Sept. 23, 2012 - North Shore Trip - Part 1

Diana and I just returned from a week on the North Shore (Minnesota’s shoreline along Lake Superior). We stayed at Fenstad’s Resort in Little Marias, MN. It’s situated on a bay along the shore of the big lake. Here are some of the birds I saw right at the resort.

Herring Gulls are common residents along the Lake Superior shore. They like to rest on these lichen-covered rocks which are a short distance out into the water.

GullHerringFenstadsResortLittleMarais20120918

Fall migration is well under way; many birds migrate along the shore of Lake Superior. This Lapland Longspur was one of the birds who stopped at the resort on its way south. It was picking up seeds along the road. Lapland Longspurs breed on the tundra, the far northern areas of North America. During the winter they are found all across the central regions of the United States.

LongspurLaplandFenstadsLittleMarais20120915

The Little Marais River runs through the resort property and empties into Lake Superior. This Northern Waterthrush was foraging among the rocks in the river bed. Their favored habitats are lakeshores and slow moving streams. Identification was easy because it was displaying the typical Waterthrush behavior of constantly bobbing its tail.

WaterthrushNorthernFenstadsResortLittleMarais20120918

Three plovers were feeding along the lakeshore. Both Black-bellied Plover and American Golden-Plover are possible during migration. In non-breeding plumage, like this, they can be hard to tell apart. I know at least one of them was a Black-bellied Plover because on one of the photos I took, you could see the black “armpits” that are a distinguishing feature of the species.

PloverBlackbelliedFenstadsResortLittleMarais20120918

One of the plovers was also feeding in the grass on the grounds of the resort. These plovers are about 11 inches long. Both species nest in the far northern tundra areas of North America.

PloverBlackbelliedFenstadsLittleMarais20120916

This is the plover that has me stumped. It was clearly browner and more golden than the other two. Some of my reference books indicate that juvenile Black-bellied Plovers can be this color; however, that can also be true of American Golden-Plovers. On the other hand, the wings on this bird extend quite far beyond the tail and that would indicate an American Golden-Plover. I know, only the birders who see these pictures care about that much detail. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has an opinion about the identification of these birds.

PloverBlackbelliedFenstadsLittleMarais20120915