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!

Minnesota Logging in Days of Yore!

Background, Year 13

While I don’t want to turn this blog into a northern Minnesota tourist guide, I know many of you have family members who couldn’t care the least about our fine feathered friends. Thus, I like to add an occasional post about things one might do to the entire clan happy when visiting / birding northern Minnesota. Today’s topic is “Logging in Days of Yore!”

It is definitely worth a stop at the Minnesota Historical Society’s Forest History Center in Grand Rapids. The “center” is an old logging camp built on the shores of the Mississippi River.  The folks you will find at the Forest History Center are primarily Minnesota Historical Society employees  who believe passionately in helping you learn the history of the region. Northern Minnesota was essentially clear cut in the early part of the 1900’s.

Take the time to watch this short video about the last log drive on the Little Fork River (a bit north of Grand Rapids). This log drive took place in 1937 not too far from my cabin. My thanks to the Minnesota Historical Society for posting this video a few days ago to their YouTube channel. (video link for blog email subscribers)

Also a bit north of Grand Rapids is the only remaining Civilian Conservation Corp Camp in the Lower 48 which is in remotely good shape: Camp Rabideau. All the hiking trails I use near my own house were built by the CCC in the 1930’s. If you would like to read about the logging industry in northern Minnesota, here is a great overview from the Minnesota Historical Society. The picture is theirs, not mine.

As a fyi … Molly and I returned from Iceland last night, and given the time change I have been up since 3:30 am. More Iceland posts will be coming once I work through my backlog of photographs!

This post is reworked from a similar effort I wrote many years ago. The new edition is driven by the log drive video becoming available.

Icelandic Birding: From Whoopers to Rocks!

Year 13

From all my posts about the Atlantic Puffins I saw in Iceland (5 posts), you might think these are the only birds I focused upon in this fair country, but that would be an incorrect assumption. Here is a map I annotated of our journey along the Ring Road.

If you maximize the image you will see many locations other than Hafnarhólmi which was the focus of my puffin efforts. Mid July has been a perfect time to look for Arctic birds in Iceland. Many species have just had their young, and do NOT fly away when I first spy them as the parent birds have chicks to protect.

Without further adieu, here are a few of my new bird friends … called out by name and birding location.

Northern Fulmar (puffin colony at Hafnarhólmi) (lifer)

Black Guillemot (Hvammstangi region)

Black Headed Gull (Small River in the East just off the Ring Road)

Common Redshank (Hvammstangi region) (lifer)

Redwing (Hvammstangi region) (lifer)

White Wagtail (Hvammstangi region)

Whooper Swan (Small River in the East just off the Ring Road) (lifer)

Whooper Swan and Sheep (Beach in the east on the Ring Road)

Arctic Tern (Vopnafjordur)

European Golden Plover (Vopnafjordur) (lifer)

Red-Necked Phalarope (Vopnafjordur) (lifer)

Rock Ptarmigan (Vopnafjordur) (lifer)

The Rock Ptarmigan was a preferred target bird of mine. I really wanted to see this bird, and once again … the chicks came through. She was guarding chicks near the side of the road and did not flush when I spotted her. I was respectful and kept my distance. The youngsters were so small the grasses easily blocked my view of them the grand majority of the time, and prevented me from getting photographs. I would see the chicks pop into view, but then disappear almost as quickly. Regardless, the chicks meant Mom stayed near by and was easy to watch!