year list, bringing my total species to 34.  The new species are:

31. Hairy Woodpecker - Gunflint Lake, MN

32. American Tree Sparrow - Gunflint Lake, MN

33. White-throated Sparrow - Gunflint Lake, MN

34. Vesper Sparrow - Gunflint Lake, MN

Vesper Sparrow

Hairy Woodpecker

Vesper Sparrow

Purple Finch

American Tree Sparrow

Other species I spotted today were the black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, common grackle, red-winged blackbird, common loon (great northern diver), and merlin.  

Birding in Grand Marais - Species 25 - 30

 I had a great birding day in Grand Marais today, adding 6 new species to my Big Year.  The bald eagle, herring gull, and ring-billed gull were expected.  A merlin, yellow-dumped warbler, and two harlequin ducks were great surprises.  Other species I saw were the dark-eyed junco, common grackle, red-winged blackbird, and turkey vulture.  It was a toss up between the two gull species and (oddly enough) the bufflehead as to which species had the most members around Grand Marais.

25. Bald Eagle - Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais, MN

26. Herring Gull - Grand Marais, MN

Herring Gull

27. Ring-billed Gull - Grand Marais, MN

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gulls

Ring-billed Gull

28. Merlin - Artist Point, Grand Marais, MN

29. Yellow-rumped Warbler - Grand Marais, MN

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

30. Harlequin Duck - Grand Marais Harbor, MN

Harlequin Ducks

Harlequin Duck

Here are a few other bird pictures from today of birds previously entered on my Big Year list:

Bufflehead

Bufflehead (Female)

Bufflehead

Bufflehead (Female) in Grand Marais, MN Marina

Flock of Buffleheads

Pictures from Days 1 & 2 of the Big Year

 Today showed me that despite great effort, not every day will give me a bunch of new species for my Big Year. Ellie and I hiked the entire Kekekabic/Centennial Trail loop, followed by the Magnetic Rock Trail.  We covered 7 - 8 miles, and only saw only two new species, the turkey vulture and the hooded merganser.  Other species sighted included the mallard duck, bufflehead, ruffed grouse, pileated woodpecker, and dark-eyed junco.

23. Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture - Notice the upswept wings and small head.

Turkey Vulture

24. Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

The following are pictures from the first two days of my Big Year:

Large Flock of Canada geese (Estimate 70 Birds)

Ring-necked Ducks

Trumpeter Swan and Canada Geese

Red-winged Blackbird

Ring-necked Ducks

American Robin

First Loon of the Year on Gunflint Lake

Common Redpoll

Dark-eyed Junco

American Crow

Common Grackle

Trumpeter Swan

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Largest Flock of Common Mergansers I have ever seen on Gunflint Lake

Brown-headed Cowbird Headed for a Red Squirrel

Ellie Resting at Magnetic Rock

Canada Geese

Red-necked Ducks

Black-capped Chickadee

Ruffed Grouse - Notice raised feathers on head.

Ruffed Grouse

Ruffed Grouse

Spruce Grouse - Notice smooth head feathers, and red spot above eye.