Day nine , Thursday June 16, 2022, at Bemidji,MN

Thursday June 16, 2022

It was another beautiful day, albeit the wind was still at 20-25 Mph, the sun was shining and the temps moved from 52 F to 72F during the day.

A day to get out and see some birds,  But ,let me first tell a bit about 'how" Ruth and I do our bird watching these days. As we total 167 years in age (you figure it out!) our mobility is much less than it was even 5 years ago. That means we have to make adjustments instead of  looking for those birds on long hikes through the trails and in the woods. So we have developed a method that seems to work for us. Generally here is how it pans out.

1. When encamped it is customary to scour the campgrounds for good birding habitats. Each campground has some particular spots that might be a better prospect for finding birds. Campground managers or hosts can be a great help.  I like to walk the edges of the campgrounds as the shrubs and bushes behind the trailers often are good habitats for the birds coming and going. Campgrounds have level roads for the most part.

2. Locate areas in and around the campground (City?) you are staying to find where the locals birders (Audubon or like organizations) indicate their local "hotspots" are usually found. Don't avoid local parks as they can be good sources. (That allows us to walk on solid, level ground usually. Few parks are hilly.)

3.  We have found that just driving the rural roads can be quite beneficial. usually with little traffic , pulling off to the edge is tolerated, and allows a better chance to "look for" that bird that was heard.

4. Our best source for birds has always been National Wildlife Reserves, (NWR), of which we have been to over 100. There are more than 800 NWR's in the USA. Not only are they filled with wildlife, but many have auto roads that allow you to drive around them with the ability to stop at your liesure (mostly) and view the wildlife from your vehicle or by getting out to get a closer look at the birds, flowers, animals and plants.

5. We have found that State Parks are good as well, but in season the fee must be paid even for a few hours visit. In the off season usually admission is free.  They almost always produce some birds.

6. Another area are the Game Management Areas, and Game Wildlife areas in each state.These are less used, and hunting season should be avoided, but they have good chances of finding birds.  (There are other adaptations which I will cover at another time).

The campus at Bemidji University adjacent to the Park

So today we did head for Bemidji State Park, and stopped at a city park in Bemidji, just adjacent to the Bemidji University Campus (see photo above) on the way. That elusive Red Eyed Vireo was finally tracked down by Jim after 20 minutes of stalking the one tree it was in. They are so hard to see. The campus on the Lake has their own boat and water sports equipment to use.

A northerly route along the shores of the Lake, found us south of the State Park, where we did take a side road (paved) and immediately found a pond with a short, dead end road to park. Ruth immediately spotted a mother Wood Duck with a group of babies clinging so close to her that it was impossible to determine the number. A Mallard Mom and her three also were swimming into the cattails when we drove up. Birds are skittish when their environment is invaded. We ended up eating lunch while watching those birds.

A stop in a parking lot next to the Lake allowed us to see a mother Common Loon and her two young ones, again swimming away as she saw us. (Tough to sneak up on them.). While waiting in the truck, a Yellow Warbler,  and a Eastern Phoebe perched nearby on a cement drainage cover.

One the Northern MN roads we used to find birds.

A yellow Warbler found by a pond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove through a resort drive  that had many parking spots, and then headed for the State Park, driving  the Park where there were few campers, and came up with a few birds including the Hairy Woodpecker. On the way in to the Park, along  the Lake shore we spotted a group of waterbirds on a dock. They were two types of Mergansers, some Mallards and  a few Common Golden Eyes. No Bald Eagles today!

Time to head back to the trailer, so we stopped along the way to get some groceries and a Culver's with a treat of a couple of Concrete Mixers (chocolate and blueberry ) to celebrate the day. We did identify 25 birds, one more than yesterday. (It is getting better)

A hummer (Ruby Throat) came to our feeder at the trailer, and a Veery has been feeding young all day , as it picked up food nearby and flew off to the distant nest. It actually walked a few feet from my chair by the picnic table.

A trout Lily

A Tamarac tree, a deciduous evergreen .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That Ruby Throat Hummingbird at our trailer feeder

 

 

 

 

 

Supper tonight was that "good old" standby...Goulash, that we keep in the freezer ready to cook. 

Tomorrow we head for Devil's Lake ND and hope that the wind has lessened some as we head into it. There is a Buffalo heard there we hope to see and some western birds that will add to the count.

See you then.--Jim

P.S. Ruth Great Nephew's team (Forest Hills Eastern) will play Grand Rapids (MI) Christian for the Division 2 Baseball Championship this weekend. Go Hawks!