Monthly Archives: March 2014

Day 054: Calm Before the Storm!

A major Winter storm is due to move into the Northland tonight. Right now it is just plain dreary as evidenced by these mallards down at Duluth’s Canal Park. They are apparently bored with it all. However, they may just be trying to look “cool” or “bored” with the first small flock of mergansers which have also appeared in this small stretch of open water.

I am looking forward to nicer weather when the Army Corps of Engineers will open up the storm gates and allow folks to walk out on the pier. This will give me better access to more bird photos, and a perspective to photograph the “other” lighthouse.

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Day 053: A Great Afternoon with my Great Gray Owl!

Normally I do not post and add photographs of the same bird two days in a row. However, having a Great Gray Owl establish its territory in your neighborhood is exciting. In the last two days I’ve seen him four times: yesterday at sunrise, midday and sunset … and today sunning in the middle of the afternoon. This bird let me walk within ten yards of him, and never spooked … an amazing experience.

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Just like yesterday, I went back at sunset to visit my Great Gray Owl. It turns out there is a new traffic cop in northern Minnesota, and he means business!

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Day 052: Jackpot at Dawn! Great Gray Owl

Some of my friends wonder why I get up before dawn and brave the cold (+7F this morning). This sequence of three photos explains it all. The time before dawn and the golden hour are peaceful, serene and beautiful. Today I was rewarded with the experience of watching and photographing an extremely rare bird, the Great Gray Owl. At times I was only 20 feet away his perch where the bird was resting after a busy night hunting. I am truly blessed to spend this time with God’s creations.

SS Meteor (30 minutes before dawn)
Sunrise-Meteor

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Goldeneyes on the Hunt
(10 minutes after sunrise)
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Great Gray Owl
(one hour after sunrise)
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This post has now been updated to include two photos I took at sunset and then moonrise. The Great Grey Owl is my new best friend!

Sunset Owl
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Moonrise Owl
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