Anyone who has followed my blog for a while should understand I love this land, and its people. For me, northeastern Minnesota is God’s Country! In fact, two days ago I was elected board chair of Destination Duluth. This 501c organization exists to encourage people, businesses and organizations to move to Duluth. If you like my images, you must visit Destination Duluth’s Facebook page (no account required), or install our IOS / Android app. Both resources have the work of phenomenal Northland photographers, and in the case of the app, many other items which will help you enjoy our area … better yet, no ads or sales pitches.

Although the birding has been a bit slow over the past week, the ability to enjoy this land, its wilderness, and beauty have been frequent. Two nights ago was the 41st anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot song). Each year on the anniversary, Splitrock Lighthouse’s beacon is lit in honor of the 29 men who lost their lives.

After enjoying a late night photographing the lighthouse, I was still up early the next two days. Yesterday Mr. Timberwolf was nice enough to pose for me at sunrise. One may distinguish a wolf from a coyote by its rounded ears, and the fact that it’s just plain bigger.

This morning while putting out my feeders on Old Vermilion Trail for the winter season, I enjoyed seeing many grouse. While not a scientific study, I am convinced the numbers of grouse are way up and we are near the high of their cycle. The numbers of lynx, bobcat and foxes should also now increase due to increased numbers of prey! If you wish to visit my winter feeders on Old Vermilion Trail (a nice dirt road just north of Duluth), follow this link for a more detailed description and map! Do you think grouse are well camouflaged?!

Finally an image of four freighters anchored out in Lake Superior. The time was about 45 minutes before sunrise this morning. Once again, I love this land and its peoples!