MARCH TRANSITIONS

The month of March in Minnesota... somewhere in it's 31 days, has the dubious distinction of throwing a mid-winter knockout punch. It is notorious for holding true the old sage prophecy, "In like a lamb... out like a lion" or vice-versa.

This year March came in "like a lamb" and it looks like it is "going out like a lamb." Spectacular weather we have had here on Cedar Ridge. February and March have been stellar weather months for all the birds and animals. The year snow total so far and I am careful to say 'so far,' has been a little over 18 inches... and that is since October of 2009. All the snow has melted here close to Lake Superior, inland there are a few pockets left in shaded areas. The three feet of snow the folks had inland, over the Sawtooth Mountains is all but gone.

My pet deer Black Buck and his friends have disappeared deep into the forest. They leave each year after the snow melt and head inland to browse. Blackie has been with me since 2005, he has returned each year in January. He missed 2007 and I thought for sure the hunters, wolves, below zero weather or highway 61 finished him off. But to our joy, he came back in 2008, 2009 and January of this year. Each year he comes back,  stands on the patio and waits for me to come out and go to the garage for corn.



He then follows behind me and stands patiently until I feed him out of the bucket.



Each year Blackie and his entourage of deer left sometime in April, as I have mentioned in past posts. This year he disappeared into the Superior National Forest the second week of March. It is always difficult to see my old friend leave, but he had a wonderful winter and left corn fed, with no ribs showing... unlike severe winters of the past.

The birds also fared well, no ice storms like last March, which was brutal to them and the trees. My "usual suspects" were all "moved" down to my house before the firearm deer season. As the weather gets colder, I put up a suet tree which is an old cedar branch that I put in a Christmas tree stand. I take a wood bit and drill many holes in the branch, then pack the holes with suet. We mix lard, peanut butter and cornmeal together for a concoction all the woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches and chickadees love.









The most apparent "transition" is the changing color of the American Goldfinch. The little American Goldfinch is gradually changing to his canary yellow color.



The American Goldfinch is one of the few birds that molts twice; in the fall and then again in the spring.



Soon he will look like this in the breeding season. Quite a transition in a short period of time.



I have been following a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers for many days in March... actually most of the winter. On March 20th, I succeeded in photographing the female. I would like to know how many miles I traveled to get this shot; most years photographing Big Woody hasn't been so difficult.



Home sweet home....



There have been a few migratory birds that stop over during the month of March. One such transient is the Snow Bunting. This beautiful bird is heading to their breeding grounds in the far north Arctic tundra. The male arrives in early April and the female follows in May. They will both fly through here again in the fall, usually in larger flocks. They winter in open country of the northern U.S. and "temperate" Canada... if there is such a place.





One of the more pleasant surprises of the winter has been the Northern Hawk Owl. This beautiful owl is a day time hunter, so seeing him is quite easy... if you can find him. I have found the Northern Hawk Owl seven different times here in Cook, Co. Unfortunately one of those times was a dead one on the side of highway 61. They are so intently focused on their hunt and prey, they swoop across the highway and notice nothing else. This intentness is good for the photographer, because the owl is quite approachable in this mode.







The bird I miss the most this winter, is the Gray Jay. Many winters we have the Gray Jay, aka Canada Jay, Whiskey Jack, Camp Robber here until the end of March. They never showed this winter, so we had to make a drive up the Gunflint Trail to find one.



Approachable is not the proper word... this fluffy inhabitant of the conifer forests, in my opinion, is the most friendly bird. Even more so than the Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches. If you have treats of meat scraps, summer sausage, bread, etc... they are your best friends. We had them in past years and always they would fly down, sit on the hand and eat various offerings.



The Bald Eagles are now nesting, sitting on eggs. We used to observe a decades old eagle nest close to our ridge, but last October, it blew down in a vicious wind storm. Fortunately, the pair is building again, two hundred yards from the old one.







March is bowing out gracefully... so we will patiently wait to see what surprises April brings. Mother Nature has a unique way of evening things out. One thing for certain, April is the month that begins the sparrow and wood warbler migration. Possibly my favorite time of the year.

"Ah, March! we know thou art Kind-hearted, spite of ugly looks and threats, And, out of sight, art nursing April's violets!" Helen Hunt Jackson

PINE GROSBEAK

Through the years, I have observed that people have the opinion that winter in the north woods is bleak, cold and colorless. I suspect these are the reasons each winter, that I lose many friends to the enticement of the sunny south.

Mary and I spent 5 years traveling to the southwest for a few weeks in the winter. We had a marvelous time and thoroughly enjoyed the wildlife, birds and golf. It was quite relaxing and we spent almost every waking moment, from sunrise to sunset hiking the desert. The area was alive with birds, bobcats, coyotes and species too numerous to name. I can readily identify with the lure of the warm sunshine areas.

Building our new home on Cedar Ridge abruptly pulled the plug on the call of the south. Our daily and nightly encounters with birds and animals grew into what we as kids called "chores." These duties include filling the suet tree and post, a number of seed feeders, a heated bird bath and a feeder for flying squirrels. I have mentioned the black buck who has returned for five years, dodging hunters, wolves, subzero weather and highway 61... he comes many times a day for his treat of corn. I could ramble on for hours on the different animals and birds that have brightened and touched our lives in the winter. We are pleasantly "stuck" here in the Arrowhead for the duration.

The prior post on the waxwings is a good example of a feathered visitor that trumps winter bleakness. Their colors and silky look are impressive to say the least; especially when a large flock descends and gorges on mountain ash berries... I can watch them for hours.

A most spectacular, winter bird visitor in the Arrowhead is the Pine Grosbeak. This bird is a true nature's "pastel color palette." The Pine Grosbeaks that I have seen this year are brilliantly colored, yet soft.



The adult male Taiga Pine Grosbeak is a good example of beautiful pastels; pinks, rose, orange and a plethora of beautiful hues.



Not to be outdone, the female Pine Grosbeak displays a variety of pale orange and yellow, embedded in gray feathers.





The first Pine Grosbeaks I saw this winter flew in to the Sawbill Trail on December 28. Mary and I stopped and watched them feeding along the road.





Since the end of December, I have photographed them at various times along the Caribou Trail.





These shots were taken on January 31.





The last Pine Grosbeak I have seen was March 3; last year I was privileged to see and photograph these beautiful birds into the month of April. I hope I have this chance again this spring, for it seems when they leave, my warblers and sparrows start returning. They are truly the grand harbinger of spring.

"Pine Grosbeaks illuminate the evergreen forests"  Dave Brislance

BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER

This past Sunday I hiked up the ridge to try to locate the pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that I hear or see each day.  I also have been checking the forest deadfalls for traces of the Three-toed Woodpecker's work. 

The three toed woodpeckers are located in the northern sections of Minnesota.  They inhabit areas that include coniferous forests and birch trees.  I have seen them on both, but mainly the dead spruce deadfalls.  Both the American Three-toed Woodpecker and the Black-backed Woodpecker, lack the inner hind toe on their feet.  They enjoy the deadfalls, dying birch and spruce trees; foraging on the insects and spruce bark beetles in the autumn and winter.

The American Three-toed Woodpecker breeds from northern Alaska, Canada and the far reaches of America's northern border states.  Northeastern  Minnesota is one of the fortunate areas that this woodpecker calls home, as well as his cousin the Black-backed.

As I was walking along one of my trails in the Superior National Forest, I heard a different pecking rhythm and torque.  This may seem strange to some of you, but I have learned to discern the different pecking sounds of the woodpeckers.  It is difficult to explain, but it is one of those things you have to be there to understand.  

I backtracked to the deadfall where I heard the the sounds coming from.  Sure enough, buried in the entanglement of spruce boughs was a beautiful male Black-backed Woodpecker.  The yellow dollop atop his head, was glowing as bright as the morning star.  He was working the dead spruce and paid little attention to the intruder peering at him through the branches.  I call these medium sized woodpeckers the "blue collar woodpeckers", because of their unceasing focus on the job at hand.

I had my 400 lens attached and since you have to be farther than 11.5 feet to focus, I had to switch to my 70-200.  The little woodpecker never missed a beat while I snapped on the short lens.

The most difficult problem crawling through a deadfall, is not the entanglement of branches, but adequate light.   Most past experiences photographing the elusive three toed, is dealing with lousy light.  This afternoon and towards the end of February, the sun is at that magic angle.  Meaning, high enough to shine over my shoulder, directly on the "golden dollop."  It was a magnificent shoot, lying on branches snapping machine gun bursts of photos.  The little woodpecker put on a royal performance.

I stayed with him until he worked his way from the tip of the downed spruce to the tangled roots... he chirped his strange little call and flew into the sunset. 

"Even the lonely woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head."  Joe Marcucci   

WAXWINGS

I love the winter months for various reasons. The arrival of the Bohemian & Cedar Waxwings is high on my list of winter wonders here in northeastern Minnesota. Number two on the list is the advent of the Pine Grosbeaks... who shall be headlined in a future post.

The Bohemian Waxwings showed up first this year, they flew in to the Caribou Trail around the 29th of December. I spent many days following them to different mountain ash trees. The flocks of both Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings like to hang out in the mountain ash feeding on the berries. They usually stay in the area and strip the tree clean of the berries. Although Cook County is a hotbed of mountain ash trees, there are usually berries "hanging on" through spring.

The waxwings are a beacon of light and color here on the "frozen tundra" and are arguably the most beautiful birds to photograph...  I hope you enjoy the following gallery of images.



Bohemian Waxwing


Bohemian Waxwing


Cedar Waxwing


Cedar Waxwing


Cedar Waxwing


Cedar Waxwing


This Pileated Woodpecker joined the waxwings in a berry feast... he flew right over my head and settled in for lunch.

"The birds with 'Feathers of Silk' grace our presence and are a beacon of color in the white winter landscape."  D. Brislance

BIG BIRDS & A FEW USUAL SUSPECTS

"Fall has fell and it is colder than .... usual." I remember this "slogan" when I was a little kid, as I read the clever Burma Shave signs along the scenic byways. The slogan holds true this December, as the bitter north wind creates -20 to -30 wind chills.

The birds seem to be taking this weather in stride; similar to the humans that inhabit Cook County. Most of the human "snow birds", have flown the coop, headed for the sunny south... the rest will follow after the Christmas celebrations with family and friends.

In this December cold weather blog, the American Crow, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay & Bald Eagle are pictured. They are hearty residents of this "frozen tundra" over looking Lake Superior. The only bird on the list that really should be "out of here", is the American Crow... they usually have departed by the first of November. November, however, was beautiful... warm & sunny. So I am assuming, Mr. Crow is winging his way to central, southern Minnesota and points south. Why they think central and southern Minnesota provides a warmer and more comfortable environment is beyond me... I think if I were the crow; points south would be the preferred destination.



The Pileated Woodpecker has flown our woods for the years we have lived on Cedar Ridge.  This is the first year he and his mate have landed on our suet pole and hammered out their treat.  They have returned each day in the early morning and at dusk, chiseling out huge chunks of frozen suet.  We have concocted a mixture of lard, cornmeal and peanut butter to fuel the winter bird's furnaces.  All the birds listed in this post partake of the suet mixture... but big "Woody" is king of the buffet, emptying the top hole of the pole in minutes.

 






The Bald Eagle is a twelve month inhabitant of Cook County. They fly the shoreline of the Big Lake for the entire winter season. The inland lakes are now frozen over and the Big Bird is here in all his splendor....





The "usual suspects" that I see each winter day are the Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay and the Downy Woodpecker. The chickadees and the RBs follow me each day, enjoying the hulled sunflower seeds I offer up.





The Blue Jays number 6-8 each morning, perched in our white cedars. It doesn't matter the temperature, they perch quietly in their blue splendor, waiting for their morning "presidential seed mixture", containing peanuts, sunflower seeds and cracked corn. I don't know of a bird that has all the stunning shades of blue in their feathers... I jokingly refer to them as a "flying, blue paint sample chart."





The little Downy is the most social of the woodpeckers, at least on Cedar Ridge. I have had them land on the sleeve of my Thinsulate suit, confused by the birch bark camo pattern... I often think I should carry a form of a suet cake for them. I am sure they would land on it in due time.





I love the winters here in the Arrowhead and these birds make each day more enjoyable. In the coming weeks, I look forward to the arrival of the Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings... accompanied by the beautiful grosbeak families.  Hopefully, I will be able to add some of their stunning colors to the blog in the weeks to come. 

Over the river and through the wood, To grandfather's house we go; The horse knows the way To carry the sleigh, Through the white and drifted snow. 
Mrs. Lydia Maria Child