Seasonal Transitions Birding: Canada Jay

Year 12

Winter is giving up its grip on the Northland … slowly. Off trail by my Greenwood Creek Bird Feeders the snow is still deep, but the trails are rock hard for easy walking (melt during the day, freeze solid overnight). One of the very first songbirds to nest every season is the Canada Jay (Gray Jay, Whiskey Jack, Campground Robber). I found a pair of Canada Jays foraging next to Lake County 2 … three hours apart at the exact same location. While this might seen surprising given the location was miles from any bird feeder, these jays actually nest in February when the temperatures often reach minus 25F at night … or worse.

Thus, it is likely these two jays have a nest nearby! I will be checking the area over the next few week and month to see if the gray fluffballs appear. The weather was 50F this particular afternoon with sun, thus time off from incubating could be taken. Later that same day I took a hike out Park Point. The warm weather screamed to stay outdoors! The view is of the Superior Entry and Lighthouse into the harbor. The ice buildup happens every spring along the point as NE winds push ice ashore.

Northern Light s Real Time Video in NE Minnesota on March 8, 2025

Year 12,

35 seconds of last night’s Northern Lights display in NE Minnesota. This is NOT an enhanced time lapse. This is “real time” as I watched it at Boulder Lake a bit north of Duluth. The only post processing I performed was to remove color (i.e. reduce color saturation) and digital noise because I wanted folks to experience what I saw. Cameras tend to record the Aurora as having much more green than what we typically see in NE Minnesota. Finally, my camera is NOT an expensive device. It is a Sony A6300 (released in 2016) using 3200 ISO and an aperture of 2.0 on a wide angle lens. I try to focus on realism in my astrophotography (i.e. what I am able to see with my naked eye, as opposed to the camera which can see a broader light spectrum). My approach is not better than photographers who choose to record more light than me. Photography is art.

Video Link for this blog’s email subscribers

And of course here are a few still images from last night’s dance by Lady Aurora. My only post processing edits in a manner similar to my video was to tone down the colors (remove green) and sharpen the photographs. The almost full moon (70% of full last night) often washed out a Northern Lights display, but last night it allowed me to better photograph the landscape. There were very defined shadows from the moon (my tripod, me, etc).

I knew from personal experience, that when the arc stats to get intense, the dance will normally start soon.

Lady Aurora is dancing!

Where’s Waldo Going Today? Wilderness Trek!

Year 12

Here is today’s planned route. My first stop will be my bird feeders at Greenwood Creek, then via Isabella to Sawbill Landing. The snowpack inland from the big lake is still very deep. If I see more than four cars per hour once I head north from Two Harbors (20 minutes from my house) it will be a traffic jam! Once I leave Isabella I would expect to see zero other people. I am looking forward to a day in the wilderness. This route was planned based upon my knowledge of the area, the hour by hour weather forecast (particularly cloudy coverage, winds and temperatures), and the sun angle / position relative to my location and direction of travel.