Tag Archives: MN North: Old Vermilion Trail

Days 321 & 322: Black and White in Living Color!

Year 1,

More than just us humans get tired occasionally with the fog, mist and clouds. From a photography perspective the challenge is low light, low color, and the need to raise ISO and Aperture levels to yield a quick enough shutter speed which accounts for how quickly birds tend to move. However, the ice, water and hoar frost is pretty! Sometimes the world seems devoid of color!

Day 321: Goldeneyes in the Duluth Harbor
321-Ducks-in-Black-and-White

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Day 322: Bald Eagle and Hoar Frost
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Day 308 & 309: Late Migrants Through the Northern Forest

Year 1,

The last two days has seen me find two birds from farther north in Canada, that normally should have already migrated through my region. The Hooded Merganser totally surprised me as there is almost no open water anywhere for miles and miles around, yet it found an opening in a small stream to rest and eat.

In a similar sense, the Fox Sparrow was also attracted to a much larger river ravine where one could find a few open spots in the ice. Thus, find food and water in the winter, and you will find birds.

Day 308: Hooded Merganser
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Day 309: Fox Sparrow
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I also enjoyed photographing the arrival of this “laker” to Duluth late Thanksgiving afternoon. The sun and angle was perfect!
Thanksgiving-Laker-Arrival-7a

Days 306 & 307: Birds of the Northern Pine Forest

Year 1,

Northern Minnesota has large pine forests, and these wilderness areas offer great winter birding opportunities for anyone brave enough to enjoy our varying, cold weather! Yesterday I went birding north of Two Harbors on a cold, crisp morning. The bright clear sunshine made for excellent photographic conditions, and I was rewarded when lots of pine grosbeaks started to feed in the pine trees right after sunrise.

Today snow squalls are rolling through the region. While snow makes for difficult photography as autofocus lasers often bounces off snowflakes, it is still worth heading outside. On Old Vermilion Trail I had fun watching a Great Gray Owl search for breakfast.

Day 306: Pine Grosbeak
306-Birds-365-Pine-Grosbeak-1 306-Birds-365-Pine-Grosbeak-2

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Day 307: Great Gray Owl
307-Birds-365-Great-Grey-Owl