June 15, 1995
I headed back into Wisconsin at first light. Just after turning off Route 2 onto Road "P", I noticed an Upland Sandpiper on a pile of hay. I continued on and arrived at the Jack Pine area about an hour after dawn. I went north on Motts Ravine Road, stopping periodically to listen for the warbler's song. After only a few stops, I heard one, but it was pretty far from the road. I had been warned by a local birder that the area was infested with deer ticks. The thought of Lyme Disease kept me on the road. Instead, I played the tape from the road. The bird called several times and each time the call got closer. Eventually, the bird flew into a tree right next to the road at eye level. I finally had terrific views of my first
Connecticut Warbler.
I left Motts Ravine Road and turned down Comminsky Road where I heard and saw six more Connecticuts. I also managed to get some half-decent photos of a few of them.
Connecticut Warblers along Motts Ravine Road near Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin.
Other birds seen that were heard or seen along these two roads included Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Nashville, Pine, and Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Indigo Bunting, Rufous-sided Towhee, Chipping and Clay-colored Sparrow, and American Goldfinch.
On the way back to Lake Nebagamon, I stopped at a small parking area next to the Brule River. Birds found there included Hairy and Pileated Woodpecker, Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Rough-winged Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Cedar Waxwing, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, Black-throated Green Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, and Purple Finch.
With all of my life birds now "in the bag", I decided to spend the rest of the day sightseeing along the north shore of Lake Superior. So, I drove back to do Duluth and took a drive along the Skyline Parkway, a 16-mile drive atop the hill bordering the north edge of the city. I stopped at the Enger Tower, climbed to the top, and took some pictures. I then followed the parkway to Hawk Ridge, the famous hawkwatching site in Duluth.
The Hawk Ridge hawkwatching site above Duluth, Minnesota.
Of course, since it was June, it was between migration periods, so I didn't see any hawks or hawkwatchers there. I continued along the dirt road that switchbacked its way down to Lake Superior through Lester Park. Along the road, I saw American Redstart and Indigo Bunting.
I picked up Route 61, also known as the North Shore Drive, and headed northeast along the edge of Lake Superior. My first stop was at Gooseberry Falls State Park. I took the short hikes up and down the river and checked out the waterfalls.
Gooseberry Falls at Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota.
A few miles farther along the highway, I turned into Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. There, I visited the historical lighthouse built in 1910 atop a 100-foot cliff.
I left there and continued on to Tettegouche State Park. I parked there and took the 1.5 mile hike to the tallest waterfall in Minnesota. Along the trail, I heard or saw Ruffed Grouse, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Winter Wren, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Nashville, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, and Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird, and White-throated Sparrow. I reached the top of the falls by way of a suspension bridge across the water.
The 100-feet High Falls at Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota.
After taking a few pictures, I headed back. On the way back, I was almost struck in the head by a pair of Mourning Warblers that were chasing each other down the trail! They veered off at the last second, actually causing me to duck.
Back at the car, I returned to the Split Rock Lighthouse, but this time I took the trail down to the lakeshore so I could take pictures of it from below.
The Split Rock Lighthouse at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Minnesota.
A portion of the trail passed through a large section of birches.
A stand of birches along Little Two Harbors Trail at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Minnesota.
Back at the parking lot, I found several Common Ravens scavenging the now-deserted lot. I returned to the motel and started packing up for tomorrow's flight back.
June 16, 1995
Everything in the car, I headed for a car wash where I removed the 2,437 miles of grime from it before going to the airport. Then, I flew back to Allentown with stops in Minneapolis and Detroit.
The month of June's long daylight hours and the long drives between birding stops left little chance for a good night's sleep. I returned with "bird trip burnout", but the trip was a total success. I found 132 species during the week and got fantastic looks at all six life birds.
North-central United States Trip List
1) Common Loon
2) Western Grebe
3) Horned Grebe
4) Eared Grebe
5) Pied-billed Grebe
6) American White Pelican
7) Double-crested Cormorant
8) American Bittern
9) Black-crowned Night-Heron
10) Great Egret
11) Great Blue Heron
12) Canada Goose
13) Mallard
14) Gadwall
15) Green-winged Teal
16) Northern Pintail
17) Northern Shoveler
18) Blue-winged Teal
19) Ruddy Duck
20) Cnavasback
21) Redhead
22) Ring-necked Duck
23) Lesser Scaup
24) Bufflehead
25) Virginia Rail
26) Sora
27)
Yellow Rail*
28) American Coot
29) American Avocet
30) Piping Plover
31) Killdeer
32) Marbled Godwit
33) Willet
34) Wilson's Phalarope
35) Common Snipe
36) Upland Sandpiper
37) Franklin's Gull
38) Ring-billed Gull
39) Herring Gull
40) California Gull
41) Forster's Tern
42) Black Tern
43) Turkey Vulture
44) Northern Harrier
45) Red-tailed Hawk
46) Swainson's Hawk
47) Ferruginous Hawk
48) Osprey
49) American Kestrel
50) Ruffed Grouse
51)
Sharp-tailed Grouse*
52)
Gray Partridge*
53) Ring-necked Pheasant
54) Wild Turkey
55) Rock Dove
56) Mourning Dove
57) Common Nighthawk
58) Chimney Swift
59) Ruby-throated Hummingbird
60) Belted Kingfisher
61) Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker
62) Hairy Woodpecker
63) Pileated Woodpecker
64) Eastern Kingbird
65) Western Kingbird
66) Eastern Wood-Pewee
67) Eastern Phoebe
68) Least Flycatcher
69) Willow Flycatcher
70) Alder Flycatcher
71) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
72) Horned Lark
73) Tree Swallow
74) Purple Martin
75) Northern Rough-winged Swallow
76) Cliff Swallow
77) Barn Swallow
78) Blue Jay
79) American Crow
80) Common (Northern) Raven
81) Black-capped Chickadee
82) Red-breasted Nuthatch
83) Winter Wren
84) Marsh Wren
85) Sedge Wren
86) Eastern Bluebird
87) Veery
88) Hermit Thrush
89) American Robin
90) Gray Catbird
91) Brown Thrasher
92)
Sprague's Pipit*
93) Cedar Waxwing
94) European Starling
95) Red-eyed Vireo
96) Warbling Vireo
97) Nashville Warbler
98) Black-and-white Warbler
99) Chestnut-sided Warbler
100) Yellow-rumped "Audubon's" Warbler
101) Black-throated Green Warbler
102) Pine Warbler
103) Yellow Warbler
104) Mourning Warbler
105)
Connecticut Warbler*
106) Ovenbird
107) Common Yellowthroat
108) American Redstart
109) Indigo Bunting
110) Rufous-sided Towhee
111) Grasshopper Sparrow
112)
Baird's Sparrow*
113) Vesper Sparrow
114) Savannah Sparrow
115) Song Sparrow
116) Chipping Sparrow
117) Clay-colored Sparrow
118) White-throated Sparrow
119) Swamp Sparrow
120) Chestnut-collerd Longspur
121) Bobolink
122) Eastern Meadowlark
123) Western Meadowlark
124) Yellow-headed Blackbird
125) Red-winged Blackbird
126) Brewer's Blackbird
127) Brown-headed Cowbird
128) Common Grackle
129) Northern "Baltimore" Oriole
130) House Sparrow
131) American Goldfinch
132) Purple Finch
