Last night at 10 pm it was 55F (13C), clear and no wind. Early November in many years means the lakes in northern Minnesota are beginning for form ice, but not 2016. The result of the this ridiculously warm weather means the late migrants are staying up in Manitoba and Ontario, where the lakes are also ice free.

Given the heat wave and lack of birding opportunities, I have started to stalk the harbor front  at night. I took this photograph of the Lee Tregurtha, a great lakes freighter, as it loaded coal at Midwest Energy in Superior, Wisconsin with the crescent moon setting behind her. Kind of neat that I just heard a presentation yesterday about the Tregurtha and her sister ships at the Gales of November Conference . This event is sponsored by Duluth’s marine museum, and is always a fine event.