Northern Grouse & Ptarmigans

Year 13,

The past week has been unique in terms of game birds … this morning when the heavy fog lifted I found both northern Minnesota Boreal Forest grouse species. I think the grouse … Spruce and Ruffed, both wanted to dry off. Last week in Iceland’s tundra habitat I saw my first ever Rock Ptarmigans. Thanks to my “eagle eyed” reader, Annie, who noticed that in fact Ptarmigan chicks were in my “rock images”, I went back and reviewed my master images. Thus, today I bring you reworked Rock Ptarmigan photos … complete with chicks! The post also includes the southern cousins of the boreal forest. As a bonus I am including a Broad Winged Hawk which was trying to dry off, but also trying to hunt the young Ruffed Grouse chicks.

Rock Ptarmigan & Chicks

Just the parent now …

Spruce Grouse

Ruffed Grouse (2 different birds)

Broad-Winged Hawk

Trumpeter Swan Cygnet Update (chicks)

Year 13

I visited the Upland Forest Trail cygnets (chicks) just before leaving for Iceland, and the day after I returned to Duluth. The elapsed time period between my visits was 12 days. I thought folks might be curious in the growth / change in these little birds. In addition, one of the six cygnets obviously met its demise. There are only five chicks remaining.

Trumpeter Swan Cygnets on July 24th (The parents were about 50 yards distant, and did not feel the need anymore to be immediately next to their young. However, the cygnets still swam together “in formation”)

Trumpeter Swan Cygnets on July 12th

If you would like to see the difference in growth from when I first found the swan family on July 6th … here is one image from that date (see post)

Trumpeter Swan Cygnets on July 6th (There is a sixth chick; it is just hiding behind one parent)

Icelandic Snipe Hunt

Year 13

Let’s go on a Snipe Hunt, an Icelandic Snipe Hunt! However this was not a practical joke (see Wikipedia). Since arriving in Iceland I had heard the winnowing call of snipes all around me, but the “Common Snipe” would never come out of the tall grasses. However on the 3rd day at our farm rental (see post with AirBnB description), as I drove out the farm’s long dirt driveway … Eureka! A Common Snipe!

Better yet this Common Snipe was a lifer. Apparently back in the year 2003, the birding powers in the world decided the Wilson’s Snipe (the bird I see at Minnesota wetlands) and the European version … including the Common Snipe found in Iceland were uniquely different species … thus a lifer!

As I watched the Common Snipe for a few minutes it decided to cross the dirt driveway, and suddenly two snipes chicks appeared and followed in their parent’s footsteps. Thus, my snipe hunt yielded three Common Snipes at once, a family!

Icelandic Common Snipe (down on the farm)!

The parent snipe checks that all’s clear

The family heads across the driveway

The chicks

The parent (about 3 feet distant from the chicks)

Addendum #1 to the Rock Ptarmigan post: Thank you to one of my readers, Annie! She spied to Ptarmigan chicks leading me to review all my Icelandic images of this species. Wow, these little guys blend into the grass … expect some new “rock family photos!”

Addendum #2: I spent the morning up at Greenwood … leaving very early and I was hiking by 6:30 am. I found a new “scent branch”. Time to deploy new / additional trailcams! Not just the Canada Lynx are using this branch, but also a small pack of timber wolves, a pair of fox, and a small bear. Everyone needs to let the other animals of the forest know of their presence!