Given a cool, drab December afternoon, and reports that snowy owls might have arrived here on the Arctic Riviera (Duluth, Minnesota), I took a long walk on the waterfront looking for the white owl. Each winter, snowies find our “tundra like” areas next to the St. Louis River the perfect place to take a winter vacation.

Alas, now a snowy owl was to be found, but I did find another Arctic visitor, the Long-Tailed Duck! Actually, I find this particular duck harder to find than snowy owls. Thus, I was very pleased. Now, if I could only have some sunshine and refind these ducks for a photoshot, but I’m afraid that is too much to ask!

Long-Tailed Duck & some “Eyes”

One of these Ducks is an Impostor! Synchronized Golden-Eye Swimming.

Flowers on December 3rd in Northern Minnesota? Strange but True.
(I am 60 years old, and I have never before seen a wildflower blooming in December)

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.

The weather has been dreary, and the birds have been few. Thus, when God gives you lemons, make lemonade! With that thought in mind I decided to work on low light photography, and shortly after 5 am this morning (2 hours 15 minutes before sunrise) I was down on the Duluth waterfront. I wanted to play around with camera settings and see what I could accomplish during the dark … both in terms of “stopping the action”, but having enough light for an interesting photograph.

From advance knowledge (Duluth Shipping News) I knew the Philip Clarke would be steaming out of the harbor and under Duluth’s High Bridge early this morning. When my marine app showed it had begun its trip I hastened down and walked out onto the Old Interstate Bridge (circa 1897). A few spans from this historic bridge still exist which allow one to walk almost out to the shipping channel.

This image was the result: (the sun returns tomorrow, and hopefully some birding photography opportunities)

• ISO = 3,200
• Aperture = 2.0
• Exposure = 1/50th of second
• Focus = Infinity