Here is an update on my Greenwood Creek Bird Feeders. As I type this at 6:30 am my local owls are in the yard and serenading me with a hootfest duet, but on to the Greenwood update …
I know quite a few folks have been looking for Spruce Grouse north of Two Harbors. Thus, the first part of my report is I almost always see at least one Spruce Grouse on Lake County 2 with every visit to my feeders … from a mile south to a mile north of the parking pad.
A huge thanks is owed to the Ranger Snowmobile Club out of Hoyt Lakes. Saturday morning they not only plowed the parking pad, but cleared all the trees off Forest Road 813 and groomed the trail leading away from the bird feeders. Thus, one may easily walk, snowshoe or cross-county ski again to the bog. The trail (USFS #813) actually stretches all the way to Hoyt Lakes! Do not worry about snowmobile traffic. There are not that many sleds on the trail, and the snowmobiles can be heard a long ways off giving plenty of time to get out of their way. Regardless, the club members are very courteous and will often slow down and chat.
Two days ago I made on of my visits and hiked in to one of my trailcams. The cable lock had been frozen, but I was finally able to thaw the lock and collect the simm card. Enjoy watching Mr. Moose at -13F. He was not interested in moving much. (video link for email subscribers)
And some views from my route to the feeders … sometimes sunny, sometimes not.
Red Crossbills gritting up near the Feeders (very happy to see them … have been mainly white-winged crossbills this winter)
Spruce Grouse doing same, in tandem with Common Redpolls
Folks have been asking me for my Wilderness TrailCam recommendation. Here finally is my recommended camera:
The Meidase P70 (Amazon link – not sponsored – no money to me)
This TrailCam is Meidase’s most basic unit and during the Fall of 2024 may often be purchased for around $40. You will need a basic Simm card (32 gb is fine) and I learned purchasing a cable lock is a good idea. No matter how remote, a camera if unlocked may get stolen. I use a cable lock from Master Lock which costs about $12 (Amazon link).
My Meidase P70 in the Superior National Forest (You are able to see my cable lock and the included strap which secures the camera to the tree. I have looped the strap because I do not want any excess strap to blow in the wind and trigger motion events.)
This begs the question … “Why am I recommending this camera?”
Remote TrailCams rarely have a cellular signal. If your camera is NOT being used for security, do you really need instant notification via your phone? A camera with cellular notification will cost significantly more money, not to mention the required cellular plan for the camera. Thus, why pay for features you really don’t need. Basic cameras often have the same features as the higher priced models.
The Meidase P70 takes good photos and videos. However, the same rules apply to TrailCam placement as any camera.
Place the camera with the sun in mind. (Sun behind the camera, good. Sun facing the camera, bad!) I realize the sun moves across the sky during the day, but here in northern Minnesota from October through April, the sun is normally is the southern part of the sky.
Learn wildlife habitat for TrailCam placement. Choke points on trails with difficult terrain off trail will see more activity. Animals are not dumb and prefer expending less energy rather than more when moving. Natural bridges over streams and creeks are great spots … think beaver dams, downed trees, etc. Mammals will use these bridges.
Motion detection is a great, but remember when leaves / foliage move in the wind and if they are to close to your camera, these items will trigger recording / photo events.
Place your camera pointed “at an angle” to any trail. This allows the motion sensor to trigger events before any wildlife is directly opposite the camera. I have my cameras take 2 images and then immediately start a 30 second video. I repeat without delay if the camera still senses movement.
Hiking in to swap out simm cards and batteries on TrailCams is normally fun time in the outdoors!
Even though Solar Array options to power Meidase TrailCams are available, I have found battery life to be decent even with cold northern Minnesota temperatures.
I do own one Meidase P80 Trailcam which has both WiFi capability, but I am NOT recommending the P80. It costs $40 to $50 more than the P70, AND the app’s WiFi connection is ONLY to the TrailCam’s own very local WiFi network … NOT your own WiFi network. Thus it is 100% impossible to remote connect into this camera and manage it. You must be within about 45 feet of this camera and use “its” network.
The P80 does allow you to manage the camera … change settings and offload images / videos w/o touching the camera. However, if I have to be right next to the camera, why not use my own hands to change the SIMM cards and make any desired settings changes?? I do have to unlock my cable lock on my P70 and remove the cable to make changes, which does not take me very long, and I do not feel is an onerous task.
One thing the P80 did allow me to do is take screenshots of the settings via the app, but please understand all settings options are 100% identical on the P70 with the exception of now WiFi options.
I felt it would be useful to show the settings and my preferred options. While the screenshots are taken from my P80’s app, remember these options are identical between the P70 and P80. The menu interface is exactly the same. An “orange slider bar” indicates the option is “on”. A “gray slider bar” indicates I have turned that option “off.”
Here are some examples images and videos from my Meidase P70:
Yesterday was one of those mornings that soothes the soul! My time in the deep woods provided me the inspiration that keeps me returning to the Boreal wilderness, even when some days are not as successful or filled with beauty. The morning started similar to the day before … sunny skies down by Lake Superior, and precipitation 35 miles inland. However yesterday morning it was a few degrees cooler than the prior, and rather than cold, blustery rain there was light, fluffy snow!!!
From earlier in the week I knew my forest road / trail already had a few trees down across same. However the strong winds of the prior day (60 mph wind gusts) felled even more trees. US Forest Service Road (#813) between my feeders and the Boreal Bog (about one mile) now had 10+ trees down across the narrow dirt road. Thankfully my plan all along was to hike into the Bog.
Enjoy cell phone pics of my hike to the Bog, and my “owl time” upon reaching the frozen wonderland! Great Gray Owl time! The owl spent over 35 minutes with me. It disappeared into the deep forest when the sun started to come out.
First the hike … (Ice Bog Snow Flurry video link for email subscribers)
A few still images from the hike into the frozen bog (cell phone pics)
As a fyi … the firearms deer hunting season ends this weekend. However, I know there was not a single hunter within miles and miles of me, but I still always wear Blaze Orange or Red during the hunting season. Finally, remember white-tailed deer hate bogs. Thus, I am extremely unlikely to meet up with hunters. In fact, I have never ever seen a deer or deer tracks in this area. Any deer hunter who knows anything about the wildlife would never hunt this area.
Great Gray Owl Ice Bog Time (video link for email subscribers)
