Monthly Archives: August 2016

Merlin Attacks Great Horned Owl!

Year 3
I don’t know about you, but I would hate to be this Great Horned Owl right about now!
 
This image was taken this morning up on Hawk Ridge in Duluth, Minnesota. The owl is a decoy, but the Merlin is very much real. Had fun watching the Merlin attack the decoy almost 15 times.
 
Consider visiting Duluth and Hawk Ridge this Fall right at sunrise. I have found that when there are fewer people around, like at sunrise, the attacks on the owl decoy are much more frequent both in terms of the numbers of hawks making the attack, and the number of attacks per bird.
 
While you will see more birds later in the day when the thermals start to rise off the hill, I enjoy the drama of these attacks. As more people arrive, the hawks often tend to stay farther away from the viewing platform and crowds.Y3-M08-Hawk-Ridge-Merlin-Attack

Waterfront Happenings!

Year 3,

Was fun getting back to Duluth, and finally having some time to get out with my camera. Before heading down to Canal Park yesterday evening, I even had a few moments to hang out in the garden with my favorite ruby-throated hummingbirds. The individual pictured was very aggressive, often driving off up to two other hummingbirds from the garden at once!

My reason for the trip down to the waterfront at sunset was to watch our last tall ship leave Duluth. The El Galeon Andalucia’s (Spanish Galleon) was in her majesty as she sailed out onto Lake Superior.

This morning the fantastic weather necessitate another trip down to the waterfront, and at the abandoned pier near Grassy Point I found snadpipers taking a rest from their long migration and filling up the tank.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Feeding on Bee Balm
Y3-M08-Garden-Hummingbird

The El Galeon Andalucia Leaving Duluth
Spanish-Galleon-Night-Aerial-Bridge-Departure-2c

Morning “Piper”
Y3-M08-Abandonned-Pier-Sandpiper

Summer Sunflower Sunrise!

Year 3

Advance Planning! Do you plan your photographs “in advance”? Hopefully the answer is yes. During a prior drive down to Minneapolis I noticed a field of sunflowers in the distance which were almost ready to bloom. My brain immediately starting taking virtual pictures. Wouldn’t it be cool to photograph the sunflowers shortly after dawn?

Thus, four days ago I got up at 4 am and left early for the Twin Cities. My early departure was to arrive at my desired farm fields in the dawn’s early light. The night before I had researched farm roads on Google Maps which I thought would bring me to the sunflower  fields with the correct point of view relative to the sunrise. In addition I downloaded an offline version of central Minnesota from Google Maps on my smartphone.  Never trust you will have a cell signal when in remote areas!

This photograph was the end result … a sunflower field a few minutes after sunrise … in a location I had never visited in my life. Even when birding, I pick my locations and hikes to hopefully arrive at a desired area with the proper lighting / photographic conditions.

Do you advance plan your photographs?

Summer Sunflower Sunrise
Summer-Sunflower-Sunrise