There have been a lot of interesting bird sightings lately on the upper Gunflint Trail. Many of the winter birds have come in, and a few of the summer birds still remain.
The most interesting sighting has been at the feeders outside the naturalist office of Gunflint Lodge where I have seen an immature red-winged blackbird for each of the last three days. It had very different plumage from either the male or female adults. I was able to make the identification from the orange-red coverts that showed only when flying, the light superciliary line above the eye, the upward tail flick which is used as a common response to human presence, and the single note call. The feathers were darker than the adult female, and lighter than the adult male. There were lighter lines going down the back, and it was almost speckled on the breast. I had another local birder view this bird for confirmation. It is the only bird of that species that I have recently seen in the area. Some of the other birds that have been regular visitors to the feeders outside my office are; the pine grosbeak, evening grosbeak, black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, blue jay, gray jay, snow bunting, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, song sparrow, and chipping sparrow. I have also had frequent sighting of the common raven flying over the south shore of Gunflint Lake. About a week and a half ago, I also had some pine siskins at my feeders. A few days ago, I saw a black-backed woodpecker on the nearby Magnetic Rock trail. This trail seems to be the most consistant place to find black-backed woodpeckers in the area. Also, watch for moose and moose sign on that trail, as I had one walk across the trail about sixty yards in front of me relatively recently. John Silliman Gunflint Lodge Naturalist
