The River Nest Bed and Breakfast

Wow!  We have eagle action here at The River Nest Bed and Breakfast!  Bill counts for The National Eagle Center, and yesterday he counted 200 in a 2-mile stretch.

Today they’re “playing” out front.  Sometimes they’re all across the river, and sometimes many are down along the ice in front of us.

The National Eagle Center has a full month of activities planned for March, known as Soar With the Eagles.  You can check out their web site or that of the Wabasha-Kellogg Chamber of Commerce for all the details.

Bill has decided to run a special here at The River Nest during the month of March.  He’s offering a $25. discount for a two-night stay.

We’re also offering free coffee breaks for those of you following The National Eagle Center’s eagle viewing guide around our area.  We do love having company and showing off our place!

Next weekend is Wabasha’s Grumpy Old Men festival.  Again, the details are at the Chamber web site.  Our grandsons’ mom Kylie is jumping into the Mississippi River as part of the “Grumpy Plunge” fundraiser for Great River Homes.  (Don’t tell her I shared the secret: She and her sister Kacey are going to be “grumpy (toilet) plungers.”)

Be well.  Safe travels.

Carol

Happy New Year! We thank all you wonderful people who made 2011 such a success here at The River Nest Bed and Breakfast, and we look forward to hosting you again soon.

Hasn’t this been an amazing winter, weather-wise? The Mississippi River hasn’t frozen over, and the eagles have miles and miles to spread out and do their fishing. We’re still lucky, though, because we have nests nearby. So we have eagle viewing every day.

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another” usually prefaces a complaint. Here along the Mississippi it says how lucky we are! With fewer eagles this year we have more ducks and a dozen trumpeter swans floating out along our cove. Always there is something to enjoy on the river.

Bill, our bird man, has been enjoying the pileated woodpeckers’ visits at his suet feeder. We have connected with a wild game processor who gave us some venison suet. The pileateds love it, and we’re even getting more than one at a time stopping by for breakfast!

Our new restaurant in Reads Landing has been a marvelous success.  Our guests have enjoyed the convenience of a short walk to fine food.  Chef Scott at The Reads Landing Brewing Company has a knack for combining foods and seasonings for delicious entrees.  This German-Irish, Minnesota-Grown girl (old lady) ordered black-eyed peas and collard greens–part of the New Year’s Eve special–and absolutely loved them!  We stopped in last week for a couple micro brews and the pulled pork tacos.  Again, delish!  Owner Bob Nihart tells us this is the year he’ll build his own micro-brewery and serve his beer.  I’ve sampled some of his product–good stuff!

Another new site to check out in our area is Moonshine Showcase.  We have “Music Under the Bridge” on Friday nights in Wabasha throughout the summer.  Now the fellow who schedules those entertainers is booking another venue in Wabasha for year-around entertainment.  Click, and see who is coming next.

Of course, if you’re wondering what else is available to do and enjoy in our area, be sure to visit our Wabasha Chamber of Commerce web site.

We’re looking forward to another good year at The River Nest B&B, hosting old friends and greeting new ones.  Keep us in mind as you make plans for a Minnesota getaway.

Carol Dunn, Innkeeper

It’s March! The snow is still beautiful, although somewhat tiresome, and we have eagles!! In fact, a quarter mile downriver from The River Nest Bed and Breakfast, we have a new nest out in the backwaters. This is really exciting for us, because until now the closest nest required risking your life up along busy U.S. Highway 61 to get a really good view! Now viewers can stop along a low traffic road and get an eyeful! Bring your camera.

With March comes the popular Soar With the Eagles program at The National Eagle Center. Each week carries a new theme. The themes remaining are “The Flyway,” “The River,” and “The Eagle.” Be sure to check out their link since each theme includes interesting speakers and presentations from throughout the country.

This weekend (March 11-13) we also have the Wabasha-Kellogg Home, Garden, and Vacation Show. This year they’re adding local color with a cake “silent auction.” That alone will be high entertainment, since my brother the mayor and his Kellogg counterpart are baking their own cakes and having a competition between the towns. If you see a tea party–some wicked-looking chocolate mini-bundts on some antique snack plates, complete with fancy teas–please bid! Nope, they’re not my brother’s!

Once again, we invite you to visit our beautiful Southeast Minnesota and enjoy our hospitality here at The River Nest!

Carol Dunn, Innkeeper
The River Nest Bed and Breakfast
20073 County Road 77
Reads Landing, MN 55968
651-560-4077
bcdunn@wabasha.net

What fun! We have our first real snow here at The River Nest Bed and Breakfast! Five inches landed last night, and we have a sunshine fairyland this afternoon.

Of course, I went out with the camera. But first, The Bird Report:

The eagles are late this year! Luckily this morning we had six in the “Pepper Tree” (a tree across the river that is often “peppered” with eagles), and several soaring toward the house then up into the bluffs. Last night’s guests came knowing there would be snow and hoping there would be eagles. We couldn’t deliver as many eagles as usual for this time of year, but we could add the pilleated woodpecker. The cardinals and blue jays are here at the back door feeders early and late as well as an assortment of chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows, and woodpeckers.

There’s an article in this month’s Birds and Blooms magazine about feeding birds from the hand. I found today that if I stood very still many more birds showed themselves, coming out of the brush near the bird feeders. Of course, I didn’t have enough patience to lure any to me–nor any feed to bait them.

Okay, let’s try to load some of today’s pictures:

Home, Sweet River Nest:

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Back yard bird feeders:

Woodpeckers and suet:

This garden is closed for the season!

Christmas and more bird feeders:

Looking out the livingroom windows:

That’s our ‘scope aimed at the Pepper Tree!

Thank you to all who are patient enough to check out our posts. Thanks, too, to all our precious guests who have enriched our lives and “grown” our business. We’re finishing up our fifth year, and it keeps getting better. Bless you!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May you enjoy good health, friendship, a measure of prosperity, an appreciation of life’s blessings, and daily laughter!

Be well.

Bill and Carol Dunn, Innkeepers
The River Nest Bed and Breakfast