[mou] BWCA Spruce Grouse and other interesting birds

[shawn conrad]

I just returned from the BWCA this afternoon and had some good sightings, including a few unusual ones.
 
On Tuesday, there were 3 Spruce Grouse on the portage between Townline and Polly Lakes.  As I walked up the portage, the birds were reluctant to move, basically causing me to eventually "herd" them up the trail.  For about a minute, I was so close to 2 of the grouse that I likely could have grabbed them and stuffed them into my pack.  I saw another tame Spruce Grouse on this portage on the way back through today.  
 
Today, I had a Boreal Chickadee on the portage between Townline and Kawasachong Lake and 2 more on the Kawishiwi River between Kawasachong and Square Lake.  
 
Some exposed mud on that same stretch of river had a Lapland Longspur picking around, also extremely tame, allowing for nice photos with a regular, run-of-the-mill digital camera.  I also saw a Lapland Longspur at the Kawishiwi Lake public access.  Fantastic close looks at a Pine Martin hanging out at the Kawishiwi access as well.  
 
There were 2 Horned Larks at the Silver Island Lake campground.  
 
Most surprisingly, I saw 2 American Golden Plovers (also really tame) sitting right on CR 3, near the clearcut past Coffee Creek.  Maybe this sighting isn't as unusual as I think, but I was really shocked to see them there.  100% certain of the id, however.  
 
Gray Jays were everywhere.  
 
In case anyone is wondering, I highly recommend the trip from Kawishiwi to Malberg Lake...I wish I would have had time to go in farther.  This is a beautiful area if you want to see nobody and lots of gold and green spruce/tamarack bogs.  Shawn Conradhttp://users.2z.net/itasca_chippewa_birding/ 
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