On Sunday I checked into the Inn at Gitche Gumee and went for a short run along the North Shore scenic drive, where I spotted 3 Red-breasted Mergansers and 7 Common Goldeneyes.
Monday I drove up Lake Co. Rd 2 at dawn, where I ran into Mike Hendrickson and a visiting birder, along with the 11 Spruce Grouse reported in Mike's post. Later in the day I went XC skiing on Flathorn Lake Trail, where I heard 2 Pileated Woodpeckers and a possible Three-toed Woodpecker. I thought I heard the Three-toed's distinctive raspy/rattling call, and certainly I could hear woodpeckers pecking in some dead trees off the trail, but I didn't manage to see them. I began to feel less certain about my ID later when I heard a couple Red-breasted Nuthatches give a raspy call very much like what I had heard. Monday afternoon I found the Long-tailed Ducks (8) on the east side of Two Harbors, and on Stoney Point Drive there was a female Common Merganser and female Bufflehead. I'm back home now, I really enjoyed my trip and hope I can make it back someday. -Abby Darrah Fayetteville, AR ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
