Health Update

Background

Thank you for all your prayers and best wishes!

A medical report … a good one considering I spent 10 days in the hospital last month.

Great News! I had a heart inspection procedure this morning. The doctor slides a small echocardiogram device down your esophagus and closely examines all one’s heart valves. Long story short the other valves are leaking only a moderate to a small amount which means no medical action is necessary. Many people live with this kind of leakage their entire lives. My cardiac team will monitor, but there are no concerns at this time. When you combine that with the fact that my heart ejection ratio has gotten much better, my outlook is good (I received a new heart valve for one ventricle 4 years ago via open heart surgery)

Finally the medical staff believes everything that landed me in the hospital for 10 days last month were one off events that should not reoccur. When I do need a medical procedure in the future which requires me to come off my blood thinner medication, I will now have “bridging drugs” to protect against clotting and a mini stroke.

I am VERY happy, and have even taken a 13 mile bike ride over the past few days and numerous 2 to 3 mile hikes. Considering the prostate surgery complications which racked my body with severe infections and came close to killing me, life is even more precious. In short my birds await me!

Now Arriving on Track #9: Arctic Birds!

Year 11,

Yesterday and today the Arctic arrived in northern Minnesota! I saw Lapland Longspurs, Horned Larks and my first Rough-Legged Hawk of the season. The birds were split between Two Harbors (the songbirds) and Sax-Zim Bog (the hawk). The numbers are not yet huge, but they’ve flown quite a distance!

This map is from Cornell’s All About Birds. All 3 species could use the same range map (some horned larks also breed further south)

Backyard Lifer!

Year 11

Just a quick post. Sparrows are appearing in fantastic numbers in my yard, including this Harris Sparrow. Very few of the sparrows use my feeders, but they love sloppy seconds. They breed up on the tundra.

And to give equal time to a more common bird … Slate Colored Junco.

We are starting to get near the end of the songbird migration. When the snow buntings appear I consider the songbird migration over.