Category Archives: Year 5

Bog Hike Birding

Year 5

Today will more than likely be the last day I hike back into the frozen bog with my trusty Canon SX60. While this has been a great camera for me, its successor the Canon SX70 was waiting on my doorstep when I returned home from Sax-Zim Bog. Expect a review of my new camera shortly, but my final hike with an old friend was most pleasant.

I actually had not even planned to head to the Bog when I go up yesterday morning, but when I discovered the day would be totally clear with light winds I could not resist the “call of the bog”. I arrived in the Bog thirty minutes before sunrise, but even with light winds and perfect weather before sunrise, I did not find a Great Gray Owl. Without deep snow in the woods, there is little reason for these birds to hunt the roadsides.

However, given there is only 4 inches of white stuff on the ground, taking hikes deep into the bog is much easier than normal. A Northern Hawk Owl has been hanging out in the South Logging Road clearing 3/4 of a mile from the trail head. No snow shoes were necessary and when I first arrived two Gray Jays and the owl were having a major disagreement. It was like a World War I dogfight for over three minutes with the three birds diving and swirling at each other. It was a “hoot” to watch!

Next a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers took exception to the presence of the owl, but these two birds were not as agile and tended to scream from a distance. The two images given below were of the combatants taken on top of two dead tamarack pines approximately fifteen yards apart. The Northern Hawk Owl was not impressed with the presence of the Hairy, as its facial expression seems to express.

I did stop by the Welcome Center around 10 am. It has an amazing number of male pine grosbeaks including this one I caught foraging on the ground.

My final hike of the day was into the Warren Nelson Bog. Light winds meant it was extremely easy to hear Black Backed Woodpeckers in their search for food. Within minutes after arriving I heard and found this female. All an all it was a great day in the Bog … sunny, no wind, and 9F.

Snowy Owl on a Snowy Day! (video)

Year 5

While we all prefer days where the winter sky is deep blue, and the temperatures are in the mid 20’s, for the prospect of seeing owls a dark day w/o wind is best. A few days back I found multiple Snowy Owls hunting long after sunrise. Light snow was falling without much wind. Perfect for owls to remain out and hunt if it weren’t for those darn crows!

Actually, I think this female Snowy Owl was quite happy to have me arrive on the scene. Some local crows were harassing it, but moved off when I came near. Thus, the owl let me get real close as I provided the fringe benefit of scaring off said crows. You can hear them cawing in the video.

We seem to be experiencing a bit of a small Snowy Owl irruption in the Duluth area this winter. The numbers of white owls I am seeing is truly impressive. However, this does not necessary mean breeding success up in the Arctic last summer. Snowy Owls move hundreds, if not thousands of miles between summers in search of lemmings. Thus, a good breeding area one year may be horrible the next. It is quite possible that the owls nested in larger numbers west of Hudson’s Bay in the Arctic this year. Next sumner they could be over by Greenland in larger numbers. I personally support the Owl Research Institute with both financial and my “Hey There Mr. Owl!” book contributions. This team has been researching owls, including Snowies for 30 years. Learn more!

Here are some images of the female Snowy Owl, and below a male Snowy a bit after sunset. Note how the male’s feathers and overall appearance is much whiter. One final comment, in low light (as in snowy days) when taking photographs use burst mode and forget about flight images. Thankfully owls tend to sit very still most of the time. Thus, I get some good photos along with the blurry ones.

Female Snowy Owl

Male Snowy Owl

Ice Night Shipping

Year 5

Last night my wife was ushering for a local theater, and I decided to wonder how I might spend a quiet evening at home. Given the dearth of anything worthwhile on TV, I decided to check the status of our local shipping.

Eureka! A saltie had just sailed under the Aerial Bridge. If you are ever in Duluth, or anywhere along the North Shore of Lake Superior there is a great web page (works very well on a smartphone) named Harbor Lookout. This site gives you information of what ships are expected, and their planned arrival or departure times.

Now back to my evening’s entertainment. The Federal Rhine, was slowly being assisted by two tugs to the CHS Grain Elevator to take on a load of wheat. I suspected the harbor ice and night lights reflecting off the ice would make for a beautiful scene. You be the judge.

As a fyi … I took these images with my Sony A6000 and a wide angle lens. Clicking or pressing upon the images will yield the best night arrival experience (expanded view).

Docking at the CHS Grain Terminal

Making a large turn next to the Duluth High Bridge