July 15, 2012 - Grand Marais Visit - Part 2

Here are a few more photos from our recent trip to Grand Marias, MN. Most damselflies are pretty inconspicuous; they are small, with clear wings, and easy to overlook. So, this Ebony Jewelwing really caught my eye when it flew into view. The white spots on the wings identify it as a female. The male is all black. It prefers to be along small to medium-sized forest streams which are common in the northeastern part of Minnesota.

DamselflyJewelwingEbonyCalopterynxmaculatafemaleForestRoad158CookCounty20120628

Our visit to the North Shore came right during the peak of the nesting season for birds in that area. I saw many of them carrying insects, presumably to feed their babies. This is a Veery, a secretive bird found in the dense understory of thick woods. Its nest is usually on the ground, hidden in the brush. It has a very beautiful call, usually heard at dusk. It’s a flute-like, descending call and sounds to me like it is producing two different notes at the same time.

VeerybugForestRoad158CookCounty20120627

Here’s an Ovenbird, another “skulker.” They are difficult to see, but their “teacher, teacher, teacher” call is quite loud and common in the same dense wooded areas as the Veery. They build their nests on the forest floor. The nests are dome-shaped with an entrance on the side, making them look like an old-fashioned oven. That’s how these birds became known as Ovenbirds.

OvenbirdForestRoad158CookCounty20120628

White-throated Sparrows are common nesters in the woods of northeastern Minnesota. I think they are one of our prettiest sparrows. You can certainly see how they got their name.

SparrowWhitethroatedForestRoad158CookCounty20120627

The Red-eyed Vireo is aptly named. This is a bird that likes to stay high in the trees. It has a pretty monotonous call and seems to sing ALL THE TIME! We are often awakened at dawn (5:00 a.m. here in northern Minnesota) by the call of this bird. We also hear it all day long, during most of the summer. I often wonder when it takes time out to eat.

VireoRedeyedForestRoad158CookCounty20120627

This beautiful butterfly is a Common Buckeye. I knew as soon as I saw it that I had never seen one before. I found it on a forest road near Grand Marais. It’s much more common in the southern United States. I’ve read that it can’t survive our winters but some do find their way to Minnesota in the summer. However, it’s pretty rare to see it in the northeast part of our state. It has a wingspan of about 2 inches.

ButterflyBuckeyeCommonJunoniacoeniaForestRoad158CookCounty20120628