UP THE GUNFLINT TRAIL

                                                                       Lake Superior Sunrise

Yesterday, Mary and I awakened to a particularly beautiful Lake Superior sunrise from our bedroom window.  As we were admiring the colors of the sunrise, we heard a soft bump at our patio door.

                                             

                                                                              Bucky

One of our bucks was not as impressed with the short term beauty of the sunrise.  Poised at our patio door, he was patiently waiting for his morning ration of corn.  He wanders by at all times of the day, using his big, brown eyes as a tool for extracting human compassion... in the form of golden kernels of corn... which usually works.

After feeding the buck, who lost his antlers in mid December, we decided to take a run up the Gunflint Trail.  

The Gunflint runs north and northwest of Grand Marais, around 58 miles in length.  When I get a mile or so past Hedstrom's Saw Mill, it feels like I am driving into the old TV show "Northern Exposure".  It is always a drive of anticipation.  One never knows what wonder of nature will appear, for in each season it is always a "roll of the dice". 

We had not gone far up the trail when I spotted a flock of medium sized birds.  They flew out of the woods and landed in the alders close to the Trail.  Parking on the Trail is a premium, especially in the winter with more than 50 inches of snow on the ground.  We were fortunate to find a driveway and mailbox clearing to park our Jeep.  I got out and walked quietly, trying to get in the proper light for photos of what we identified as waxwings.

  

I thought at first that they were Bohemian Waxwings.  The reason being, that Grand Marais at times, is a host for flocks of Bohemian Waxwings... by the hundreds if not thousands.  It is quite a sight to see when they descend on the mountain ash and decorative crab apple trees.  I think if a count was made, Grand Marais would probably have the most mountain ash trees of any town it's size in America.  At any rate, when we got a close look, the flock of two dozen or more turned out to be their cousins the Cedar Waxwings.

 

Cedar Waxwings

It was difficult to photograph the waxwings because of the heavy traffic, which is in itself strange for winter on the the Trail.  I did get a few decent shots for identification purposes and it was good to see the Cedars again... I hadn't seen them since October on Oberg Mt., eight miles from our home.

We ended up at Trail Center which is a great restaurant, located as the name implies, half way up the Gunflint Trail.  We are never disappointed with the food, but we found that they were not feeding the birds this winter season.  Our window seats facing their deck was void of any bird life, so we enjoyed the wonderful chili and started homeward bound.

The bird list for the trip included the Cedar Waxwings, White-winged Crossbills, Redpolls, Ravens, Pine Grosbeaks and one lone robin.  For some strange reason, we have seen more robins this winter than we normally see here in the spring and summer.  Plus, they are not your metro lawn robins, they are "wilder than a March hare robins".  They are almost impossible to photograph in the wild, kind of like the elusive raven.... I ramble.

                                                                    Common Redpoll

When I returned home, I walked up the ridge into the national forest to check on my friend Norris and his band of itinerant chickadees.  All was well, and they met me with a hungry appetite for hulled sunflower seeds.  The hearts are their favorite food and they enjoy the fact that there is no "chiseling" involved when I show up.  They are spoiled, but they appreciate the "gourmet" seeds.

All in all it was a glorious winter day and I find each day, that happiness isn't always something you experience.  It is also what you anticipate, learn and remember.

Enjoy each day.