Lighthouse Goose

When I was in Grand Marais, Minnesota on Monday, I come across this scene of a Canada goose looking at the West Breakwater Light.  The vast majority of the Grand Marais Lighthouse pictures are of the main lighthouse on the east breakwater.  I like rooting for the underdog, so I thought I would feature the lesser known light.  This light was lit in 1902, and is still active today.  It is a lot harder to access than the main lighthouse, but you can get close to it in a boat, or by climbing over a lot of very large boulders.

The Canada goose is further from the light than the picture might suggest.  I was on shore when I took the picture, and the goose, lighthouse, and orange lichen covered rocks all lined up nicely.

Bird of the Day - American Black Duck

American Black Duck

The Bird of the Day today is the American Black Duck.  It is similar is size and appearance to to mallard duck, but darker in plumage.

American Black Duck

The differences in the genders of the American black duck can be seen in the color of the bill.  Males have a yellow bill.  Females have an olive bill.  Plumage is the same in both genders.

American Black Duck

Mallard Duck Hen (Female)

When seen side by side, the American black duck is noticeable darker than the mallard.  You can see the difference easily in the two pictures above and the picture below.

American Black Duck (left) and the Mallard Ducks (center and right)

Bird of the Day - Common Merganser

The Bird of the Day today is the common Merganser.  They are a larger type of diving duck.  Other mergansers in our region include the red-breasted merganser and the hooded merganser.  You can see some pictures of the hooded mergansers in one of my previous Bird of the Day posts.

 I took these pictures right in the Grand Marais, MN harbor.  The top picture is near the Coast Guard Station, and the bottom two pictures are from the campground.  I enjoyed watching the common merganser with the Canada geese.

Can you spot the common merganser amongst the flock of Canada geese?

Baby American Robins

I have been watching this nest for about a week, and had several encounters with the adult American robin.  Today I walked by, and saw four chicks looking at me.  The mother was calling from nearby, so I did not get too close to the nest.  I was able to take this picture using my 60x optical zoom from about twenty feet away.

Bird of the Day - Ring-necked Duck

 The Bird of the Day for today is the ring-necked duck.  I spotted this pair along the Kekekabic Trail off of the Gunflint Trail.  This duck is found throughout the continental United States, along with large parts of Canada and Mexico.

Bird of the Day - Common Grackle

The Bird of the Day for today is the common grackle.  It is related to the blackbirds.  The common grackle is 12.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 17 inches.  It is distinguished from the blackbirds by the long and thick bill, keeled tail, and distinctive voice.

I took these pictures by Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Bird of the Day - Merlin

 The Bird of the Day for today is the merlin.  I photographed this bird shortly after returning to the Gunflint Trail.  There was a pile of feathers nearby, so the merlin has most likely hunted there before.

 The merlin is one of three species of falcon in north-eastern Minnesota.  Peregrine falcons are the largest, followed by the merlin, and the American kestrel is the smallest of that family in Cook County.