Tag Archives: MN North: Sax-Zim Bog

The White of Winter!

Year 6

As we experience the snowiest February in recorded history here in northern Minnesota, one color dominates the scene … white! Whether it is in the early evening as one shovels snow for the umpteenth time, or watching my favorite male Snowy Owl north of Duluth, the color is white.

Male Snowy Owls become progressively whiter with each additional year. The females and juveniles have black markings. Thus, I figure this guy is in his prime!

Today I am experiencing another kind of white … white out! Molly and I are up in Ely covering the Wolftrack Classic Sled Dog Race. While there is some snow in the air, the wind is howling like crazy (along with the dogs).

I did learn a new fact today. While sled dogs are not exactly quiet while waiting to start a race, the moment the dogs are hooked up to the sled, pandemonium breaks out. These dogs want to run. In order to insure the team does not go anywhere before their alloted time to approach the starting corral, every team was hooked up to their musher’s truck with no exceptions. These dogs are born to run!

Photos to follow … with lots of white! Time to head out to the Boreal Forest and take some race photos amongst the snow encrusted pines!

12 Hours on the Ice Planet!

Year 6,

Another snowstorm is barreling down upon us here in northern Minnesota, with a second expected this weekend. If the two dumps of white stuff appear as forecast, we will break the all time record for the snowiest February. Thus, somehow it seems appropriate to bring you twelve hours of splendor on the Ice Planet.  The day was glorious with a bright blue sky and powder white snow. As a reminder (see yesterday’s post) it all started with me hiking the woods before 6:00 am in search of my Great Horned Owls perching trees. The day then progressed in this manner:

  1. Sunrise Over the Ice Planet (Lake Superior at the Mouth of the Lester River)
  2. Northern Hawk Owl in Sax-Zim Bog (who you looking at, bub!)
  3. Snowy Owl south of Meadowlands, Minnesota
  4. Moonrise Over the Ice Planet  (Lake Superior at the Mouth of the Lester River)

All and all it was a great day. I was in long underwear from before sunrise to after sunset. It was nice to finally get home, take off my warm weather clothes and enjoy a glass of wine with my wife!

Note: In the Lake Superior photographs, in addition to the vista you are seeing the ice fishermen who walk out onto the ice at sunrise, returning at sunset with their catch of lake trout.

Sunrise Over the Ice Planet

Northern Hawk Owl

Snowy Owl (male)

Moonrise Over the Ice Planet

Varied Thrush (and other stories)!

Year 6,

This weekend a friend of the family was super kind and invited me over to see an extremely rare bird, a Varied Thrush. I have included the range map from Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology. This bird should not be hanging out in Duluth, Minnesota. The thrush played peek-a-boo with me at sunup, but I was thrilled to have this view! Unfortunately the Varied Thrush is on private property a fair distance from any public road … thus not available for easy viewing (I can not reveal the location).

Varied Thrush and Range Map

 

The weekend continued with other unique experiences. Molly and I skied 20 kilometers across the frozen ice of Lake Superior from Ashland to Washburn at NIGHT! The event, Book Across the Bay is normally only 10 kilometers long, but in the gathering darkness Molly and I skied 10k from the finish to the start. Upon reaching Ashland, we had 20 minutes to rest before skiing back through the night. I used my GoPro to take some short videos. If you watch the two minute film you will gain an appreciation for skiing through darkness, past bonfires, hearing jazz out on the middle of the lake, and even seeing a fire breathing dragon … all with well over 2,000 of your best friends. I was starting to lag when I reached the finish. 20k is more than I had skied so far this year.

Sunday saw me volunteering in the Bog, but of course I had to go birding on the way home.  These Ring-Necked Pheasants and Evening Grosbeaks provided me some nice views.

Mr. and Mrs. Ring-Necked Pheasant

Mr. and Mrs. Evening Grosbeak