Day 3: Tension
Saturday: February 10th
As fun and exciting as birding trips are, they are hard! Combining weeks of planning, expectation, money expended, and research with travel, sleep deprivation, and constant contact with others (no matter how much you like them) can cause friction. But it's all part of the trip. And it makes it memorable. That's how I remember day 3 of our trip.
After our previous full day at the Bog, we were not in such a hurry to get started. Our researching lead us away from another visit to Sax-Zim and towards Two Harbors and even further to Lake County (though not to Grand Marais as we originally planned). We started the day leisurely, heading towards Highway 61, the mecca of Boreal Owl irruption reports, and stopping for breakfast at Uncle Loui's Cafe. They meant it when they said they open at 7. We and others arrived early to sit and wait in the dark. The lights turned on at 7 am sharp, and Phil Collins-the voice of the 80's- began to fill the room. We were waited on and served quickly, so we made a quick departure. My attempts at navigating lead to a couple spots where we could not park due to no parking signs or frozen parking lots. So we headed on up 61, unaware of what to expect. We quickly picked up an immature Herring Gull as it swept down to grab a fry from a parking lot. New bird on the trip.
We made it to the Brighton Beach pull-off just after 8, where I resumed my Owl-trapsing tactic from Afton State Park. When we all rendezvoused, we had little to report. So we motored on up the highway, imagining Crossley style NSWO's and BOOW's pasted over the trees.
But soon we came up on some motionless cars on the shoulder. Cars, people, scopes... This must be good. And just like that, a BOREAL OWL is perched at eye level on the roadside! I always imagined this bird as a real phantom, having read signs at Rocky Mountain National Park that casted its presence in a very mysterious light. The first lifer for the three of us together! And I wish that I had the shot, but the scene represented the differing ideologies of birders vs. wildlife photographers. Several people were set up about ten feet from the bird on the same side of the road that it was on, snapping photos with huge lenses and tripods, no binoculars to be seen. And the rest of us were gazing at a safe distance. No harm no fowl. The Owl didn't seem to mind, and we were pretty content with our views. Except for the guy laying on his horn as he slowly drove by all of the bird nerds.
As fun and exciting as birding trips are, they are hard! Combining weeks of planning, expectation, money expended, and research with travel, sleep deprivation, and constant contact with others (no matter how much you like them) can cause friction. But it's all part of the trip. And it makes it memorable. That's how I remember day 3 of our trip.
After our previous full day at the Bog, we were not in such a hurry to get started. Our researching lead us away from another visit to Sax-Zim and towards Two Harbors and even further to Lake County (though not to Grand Marais as we originally planned). We started the day leisurely, heading towards Highway 61, the mecca of Boreal Owl irruption reports, and stopping for breakfast at Uncle Loui's Cafe. They meant it when they said they open at 7. We and others arrived early to sit and wait in the dark. The lights turned on at 7 am sharp, and Phil Collins-the voice of the 80's- began to fill the room. We were waited on and served quickly, so we made a quick departure. My attempts at navigating lead to a couple spots where we could not park due to no parking signs or frozen parking lots. So we headed on up 61, unaware of what to expect. We quickly picked up an immature Herring Gull as it swept down to grab a fry from a parking lot. New bird on the trip.
We made it to the Brighton Beach pull-off just after 8, where I resumed my Owl-trapsing tactic from Afton State Park. When we all rendezvoused, we had little to report. So we motored on up the highway, imagining Crossley style NSWO's and BOOW's pasted over the trees.
Lake Superior: Even locals found this ice remarkable enough to photograph
But soon we came up on some motionless cars on the shoulder. Cars, people, scopes... This must be good. And just like that, a BOREAL OWL is perched at eye level on the roadside! I always imagined this bird as a real phantom, having read signs at Rocky Mountain National Park that casted its presence in a very mysterious light. The first lifer for the three of us together! And I wish that I had the shot, but the scene represented the differing ideologies of birders vs. wildlife photographers. Several people were set up about ten feet from the bird on the same side of the road that it was on, snapping photos with huge lenses and tripods, no binoculars to be seen. And the rest of us were gazing at a safe distance. No harm no fowl. The Owl didn't seem to mind, and we were pretty content with our views. Except for the guy laying on his horn as he slowly drove by all of the bird nerds.
Boreal Owl: We were stupefied by the intricate pattern on the forehead
While enjoying priceless scopeviews of the Owl, we made friends with Frank Nicoletti, a local guide. We exchanged numbers in true Minnesota fashion as he spouted off reliable locations for species in the area.
Just minutes later we were hearing from Frank about a Great Gray Owl in perfect midmorning light just up the road. We arrived at the spot to have our breath taken away. Nothing can do this remarkable bird justice. It's just too cunning.
Great Gray Owl
Link to Great Gray Owl video on Flickr:
So Great
In the video you can see the bird tracking a Pileated as it flies over. A sweet lifer for the three of us! After we all had our share of watching this insane bird defy physics by landing on the smallest of branches (bear in mind this is the tallest Owl in North America at 27" and it weighs 2.4 pounds):
We moved on north towards West Knife River Road in search of reported Bohemian Waxwings. Closest we came was a calling Red-breasted Nuthatch. We briefly stopped at a trailhead where sounds of high performance snowmobiles flooded our ears. Funny to see that even Huskies need a little help in the snow.
Dog Boots
We decided to head towards a viewing point of Lake Superior up at Two Harbors. En route we stopped to offer our assistance to a local mail carrier that had gotten his car stuck in the wintry mix. After he was freed with the help of a friendly bystander, we were greeted by a really spunky pig with a lot of personality. Man Minnesota is one of a kind. On our way to the Lake, U.C. pointed out another Wild Turkey. Once we arrived, we scanned the open water to find 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, a trip bird. This was a really beautiful spot.
From here, we made one last stop at Lighthouse Point before lunch. I guess this is as good of Saturday as a Minnesotan could ask for because everyone was out ice fishing.
Fishin' on the Thin Ice
Several Herring Gulls were out on the ice, waiting for spring to come. As we headed out on the breakwater to the lighthouse, 5 light ducks blazed by. LTDU's maybe? We'd never find out. These two taxa comprised our list for the spot, but it's not all about seeing the birds. Sometimes you've got to face the wind and pose like a badass.
U.C. Scoping
Jim Navigating the Treacherous Ice
U.C. Scanning
To lunch we went. We were advised to hit up Judy's Cafe, where we had another baton exchange with Frank. The three of us sat down and ordered, and then the tension finally snapped. Maybe it was one too many weather update or one too many Georgia RBA summary, but our collective normalcy broke in public. I won't get into details, but I think having a snap really relieved unspoken pressure among us. This is that birding trip meltdown that I mentioned earlier.
That out of the way, we headed for the far north Lake County, our targets being Boreal Chickadee and Spruce Grouse. Of course I dozed off just minutes into the ride, but when I awoke, I felt like I was in a different world. This was not the Minnesota that I had been tossed into, no this was something more wild and beautiful. This was Superior National Forest.
Towering White Pines
Something that I could not really get a grasp on before started to become more clear. This was Minnesota. This is what the state should look like. A sign at the pulloff aged these Eastern White Pines, contesting that they were already 70 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed!
Taking it in
Standing amid history
No Boreal Chickadees felt like showing themselves, but we walked away humbled by the colossal forest.
Highway 2 is not a birding route. There were no pulloffs, and log trucks screamed by, warning you not to stop in the road. We were able to make a quick stop at the totally frozen Greenwood Lake, where we walked out and took in the scenery.
Where you at, Gyrfalcon?
As we headed north, flocks crossing the road tempted us to stop, but we thought better of it, only briefly glimpsing another RBNU. We would make several stops around the area, but the mature forest just seemed to be void of birds. The evening matured, and we grew worried that we would not get any of these specialties. Finally, we decided to backtrack and make our way east. Shortly thereafter, a small bird caught my eye as it landed on the road. We stopped in time for me to get on a female Red Crossbill, but nobody else saw it. It was the only species that we didn't all get on the trip. We continued on.
At 3:40, I called out to U.C. A large bird was perched in the midstory of the roadside forest. Very suspicious! More Ruffed Grouse! They will fake you out when they are up in trees consuming buds. These yielded my best shot of them on the trip.
Ruffed Grouse
Back to our mission. The Ruffed Grouse were a good sign. Activity is picking up for the evening. As we rounded a bend in the Jeep, Uncle Chris exclaims "That's them!" And there they were, two Spruce Grouse graveling in the road! And they were a sight. Really intricate and beautiful birds, even though both were females. A lifer for us all!
Alert
Doin' Her Thing
Like to Spruce Grouse video on Flickr:
We spent a good amount of time watching these Taiga specialists in action until a log truck flushed them for good. I was in just the right spot for one to sail right over my head!
What a relief! Now we could spend the rest of our little daylight looking for Boreal Chickadee. At one stop, we had a real scare when a curious Black-capped Chickadee vocalized. It ended up bringing in 5 buddies, and it was a thrill to watch them work through the woods, as lighthearted as could be.
But the Boreal wasn't meant to be. We made our way back south for dinner in Two Harbors. But not before Jim pointed out another Great Gray!
Link to Great Gray Owl video on Flickr:
"I never thought I'd get Great Gray Owl in two counties."
Shortly thereafter I was out cold. I woke up in Two Harbors for our celebratory dinner at the Black Woods Bar and Grill. After that it was to our hotel in Duluth.
End of day tally:
6 species added (Total of 31 on trip)
3 Lifers for Uncle Chris, Jim, and me
Sounds like y'all had a great day! I'm surprised to hear that there were people just pulled off the road looking at the Boreal Owl. That's the kinda stuff I only thought happened in Yellowstone with Grizzlies and the like. I also love the way that Eastern White Pine forest looks! Crazy to think those trees are 300 yrs old...and only as tall as they are. The cold must stunt their growth. Love the Spruce Grouse video too.
ReplyDeleteMarshall
Yes! This was my favorite day. I did not expect the birding in Minnesota to be like that, but we also followed the classic approach to Owling. Those White Pines were pretty wise!
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