Migration in Full Swing in Minneapolis

Deja Vu in Minneapolis

Once again Minneapolis is the hotspot for early Spring waterfowl viewing and photography. Each year since I began my nature photography quest I’ve witnessed numerous species of waterfowl in the lakes of Minneapolis and St Paul. It may sound crazy but these lakes harbor many different waterfowl each April including; Northern Shovelers, Redhead, Canvasbacks, Blue Wing Teal, Bufflehead, Goldeneye, Common Loon, Red-Necked  Grebes, Horned Grebes the occasional Eared Grebe, Pintail Ducks and the stars of the show Red-Breasted Megansers.

Why are Red-Breasted mergansers the star of the show? Well most years there are 100’s of them in the Minneapolis City Lakes and Lake Phalen in St Paul is also known to harbor them in April. Red-breasted Mergansers are here to court, feed and rest before heading North to their breeding grounds mostly in Canada. Drakes are constently performing an elaborate display of calling, bobbing and weaving for the hens hoping to provide what’s needed for a successful nesting season. This  activity often happens close to shore giving the birder a great view at these seldom observed birds right here in Minneapolis St Paul.

If you’re interested in seeing red-breasted mergansers, buffleheads, goldeneye, horned grebes and red-necked grebes now is the time to head to the Minneapolis City Lakes. You may even encounter numerous othe waterfowl species.

The images below were shot in April of 2025.

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Small Lake, Lots of Loons

Report from July 9, 2024

We have a spot on a small lake with many loons. It’s not your typical loon lake. Most of the shoreline has cabins and there are no islands or stands of lake grasses but there are plenty of small fish and I suppose that’s why 7 loons consisently inhabit this body of water. It’s also a perfect lake to view the loons in my kayak.

Of the 7 loons only one pair nested and they have 2 little ones. Of the other 5 there appear to be 2 paired up and 1 individual who wanders alone around the lake. One thing I noticed over 3 early mornings observing these loons is that each morning 2 other loons fly in, I’m assuming to feed. Each morning at about 7am the loons without young ones all gather together and appear to interact with one another. This meeting of the loon minds lasts about 10 minutes then the group disperses in 3 pairs and one individual to go about feeding.

The pair with loonlets stays away from these other loons constantly hunting and feeding the little guys who are now not so little.

Each morning was cool and fog of various densities covered the water until about 7:30am. I took the time to hammer the shutter on my camera to get the images you can see below. One thing I find challenging about photography from a kayak is wave action effects my photography and on each of these morning the lake was calm! Holy cow in the year of windy I got lucky! I also like the fact that the loons are good with the kayak and they will actually swim up to me just to say hello I think. This welcoming gives me a chance to get some great views at the broodless loons.

One more word about the kayak. Kayaks are cheap and very transportable. Get yourself in a kayak, it’s fun!

July 4th Loons

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Walking The Blaine Wetland Sanctuary.

Report from June 13, 2024

The Blaine Wetland Sanctuary is a walk through multiple habitats and it takes about an hour.

This day was a typical spring day with temps in the 70’s and a mix of clouds and sun. Along the path there are a few different habitats. Entering from Lexington Ave the hike is a boardwalk and it enters a fen. Fens are peat forming wetlands using groundwater to  support various grasses plants and shrubs. This fen makes up the largest part on the sanctuary and it’s home to ducks, pheasants, deer, coyotes, fox and many types of field birds. This hike will take you though some upland habitat where I’ve seen owls, broad wing hawks, northern flicker and deer.

On this walk I had the opportunity to set up my gear on the west side of the sanctuary to attempt to photograph indigo buntings but they would not come into photography range. Continuing eastward along the path I found some of last seasons mullein with common yellowthroat, song sparrows and eastern kingbirds using them as perches. I set up my tripod and camera and I pointed toward the dead mullein plants and waited to snap the shutter. I took a few hundred images on this day and the best are shown below.

If you live in the area this is a very nice walk. It’s popular on nice weather days and on rotten weather days you can have the place to yourself which is nice!

Visit the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary website.

Blaine Wetland Sanctuary

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The Stalker of Prairie Wetlands

Common to Western Minnesota and North Dakota

A driving adventure through the pothole wetlands of Western Minnesota and North Dakota will produce many species water birds. Ducks of many species, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Ruddy Ducks, Pintails and Grebes (Western, Eared, Red Necked and Pie Billed). On this trip I was after shorebirds. Avocets being the target to go along with other shorebirds sure to be present where Avocets roam.

The area I chose was north of Cleveland, North Dakota and northwest toward the tiny town of Robinson. This area features the Chase Lake WPA and many other waterfowl production areas. For birders this area is a must visit. There are endless potholes, lakes and grasslands to view  birds. For bird list folks you can stack up the species easily. Twenty Five plus bird varieties is a given including some elusive species like Wilsons Phalarope and Prairie Falcon. For photographers the area offers up boundless opportunities to click the shutter to your hearts consent.

My visit was in early May and it took me a bit to find avocets. Passing numerous likely spots I finally landed on a pothole that I believe only exists in spring and it dries up as summer goes on. I saw 2 avocets in this pond along with a few willets, blue wing teal, killdeer and a bunch of Wilson’s Phalarope.

In full camo I entered this wetland armed with a tripod and my camera plus my ever present butt seat. The birds scattered a bit but over the next few hours they settled in and began to go about their business of feeding and courting. I always wish for perfect conditions on the North Dakota prairie but windless days with filtered light are hard to come by. Below is sampling of the imagery I captured on this fine spring day.

Avocets of the North Dakota Potholes

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Twin Cities Wood Ducks in Spring

Wood Ducks in the Minneapolis St Paul Metro

Wood Ducks. Beautifully tough to photograph.

Wood ducks, we see them everywhere. I, like most love to see wood ducks. Woodies are some of the most colorful ducks. When the light hits the drake just right you can see a plethora of colors and irredecence beyond compare. But captuuring this color isn’t as easy as watching them.

First of all these ducks are skittish. They don’t often stick around to get a full frame image of them. It’s typical to approach a wood duck and watch it swim away or fly off. I haven’t spent the needed time to scout them and photograph them because they are so common and so difficult to get close to. I make the mistake to avoid common birds. Last week I made the decision to scout for wood ducks in the north metro. Many ponds had wood ducks and a pond in Roseville City park was the standout with numerous woodies in it. 

I had observed the wood ducks continually swimming back to the same shoreline for an hour or so. I set up on the ground in a position to gather the right light with the anticipation the wood ducks would return to this area. The ducks made attempts to revisit this windless well lit area but there was just to much foot traffic to bring them close. So I did my best and took a few hundred shots at long distance. I gave up after 30 minutes or so and walked towards the softball fields where there were other ponds around. A single drake was posted up on a log. I worked my way like a ninja into an area where I could photograph this drake wood duck. Luckily for me I was disguised well in a camo jacket and behind a fallen log. I snapped the images of the wood duck drake on the log for another 30 minutes.

To an extent I was both lucky and unlucky. On this photography trip I believe I created my own luck by learning this area for more than an hour before I gave my photography skills a shot.

Roseville Wood Ducks

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Carlos Avery in Spring

Birds. Carlos Avery in spring brings a big variety of birds to the area. In addition to your typical species; Wood Ducks, Blue Wing Teal,  Pie Billed Grebes and both Green and Great Blue Herons Carlos Avery also attracts Bitterns, Virginia Rails, Snipe, Harriers, Marsh Wren, Loons and Egrets. Sandhill Cranes, and Trumpeter Swans are a almost a given. You can expect to find many species in a single day. I’ve seen all of these species regularly in the spring.

Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area is located just west of Forest Lake Minnesota it travels mostly north towards Wyoming. This expansive wildlife area has over 17,000 acres of woodland, wetlands and bogs. There are many many types of birds that are best seen during spring.  Do keep in mind if you go during early spring it’s possible the roads are not open to vehicle travel. If you can drive that opens up the entire area. Bikes or feet are certainly an option. Contact them (651 539-3300) to find out what the scoop on the roads is.

See the map

Breaking down Carlos Avery into the best viewing areas.

My favorite route to see a variety of birds is by entering Carlos Avery at the intersection of Lexington Ave and 197th on the West side of the park and travel east to the first intersection then take a left and follow along to Pool 4 Road. Follow Pool 4 Road to where it intersects with Pool 9 Road and Pool 10 road, go left (Pool 9 Road). This route will take you thru some forested areas, grasslands, lakes and marshes. I’d then head out the NE corner to Interstate 35 in Wyoming. You’ll see lots of birds!

If you go…bring your camera.