Tag Archives: MN North: Greenwood Creek Bog

Magical Ice Bog Morning: Owl Time!

Year 11

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)

Perch #1

Changing Locations

Perch #2

Yup … a good morning … made better by the hike!

Stony River Forest Road Reopened!

Year 11,

The HUGE rains of June did a number to many of the wilderness roads in northeastern Minnesota, including Stony River Forest Road. It had a significant number of washouts over its 20 mile length. However, it was reopened yesterday!!! I love to both drive and hike this road. Actually, truth be told … like a bad boy … I actually was frequently on the road after it was closed, but I had to restrict my travels to areas where holes would not swallow my car!

This morning I enjoyed a 20 mile drive on Stony. I tend to drive north to a boreal bog at the 10.5 mile mark, and then turn around. I decided as long as I was up on Stony, I might as well head over to my feeders and trailcams (9 miles distant) I hope you enjoy this video of a lone timber wolf. He was filmed yesterday, and I swear he smelled my scent on the trailcam. Towards the end of the video, the wolf stops and stares right at the camera. Have I been outed??! (video link for email subscribers)

Perhaps the wolf was hunting Spruce Grouse. A few days back I photographed this male within 50 yards of this trailcams. While I could have zoomed in closer with my camera, it is often better to show wildlife  in their habitat … in this case the golds of late Autumn. Apparently tomorrow morning our first winter storm of the year may hit with 1/2 foot of snow.

Greenwood Bog Canada Lynx!

Year 11

The area where both my birdfeeders and trailcams are located is remote, but a few weeks ago one of my trailcams was stolen. Last week I purchased two new cameras with cable locks as replacements. When I swapped out the Simm cards this morning, I was rewarded with this video of a Canada Lynx. All summer and Fall I have been capturing Moose and Lynx on my cameras. Fun!

And the video … nice closeup! (video link of the Canada Lynx for email subscribers)

I will write a review about my new trailcams soon. The price is very reasonable and the performance is sound. Finally, it was fun to run into one of my readers as I was putting up a new bird feeder this morning. I love meeting you folks!