The Northwoods

Copper Falls State Park

"Wilderness is the element in which we live encased in civilization, as a mollusk lives in his shell in the sea. It is a wilderness that is beautiful, dangerous, abundant, oblivious of us, mysterious, never to be conquered or controlled or second-guessed, or known more than a little. It is a wilderness that for most of us most of the time is kept out of sight, camouflaged, by the edifices and the busyness and the bothers of human society."

- Wendell Berry

Becky and I spent the past several days at our cabin on Spider Lake, which is near the edge of the Chequamegon National Forest. There will always be reminiscence about the northwoods experience that makes me feel like it's the mid 1970's and my brother and I are off exploring with the Clifton kids. The woods and lakes of Sawyer County was my brother's favorite escape from city life.


White Admiral

Back then it was all about insects and fishing – today seems so different and I haven't picked up a rod and reel in years. Still, this wasn't a birding trip per se but there's no way for me not to notice them. And from that point on I usually begin to form a species list in my mind which I inevitably jot down on a scrap of paper. From Pine Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers greeting the morning in song, to haunting calls of Common Loons closing the end of each day, it is quite impossible for me not to notice the birds...perhaps to a fault.

Just before 6am on Monday morning (remarkably, I was actually sleeping at that hour), a birdsong near our window jolted me from my slumber: "The red, the red, the red t-shirt!" It was a Hooded Warbler. I thought I might be hearing things – Sawyer County is awfully far north for this species. Fully awake, I kept listening and realized I was correct. Much to her protest, I woke up Becky, "Hey, hey! Do you hear that? Listen...it's a Hooded Warbler!" I don't think she shared my level of enthusiasm and groggily uttered, "Really?" and promptly fell right back asleep.


Great Blue Heron


Mallard Ducklings

Early yesterday evening I admired some Common Loons fishing right off our pier. On my right, a Great Blue Heron perched on a partially submerged tree. Because it was so close, I couldn't frame the entire bird and was grateful for the feather-ruffle to make an interesting shot. A few Mallard ducklings prepared for a nap while their mother kept a sharp watch from nearby in the water. After a string of flaps and dives, the loons eventually took a break of their own. Every once in a while their red eyes would pop open and assess the situation. The snooze-fest seemed like a great idea to me, so I retired to the cabin for the evening.







Ah, I almost forgot! The list...

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Common Loon
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2007 Mike McDowell