Submitted by guest blogger Sue Plankis
Two winter things happened in Minnesota this week that made me think of spring. The first was the City of Lakes Loppet where one skis 25 K along park-ways and frozen lakes from Theo Wirth Park south to Uptown. These are the same lakes which I paddle with my friend Bob Brown, well-known canoe and boat builder of Apple Valley. As I skied I could envision what this place would look like in just a couple of months; soft water, green leaves and singing birds. The second happening was that a girlfriend sent me a photo of a bird which she needed some help identifying. Sitting on a snow-laden bird feeder was an American Goldfinch. Most interesting was that it was a male starting to get his yellow spring breeding plumage.
Canoeing and birding are two of my favorite activities and Rob has provided me with an opportunity to share both of these passions in his upcoming trips in the BWCA. The journeys will focus on the breeding birds of the northern Minnesota forests where we’ll search, find, share and revel in the lives of birds. We’ll learn how to identify them, hear their songs, find their nests and more. But birds won’t be the only thing to explore. We’ll have time to learn more about canoe tripping and handling canoes. I most love the evenings when we can play with the canoes, learning more about Freestyle and Canadian Style paddling. As evening descends we’ll paddle possibly serenaded by the waking nocturnal Barred Owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls. Hope you can join! For now though, back to waxing those skis for the next race.
To learn more about these trips click Guided Canoe Trips on the top bar of this blog.
Sue Plankis has been teaching canoeing for over 30 years in Canada and the States. She specializes in quietwater paddling and loves Canadian Style solo paddling. She is an avid birder and has seen 304 species in Minnesota. She is a bird bander, working with various master banders in Minnesota and Ontario. In the winter, she coaches nordic skiing for a local high school.