Hunting Merill's property off Camp Winnebago Rd.

Got there before 5:00 AM. at 42F, it did not seem that cold but the blustery wind went through and through. I did not hear a single tom call all morning long. Went along the valley where I did not see much more.


View Turkey Hunting-Camp Winnebago Rd. in a larger map

After lunch at the Red Barn in Caledonia we headed for Crooked Creek. For me, with about a dozen brown trout (Salmo trutta morpha fario) of various sizes, the afternoon proved productive, while Jim was frustrated with may snags in the thick vegetation surrounding the creek.

Caledonia Fishing

Drove down from the cities and decided to fish Beaver Creek before meeting Merill at the country club. After a short rain shower I caught two small and two tiny trout, on a caddis dry fly.


View Beaver Creek, outside of State Park in a larger map

Turkey Hunting Time

After not getting a license via the lottery last year, we are in! Can't wait for Thursday when Jim and I will be heading for Caledonia, MN ("Wild Turkey Capital of Minnesota") and to get out in the woods, turkey or no turkey! If the turkeys are not showing up, I am sure there will be a Crooked Creek (see also the excellent MN DNR map, here) trout or two going after my fly.

2009 BWCA Trip Planning: pre-entry options

Some thoughts about the trip: from Yahoo maps and Google maps it looks like it's about one hour from Tofte to Sawbill Outfitters and another hour to Brule Lake. Sawbill Trail must be a dirt road, each of the legs is about 25 miles.

I would like to summarize a couple of options for the beginning of the trip:

We decided on option 1:

1. Tofte Lodging option:

• Pick up canoes at Sawtooth Outfitters in Tofte. Jim made reservations
• Pick up permit at Tofte Ranger Station Before 5PM on 8/18 or after 7AM on 8/19
• Spend night in Tofte (AmericInn has openings and pool!). Dave made reservations
• Head for #41 as early as possible
• Pros: a little more flexibility, comfortable digs, especially if it rains; dinner at restaurant
• Cons: about 30-45 minutes longer approach to entry point

2. Spend night at Sawbill Lake, Superior National Forest Campground option

• Pick up Permit at Tofte Ranger Station before 5PM on 8/18
• Pick up canoes at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters
• Sleep at SNF Campground next to outfitters. Wide open availability as of April 27)
• Head for #41 as early as possible
• Pros: less time to entry point (15-30 minutes time savings)
• Cons: break camp, need packed dinner, slight detour to get to entry point, if it rains, wet gear before taking off.

2009 BWCA Trip Planning

Finally got together with Jim and Dave to discuss this year’s Boundary Waters trip. For a while I had a sense that we would never get it off the ground so I am glad that we made a decision on date and location: BWCA Entrance Point #41 on Brule Lake, off the Sawbill Trail. For me, this is a new location. The vast majority of my trips were from Echo Trail and the Ely area, and one from the end of Gunflint Trail. Jim said that he and Mary had done a trip from Sawbill Lake. We are excited to take our group to a new area!


View BWCA 2009 Planning in a larger map

On the recommendation of a colleague I bought a new book, Exploring the Boundary Waters: A Trip Planner and Guide to the BWCAW by Daniel Pauly. An excellent guide! Dave had bought it this spring, too he liked it as well. I hear that Pauly is also behind Voyageur Maps, an alternative to the Fisher and McKanzie maps; they also have a good online presence. Here is a link to the map for the wider area around Brule Lake (Voyageur Map #9).

Sand Dunes State Forest

During orienteering outing to Sand Dunes State Forest had the good fortune to see two sandhill cranes take off from a marsh accompanied by their characteristic trumpeting. The woods were still devoid of greenery, the grass yellow and dead. Some of the hardwoods had buds that looked like they were ready to explode. The sun packed a real punch even when the wind early in the morning sported a raw edge. I am feeling its effects in my neck. Tom spotted a good-sized snake, later identified as a fox snake (Elaphe vulpina), that hissed at him. Looks like Tom caught this snake at the very northern edge of its distribution in MN.

Another presence over wide swaths of Sand Dunes SF is prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum). My arms and legs can attest that it deserves its name. Fortunately, the fields of poison ivy were not yet in evidence, but the setter and vetter of the orienteering course said they saw plenty of berries on last year's growth. I seem to have made it through without any exposure.

The Urban Wild: the Peregrine Falcons of Hamline-Midway

One fine day I came home from a jog with dog. As I was swinging from Hamline onto Englewood, I noticed a few feathers floating in the air. I looked up and noticed a bird of prey sitting on top of the highrise. I finished my run, picked up my binoculars and walked back. I easily identified a peregrine falcon snacking on the pigeon it had just caught.

That was a couple of years ago; I am glad to see that they are still around. James, my youngest told me a couple of weeks ago that he came across a bird of prey eating a pigeon at the intersection of Hamline and Seminary. From his description (large, black back and wings, white and speckled underside) it had to be a peregrine. I also found a couple of pigeon skelletons on our block and noticed one injured pigeon that (one that got away?). I did a google to see if anyone else did notice and came across a posting by Kirk and Mona of the Twin Cities Naturalist Podcast on a peregrine falcon traffic incident, with video from KARE11. It can be accessed here.

Of course there are other birds that prey on pigeons. I eleminated most of them because of size, behavior and range.

Cooper's hawk, sharp shinned hawk: hunt in thickets rather than in the open.
Goshawk, gyrfalkon: range and habitat
American kestrel, merlin: rather too small

Here are the loctions of my other sightings and observations:


View Peregrine Falcons in Midway, St. Paul, MN in a larger map