Sept. 27, 2020 - North Shore Birds

Here are some of the birds I photographed on our North Shore trip. This adult Bald Eagle was taking a break from chasing the gulls around the Grand Marais harbor.

EagleBaldGrandMaraisCookCounty20200916

I have always found that Common Ravens in Minnesota are wary and hard to approach. But there are a few of them hanging around the harbor in Grand Marais that seem more tolerant of people. This one was on a large rock near the Angry Trout Café.

RavenCommonGrandMaraisCookCounty20200916

Here’s a Common Raven flying around the Grand Marais harbor.

RavenCommonflightGrandMaraisCookCounty20200916

The Lima Mountain Road intersects the Gunflint Trail. It’s a lightly traveled gravel road and a great place to go birding. This Red-breasted Nuthatch was one of the birds I saw there.

NuthatchRedbreastedmaleLimaMountainRoadCookCounty20200915

I also found this Philadelphia Vireo on the Lima Mountain Road. Vireos are very plain-looking birds. The gray cap, white line above the eye, gray line through the eye, and the brighter yellow on the throat are the features that identify this bird.

VireoPhiladelphiaLimaMountainRoadCookCounty20200915

Warblers were on the move along the Lima Mountain Road. This is a Magnolia Warbler. The faint stripes along its yellow sides make me think this bird was hatched this year and is just beginning to develop the black stripes that an adult bird would have.

WarblerMagnoliaLimaMountainRoadCookCounty20200915

Another plain-looking bird is this Tennessee Warbler. I saw it along Forest Road 158, another great birding spot.

WarblerTennesseeForestRoad158CookCounty20200916

A Snow Goose along the North Shore? Unusual, but not rare; a few of them are seen migrating along Lake Superior each year. This one was with a small group of Canada Geese in Silver Bay, MN.

GooseSnowSilverBayLakeCounty20200917

Someone in Grand Marais has a great sense of humor. They posted a set of “Burma Shave” type signs that refer to the current social distancing recommendations.

FunnysignsGrandMaraisCookCounty20200916