On the way to town, I saw a Great Gray Owl on the south side of County
Road 7, between CR 6 and CR 13, (approx. 3 miles west of Grand Marais).
It was actively hunting.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
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On Wednesday, Feb. 27, employees and patrons of the Cook County Whole
Foods Coop (at its temporary location, 2066 W. Highway 61, Grand
Marais), spotted a Great Gray Owl hunting the meadow just east of the
building.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
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A friend alerted me to the presence of a Great Gray Owl at her house,
along County Road 7, approximately 7 miles west of Grand Marais. It has
been actively hunting the meadows around her house for the last few
days. My friend has seen the owl catch several rodents, so apparently it
is good
Just saw TWO boreal owls along highway 61, just north of the Split Rock River.
One on upper side of the road, one on the lower.
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Having seen 5-6 Boreal Owls here at my house (near Grand Marais) over
the years, here is what I have noticed:
In the daytime, they like to perch in a conifer, 6-8 feet from the
ground and about 8-10 inches from the trunk. They are usually well
hidden, and their camouflage and size makes them
This morning while walking the dogs around our property, I heard a
Chickadee commotion, and found that they were harassing a Boreal Owl,
perched nearby in a Balsam Fir tree.
Photo here:
http://www.boreal.org/~bstahly/BorealOwl1.html
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
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Walking along CR 48, west of Grand Marais, Friday, December 9, I saw a
Northern Goshawk fly in and roost on a light pole. Neighbors tell me
that a goshawk has been regularly buzzing their bird feeder over the
last week.
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The last few days, at my house near Grand Marais, there have been many,
many dozens of warblers (almost entirely Yellow-rumped) hawking the
numerous insects that have appeared due to the warm weather. The
Yellow-rumpeds also seem to enjoy the seed heads on the golden rod.
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There is at least one hatchling in the bald eagle nest at mile marker
102 (approx) on highway 61, west of Grand Marais. This is the new nest,
built in 2010, after the previous one, a hundred feet down the shore,
was destroyed in the gale of September 2009.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
This afternoon on Devil Track Lake, north of Grand Marais, I observed an
intense breeding competition between five Bufflehead drakes and a single
female. The female seemed to prefer a particular drake, who was kept
busy driving off his four other competitors. There was plenty of
physical
Tues evening, April 13, I heard my first Common Loon call of the season
on Devil Track Lake. On Wednesday morning, the loon was visible on the
lake, which is ice-free very early this year.
The destroyed eagle's nest along Highway 61, west of Grand Marais, has
been replaced, approximately 100
I am currently observing a Boreal Owl in a balsam tree in my front yard,
near Grand Marais. It is perched on a branch near the trunk of the tree,
sleeping, not hunting.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
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Today while hiking upon the Cascade River, I observed a female
Black-backed Woodpecker working on dead spruce trees along the river.
This was a few minutes south of the Cook County Rd 45 bridge, on the
west side of the river. (Snowshoes not required if you stay on the trail
well-packed by
Today brought the first RT Hummingbird to my feeder, and the first
Whip-poor-will calls of the year, 4 miles west of Grand Marais, Cook County.
Both are about one week later than last year.
Five Evening Grosbeaks visited my feeder (outside of Grand Marais, Cook
County) this morning, the first sightings this fall/winter season. My
records indicate that last year, I first saw them on November 11.
Bruce Stahly
Today, while hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail between Cook County 58
and Cook County 14, I saw a small group of Kestrels hunting in an open
meadow. The trail follows the first ridge in from Lake Superior, through
mixed woodland, and opens up in several places to grassy meadows with
The young Sharp-shinned Hawks from the nest near my house (west of Grand
Marais) have fledged, and are spending a lot of time away from the nest.
They are very noisy, especially in the morning. Yesterday evening, I
observed an adult returning to the nest area. This set off an explosion
of
Last evening, May 7, I heard Whip-poor-wills for the first time this
season. Last year: May 5.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais, Cook County
The first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the season (male, of course)
showed up at my feeder today (May 8), west of Grand Marais, in Cook
County. Last year: May 16 (unusually late for me).
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
This morning, for the first time this spring, I heard the welcome song
of the White-throated Sparrow. (last year: April 22).
Bruce Stahly
(Cook County)
A flock of about six Evening Grosbeaks appeared at my feeder this
morning, their first appearance of the fall/winter season.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
On Monday morning, 8/14, 9:30, the gull was on the water on the East
Bay, directly off from Drury Lane Books. It was close to the shore,
easily spotted and identified even without binoculars or a scope. I also
saw it on Saturday competing for donut pieces on the lawn by the
bookshop on the
As of 1:30 pm today, the gull was sleeping on the north side of the
inside breakwater, best viewed from the docks at the North House Folk
School. I was told by a birder from Two Harbors that he saw it earlier
in the day in its usual location on the East Bay beach.
Bruce Stahly
Grand
This afternoon I flushed a flock of American Woodcock fledglings in the
woods near my house (near Grand Marais). There were four young birds,
who all flew off in different directions. They are the probable result
of the woodcock call I was hearing this spring for about a month,
starting at the
Spring in Grand Marais means falcons pursuing pigeons, and today I got a
great look at a Merlin tearing up its prize in front of World's Best
Donuts, downtown Grand Marais.
For a photo see:
http://www.boreal.org/~bstahly/Birds/Merlin11a.jpg
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
What I first took for the first Flicker of the season turned out on
closer inspection to be a female Red-Bellied Woodpecker, in the woods
near my house, three miles west of Grand Marais.
Bruce Stahly
The major invasion of Waxwings in Grand Marais continues today, with
hundreds, possibly thousands, of birds roosting and feeding on the
still-abundant Mountain Ash berries in town. The birds are predominately
Bohemians.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
Birding around northeast Minnesota (Feb 16-18) with a friend from
Indiana, we saw 25 species, of which 5 were new for my friend, including:
Boreal Owl, on Feb 16 (at my feeder near Grand Marais)
Pine Grosbeaks, various places
Common Redpolls, at my feeder
Northern Hawk Owl, on Feb 17, along
While driving down Highway 61 today (Friday, Feb. 17), going to the
Sax-Zim bog to look for a Hawk Owl, my sharp-eyed birding friend Gordon
Chastain from Indiana spotted a Northern Hawk Owl in a tree along the
side of the road. The bird was in a birch tree overlooking the road
side, on the
Anyone have any ideas about what is going on with this Common Redpoll,
which I photographed last week at my feeder:
http://www.boreal.org/~bstahly/Birds/RedPoll10x.jpg
It appears to have a black object protruding from its beak.
Thoughts?
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
The Boreal Owl, which I first saw and reported on December 17, has now
appeared at my feeder for seven days in succession. He (I am guessing it
is a male, due to its size) appears anytime after sunset, and always
selects the same tree for his hunting perch. Only once have I seen him
during the
There is a Boreal Owl hunting under one of my feeders on Saturday
evening, about 9:30, just in time for the Cook County CBC.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
For the second time this month, I have observed a Sharp-shinned Hawk
near one of my bird feeders. It was an adult, and didn't seem very
interested in the chickadees and redpolls that were visiting the feeder:
in fact at one point, it turned its back to them. Very odd for me here
in Cook County
As I was watching the birds at my feeder this morning, a Sharp-shinned
Hawk swooped in. I'm sure I was as surprised as the chickadees and the
grosbeaks to see a Sharpie so late in the migratory season.
Bruce Stahly
Grand Marais
A Great Gray Owl, probably the same bird I saw yesterday along my drive,
is perched in a tree on the south side of the eastern end of CR 48, off
of County Road 7, west of Grand Marais. Although it gets a little
skittish when a car goes by, it is quite approachable on foot.
See:
There is a Snowy Owl on the harbor in Grand Marais. It is sitting
directly by the water along the inner side of the eastern breakwater:
best seen from the dock by the Coast Guard Station. This bird was first
spotted by the Falowskis of Virginia, although it is probably the same
Snowy Owl that
Friends in Grand Marais phoned me this morning to report that a Saw-whet
Owl was perched in a conifer near their house. When I visited, the owl
was sitting on a branch near a kill (possibly a starling), and was very
tame and approachable. Several Chickadees occasionally approached to
harass
Today I observed a Northern Shrike at one of my bird feeders (about
three miles west of Grand Marais). It then flew around the house to
another feeder, and quickly dispatched a Pine Grosbeak, which had been
feeding on the ground. After a couple of attempts, it managed to fly off
with the
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