I drove down to Park Point (Minnesota Point) this morning leaving around 5:30 am. I almost did not head down to the Point for a “shorebird” walk on the beach because around 5:00 am when I looked outside at my house (800 yards above Lake Superior), there appeared to be low clouds, perhaps fog. Our weather has been so nasty I really wanted to bird the big lake, but not in cold fog. Like most mornings before I go birding I decided to check my weather map and live web cams.
My favorite weather app which is available on Android or Apple, is Weawow. I make a donation of a few dollars and look carefully at the hour by hour forecast, and the weather maps (both rain and wind / speed / direction). This weather app is very detailed, and does NOT have advertising or pop-ups. Regardless, the app seemed to indicate a trip to the big lake would work fine.
However, I always check the live Canal Park webcam before heading out. I look at the American flag on the display tug boat, sky conditions, and lake waves. Here is what the scene looked like at 5:08 am … a beautiful calm morning 15 minutes before sunrise. Game on!
My shorebird search was a bust, but the flowering fruit trees just off the main parking lot yielded a rare sight for northern Minnesota … a Red-Headed Woodpecker! This bird was definitely worth the price of admission!!! The bird seemed to be storing food, but the habitat on Park Point would not be my expectation in terms of red-head friendly.
The moral of the story for birding … do your research but then be willing to adjust and have fun!
Red-Head … the Movie! (video link for email subscribers)
Gorgeous bird!!
Thanks!
Great photos and video. I really enjoy your work.
Do you use an external on-camera microphone? I am thinking of investing in one. I want one that will pick up the sounds of nature/wildlife better than my cameras mic.
I don’t put an external mike on my camera. I do own a small “Rode Directional Microphone” which easily attaches to either of my cameras, but given I am often out walking in the woods, I don’t want to be bothered. The key issues for video are stabilizing the camera (use light monopod) and wind noise. Many cameras at least have a setting which allows the photographer to minimize wind sound. I am not personally convinced that feature works very well. Finally, I do a very minimal amount of edits using Photoshop Premier Elements. If it was darker light conditions, I activate some noise lessening, occasionally stabilization, and finally shadows and highlights.
Thanks for your help. Your work is always so enjoyable.
Thanks! As a child in Ohio, I had a book with a story about a woman wore a red cap and who became a red-headed woodpecker, I think because she was so stingy! Such a beautiful bird. Thanks
Cool! May have to do some Google searches to try and figure out the book.