McGills Nature In Motion

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal April 24, 2010

Yeah! The Marshland Drive is opened on the weekends in April. This is the first time this has happened since we’ve been coming up. Actually, last weekend it was closed due to fallen trees on the drive. So when we were up here for the Sharptail Grouse count we couldn’t go through.

It is mostly cloudy and 31 degree at 8:00 am. Frik & Frak our locally banded Sandhills are at the teepees this morning. The osprey was in the nest behind the Visitors Center but flew off. There are, of course, trumpeter swan and Canadian geese throughout the pools. Most of them seem to be already working on or sitting on their nests.

A number of ring necks are scattered around the pools, too. Most of those seemed to be paired up and searching out nesting sites. There is a pair of pied billed grebes on E  Pool. Sweet I think I got a descent shot. They are hard because they usually submerge like a submarine when you stop to get a pic.

A merlin was screeching around and landed in a tree near the C/E spillway on the C side. Our eagle is in the nest on E Pool!! Hoping for healthy babies! E & C Pool are higher than they were last year, we are sure it must be due to the control of the Refuge. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be because to of too much rain. It is DRY!!It seems the common loons have paired up already unless it is temporary till other more dominate males come along. But the season is early due to the unseasonably warm weather in March & April so time will tell. E Pool has the east end and the west end loons in place. The D Pool loons, too, are already warning off other intruders by use of the stretched neck and yodel.

Trumpeter swan are flying and calling as if they, too, are chasing or being chased off the Pools.

While we sit and film the west end E Pool loons we hear the sounds of osprey, trumpeter swan, Canadian geese, kingfishers, red-winged blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes & loons. We even hear a Wilson snipe and American bittern in the nearby marshes at the west end of C Pool. Sweet!! Everything is early this year. Hopefully the weather doesn’t take a turn for the worst(as we all know it could in Michigan).

Oh my gosh, there is a pair of mature eagles in the old osprey nest on D Pool. At first it appears they are rebuilding the nest. But when we watched the footage it appeared that they were tearing it down?! The one was ripping at a large branch that was entwined. It knocked the other eagle out due to the forced it was applying to the branch. The one went and sat in a pine tree while it watched its mate disassemble the nest.

The one in the nest finally got the large branch out and dropped to the ground as it, too, took off to the west;

Interesting. Stealing the nest material? Or just being malicious? This is what makes what we do so fascinating. Nature is always surprising us with its every changing behavior.

Also what is interesting is that the pair of osprey in the nest at the south end of D Pool were busy in their huge nest making improvements. In case you didn’t know eagles and osprey do not get along. The eagles attack the osprey if it has a nice catch of fish. The eagles are even know to try to take the osprey’s young, too.

As we start down the south side of C Pool, we discover a pair of ring necks and trumpeter swan sharing space on a small pool of tannic stained water. The male trumpeter tried to corral the pair of ring necks but they were unaffected. Surprisingly, the ring necks came toward us, instead of the usual turning around and flying off. We were able to get some really good footage. The sun was doing a little shining at the time.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal April 25, 2010 
A mostly sunny but breezy day and 48 degrees at 8:00am. The north show pool has a nesting trumpeter swan pair and a gathering of ring necks. The south show pool has bufflehead, trumpeter swan, Canadian geese & ring neck couples.  There is a male wood duck in the small pool in front of the Visitors Center. The wood ducks are quite fond of this small pool which is very nice for visitors.

A Wilson snipe is calling in the marshes at the beginning of the Marshland Drive. There are four ring neck pair at the start of F Pool. They all turn and head out to the middle of the pool except for one couple who seem to like their photo taken. Two loon are flying over F Pool to the northwest.

One of our eagles is still maintaining its vigil in the nest. There is a pair of sand hills in the marsh on north side of C Pool. Further down we discover another pair across from the swan observation deck. The pairs of loon on E Pool were sheltering from the wind on the north side of E Pool so no photo op there. But the D Pool pair, for a change, were quite near the drive. The osprey was by the nest eating, of course.  The C Pool loon were also sheltering away from the windy shore. The loon on the small deep pool were near the drive. So you never know what or where the wildlife will be. Just always be prepared  for anything or nothing, like the ruffed grouse Michael shot deep in the dried grasses at the end of the Marshland Drive.

We took a short break to check out Michael’s camera footage before taking a last round of the weekend.

11:00am. Sunny and 58 degrees. Everything was pretty much the same. We did find a ruffed grouse in a small birch tree eating the tender budding leaves off. A pair of sand hills were on the ridge in B marsh. Whoa! I saw something make a big splash & dive in the small quiet cove near the end of C Pool. It surfaced long enough to discover it to be a river otter!!! We were just talking about hardly ever seeing them on the Refuge(or for anywhere else for that matter). But it saw us and never surfaced near us again. Boohoo! But at least we saw one! That was a nice way to end our weekend at Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Thank you for a great weekend. Hope to be back in a couple of weeks.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal May 15, 2010

This is the official first day that the Seney National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center is open for the season.

It started out to be a gorgeous day but…the clouds started to move in making everything damp & hazy. The temperature is 31 degrees at 6:45.

There is a female hooded merganser in the little pool at the started of the Entrance Road. The Canadian Geese have their goslings…everywhere.

There is one loon at the start of F Pool. We assume the mate is on a nest somewhere nearby. We decide to take the Fishing Loop since we haven’t been on it since last September. The osprey was flying near its nest. Thank you to whoever put in the new signage to show visitors where the special nest are on the drives.

There seems to be quite a few beaver out and about this morning. Most of the trumpeter swans seem to be congregated on the east end of E Pool. We hear Wilson Snipes calling around H Pool. There is a pair of trumpeter swan nesting on J Pool. The pair of loons are floating around on the backside of J Pool.

One lone sand hill is at the end of H marsh maybe the other is on the nest??  Toward the end of G/D there is another lone sand hill who flies off so must be a loner. The Canadian geese are fighting for territory.

D Pool loon couple are still not settle on a nest yet but the osprey is on its nest. There are ring neck couples scattered here and there. One of the mature eagles is fishing in the middle of C Pool. As we approach it takes off back toward E Pool where it meets up with its mate. Buggers, hopefully they will still be there when get back to the Marshland Drive.

C Pool has a pair of loon midway and then another pair at the east end.  Sweet!!

The Refuge seems to be finally waking up around 8:30 the weather starts to clear so we decide to make another quick round.

We start our second round at 9:30 with the sunshine finally breaking through. We spot two ruffed grouse at the start of the Entrance Road. But no shots.

Oh my gosh!!! The eagles are still there seating in the tree almost side by side. Sweet!!! We were able to get near enough to get some shots off before the male left. The female posed a little longer then went soaring off. The male went to the tall pines near the nest. But…there doesn’t seem to be any activity in the nest. We know they were on the nest a couple of weeks ago. Maybe the severely cold weather was too much for the eggs/young?? We will have to wait and see. The could possibly re-clutch??

Oh and as we passed quickly down the Marshland Drive to get to the Eagles we passed the east end E Pool loon on a nest. Sweet!! Then further down the west end E Pool loons were still working at nesting.

C Pool marsh was a bevy of activity with American Bittern hunting and flying all around. There were at least three in the vicinity. We had quite a few interested passerbys who were glad we could show them where the one bittern was.

We ended going back to the trailer around 1:45. We had lunch and a little rest then took a drive around Curtis. We took one last run through the Refuge at 6:00. Not a lot of action. The only possibly interesting  thing was a lone sand hill in C marsh where we had spotted a pair two weeks ago. Maybe a nest nearby? Ended the run with an American bittern on the edge of the road less then a mile from the end of the drive. Cool way to end a great day of filming in Seney National Wildlife Refuge.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal May 16, 2010

Beautiful sunshine and clear skies at 7:00am and 34 degrees.
It was an awesome morning on E Pool. Loon were flying and calling, tremolos were heard on the water  to ward off intruders. Trumpeter swans were fighting and carrying on throughout the morning. Just the calling of the loons, sand hills, snipe, terns and osprey without human interference -this is the beauty of nature here in Seney National Wildlife Refuge. How can you not de-stress sitting out here even with the mosquitoes humming in you ears.

Donned in our camo gear and bug spray, we settled in to film a nesting loon. We were able to actually film it struggling to get up on land to rotate its eggs and take its turn on the nest for the next few hours. Loons share the responsibility of tending the nest and the young when they arrive. Please note- loon can be very easily spooked and will abandon their nest if they feel threatened.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see our eagles anywhere near the nest. So needless to say we have a failed nest. Mother Nature takes its toll on even the hardiest. But we did have a new pair of loons investigating the area that we usually watch our eagles. So who knows…We also had an American bittern across the drive on the C marsh side that spooked when I was investigating. Our west end loons were playing unwelcome hosts to a red necked grebe!! We were excited to be able to film its unusual presence here at Seney. The red necked grebes usually migrates via Whitefish Point.

The D Pool loons are still not nesting yet. The ospreys on D Pool are still on the nest. The mid C Pool loons are still floating around together. There is now a pair of loons in the small pool at the end of C. They appeared to be possibly searching out a nesting area too. We will keep checking. An osprey sadly perused its fallen nest. The tree that it was in must have went down in a windstorm.

We ended our run at 12:30 with temps at 70 degrees.

Well we took a nice break. By 3:30 we decided to take the Fishing Loop. H Pool had two loons on it. A few nesting trumpeters on J Pool with the loons farther back. But otherwise, a very quiet drive till we got to G Pool. Yet another pair of loons looked like they were attempting to construct a nest. We will have to keep a watchful eye on them. One of the mature eagles soared overhead and a merlin screamed around the end of E/D Spillway.

We actually saw several ring neck couples throughout the Refuge. So we will probably have lots of little ring necks floating around. But they don’t have to worry about being the eaglets meal. We also finally saw two doe in the B marsh area. So we ended our day at 7:00pm. Looking forward to our final morning of filming (till Memorial weekend).

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal May 17, 2010

It is 38 degrees at 6:45am. It is partly cloudy but looks like it is going to clear off and be beautiful.

We were welcomed by Frik but no Frak at the entrance of the refuge. They are never far from each other.

Hopefully, that isn’t a bad sign.

An American bittern flew over us as we started to enter the Marshland Drive. It went down in the pool in front of the Visitors Center. We have several families of Canadian geese with their goslings all around the start of the drive. A beaver is busy in the channel of F Pool. And one loon is swimming not far from the drive. I am sure its mate is on a nest.

Before we get to the Fishing Loop we spot two beaver cleaning each other on the edge of the channel on the opposite side of F Pool.
H Pool still has a pair of loons on it. J pool has several trumpeter swans nesting on its islands. The pair of loon are just floating and fishing in the center of the pool. We hear several snipe along the drive as we near the west end. H marsh channel has a pair of trumpeter on it. G Pool’s pair of loons are still not on the nest yet. But we believe they were working on it yesterday.

Ring neck couples are everywhere around the refuge. The two pair of loons are still working around the middle and east end of C Pool.

We end the run around 9:00am. We decide to go see the girls and give them out reports from Saturday & Sunday. We met Sara as see was getting on her bike to go to a meeting. We said hi, but didn’t bother her to make introductions. I am sure she will see more of us then she wants as the summer goes on. LOL!!

Christine was working but not Karen. Christine said that our Pat had fallen and injured her spleen. It is healing but it will be at least six weeks before she can do anything. We are going to call or e-mail her when we get back home to let her know we missed her.

We visited a little while then decide to make a last run through for this weekend. We will be back Memorial weekend for three days again.

We stopped by our E Pool loons to check them out. It looked like the exchange had already happened for the morning shift. While we were checking them out the trumpeter gathering was getting wild. Fighting and dancing all over the place. Then when I was going back to the truck, I spotted two bittern standing as plain as day on the trail between the east end of E Pool and the east end of C Pool. Sweet!! I did get a quick shot off but Michael was able to get his camera focused before they flew off over C Pool. Bummer!

Well, our red necked grebe is still on E Pool just beyond the last eagle nest sign before the swan observation deck. We spent a little time shoot our little visitor before he moves on. They usually breed in Canada and the western states. It is all decked out in its breeding plumage with its ‘bright’ red neck. Wouldn’t it be nice if it had a mate and decided to stay awhile?!

We have a pair of sand hills in the C marsh at the west end. We also met a lovely couple from Kalamazoo who loved our ‘chair’. She just had to have a picture of Michael on his ‘throne’. I am glad I didn’t take a turn or it would have been my pic again.

There is a female Northern harrier flying over B marsh but unfortunately again, not close enough for pics.

The loons are still on C Pool and not on nests yet. The kingfisher are popping in and out of their nests in the sand. We have the two does back on B marsh and a bittern, too. There are two osprey in a dead tree near the small pool where the nest was last year. I am sure they are mourning its loss. Maybe they will build another??

Well we end this visit of Seney National Wildlife Refuge at 12:45 with the temperature a lovely 71 degrees.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal May 29, 2010

79 degrees at 8:00 pm. Hard to believe we are on in the Upper Peninsula on Memorial Weekend.
Wow!! Juvenile eagle on a road kill along with four or five turkey vultures on the Holland Creek bridge on
M-77

One lone loon on F Pool must mean they are still on their nest. East end E Pool loons are not on their nest.

Does this mean it failed or maybe they hatched. Yes!!! Further down E pool we spot one of the loon with a chick on its back. Looks to be several days old. Can’t wait till tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get a few good shots. And ,hopefully, the weather doesn’t turn on us.

One lone loon on the west end of E Pool. Hopefully, that means there are on their nest. No sign of D Pool loons. An osprey is on the nest at the end of D Pool.

A pair of sandhills on B marsh. We also spotted  a pair on C marsh. Neither pair of C Pool loons are nesting yet.

The ospreys are building a nest in dead tree to the northeast of the small pool. We thought they might. When we were here two weeks ago they were spending quite a bit of time in that tree. Their nest from last year went down sometime this Spring. 

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal May 30, 2010

It is 59 degrees at 6:45 am. Wilson Snipes are calling each other as we enter the Marshland Drive.  Snapping turtles are everywhere laying their eggs. This is way too earlier. Everything is messed up this year due to the strange weather patterns we have been having here in Michigan.

We take the Fishing Loop where we spot one of our eagles in the tall pines on E Pool. The osprey is in the nest on f Pool along with a beaver, trumpeter swans and a ring neck or two. The two loons are still not nesting on H Pool.  It is a fairly quiet morning. Not a lot of things flying around.

When we get to G Pool “our” loons that were building their nest two weeks ago are now sitting on it. Yeah!! We sat quietly for almost two hours to wait for the ‘changing of the guard’. Unfortunately we both had distractions at the same time that the loon came off the nest. Oh well, another time?? But we did get some great footage of the female taking her place on the nest (after catching a meal first).

While we were filming the loons, we also had two Wilson Snipes land on the west end of E Pool, an eagle soared around, merlins were screaming, osprey was diving, and Sandhills cackling. All and all it was a very good morning at Seney National Wildlife Refuge.

We head out of the Refuge to go visit Kris and Dixie, owners of the Toonerville Trolley. Dixie is giving us a ’speeder’ lesson so we can go back to our ’bear blind’ later this summer. But we won’t go into details. That is a whole other story.

We head back into the Refuge around 4:00 pm. It is in the 80’s!! Way too hot for this time of year. We spot our first Great Blue Heron of the season. It is perched on an empty goose nest near the office complex on F Pool. Sweet!! The east end E Pool loons are out with their one chick. The parents seem to be making the little tike stay in the water not on their backs. It was so cute, one of the parents was wagging its foot, and the little guy grabbed right on to it. But no luck, they still made him swim on his own.

One of the eagles is still keeping watch near the empty nest on E Pool. Not a lot of action. The west end loons must be nesting only one is visible.

Well we spent an hour /an hour and half filming an American bittern on a small pool on the B marsh side.

It was so….cool!!! We followed its successful hunt right to the end where it proceeded to fly away.

While we were heading back to our car, we meet up with some very nice people. First we meet Bob from Ann Arbor via Connecticut. He knew we were filming a bittern so he proceeded to act as our decoy, acting as if he was watching something interesting on the other side of the road. Thank you, Bob. We find out he is here in Seney because of my journaling on our website www.mcgillsnatureinmotion.com. How cool is that!!! He said he was either going to Ohio or the Upper Peninsula. Because I was journaling about the loons nesting, he chose here. Well, we are very glad that he chose the Upper Peninsula. It a great place for many outdoor activities.

We also meet at the same time a couple from Colorado who love to come to the Refuge. They enjoy the Pure Michigan ads. They also thought we should be in Traverse the Magazine with what all we do. As I told them all, we are here to share our passion for nature and wildlife-and our love of this Great Lakes State of Michigan. 

So we finished then evening seeing the loons on C Pool still not on a nest. Frik & Frak were in the B marsh. Yeah, we thought something had happened to one of them. Our C Pool trumpeter swans have five adorable cygnets. And our B marsh doe was wandering down the drive meandering into the marsh to feed for the evening. So it was another great day at Seney National Wildlife Refuge. We always enjoy  sharing this special place with others.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal May 31,2010

Woke up to rain!! Not really enough to make a difference but added a little dust control.

I stayed at the trailer to do some watermarking etc to get ready to put things on the website and on Facebook.  Michael headed to the Visitors Center to say Hi to Karen and see if Sara was around.

Of course, an hour and a half later he returned. Michael said that Sara, the new Visitors Center manager and Marcus, one of the interns who love nature photography, would like to meet me. So I stopped what I was doing and headed out to the Visitors Center. It is so nice to be back on our Monday schedule. Unfortunately, our friend Pat, who usually works on Monday mornings with Karen, has been very ill. We understand she is recovering. We plan to visit her on one of our next visits and share the photos and journals we have done so far. She especially loves the loons so we know she will love what we have seen and done so far this season.

The clouds were starting to break up so we decide to make a run through the Refuge. It is 67 degrees (comfortable in my book).  A great blue flew into the pool in front of the Visitors Center.

As we start the drive we once again hear the calls of a pair of Wilson Snipes. Otherwise it was a fairly uneventful drive. But that is typical for wildlife by mid-afternoon -to be quiet.

We spotted a few ring neck couples still not settle on a nest. A few trumpeter swan pairs have cygnets. The loons on F Pool must still be nesting. No sign of Sandhills today. Flickers are flickering about, red-winged blackbirds are chirping, and Eastern kingbirds are squabbling.

The loons on J Pool are still together meaning not nesting yet. As we head down the straight away on the Fishing Loop between H marsh & J marsh we spot a coyote. Unfortunately Michael couldn’t get his video camera out soon enough to get a shot of it. That makes two coyotes in two days. Not good for the young wildlife that is going to be born. I know ‘survival of the fittest’ but….

As we head down the Fishing Loop nearing G Pool we run across a pair of bluebirds trying to mate. Michael got some footage of one of them. The blue Flags were flowering profusely in the G/J marsh.Our nesting pair of loon on G Pool was still performing their duties. Monarch butterflies are out flittering about. Isn’t this a little early for them? A big snapper was laying eggs on the pull off by the loon observation deck on D Pool. A merlin swoops through a strip of C/B marsh. No wonder the songbirds weren’t singing.

Well our day was complete when we discovered our C Pool loons were finally preparing their nest!!! First Michael set-up his cameras unobtrusively then later I trekked through the underbrush to make my way to find a safe spot for me to shoot, too.

We stayed for over two hours enjoying this wonderful event. It was awesome to see how the pair worked together and how the male was always on alert to protect his mate if necessary. The soft porpoise like sounds they made to each other were so endearing. You can’t help but feel peaceful and serene when surrounded by this thing we call Nature. Totally awesome!!!!

Well we head out of the Refuge about 4:30 and decide its ‘pizza night’ in Munising. We will be back to make an evening run. Then back out in the early light before heading back to reality.

Well, we head back into the Refuge around 7:30 pm. It is 70 degrees and mostly sunny. An osprey flies over E Pool to its nest on F Pool. The trumpeter swans on E Pool start fighting and carrying on.

Our loon parents on the east end of E Pool still have their one chick which they were feeding.

One lone eagle plays sentinel over its failed nest just in case anything else tries to invade its space.

We hear snipes and bitterns calling on C Marsh via E Pool. We see a bittern in the middle of C marsh at the west end.  We hear the osprey calling on D Pool so we decide to pull up to the loon observation deck to check it out. The osprey flew out of its nest with a blackbird chasing it. The osprey landed down by the water on the island in front of the nest area. Michael decides to film it awhile I take a look from the loon observation deck. It decides to fly up in to some pines at the south end of the Pool. Just as Michael got on it with his camera, it had already flown. But it only circled around then landed in a pine much closer to us. Sweet!!! So we both focused on it. It finally decides to go fishing somewhere else but not before it flies right at us then soars off to the northwest. I got some great shots.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. A doe was in the marsh at the beginning of B area. Our C Pool trumpeter swans were showing off their five sweet cygnets. The muskrats have been keeping very busy this spring.  Our other pair of loons at the end of C Pool still are not settled on perfect nesting spot..

Well, we finally call it quits as we head back to the trailer for some more writing and editing. Be back out in the morning if everything is ok.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal June 1, 2010

6:30 am it is 38 degrees with sunshine and clear skies. Mist is rising from the show pools. Snipes are calling as a male wood duck is gliding over the still waters of F Pool. The songbirds are happily singing as a loon yodels its warning through the still air.

The osprey is on its nest in F Pool along with the trumpeter swan and their five cygnets. We take the Fishing Loop this morning to check on the nesting loons on G Pool.

The east end of E Pool is full of trumpeter swans with a few wood ducks along the marshy edge. A lone sand hill flies over quietly. We dodge yet another snapper turtle in the drive laying its eggs. The loon couple on H Pool are still out together as are the J Pool loons. The terns are screaming and carrying on as usual on J Pool.

As we travel along the west end of H/J marsh on the drive sets a female sharp-tail grouse. We slowly edge toward her as Michael films. She wasn’t very intimidated by us. We think she may have a nest near by and didn’t want to stray too far. She eventually flew into the bushes along the west side of the road.

We finally get to G Pool where our loon is peacefully sitting on its nest. The last thing we want to do is alarm the loons causing them to abandon their nest. So I stealthy hide myself in the ’pucker brush’ settling in for a long peaceful morning of loon watching. Michael hasn’t captured the loon descending off the nest yet. So hopefully, today he will be luckier.

As we peacefully watched and listened, it was amazing what other creatures were all around us.

Wilson Snipes kept up a chorus, trumpeter swans chased others out of their territory and eagles soared overhead. An osprey fished, Northern Harriers hunted, merlins screamed and kingfishers scolded us. It was an action packed three and a half /four hours spent on G Pool.

As we finished our run through before heading home, we were pleased to see our C Pool loons near the nest building site. Michael also filmed one of the biggest snapping turtles we have ever seen. So we will continue our ventures next weekend Sunday and Monday.

We are always amazed by what can be seen in one little area of the Refuge if you just stop, observe and quietly listen to the world of nature around you. We are very lucky to have this privilege of even entering a Wildlife Refuge. After all, the Refuges main purpose is to allow Nature to be able to flourish in its ‘natural’ environment. You know what I mean?

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal June 5, 2010

We are back for the weekend to check on our loons. It is 8:00 pm and sixty degrees and overcast.

Frik without Frak meets us at the Marshland Drive. Unfortunately, one of our local Sandhills did not make it through the winter. We had seen a banded pair of Sandhills last week but on closer investigation found they were not our Frik and Frak. F Pool loons, ABJ and  his mate, have one chick riding on one of their backs. The chick has to be less than five days old because it was not here when we left on Tuesday. Sweet!!

It is pretty quiet throughout the Refuge. We see our osprey on D Pool fly in a pine tree. It sits for a few seconds then…Bam!! It plunged talons first into the water. It immediately came back up with it’s evening appetizer.

Yeah!!!! Our loons on C Pool our sitting on their nest they just built this week. How sweet is it to see them build it then nest on it. Now we will anxiously await the arrival of their chicks.

As we travel down the drive we spot a pair of sandhills in the end of B marsh.

Seney Notes June 6, 2010

Well it figures, mom & dad are headed up to visit and it is raining!! Oh well, we head into the Refuge at 9:45am and it is 55 degrees. Frik met us at the Visitors Center for a photo op. Dad rode with Michael in our truck and I drove mom in theirs. Basically, we gave them the two hour tour via the Fishing Loop.

Hey kudos to who ever built the new signs for the osprey  and eagles nests. Especially cool are the ‘occupied’ signs. Good job guys!!

The osprey was flying around F Pool where we did get a glimpse of the baby loon chick of ABJ’s.

Snipes were quite active and calling everywhere. The trumpeter swan on F Pool have five cygnets.

Meanwhile the E Pool eagles were perched in a dead tree on an island in E Pool. The one headed over to G Pool to see if there is any easy pickins’.   A snipe flew into the tall grasses on the west end of E Pool.

As we get to the loon observation deck on D Pool. We spot the pair of loons near the island where one proceeds to take its place on a nest!! How cool is that?? If you don’t know its there you would never see it.

Then our C Pool loon was on its nest which was cool because mom & dad were able to see it. That made their trip all worth while.

Mom & dad headed back home just as the weather was starting to break. So Michael & I decided to take a spin around to check on the G Pool loons.  The male was back on the nest as his mate napped in the warming sun. The eagles and ospreys were flying around. Trumpeter swans were gathered on the warm side of an island on E Pool. Sandhills were in the various marshes hopefully keeping their babies safe from harm.

Well we called it a day at 6:45 pm to head back to the trailer to get ready for a better day tomorrow.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal June 7, 2010

6:45 am thirty-eight degrees with SUNSHINE!!! Trumpeter swans with cygnets are on the pool in front of the Visitors Center with a few wood ducks bobbing back and forth.

J Pool has a loon near the shoreline and another that flew into the pool nearby. Two other loons are on the backside of J Pool. We aren’t really sure what is up with that. Two pair? Both going to nest? To be continued….

As we travel on down by the J channel we find a lone sand hill to the north. Possible nesting? We can only hope. ring necks are scattered here and there. They take off quickly as we approach. The kingfisher chatter at us as if to say ‘get out!’.

We spot  a deer on the backside of E Pool just grazing tranquilly.  The cinnamon ferns along the channel at the end of H marsh are outstanding!! Thanks to our recent rains, it looks like a tropical oasis. As we near G Pool an osprey lands on a pine tree right under us. As Michael is filming it, I spot a loon taking off of G Pool. It was the nesting loon female. She is being so fickle, not a big help to her mate that is diligently guarding the nest.

As we settle into our usual hidey-hole, the female comes back and lands nearby. She parades around in front of us wagging her foot. She eventually wanders back to the south of us. We have two different ospreys flying over us. We see one of the  ospreys dive but it is behind and island. We hear a huge splash then see the osprey heading toward us with a fish in his talons. Sweet!!

Another loon flies into the pool near the female. They seem to be sizing each other up. They continue to peer and dive and separate themselves from the nesting area. I eventually decide to go check them out. One of them, I thought was the female, came back to the nest area. As I was shooting it, Michael was filming the nesting male flatten out and leave the nest. He immediately approached the intruder. Within minutes the intruder was paddling its feet as fast as they could take him. The proud daddy preened for us then stoically got back on the nest and continued his duties.

We have been so lucky this season, capturing these wonderful moments. Nature is sharing these rare glimpses into the lives of its inhabitants, only made possible by the privilege given us by the Seney National Wildlife Refuge to enter this domain.

Three hours later we continue our drive. As we approach D Pool we notice a mature bald eagle on a pine tree near the old osprey nest. Aha! A family of Canadian geese are feeding on an island nearby. But it decides to go look for easier pickings around G Pool.

The D Pool loons are on their nest as are the osprey. Yeah!! New life will be springing up all over the Refuge!! And we hope to be here to capture as much of it as possible.

Cedar waxwings are flittering and chirping along the south side of C Pool as are pine siskin. Our C Pool loons are on their nest. The other pair of loons at the end of C we are still unsure of.

An American bittern is in the red muck of B marsh near the end of C Pool. We film it as it catches a snack then wanders into the reeds.  It is 12:00 so we decide we better get to the Visitors Center before our Monday girls leave. Christine and Claudia are manning the desk. We share our journal and a few photos. Michael fires up the camcorder to show them the loon defending its nest. Some folks visiting from Virginia appreciated seeing it too.

We take a lunch break then decide it is so nice, we have to go through one more time. I really wanted to check on the status of our loon chicks and to see if the west end E Pool loons were out and about yet.

We are meet on the Entrance Road by a ruffed grouse and a snowshoe bunny.

Yeah!! F Pool loons and chick were out near the Fishing Loop but too far to get any good pics. The east end E Pool loons were closer than usual so we snapped a few. This chick has really grown in the last week and a half.

The sand hill pair are still in the marshes in C Pool across from E Pool. Our C Pool trumpeter swans have their five cygnets out for an afternoon stroll. They are so cute all lined up in a row…until one decides to take a detour. But this pair of swans is always wanting to show us their beautiful babies. How sweet is that.

Well, we finish our drive at 3:00. It is time to load everything up and head back to reality… until Saturday night.

The male came back to take over the nesting duties as the female took a shorter jaunt around the pool. When she did return she came bearing gifts, food for the young. That is when we rediscovered the first chick emerging out of nest material. Yeah!! We worried that it didn’t survive its daddy stomping on its head. From then on both parents remained close. Mainly daddy on the nest incubating the young and mommy luring the first young out of the nest and finally into the water!!! How awesome this is!!! We are so amazingly lucky to be able to not only witness this great event but to be able to capture it on film to share with others. SWEET!!!

The first chick did not stay in the water the whole time. It did get back in the nest with daddy until mommy came back again. This time the little tike not only got in the water but ….on its mommy’s back!! Which of course is what we all want to see and film. TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

After eleven hours in one spot, we left the family with the young in the nest secure under daddy’s wings. As mommy floats off to de-stress. LOL! And we finish our first and last run of the day. It will be hard to top this day…if ever.

An osprey was flying around west end of E Pool. The D Pool loon was on the nest. The lone loon was midway on C Pool. The nesting loon on C Pool was secure on its nest. Three Sandhills were in B marsh and the two loons were together at the end of C Pool. That completed our day. We started at 6:30am and ended at 7:00pm. Words can’t not express the feelings we experienced today here in Seney National Wildlife Refuge. We are so excited to get back to the trailer to go through the footage and share this with all of you.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal July 12, 2010
It rained last night so figured it would be cloudy in the morning. It was starting to clear by 7:00 so we headed into the Refuge at 7:45am. It is 64 degrees. Very fresh feeling nice not to have humidity.

As we start the drive we have five loons flying over F Pool. Two were going to land on F Pool but…ABJ had other ideas. He gave his yodel warning to stay away from his family and their morning routine.

There are two osprey in the nest on F Pool making quite a commotion. Someone hasn’t had enough to eat yet.

We stop at H Pool to check on the loons. One is floating preening nonchalantly while the other guards the nest. We were hoping to have chicks here soon. We will check on them again before we leave today.

There  is a Wilson snipe calling nearby. We always hear one in this area and once in awhile catch a quick glimpse of it. The trumpeter family is chilling out today staying on one of the little island on H Pool.

Before we even get to J Pool we hear the carrying on of the terns whose home is on one of the islands in J Pool. Nearby the loons are enjoying their morning ablutions.

As we pass by J channel a female wood duck takes off as usual. They are very flighty little creatures. Down along J marsh we find two Sandhills feeding.

A momma ring neck and her five young are busy in the reeds while a family of Sandhills with one young reside on an island in G Pool.

We spot a mature bald eagle in a dead tree at the west end of E Pool. A loon comes flying into G Pool where it proceeds to land on the farside where its family has been staying. Darn “little tike” and “little bugger“!!

The usual pair of Sandhills are on the B marsh feeding. Bobbing heads of wood ducks are seen throughout the marshy reeds on C Pool. We only see two of the C Pool loons not the pair from the end of C where we end our run at 10:00am. It is now 70 degrees.

Michael made a quick run into the Visitors Center to leave my journals. I feel like I am coming down with something and don’t want to pass it on. Marcos is the only one working. Our ‘girls’ are all under the weather?

I still needed to make one more run before we headed home. This place has that healing nature for my body and my soul.

One of the F Pool loons is at the far end of F Pool via the Fishing Loop where a Kingfisher is jabbering at us as it tries to stay ahead of us. Terns are circling and screaming over E Pool where the regal trumpeter swans are feeding.

I decide to walk down the trail to check on the H Pool loon. It is still there keeping vigil over its eggs. It doesn’t have any break from the strong sunshine as it raises to move the eggs to a more comfortable position.

As I sit quietly camouflaged by downed trees a female red-winged blackbird serenades me. An osprey decides to fish at the south end of H Pool to my left. As I am studying the loon to see if it shows signs of hatching chicks suddenly looks up in a worried sort of way. Well I don’t blame it, there is a third year bald eagle flying over the Pool. And just as quickly the osprey dives, catches a fish and heads off with its trophy.

This is why it is nice to stop and sit if only for a few brief moments to capture glimpses of nature that can’t be perceived otherwise.

OH MY GOSH!!! A great horned owl just flew out of the tall pine near the drive just passed the bridge at the end of J Pool. It flew up into another tree but only long enough for me to confirm what it was before it head to the north. Sweet!!! We have so wanted to capture one on film but the image imprinted in my mind will do for now.

As we start to pass by G Pool Michael catches another glimpse of our ‘great’ friend has it takes up residence in a stand of tall pines at the end of H marsh/E Pool.

Yeah! Our G Pool loons are at the end of G Pool near the drive. OK, not real close but close enough for a couple of shots before mommy and daddy corral the kids into the center of G Pool. As we were watching the loons I heard an osprey yelling. When I looked up the osprey was chasing a third year bald eagle out of its territory. Wait till the ‘big guns’(matures) see it. Then it will definitely head out of the Refuge.

As we are going passed the E/D spillway Michael spots a merlin landing in the top of a pine tree on the drive. It was out of his range but I was able to sneak up and shoot several shots. It looked at me then proceeded to continue hunting from its vantage point. That is, of course, until Michael tried to get closer to film it. Hasta la vista, baby!

Well our excitement didn’t end there. As we were starting to drive along D Pool via the Marshland Drive and osprey came diving out of a pine tree to crash into the water. Wow!! Unfortunately no fish. So he proceeded to fish from another pine tree. This time we were on him, sort of, as he came diving out of the tree. Once again he came up empty taloned. I think the shame of us witnessing its failure not once but twice, caused it to decide to fish somewhere else.

Two osprey are in the nest at the end of D Pool. We hear a loon calling on E Pool. Another merlin is spotted around C Pool. We finish the drive with the C Pool loons snubbing us as we sit to try to enjoy their preening. Oh well, can’t blame them.

Till next weekend!

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal  July 19, 2010

An overcast morning again so didn’t head into the Refuge till almost 9:30am. But it was worth the wait.

The clouds parted and the sun shone. Quiet morning though, a Wilson Snipe called, a few songbirds tweeted but nothing too exciting.

There is a juvenile hooded merganser at the start of the Fishing Loop on E Pool side. The eagle is sitting guard over its nest even though there is no young.

The water looks like glass as the trumpeter swans and Canadian geese quietly feed. A few wood ducks squeak as they take off away from the shoreline as we approach. Had to catch those little critters.

H Pool loon is still on the nest. Poor thing, I don’t think there is much chance of  survival for the little buggers if they do hatch(which I doubt will happen). Its only company seems to be the trumpeter family with three cygnets and the ring neck family of six.

Red-winged blackbirds scream and crows caw but not a lot of noise this morning. A pair of Sandhills from J Pool land on a island in H Pool. There are ten or more terns carrying on excited to start another day.

Otherwise J Pool is quiet. The trumpeter swan family of two cygnets and the ring neck family are feeding. There is an osprey in the top of a pine tree trying to fish on J Pool but as we approach its takes off over to E Pool.

Down the G/J marsh drive juvenile flickers chase each other, three trumpeters preen themselves in the channel and a pair of Sandhills fly off. There is a doe under the pines further down who lets us take a photo or two before she turns and meanders off. Cedar waxwings are chasing each other as pine siskins hop about.

G Pool is like glass with the sun reflecting the clouds. Our loons are on the east side of the Pool near the shore until, of course, we get close. But we managed a few shots. We think they may have come closer but a  mature bald eagle flew over and sat in a tall pine on the south side of the Pool.

We decide to investigate and see if we could get near to the area the eagle was hunting. We took the D/G spillway path. Interesting. The drive ends at the spillway which is fairly old stone work. We had to  walk along the top of the spillway over to the other side. Not good if you have vertigo. LOL!

As we were reaching the area where the eagle was, it, of course, took off. But we were glad to know we could reach the area. When we have more time we are going to see how close we can get to the C-2 area from here.

We head over to D Pool to catch up with the Marshland Drive. The osprey adult is on the edge of the nest with the chick in the nest. So we decide to take a stroll to see if we can capture a photo or two. Michael and I did get a few aerial shots of the adult.

The B marsh doe was grazing placidly, not caring we were even there. Our C Pool loons are out diving and preening. The red squirrels and the chipmunks are busy gathering pine nuts and berries. The red squirrel hates being interrupted from its duties. If he could only talk…the scolding we would get! LOL!

We stop to snap a few quick shots of a pied bill grebe who seemed not to mind. Michael was able to catch it submerging like a submarine. Sweet!!

Then we stopped to film four trumpeter swans who were nappy along the shoreline under some pines. I love the ‘orange’ color some of them get due to the iron ore in some of the areas they feed in.

We end the drive at 11:50am. Time to go and see Pat and Marco at the Visitors Center. It is 73 degrees.

Our second run at 12:30pm after our visit with Pat, Marco and Sue Fleichman who just met. Sue and her husband own Northern Exposures Inn on the Big Lake. They are volunteers at the Visitors Center on Sunday afternoons.  We don’t usually stop at the V.C. till Monday morning to see our “girls”. It was very nice to meet her.

As we start the drive we find ABJ and his chick in a lagoon on F Pool. We stop to snap a few pics before they out further in the Pool.

An osprey is fishing over E Pool where the eagle still keeps its vigil. We decide to take the Marshland Drive since we haven’t done that yet this weekend.

It was pretty uneventful. Trumpeter swans napping, the one loon and chick on east end of E Pool out a little too close to the eagle’s island. 

There are two loons out farther on E Pool toward the west end. The osprey is still near the nest on D Pool. The loons, as usual, are out too far to really see. As we continued our trip we decided to stop at our favorite spot to cool off and enjoy the solitude of C Pool. As we enjoy the slight breeze and calm waters, the two C Pool loons s-l-o-w-l-y make their way in our direction. Michael, of course, doesn’t believe they will come too close. But as we are ready to move on, they decide to come right up close to shore to say “HI”. I know- I am a little ‘looney’ when it comes to my connect with the loons but….what can I say?

It was a very nice way to end our weekend. We are hoping to get back up for an extra day. Maybe Saturday to see the bears…who knows.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal July 23, 2010

We are up a day early thanks to my boss who was kind enough to work Saturday. We need to capture promotional footage for the Stewarts of Soo Junction.  So we head into the Refuge at 8:00 pm. As we traveled northwest we could see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ the closer we got to Seney.  By the time we got here the clouds had headed eastward and the sun came out.
We are meet by Frik with a new mate by the entrance sign. There are two terns flying and fishing intently over F Pool. The osprey and young are on the nest in the middle of F Pool.

Yeah! There is a great blue heron fishing at the end of the channel between E Pool and H Pool. We don’t see the loon on H Pool. She must have finally realized the nest was a failure. Sad- maybe next year.

We have a loon on J Pool with wood ducks bobbing around at the west end.  We spot a sharp-tailed grouse on the drive at the start of G Pool.  Our babies are alive and doing well on G Pool. Mommy and daddy loon are still being very attentive and protective.

There are two loons on D Pool where our young osprey is on its nest. As we continue down  C Pool discover many wood ducks in the reeds. Hard to capture any good footage because they are so-o-o easily spooked. The sand hills are still in the same area on B marsh. A few young wood ducks are near the shore. They are too young to be scared off yet.

There is a loon on C Pool and another near the end of C. Kingfishers are squawking and flying all around. We call it a day. Hope to be back tomorrow evening. We headed to Soo Junction to film bear during the day.

SeneyNational Wildlife Refuge Journal July 24, 2010

It is turning out to be a nice evening after  a messy day. We have a kestrel fly in front of us in pursuit of its dinner. 

The loon family of ABJ was out enjoying the evening on F Pool. The two loons are out in H Pool where a Great Blue is fishing.

J Pool is active with trumpeter swans, ring neck family, noisy kingfisher, a loon and the ever present terns.

The terns all seem to live and nest on one particular island on J Pool.

D loons are floating in the sunset. Blue jays are fighting while flickers flick in and out, and overhead loons are flying and calling.

Our doe is grazing on top of a knoll with the sunset shining on her. And C Pool is teeming with wood ducks. The loons are in their usual area. A great blue is on B marsh along with wood ducks or mallards.

We end the beautiful evening ready to come back in the morning to see what wonders we will discover.

Seney Notes July 25, 2010

It is a very foggy morning. We don’t head out till after 7:00am. Loons are flying everywhere but most are being quiet. The trumpeter swans are floating over E and F Pools through the mist. The osprey is calling in its nest.

The trumpeter swans and their three cygnets are enjoying their breakfast on H Pool. A great blue is fishing on F marsh.

There are five loons on the backside of H Pool where a pair of Sandhills are grazing on an island. We have three loons on J Pool but nothing exciting going on except the terns. Oh my goodness they are always active and noisy.

The cobwebs are glistening EVERYWHERE!! It is amazing what a little thing can make such a beautiful piece of work.

Our loon family on G Pool is near the westside of the pool but out of our range. There is another loon near the east end and two others flying over. Sandhills are cackling and loons are calling as the Refuge comes to life.

As we approach D Pool the loon we spot on the north end takes off. What is up with that? Well it didn’t take long and it was back along with a few others. We end up with seven loons having a party on D Pool(d’party pool).

We  filmed their coming and going for almost an hour and a half. The host loon finally got tired of all the comings and goings and let it be know the party was over.

As we continue on we stop to shoot a pied bill grebe on C Pool. They are so fascinating to watch. They can slowly submerge themselves like a submarine. Sweet! Isn’t it amazing the ideas man has borrowed from nature. They studied the peregrine falcon for their diving techniques for fighter planes etc.

The second run we find ABJ feeding his chick whose does seem to be able to hold on to it. The other parent is out enjoying a morning of leisure.

We stopped to film a belted kingfisher on H Pool who was willing to ignore us so he could fish. It was just getting ready to pounce when out of nowhere a merlin swooped to try to get the kingfisher. Needless to say the kingfisher abandoned fishing in that area.

Our loon family was out to far on G Pool but we stopped to check on them anyways. All of a sudden the parents started carrying on as an osprey started screaming.  Looking up we located the problem- not one but too mature eagles flying around G Pool.

Around on D Pool the osprey is back but its baby is not really happy. It appears that the parents are trying to get the young to at least attempt to feed itself.

Nothing overly exciting for the rest of the run. So we call it an afternoon,

6:00pm it is 77 degrees with sunshine but a hazy building up. It is a pretty calm evening but as we go around H Pool toward G Pool we spot a beaver out of the water grooming itself. Well we quietly started to film it but traffic was heading our way so I back up and parked the vehicle. Yeah! It is still there. Michael and I were able to film it for almost a half of an hour. If a car would go by it would slip into the water then back out.  Sweet!! 

We finished after filming a great blue heron on B marsh and headed out of the Refuge. We won’t be back till Friday night.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal August 2, 2010
We woke up to gray skies giving way to rain. Called Dixie at the Toonerville Trolley to let her know we were not going to come. We will have to catch the bears another day.

So we relaxed alittle then headed in to the Refuge to ask Marco a couple of things. The Visitors Center was busy which are always glad to see.

We decide to take a quick run through the Refuge before we packed it up and headed home. It is what the Irish call a ‘soft’ day, warm mist falling.

As we took the Marshland Drive we had a merlin swoop in front of us screeching. The F Pool osprey are screaming for their parents attention. One is in the nest the other on a branch above the nest.

The trumpeter swans were on their new feeding grounds on F Pool while ABJ’s loon  family takes a respite from fishing.

We have one loon quietly floating on H Pool. J Pool has one loon drifting near the trumpeter swan family with two cygnets.

The little muskrats are everywhere enjoying this weather. Woodducks are scattered here and there. Not a lot of activity which is typical for this type of day.

G Pool momma is out enjoying a quiet meal away from the demanding family. She caught a fairly large pike trying to wrestle to the point of being able to swallow in length wise. The rest of the family is resting on the south end of the pool

Our osprey is in its nest on D Pool where we have four loons gathered. We stop to watch them for awhile. We know sooner or later one or two of them will fly off. Sure enough one takes off in a strong rain shower heading almost at us.

As we make our way down C Pool we see our little pied bill grebes here and there. Near the nesting area on C Pool our two loons head into shore come right toward us. They get fairly close but then get distracted by another loon that came into their territory. As they were approaching it yet another loon descended from the sky. Several other loons are flying but only the one landed.

As we continue to the end of C Pool we are yet greeted by one of the end loons. It  seemed to be checking out the party going on behind him but wasn’t interested in participating.

Our C Pool trumpeter swans for the first time since I have been journaling do not have any surviving cygnets. That is so sad. They would proudly parade them in front of us whenever we stop to photograph them. It might have something to do with that mammoth turtle “jabba the hut” that we photographed lounging across a log earlier this summer.

We thought we were done and headed to out when Michael noticed an American bittern standing tall as a reed in the marsh at the end of the drive right before the open space. We parked the truck and slowly advanced . It was totally engrossed in its hunting to even notice us. We filmed it for over an hour as it hunted,  ate and then preened itself. We eventually got within ten feet or less of the bittern till it finally decided to chill out. We thanked it for its tolerance to our intrusion and head out of the Refuge at 2:00..

We won’t be back now till August 14. An important sleepover with Uncle Mike and Aunt Teresa  for Noel, five years old, and Bodie, two years old. What fun!! We are training our next generation of nature conservationists.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal September 12, 2010

Rained heavily in the early morning hours so we decided to wait a little before heading out.

We entered the Refuge at 8:30 greeted by Frik and the Chick.

It is an amazingly beautiful morning after the gloomy week we have all had except for the somewhat breezy conditions. The autumnal equinox is fast approaching…to fast. The brackens are dying and the leaves are changing as trumpeter swans slowly glide across F Pool. The pair with one surviving cygnet is still nurturing it. A few ring necks and pied bill grebes are bobbing around, too.

As we start to enter the Fishing Loop a great blue heron is poised ready to stab a little breakfast. A beaver is busy nearby.

As we meander down the drive we have our trumpeter swans with three cygnets on H Pool and  J Pool’s pair still has their one cygnet.

I catch a quick glimpse at a grey fox before it slips into the brush as we turn the curve at the G/J spillway.

A little later we see our doe and her fawn grazing out in the H/E marsh.

At 9:30 it is 56 degrees, breezy but very quiet. The calm after the storm? I am sure all the creatures are enjoying a break from the rain.

A male wood duck flies into G Pool where twenty plus Canadian geese are feeding. Across the drive a great blue heron is fishing on E Pool.

As we round E Pool to join the Marshland Drive, we spy a couple more pied bill grebes and a gathering of lesser scaups.

Michael spots two mature eagles sitting in the pine tree next to the old osprey nest on D Pool. We are wondering if it might be the two who were on the old osprey nest earlier this year when it looked like the one was trying to tear it apart. Maybe they are looking at the sight for a future nest?! We aren’t sure how the E Pool eagles will like that.

As we are watching the eagles our osprey couple is circling and screeching all across D Pool. They eventually went over to G Pool. Osprey adults have usually migrated by now. This pair is the only ones left on the Refuge. Even the other juveniles have headed south to start their treacherous flight to South America. We are pretty sure this pair is still mourning the loss of their young. Amazing how wildlife responds to sad events the same way we humans do. 

As we were watching all of this we suddenly realized that a loon was flying our way. It flew right over the top of us. Sweet!! Except I had changed my settings on my camera to accommodate more light on the eagles 9who were stationery). So my flying loon was a bit blurred. After looking at the photo we saw that it was a young loon with a band on it but not sure what colors. After talking to Dale at the Visitors Center we found out that Damon has figured all of Seney’s loons had all left for their wintering grounds. It could have been one that was migrating through. Interesting!

It is sad to think all the loons had left. I was  so in hopes of getting a final picture of our G Pool loons. I will have find out from Damon what their band colors etc are.

As we continue around the drive we have a great blue heron, some more little pied bill grebes, a couple of lesser scaups and a multitude of wood ducks. We spot a few Sandhills on B marsh along with trumpeter swans, Canadian geese and a various collection of other waterfowl.

At the end of C Pool we have our pair of young pied bill grebes that stop and let us capture a few of shots of them before diving like a submarine out of sight. As we were pulled off to capture a quick shot of a mature eagle flying over the end of C Pool a gentleman stopped to talk to Michael about ‘the chair’. He introduced himself as Al from Rochester Hills. He and his wife, Debbie, also love to photograph the wonderful nature and wildlife of this beautiful State. We enjoyed the visit and hope to communicate with them in the near future and share information.

We finally head out to the trailer for a quick bit of lunch around 11:45.

Well, when we came back to the Refuge we got ‘distracted’.  Michael ‘needed’ to take something in to Sara at the Visitors Center, but she wasn’t there at that moment. He got to visiting with Claudia who we hadn’t seen in awhile. He then gave me a shout on the headset to come in. We then had to enjoy a delicious piece of ‘monarch migration celebration’ cake that Fanny had baked.

We made a quick second go round where we saw throughout the Refuge several merlins shooting by either after something or something after them. We also saw two or three different great blue herons which we haven’t been seeing much of. Best of all was the sighting of not just one but two Northern Harriers hunting over the end of B Pool. Sweet!! I am still trying to get that perfect shot of one of this gorgeous creatures. Perseverance and a lot of luck, I should eventually succeed.

We head out of the Refuge around 2:30. It looks like we have bad weather heading our way. So we go back to trailer to regroup and decide our next plan of action. We ended up heading north to Grand Marais then east on H-58. Amazingly we missed all the dark clouds and storm till we returned to Newberry. Then the skies opened and the rains came plummeting down. Some places even saw some good sized hail. But after fifteen to twenty minutes the sun came out heralding a beautiful rainbow. We decided to enjoy the last rays of sunshine and headed in for a relaxing cruise through. The only thing I took a photo of was two young rascally raccoons. Cute, the one got so excited it fell off a branch while showing off for me.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal September 19, 2010

Woke up to crispy frosty morning. Waited for it to warm up a little before heading out otherwise Michael might look like an ice cube back on the chair. It is now 41 degrees with a mostly cloudy sky.

We stop at the Visitors Center to leave Claudia a CD of current photos. The Center is full of visitors that have arrived on a tour bus. Some of the visitors were enjoying the Pine Ridge Trail, a quarter of a mile walk.

As we turn on the Fishing Loop we notice one of our E Pool eagles sitting sentry in one of the pine trees near the eagle nest. Further down on E Pool we notice our young great blue heron also on the F Pool side a female lesser scaup and a little pied bill grebe.

Canadian geese and trumpeter swans dot the waterscape but not large numbers only 10-20 in a group. A few young kingfishers are chasing each other around the Refuge. We have another little pied bill grebe on J Pool and further down a great blue heron in the marshes.

As we enter  the forest area at the end of J/H our doe and her almost grown fawn are feeding. They allow Michael to catch a shot or two of them before bounding off.

When we drive at the west end of the Fishing Loop we spook up a couple of sharp-tail grouse. A great blue heron just flew out of a little marshy area on the west end of E Pool. A group of lesser scaups are scattered throughout the west end of E Pool.

As usual C Pool is home to a scattering of wood ducks bobbing in and out of the reeds. A great blue heron is perched in a dead tree. I love to see this. I remember the first time we came through the Refuge about ten years ago when we discovered several great blues in one dead tree. That is when we found out that they nest in trees in an area called a rookery.

Once again as we round the last curve at the end of B Pool a Northern Harrier comes off the island. It flies over and dives at a small group of mallards then casual glides away toward the old eagle’s nest.

As we end our run through we spot a great blue heron that flies out of the swamp and lands in a tree. When we stop to shoot it, of course, it flies away. Well, clouds are increasing, its lunch time so we think we will call it quits. We won’t be back now till the first of October.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal October 3, 2010

Woke up to chilly temperatures and eventually pure sunshine! Headed into the Refuge around 9:15.

The south Show Pool is filled with Canadian geese. A little pied bill grebe greeted us from the pool in front of the Visitors Center. A great blue heron is fishing in F Pool at the start of the Marshland Drive.

More pied bill grebes in F Pool. A ruffed grouse walked across the road into the C marsh. As we near the Fishing Loop there are at least fifty trumpeter swans in F Pool.

Then I thought we had a couple of beavers out playing in F Pool till I look through the binoculars. It was two river otters!!!  Sweet! Michael set up his camera but they were too far out for me to get a shot so I moved the truck. I stood watching them as they got out of the water and played on one of the islands. I thought Michael must surely be capturing this. But… unfortunately from where he was he couldn’t see what they were doing. I followed till they got too far out to see anymore.

The Fishing Loop is now closed so the only way to go is the Marshland Drive. A mature eagle is flying over E Pool to F Pool. Trumpeter swans are pairing up doing their dance heading into winter with a companion.

Further down toward the west end of E Pool we discover  a hundred plus lesser scaups.

D Pool is sooooo quiet. It’s a little depression. The loons are gone. The ospreys are finally gone. But life will continue and we will hopefully have new babies for both next Spring.

A few wood ducks are scattered here and there. Pied bill grebes seem to be the bird of the day. There are at least a dozen toward the east end of C Pool. They are the cutest little water bird especially when they submerge like a submarine. 

Another group of Canadian geese are gathered in the small pool at the end of C Pool. We ended the run at 11:30. Now we are off to take down our camouflaged canopy from our ‘bear’ blind on the tracks of the Toonerville Trolley. But we will be back at the Refuge next weekend.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal October 10, 2010

Woke up to a fog filled morning, it is 40 degrees with the sun trying to burn through.

There were two photographers out at the Wigwams making the most of the foggy mist hanging over the water.

Once again we spooked a ruffed grouse on the Entrance Road to the Refuge. A little pied bill grebe is on the pool in front of the Visitors Center.

Oh no, the Marshland Drive is closed?! What’s up with that?! Well, Michael went in to ask Claudia. She informed us that a bird survey was taking place. The drive would be open by 10:30. So we decide to take a jog out to Driggs River Road.

We are greeted by a Red-tailed hawk that is hunting in the newly clear-cut area. A ruffed grouse is feeding down on one of the trails. We also came across an unusual bird feeding in the gravelly area by the Diversion Ditch. After looking it up we discovered it to be a Horned Lark. It must be migrating through.

Back to the Marshland Drive by 10:45, it is now 55 degrees. Trumpeter swans are feeding on F Pool along with several pied bill grebes.

As we reach E Pool we find our eagles sitting side by side in one of the tall pines on their island near their nest. Sweet!! They were probably discussing what improvements must be done to the nest before next Spring. She must have sent him off to gather the necessary materials as she did some clean up in the nest.

We met up with Al and Debbie who meet a few weeks ago here on the Refuge. We had a nice visit then back to birding.

Pied bill grebes seem to be the bird of the day. An eagle was sitting in a tree on D Pool where a harrier was hunting.
We spotted a few wood ducks and of course Canadian geese. About twenty ring necks flew into C Pool as we pulled over to get out of the way of the fast moving vehicles.

We ended the drive around 2:00 and 72 degrees. We decide to take a trip to Miner’s Beach to see what’s up. It was a beautiful day. We ended at the far end of Miner’s Beach where there is a small waterfalls. We also found a pair of our horned larks feeding on the shores of Lake Superior . As the sun slowly set it cast beautiful golden rays on the Pictured Rocks. Breathtaking! And as always a place to reflect and take in the beauty of nature.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal October 11, 2011

The day started out overcast and in the 40’s. We didn’t head into the Refuge till after 9:30. We stopped first to visit Pat and Karen at the Visitors Center. We haven’t seen Karen since the end of June right after our G Pool loon chicks hatched. We won’t see them now till next Spring as the Visitors Center will be closed for the season after next weekend. We promised Pat we would stay in touch this winter and let her know how our eagle research is going. (www.mcgillsnaturinmotion.com)

We finally head out to the Marshland Drive at 11:45. But actually it got nicer in the afternoon. The little pied bill grebe is still feeding in the pool in front of the Visitors Center.

The trumpeter swans are ravenously feeding on F Pool. The Canadian geese are feeding pretty much everywhere. We have three female lesser scaups on E Pool. Further along the drive we find a few more of the little pied bill grebes.

We find several wood ducks feeding along side of a pair of trumpeter swans. It is interesting to find how different species will feed side by side.

We spy a few wood ducks bobbing in and out of the reeds at the north end of D Pool along with a couple of more pied bill grebes. A very large pool of mallards are gathered there too. As soon as we stopped they flew off but landed right back down. We have seen more mallards in the last couple of trips then ever before.

We are assuming that they are hiding from the hunters that are out on the other waterways.

The south end of D Pool has a gathering of thirty or more ring necks. We have seen a few more groups of birds flying but too high to identify.

C Pool has a few wood ducks and geese. Six little pied bill grebes are diving around. A male and female ring necks are down on the east end of C Pool. We spot a male wood duck on the ‘turtle’ log on C Pool. But of course he didn’t stay put long enough for us to ‘shot’ it.

Well another weekend is over with only one more to go. We always dread this time of year. But we know there will always be next year with more adventures around the corner.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge Journal October 17, 2010

We woke up to sunshine but the clouds soon moved in . The temperature is 45 degrees. We entered the Refuge at 9:30am. The trumpeter swans were hardily eating on the east end of f Pool along with the Canadian geese. We spotted a little pied bill grebe still hanging around.

Michael spotted an osprey flying over F Pool. It must be a young one that is just heading south. Hopefully, it makes it to South America safely. That seems like a very long way to go for one so young and so alone.

As we head around E Pool we find three lesser scaups. Then as we round the bend heading west Michael tells me to stop. There in one of their usual pine trees on the drive, is one of our E Pool bald eagles. Unfortunately, just as we stopped it decides to not be sociable and takes off. Well, at least we saw it and know that it is  protecting its territory.

On the west end of E Pool we discover a large gathering of ring necks. There must be at least two hundred. Michael films them for a while then they all take off. Some head out of the Refuge but a few of them move over to D Pool.

As we stop to check on them we find a group of mallards feeding on the north end of D Pool. While I was scanning the area I saw a harrier swoop and land on a stump. We watched it for awhile. We believe it was eating something then while our attention was distracted by another vehicle wanting by, it disappeared.

We also watched as wave after wave of Canadian geese headed south over the west end of the Refuge. There had to be upwards of five hundred or more. We could also hear the cackling of our beloved Sandhills. It sounded like there had to be a number of them. But there sounded like they we back near J/G Pools.

As we moved along the drive our attention was caught by a couple of different red squirrels. The one was perched atop a high stump surveying its territory. It popped down and gathered some dry leaves. It must be insuring that its nest is well insulated for the winter to come. The second red squirrel was on eye level with Michael on his chair. It was so comical Michael filmed it chattered at him as if to say “get out of my territory”. I was able to snatch a couple of photos. Cute!

We found a few more pied bill grebes and ring necks on the other side of C Pool along with a scattering of wood ducks. Surprisingly we spotted a little belted kingfisher. He seemed to be alone. He probably just wasn’t ready to leave when everyone else did. But hopefully he will now. The wind is picking up and a cold front is quickly moving in. Burrrr!!

As we end our drive we spotted a red-tailed hawk hunting. We tried not to disturb it as we left the Refuge.

We took a break hoping the clouds would dissipate. We decide to take a jaunt to uncharted territory(at least for us). That took us s couple of hours. By the time we got back to the Refuge the sun was shining but….the wind was howling.

The trumpeter swans had moved back on F Pool along with the Canadian geese. Everything seems to be hunkered down now the cold wind is blowing.

We spooked up a ruffed grouse near the swan observation deck. The ring necks had all left. The mallards were still on D Pool. The pied bill grebes and a few wood ducks were still bobbing around.

As we neared the end of the last drive of the season, our bald eagles were perched near the old nest on B Pool proudly daring another pair to just try and move in.  That was a very nice way to end the year. We will be back to check on things at some point this winter. And hopefully we will be invited to come back in the Spring to help out again with the sharp-tailed grouse count(or any other event that may come up).

Thank you to all the staff and volunteers for their continued dedication to inform and educate the public and for protecting our national assets-our wildlife and the environment that sustains them.