A Wild Grouse Chase

White-throated Sparrows continue to push through

I've managed to get out a few more times over the last several days. My first ride was to Spring Lake to look for scoters and grebes, and whatever else I could dig up. It was a cloudy day with winds from the north. Would this be the day for finding my first scoter of the year? I was cautiously optimistic as I biked along the road. 

Upon arrival, I was happy to see a lot of birds on the water. Lots of American Coots and Ruddy Ducks were in rafts on the water, and hundreds of gulls - mostly Ring-Billed and Franklin's - were circling overhead. We started scanning to see if anything unusual was in the mix. 

A few distant Ruddy Ducks

There were some grebes along the far eastern shore of the lake. I sifted out two Horned Grebes from the Pied-billed Grebes, which were pretty numerous. Then another small grebe with a upturned bill came into view - Eared Grebe! Unexpected, but welcome! Unfortunately it stayed far away, and I lost it after a short while. Further attempts to relocate it were unsuccessful. We scanned the other side of the lake. There was a Common Loon there, and the gulls were starting to land on the water to rest for the evening. Other than a few American Herring Gulls, there wasn't anything else different. It was getting late and it was time to go. A Great Horned Owl hooted as I biked through the park. A nice finish to the trip. 

A poorly-lit Yellow-rumped Warbler

A few days later I decided to try something different. For a while, I've been very curious about some scattered Ruffed Grouse reports from an area close to my favorite hotspot, Louisville Swamp. It was a warm day with winds from the south so I figured not the best day for waterbirds. I biked over and embarked on the long walk to the area. 

Lovely sumac

It turned out to be a really interesting walk! I quickly heard a Winter Wren fussing from a pile of logs and tangles, and there were tons of White-throated Sparrows moving through the bottomlands. It was fun exploring the remote, back side of an area that I've got to know well over the last year. Nothing new bird-wise though right away, just an annoying number of mosquitoes. I reached the trail junction to the DNR managed area. The habitat changed quickly as I went uphill into a mix of young forest and grasslands. Promising grouse habitat.

Great grouse habitat - thick, young forest

A familiar call note quickly caught my ear - Ruffed Grouse! I looked through the thick understory to try to get a glimpse. These birds aren't easy to find in this part of the state. Sadly it/they were pretty far back, and the thought of getting covered in ticks only to hear the sound of grouse wings wasn't high on my list. If only I had a dog! I decided to keep walking down the trail and see if I could find another.

Unfortunately, that was the last one I found. There were more sparrows, a Hermit Thrush, and some Wood Ducks and Trumpeter Swans on the slough - but that was it. It was a really nice walk though and I felt good about it. The walk was long getting back to the bike but worth it. Another solid, unexpected pick up for my list. 

Dark-eyed Junco

However...the following morning I woke up to a surprise. Surf Scoters were seen on Spring Lake while I was chasing grouse! I had been planning to rest today, but Surf Scoter was too good to pass up a chance at. Back on the bike! The winds from the north pushed me down quickly, but I knew the ride back would be punishing. I got there around 09:30, set up my scope, and started scanning. 

No scoters that I could see after about 10 minutes. Most of the same species were there that were there last time I visited, although in different numbers. Ruddy Ducks had largely cleared out, and there were three Common Loons now. A few other birders showed up and joined me in looking. We had some good conversation, and I was happy to get more eyes on the lake. We couldn't find them though, just Pied-billed Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, and Mallards (and coots, as always). Some Pine Siskins flew overhead though, which was great! A new green bird, and one that would have been embarrassing to miss! 

Hours passed by without scoters. One birder left and wished us luck. The other stayed for a bit longer, but had to leave shortly also. We joked that as she left, they'd surely show up. Sure enough...less than five minutes after she left - two Surf Scoters appeared out of nowhere on the south side of the lake. I ran to the parking lot to see if I could catch her. She had already left. Darn! I came back and got the scope back on them. I watched them for about five minutes then decided to head out - I'd been there for almost three hours and I had other things to do. But first I'd look for an owl in the conifers there. No luck. 

Attempts to photograph the scoters did not go well

As I was leaving I ran into two more birders that I know. Unfortunately the scoters were gone! Bummer. All we could find were two Ruddy Ducks. Crazy how things can appear and disappear like that. They were looking for a Winter Wren though, and I had a spot where I found one in the nearby park that I told them about. We met there on my ride back, and the Winter Wren was actually singing right at the spot when we arrived! Very unusual for the fall. A fun end to the day and we said our goodbyes. I got beat up by headwinds on the way home, but it was a fun day. 

These four new birds have pushed me up to 232 "green" species. All of a sudden, 238 species (the "green" MN record) feels like it's not impossible...but I'm still going to need some luck. Another grebe, another scoter, some gulls...maybe an American Goshawk. And of course - Canvasback! I'll be hitting the lakes hard over the next few weeks. Wish me luck, and thanks for reading!