Nov. 25, 2012- Photo Workshop – Part 7 - Birds

The North House Folk School Photography Workshop was not about birds, but you know I couldn’t ignore the birds I saw. On the way to Grand Marais I stopped at Taconite Harbor, one of my favorite places to photograph birds. At this time of year, I’m usually able to find Horned Larks like this one. They like to stop here during migration and eat grass seeds in the overgrown parking areas.

LarkHornedTaconiteHarborCookCounty20121003

Lapland Longspurs are usually mixed in with the Horned Larks. They breed in the far northern areas of Canada and Alaska. At the time I saw them, they were migrating south to spend the winter foraging in open fields across the northern United States, especially on the Great Plains.

LongspurLaplandTaconiteHarborCookCounty20121003

I thought this was a pretty funny view of a Lapland Longspur reaching for a seed.

LongspurLaplandGrandMarais20121006

One day after class I looked out at the dock by the Folk School and saw this Horned Grebe. This is its winter plumage, much different than the summer plumage. Here’s a link to a photo showing the summer plumage. http://www.earlorfphotos.com/Birds/Birds-2/5687792_WtJw7j#!i=350664136&k=U5QAG

GrebeHornedGrandMarais20121006

On my way home from the workshop, I stopped at the Silver Bay Marina and found this migrating American Golden-Plover.

PloverAmericanGoldenBeaverBay20121007

Toward the end of the workshop I heard via the Internet that a Say’s Phoebe had been seen at the McQuade Boat Landing north of Duluth. I stopped there on my way home and easily found the bird catching insects near the parking lot. The normal range for this species is open country in the western United States. Once in a while one will show up in Minnesota, usually in the fall. This is possibly a juvenile that lost its way during migration.

PhoebeSay'sMcQuadeBoatLandingDuluth20121007